Mirrored Closets

My parents made me sleep in the room with the mirrored closets. They knew I was afraid, but they said big kids faced their fears, not run away from the. I tried sleeping with my lights on, but they would come in and turn them off in my sleep. I'd wake up, night after night, shrouded in darkness and terrified. I would lie perfectly still- I didn't even dare move my eyes away from the ceiling. Seconds...minutes...soon a couple of hours would be gone and I would still be lying in bed, afraid to move or even breathe too loudly. And then the sun would begin to rise and my body would relax- mirrors aren't nearly as scary during the day. One weekend my parents had to fly out of the state for a wedding, but they decided I was old enough to stay home alone. I hugged them goodbye and sat around the rest of the day watching TV until I was tired. I switched the TV off and walked up to my room lazily, switching on my lights and climbing into bed. I didn't even think about my mirrors as I was drifting off to sleep. I awoke a couple of hours later, drenched in sweat and shrouded in darkness. They had come in and turned my lights off again. (This story is credited to a person called Eden.)