Suddenly The Light Went Out

When I was ten, I never missed a Saturday matinee horror movie.  When the hero entered a dark room after being warned away, look out.  Ghosts, zombies, deformed monsters, something always attacked.

Horror movies were my escape from reality that year.  Something was wrong with Mom.  Someone who always had time for me, suddenly needed afternoon naps.

"I haven't been myself," Mom said, "so Dad's taking me to Boston for testing.  You'll stay with the Hansen's."

I hadn't seen the Hansen's much.  There was a high fence around their place.

"Welcome," Mrs. Hansen said.

"Just one rule," Mr. Hansen added.  "Don't look in the basement."

I wondered what lurked there.  Yeah, too many movies.

Thursday, Mrs. Hansen went shopping; Mr. Hansen was mowing the lawn.  Time to explore.

It was dark from the basement stairway door.  Flipping the light switch cleared some of the gloom.  The door closed after a half dozen steps down.  But a hero pushes on.

Two doors at the bottom.  Eeny, meeny, miny, moe...  I opened the one on the right.  A light switch on the wall turned on one dim lamp.  The corners of the room were still dark as I entered.

Suddenly the light went out, and the door closed.  Something was breathing, and sniffing the air.  Trying to find me.

Putting one foot behind the other I backed up to the wall.  As my hands grasped the door, a warm putrid breath struck my face.  The door opened and I fell through into a now dark stairwell, pulled the door closed, and screamed.

A light came on.  Mr. Hansen was at the top of the stairs.

"You didn't open the left door did you?" he asked.

When I said "no", he said "Good."

I still wonder what was behind that left door.