Literary Journal - The Muse - Dominican Academy

Go Ahead. Do it.
Lyla Cerulli
For the first time in my life, my closet door was open. So many
years before, it remained shut as I slept. If it were open—even a
crack—the monsters would be able to come through the void. They
would eat me, limb by limb. Brain cell by brain cell, as I would
scream in agony. I sit up, about to swing my legs over the side of
the bed. And… I stopped. I was sixteen now, able to marry in some
countries. And I was afraid of monsters?
Bull.
They don't even exist. Right? So as I lie back down, I dare them:
Go ahead, nonexistent monsters. Eat my brains. Eat my arms.
Legs. Heart. Because I knew, you don‟t exist, so you have no
power over me. Not anymore. I stopped believing.
I quickly tucked my legs back into bed. I didn‟t want the
demon living under my bed to snatch me.