Monsters of the modern world : closet monster

This is probably the most well known of the modern era monsters. Most children are afraid of closets, and think, at some point, that a monster is hidden inside. They’re often right.

Closest monsters are the most fearsome creatures in the children’s collective imagination. Nearly uncorporial, with no defined shape (they can alter it to fit the victim’s fear), they hide in the dark and make little noises, not very strong but unusual enough for the most timid kids to cry and call their parents. But they aren’t the main target for closet monsters, who mainly prey on the braggarts.

Maybe because these kids try to meet their peers’ approval by pretending to be brave while they are most of the times cowards and  bullies, they have a special flavor to the closet monsters. They rarely get out of their lair to grab a terrorized kid, and they are cautious around the bravest, those who face their fears and are ready for a fight. On the other hand, those who just pretend, and wish to appear as heroes in the eyes of their brothers and sisters, or even their parents, are the most at risk, for closet monsters will grab them, and use their fear against them.

Closet monsters rarely leave their closet, they need the dark and comfortable places, and the safety of a door which can be closed on demand. When a kid is trapped in a closet, they start feeding on their growing panic as if it was a delicious chocolate ice cream. When the victim is released, they are changed, they become meek and cowardly. Every night, their sleep is populated with nightmares coming directly from the closet monster’s world. Through the link they have established, the closet monsters will keep feeding on them, until their death. These people will never shine in the world, ever. They’ll be the grey-looking pedestrian you bump into without even apologizing because you didn’t really notice them. They won’t protest, too scared to talk to someone who looks sure of themselves. In a way, closet monsters are the worst kind of predator…

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