Scary stories To tell in the dark.

Monster in my Pantry

(This story doesn't contain much horror scenes, but it has a good ending and plot twists)

The unexplained phenomenon is a staple in human culture. Strange goings-on, paranormal in nature, are prominent in our lives, in one form or another. You may not think about them all that often, but there's always a piece in the news or a crazy story from a friend or passerby that makes you recall such strangeness. No matter how many times you forget about the subject, there will always be a moment that drags the notion back to the surface of your memory. For several years, I had forgotten all about the monster living in my mom's pantry. I had forgotten all about it, that is, until now.

I was ten years old when I first became aware of the monster's presence. It was a normal evening at home; my mother and I awaited my father's arrival and I helped her out with dinner preparations. I look back on these memories fondly – I loved cooking with my mom and was overjoyed whenever my father came home from work. I had what some would consider a picture-perfect childhood, save for one peculiarity. The thing that resided in the pantry would audibly reveal itself that very night.

While cutting up vegetables for my mom's famous beef barley soup, I heard a scratching at the pantry door. Startled, I jumped, nearly cutting off one of my fingers in the process. My mom looked over at the pantry, then to me with a concerned smile. I looked to her for answers, utterly baffled by the noise.

"There it goes again, scratching at the pantry door."

"What is it, mom?" I asked.

"I'm not too sure, sweetie, but it's been here ever since we moved in. Sometimes it scratches at the door, other times it will knock food off the pantry shelves. Some nights, it doesn't make a sound at all."

There was no comfort derived from her explanation. I was still frightened, and my mother noticed this.

"It's nothing to be scared of, honey."

"Is it something... bad?" I asked.

"No, ofcourse it isn't"

Just then, the scratching recommenced. I jumped a second time. My mother then walked over to the pantry door.

"Here, look..."

She opened it up as the scratching continued. Once the door was completely ajar, the sound ceased.

"See, sweetie? There's nothing to be worried about."

Despite my mother's comforting words, my ten-year old heart couldn't help but race with fear. In the coming years, I continued to help her cook, but I never once set foot back in that pantry; convinced that the thing living in there was a monster, out to get me. This fear was kept alive by the scratching that would interrupt otherwise happy moments. I ignored it the best I could, but sometimes I would have to leave the kitchen.

Eventually, the sounds stopped all together.

It's now been many years since then, and both of my parents have passed away. In their wills, I was left everything, including my childhood home. It took me a while to come to terms with their deaths and move back in, but I eventually accepted the situation and embraced the living space where I grew up.

It was the little memories sprinkled throughout the house that helped me cope. Sometimes I would walk into the living room and see my dad sitting in his chair, smoking a cigar and watching his favorite sitcom. At other points, I would see my mother in the kitchen, making us dinner. These corporeal fragments of a time long since passed kept me going. After a while, the house felt like home again... until one day.

I had just arrived home from work when it happened. I sat down on my dad's favorite chair and flipped on the TV to unwind. Something crossed my mind; minus the tobacco, I had actually become my father. This thought put a bit of a smile on my face as I reclined the chair to relax. Relaxation never came though, as an all too familiar scratching sound emanated from the nearby pantry. My smile quickly vanished.