The Door

I opened up the door and looked up the long flight of carpeted stairs, stairs I was familiar with when we would play, sliding down , feeling every bump, carpet or not on my backside. It was fun and we’d do it over and over again until my grandmother or some other adult would tell us to stop. Grabbing the handrail I made my way up the stairs and kept looking back hoping my grandmother would want to know what I was doing instead of sending me to my unfortunate demise. It was late, Lawrence Welk was over and it was time to close my eyes for the night. I knew sleeping on the scritchy sofa wasn’t always allowed and I guess it was time to meet my maker. I rounded the corner of the staircase and there it was, the reason I hated coming up here at night, the attic door, it scared the bejesus out of me, I always felt I should hold my breath, run and if I could have  closed my eyes, I would have. I ran into my Aunt’s old bedroom and got in the too big bed for me. Of course first, I had to check the closet, which always held a few things leftover from her departure. My favorite the chenille bathrobe. I checked under the bed and have always wondered what would I have done if something would have been staring back but fortunately it never did. I pulled the covers back and made my way in and wishing all the while my grandmother would let me stay downstairs. I heard her coming up the stairs to check on me for the night, tuck me in and tell me good night. Since the day was full of running, climbing trees, picking berries, and playing I was out before I had a chance to think about all the nasties that could be behind that attic door. The next thing I knew I smelled toast and brewing coffee. I threw the covers back and made my way back down the same way I came up, with a flourish of a get me outta here feeling. My grandma was making breakfast for my grandpa, the conversation was of the fields and what lay ahead in each of their days. The new day had begun and the attic door was forgotten or at least until the next time. There was too many things to do on a farm and it was my oyster, if I would have known what that was it would have been.  Finishing my breakfast I dressed and made my way out another door into a world of activity just waiting for me.