At first Molly thought the noise she heard must be part of a dream, but then it continued after she opened her eyes. Someone banged on the front door, trying to get in. A monster? She rolled under the bed, taking the blanket with her to cover her face. "Veronica?" she called out. "Mama Veronica?"
Where had Veronica gone? Molly couldn't see her anywhere. The fire in the hearth had gone out. Other than two cans of tomato soup left on the floor, she didn't see any sign of Veronica's presence. She left me, Molly thought.
The banging continued, followed now by muffled voices. It wouldn't be much longer until the monsters outside found their way in to devour Molly. She thought back to her dream, remembering the door in the floor Becky had opened. Molly shook off the blanket and crawled out from under the bed to find the door in the same place as her dream.
She opened the door and scurried down the dark steps into the cellar. All around her she found clothes of different colors and styles, most of them grownup clothes.
A sound like thunder rumbled over her head. The monsters had finally gotten through the door! Molly ran through the cellar, looking for a way out, but found only another room with an empty safe. She was trapped.
She heard footsteps from upstairs and more muffled voices. Maybe they would leave without finding her. To her horror, the door in the floor creaked open and heavy footsteps descended the stairs. Molly searched about the room for somewhere to hide. The safe! No one would find her in there. She scampered over to the safe, yanking out the empty shelves so she had enough room to squeeze inside. She pulled the door shut, blotting out any sound except for that of her own breathing.
The inside of the safe was so warm that she began to sweat and the air so stale that she gagged. Sweat dripped into her eyes, but she didn't have enough room to wipe it away. Bile rose in her throat and her stomach rumbled. How long would she have to stay in here before the monsters left?
What seemed like an eternity passed inside the safe. Molly's breathing turned shallow and dark spots obscured her vision. She imagined herself emerging from the box years later as an old woman like Veronica, her hair gray and skin always wrinkled like she'd just taken a long bath. The thought of this made her laugh and cry at the same time.
She could barely keep her eyes open when the door flew open and a pair of chubby arms reached in to grab her. Molly didn't have the strength to fight back. The arms yanked her out of the safe and laid her out on the floor. They're going to eat me now, she thought without concern.