The Nightmare
by Weyandt V. Dettis
Copyright 2014

Are YOU really alone in your house?  
Or is something lurking afoot?
 

     Betty looked around her room. It wasn’t as colorful as normal. The air had a smell of must in it, and she couldn’t see her rock posters. But she knew that she heard something. It was coming from the floor. Betty jumped when there was a knock at her bedroom door.
     “Betty, what’s going on? It’s bedtime.” He mom persisted.

     “Oh, nothing, just butterflies about tomorrow’s math test.”


     “Okay, goodnight dear.” Her mom said closing the door.
 

    “Night mom.” Betty said as she sat upright in her bed. She knew something was weird, and not at all like what should be going on at bedtime. Or maybe it was the jitters about the test. She decided to lie down.
     “BOOM!” Came a noise from the floor. But there was nothing on the floor. Betty didn’t know what to do. She knew that she was fifteen years old, and calling her mom or dad would sound like she was a little kid. So she waited….and waited. “BOOM!” This time Betty jumped. She got out of bed and looked in on her baby sister. Shelly was sound asleep, and Betty could tell by her dad’s ferocious snoring that her mom and dad were asleep.
     “Think I’ll go downstairs and check this out.” She whispered to herself. Betty didn’t’ know what this strange noise could be. She knew her dad had had problems with ants lately, but this was a much louder noise. When she got to the kitchen she took a drink of the two week old milk her dad forgot to throw away,
     “Yeeech! Kinda chewy. Geez dad.” Betty said as she threw the carton in the trash.
     “BOOM!” Now Betty realized the noise was in the basement. She was terrified of anything in the basement, but she had to find out. “Mom said ‘Conquer your fear by confronting it,’ okay mom here goes.” Betty said opening the creaky basement door. Fog came out of the basement like it just rained inside.
     “What in tarnation is going on?” Betty said, “Now I sound like my Great Grandma.” Betty walked down the thirteen steps to the basement. “Hello? Is anyone there?” No answer. Betty thought that was best because she didn’t want anything in the basement answering her. She turned and started to go up the basement stairs.

     “Hello.” A gruf voice said in the darkness. Betty stopped in her tracks.
“Ah ah hel hello?” ‘Now why did I say that?’ Betty thought.

     
“Your name is Betty, isn’t it?” The voice asked.


     “Yes…ah…how did you know my name?” She asked curiously.

     
“Come closer. Near the old washer.” The voice asked. Betty was scared of the weird noise the old washer made. Her dad said he fixed it, but she was sure that he didn’t even
try.
     “Why should I come closer?” Betty asked.

     
“I would like to see you. That’s all. No more, no lees.” The voice asked. Now Betty started to trust the voice. It said ‘No more, no less,’ something her dad always said.


     “Okay, I’m near the old washer that I hate. Where are you?” Betty said courageously.


     “Right here!”
     “Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!” Betty screamed. What stood in front of her was a large, menacing wolf spider that had to be at least the same height as she was. About three feet even.
     “Don’t scream. You’re dad had a problem with ants. I killed all of them. The booming noise that you heard was me. I was trying to get someone’s attention.”


     “Aa…aaa…attention.” Betty barely managed.


     “Yes. As you can see I’ve grown with all of the ants that I’ve ate. Now I’m hungry for more. But now that you’re here you’ll suffice.”


     “Suffice?” She asked not knowing what the word meant.


     “You’re my dinner!” The wolf spider growled.
“Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!” Betty screamed, but the spider came closer and closer until she fainted and the spider grasped Betty in its arms.
 “Ah, dinner. Something bigger than an ant at least.” The spider said when it heard footsteps from upstairs. “Darn, I was really hungry.”


     “Betty? Betty?” Her mom said.


     “Aaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!”
“Betty simmer down, it’s mom.”


     “Mom, mom? What are you doing in the basement?”


     “Basement? What are you talking about? You’re in your bedroom. You were making strange noises, and I came into see if you were okay.”

     
“Oh. Yeah, I’m ok.” Betty thought she said.

     
“Ok. Goodnight dear.”


     “Night mom.” Betty said as she watched her mom close the door. That’s when Betty saw a spider out of the corner of her eye. It darted under her bed.
“Aahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!”