Chloe's Cabinet

Chloe's Cabinet

The room seemed smaller than she remembered it. Of course, I was much younger then. The whole world seemed smaller, Chloe thought. It had been years since she had been home. It wasn't that she didn't love and appreciate all that her parents had done; life just has a way of slipping by too quickly.

Chloe Howard had left this room 7 years ago. It had been both a bane and a sanctuary.

Chloe inhaled the memories that floated just beyond her vision. The room hadn't changed much; as she ran her eyes over the light lavender walls and the darker mauve curtains, she was once more a little girl. The room still echoed with remembered dreams, triumphs, heartbreaks ... and the cabinet.

The house has been built in the early 1940's and closets had been a luxury. As she grew older, the typical teenage expansion had made her beg her Dad for more room. She remembered the day they had gone looking for the armoire. Her father had found an advertisement for an estate sale. "An old place like this may just have what we're looking for," he said with confidence.

The house they found themselves at looked like something out of a Hitchcock horror movie. "Maybe we should just go to the local Goodwill," he said looking at the creepy manor.

"Dad, you promised." Chloe recalled the determination she had felt that only a teenage girl can muster. They found the cabinet in the master bedroom, its faded wood seeming to glow in dim light. To this day, she couldn't recall what the attraction was but they ended up taking it home. That was the beginning of the bad dreams.

The sound of a door creaking slowly open woke her. Chloe stared into the darkness of the room, still muddled by sleep, trying to locate the noise. A gust of wind stirred the curtains, allowing a sliver of pale moonlight to momentarily dispel the blackness. As the brightness illuminated the familiar room, a dark vertical streak appeared on the cabinet where the door was ajar. Chloe strained to see into the shadow. Two faint glowing points appeared; something was watching her! Chloe screamed.

The memory of the dream and its many variations over the years sent a shiver down her spine. They had searched the cabinet over and over but nothing was ever found. "Let's get rid of it," he father had suggested but Chloe wasn't going to give into a bad dream; it was just a dream, after all.

"I'm not afraid of you anymore," she said aloud, shaking off the memory, but she heard a lack of conviction in her voice.

A knock on the door caused her to jump. Well, maybe just a little, she thought with a embarrassed grin.

"Chloe? It's Dad – may I come in?"

"Sure, Dad."

The door opened and the familiar outline of her father stood framed in the light. How many times did I find reassurance in his silhouette? she wondered.

He smiled and shook his head. "Well hon, I'm off to bed and I thought I'd check on you." With a wide grin, he asked, "Do I need to check the cabinet?"

Chloe thought back to the nightly ritual that they had shared. With a chuckle, she said, "Not tonight, Dad. I'm going to be just fine."

He crossed the room and gave her a hug. "Welcome home," he murmured. Pushing back, he held her at arm's length. "You look so much like your mother." With a sigh, he turned and walked to the doorway.

"I'll call if I need you," she warned as he closed the door.

With a small grunt, Chloe hoisted her suitcase onto the bed. Chloe worked for a leading robotics company and had borrowed a prototype of a personal protection system that she had been working on.

She set it up on the nightstand and engaged it before she turned out the lights. She knew it was just a placebo for her overactive imagination but she felt reassured as she drifted off to sleep. No bad dreams tonight, was her fading thought.

The crackling sound of an electrical discharge startled Chloe awake. Sitting up, she turned on the light. A faint, acrid smoke hung in the air. Chloe looked to the cabinet. There, half way out, lay the remnants of something dark and misshapen. It seemed to be skeletal in form with large webbed hands. She saw the faint glimmer of red eyes; then, they were gone.

"Chloe? Are you all right?" she heard her father yell from the hallway.

"Yes, Dad, I'm fine. Come here. I have a surprise for you."

Notes
An story entry for "Invalid Item" 
Prompt: Image 1
Word Limit: 2500 words maximum for short stories
Word Count: 778
Thank you for taking the time to read my little story . As long as you're here, please take a moment and leave a comment. Criticisms, suggestions, yes – even a "well done" – all are equally appreciated.

Ken