Peter walked towards the cupboard, his heart beating like a racehorse, his brow covered in sweat. He was so nervous that his mouth dried up, he couldn't swallow at all. But he knew that this had to be done. He knew he had to face this fear or this fear would control him for the rest of his life. He reached out his hand and grabbed a hold of the handle. With a slow pull, he started to open the cupboard.
An ominous creak sounded as the door opened. It was dark inside, and dead quiet. Peter opened the door even more until it was wide open. He took a deep breath and switched on the light inside. There before him were all his clothes. His pants, his shirts, his underwear and his socks. All neatly packed and ironed by his mother. The array of colors were actually quiet beautiful Peter thought.
He started moving the clothes around a bit. He wanted to be absolutely sure that there was nothign hiding inbetween the clothes. While shifting the clothes around and having a look, his heart slowed down to a normal beat. The sweat on his brow wasn't as bad as it was a minute ago. A slight smile started to show on his young face. This wasn't so bad, he was expecting something a lot worse than just clothes. As a matter of fact, he was expecting a massive monster in this cupboard. His ultimate fear come to life once he opened that door.
With a sigh of relief he left the cupboard open and ran to Adam.
Peter: "Adam, come look at my cupboard! There's no monster in it!"
Adam: "Uhm, ok"
As Adam followed Peter to his room he couldn't help notice how jolly Peter seemed. He had a little hop in his step, and was so excited to show his brother something that seemed so silly to Adam.
Peter: "Look Adam, no monster! Just my clothes."
Adam: "That's good Peter. Maybe now you'll be less afraid of this cupboard."
Peter: "Yes absolutely! I can now sleep in peace!"
Adam smiled at his brother and put his arm around him. He was happy himself because he knew how this one cupboard stressed his brother out for many years. Now his brother had closure. He saw for himself that there was nothing to be afraid of. For Adam it was also a sigh of relief, because he knew that Peter had to deal with this himself. Peter had to muster up the courage to actually confront his fear alone, otherwise he would always need someone to overcome obstacles.
Both boys closed the cupboard door together and headed back to the gaming room to play some more video games. Peter was smiling the entire time, feeling very proud of himself for confronting his fear. He couldn't wait to tell his mother. He wanted to tell her what he did and wanted to see the expression on her face. At school he was going to tell everyone how brave he was, how he faced his fear and how he isn't scared anymore of this one cupboard in his room that has been haunting him for many years.
He wanted everyone to know that he has become a man now. That nothing scares him anymore and that he is a fearless warrior! He is Peter, the mighty warrior who conquers cupboards and who will not be afraid anymore! Life has new meaning for him now. Never again will he allow something to haunt him for so long. Never again will he allow fear to take control of him and to dictate to him how to live his life.
From that day onward Peter was a different boy. He felt so bold, so brave, that everyday was a new day to conquer even more "monsters". To go from strength to strength. He felt good about himself. The love his brother showed him and the love of his mother was so encouraging that Peter knew from here on out life would be much more enjoyable, much easier, and much more exciting. He knew that he had to do this alone, as young as he was. He overcame his fear, and now, he can finally focus on beating his brother in video games. The true challenge in life!
