A childhood belief about basements

When my brother and I were kids we would get sent to the old basement to retrieve drinks and pop for everyone while visiting our Grandparents. We were convinced horrible monsters lay in wait in the long dark storage room next to recreation room. The drill was to turn on all the lights and slowly walk to the far end of the room, showing no fear because they would come for. Get what you came for and walk back past the two black gaping doorways. You knew they were going to get you if you showed fear and ran for the stairs so you walked up the first couple steps, then spun around a hit the lights and ran for the top...slamming the door and hitting the lock. (Why turn off the lights? Well, who wanted to be told to go back down there to turn them off!)

Funny tho, we never refused to go down. I do remember an expedition with all my cousins one summer to root out those monsters. Seven little kids with golf clubs, bats and flashlights trying to root them out together. Them or us we figured :)