REVIEW: There's a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed

There's a Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed
Author: Edgar Cantero

I'm familiar with Edgar Cantero's writing. His book Meddling Kids has a permanent spot on my keeper shelf. So I was totally excited to listen to this short story. And Cantero did not disappoint!

Remember sleep overs as a kid? Not the teenaged ones with whispered confessions about boys/girls or comparisons of puberty progress....but the younger, first experiences when imagination games powered the evening's fun. And The Rules that everyone knew you had to follow.... Don't let your feet dangle over the edge of the bed. Stay out of the dark. Never, ever look under the bed. Jump over the last step on the stairs. All of those kid's games that fade away with age. Cantero paints a picture of such a sleep-over....but the kids' imaginations bring their fears to life. Multiple kids.....multiple fears. Before dawn, they must use their smarts and figure out how to win the Boss Fight with their collected fears and save their lives.

As with most of the stories in the Dark Corners Collection from Amazon/Audible, this story is not horror....but a fun mix of humor and fear. I remember being quite serious about my arms or legs never straying over the side of a bed for fear something in the dark, or under my bed, could grab me. At six, I was adept at tucking my blankets around my body so that I couldn't roll over in the night and be boogie man fodder. My life was saved when I turned seven and my mom let me have a cat. Snoopy slept with me every night. And everybody knows that a cat scares away the boogie man and all creepie crawlies that think they can hide in a child's room at night. I was safe.....as long as the closet was shut. Always keep the closet closed at night. Always.......

This story made me smile the entire time I was listening to the audio book. A brilliant game of pretend among friends that turns a bit too real.....and they struggle to come up with a plan to defeat their Rules and their fear-created monsters. As I went to bed last night, for the first time in 42 years I checked to be sure the closet was securely closed....and armed myself with my pets (I have added dogs to the mix now. We all know that dogs take care of anything that might sneak in past the cats....unless there is a mirror in the room or if you step on a crack in the floor while walking to the bathroom at 2 am.)

I'm giving this story full stars because it made me happy. :) It reminded me of The Rules, sleepovers and years of happy, safe, terror-filled nights with friends, some of whom I haven't seen in 30 years.

Be sure to keep your closet closed. And.....never, ever look under the bed!

There's a Giant Trapdoor Spider Under Your Bed is the 3rd story in the Dark Corners Collection. These stories aren't really horror, but a collection of psychological, emotional dark tales. Some I liked....some I didn't. But, I have to give kudos to this collection because all of the stories are different and creative with a spin on modern problems. None of the stories are in-your-face typical horror. These seven stories are more subtle. More of a nod to the darkness of the modern age, rather than ghosties and things that go bump in the night. Give them a try....if you dare.

Edgar Cantero has written several books including Meddling Kids (the Scooby Doo gang investigates as adults -- awesome book!) and The Supernatural Enhancements.