Old Man Turner's Cellar

Nobody knows what lies beyond old man Turner's cellar doors. It's been a mystery since before young Alex Winters was even born. Nobody's ever been down there, except for old man Turner himself, and he's half crazy. It's said that you can see a faint glow coming from his cellar doors at night; when the mood is right, and the wind blows fair. Of course, Alex didn't believe in the myths about it. Why would he? Turner's just a senile old man who happens to still have a cellar. No big deal, right? Or... at least... That's what Alex would have said a few days ago... Before he went inside old man Turner's cellar...

 It was a black night. The clouds hung in the sky, blue and restless, the moon writhing and angry. Alex was woken by a scraping sound at his window, a gentle sound that was gone as soon as it had begun. It was dark in his room, but he wasn't scared. He was 22 now, practically a grown man, so he couldn't possibly let himself be scared, and he certainly couldn't show it if he did. Reaching over to the light, he felt around for the switch. He then fumbled with his glasses and picked up his phone to check the time.

 "4:56 in the morning... Guess I might as well get ready for work..." Alex sighed. He didn't check his window, and soon forgot. The sinister shadow that loomed outside tapped and scraped once more, but Alex was already in the shower. The hot water steamed up the bathroom, and this made it hard to see, but Alex didn't mind. He liked being able to relax under the soothing water... That is, until he picked up the soap, and it fell. This bothered him, of course. It was what he didn't see that should have bothered him the most. As he bent down, the malevolent shadow clearly outlined in the shower curtain, he paused for a moment, and wiped the water away from his face. As he rose, it was now behind him: A sight of true horror. He turned to put the soap up and rinse off, and the shadow was, once again, gone.

 As he finished his shower, Alex wiped the mirror, paying no real attention to it, and left. A face like broken glass and fire came to rest amongst the mist and condensation. Alex proceeded to go upstairs, and get dressed. He had an odd feeling, like he was being watched from above... But when he looked up, there was nothing but the light. "I need to wake up..." Alex muttered to himself, "Maybe I'll go to Starbucks on the way."

 As Alex left the house, he noticed the soft glow of old man Turner's cellar, accompanied by a faint buzz, and couldn't help wondering. Finally, his curiosity got the best of him, and he decided to check it out. Of course, he didn't see the dark figure with reflective eyes that stooped in his doorway, or the "thing" that hid in the bushes. He knew that what he was doing might be wrong, but he couldn't help it. Everyone had always been so afraid, but of what?! There had to be a reason, right? From what he'd ever seen, it was just a musky old cellar. There wasn't much of anything that could be down there, because it couldn't have been that big, or that deep.

 He found himself prying on the doors, until he finally busted the lock. Alex gently opened the doors, not paying heed to the fact that the glow was getting brighter, or the buzz louder. He stepped down a step, and noticed that the stairs went down in a small spiral, but the glow and buzz was from lights that were mounted up in the corners of the ceiling. He walked down the steps for a few minutes, not noticing the dark thing and that grotesque creature following him, until he came to a flat floor. the ceiling expanded over his head, and the room was brightly lit.

 Alex noticed that the room was white! Walls rose and fell, moved and swayed, and the image of the room made Alex's head buzz with fear and excitement... Until he turned around, and saw them, finally. The figure emerged from the floor before him, staring and pointing accusingly, and the beast growled and gnashed it's teeth. He turned to run through the ever-shifting maze, but it was too much. Curiosity killed the cat. I guess we'll never know what lies beyond old man Turner's cellar doors.