First published through The Paris News on June 11, 2018. The article can be found on their website at http://theparisnews.com/opinion/article_b91b60da-6d8e-11e8-9494-df1f06cb2590.html and was backdated.

While I was watching a scary movie the other night, Kent, one of the roommates, came in my room and hesitantly said, “There’s a monster in the refrigerator.” Already having in my head a vast array of terrifying monsters and what they are capable of doing, and being told a monster is now in our fridge, I was panic-stricken to know something has taken refuge next to the bologna.

Flabbergasted by the idea of a monster in our fridge, I tried to figure out how, why, when — I was confused and worried, because there was something in the house that didn’t belong there. Plus, as it seemed, it was another body taking up residency at a house where it didn’t even pay rent.

Kent, a fellow roommate and a supposed friend, said he invited the monster into the polar icebox. A presumed friend may have bedeviled us all.

Tormented with the potential affliction, I asked Kent to remove the monster from the house. However, for some unbeknownst reason, he pointed out he needed to keep the monster in the fridge, because he could not accomplish the tasks he had set for himself.

Kent assured me many people have forewarned him of owning a monster — it is not a notable concept. All the same, hearing about an unwelcome monster inhabiting the ice chest while I’m watching a movie about monsters taking over a greater city can make a mind run where the wild things are.

Casey, the other roommate, came into the kitchen when he heard Kent and I arguing about whether or not Kent should get rid of the monster. Kent still believed the monster was a necessity, however I still disagreed. Having a monster in the house causes nothing but more trouble and turmoil, aside from the usual argument between us three.

When Casey heard the argument, he looked at us both at a loss for words. Speechless, Casey shook his head in disbelief that Kent and I were still arguing about a monster he did not believe was in the house.

Trying to disprove the monster’s existence, Casey opened the refrigerator door. As hard as I tried, I could not prevent him from executing an unforeseen demise. He pushed me out of his way, because he was still convinced the monster was nothing more than a figment of our imaginations. Kent insisted there was a monster in the fridge, but he was not hesitant when Casey grabbed hold of the door to the monster’s frigid quarters.

When he opened the refrigerator, it happened in what seemed like slow motion. The sound of the vacuum seal on the door coming undone was abnormally loud, and the growl of the motor intensified.

The look of disapproval on Casey’s face when the door was wide open, to this day, was priceless. He reached in and pulled out a Monster Energy drink Kent stored for the next morning when he had to wake up earlier than he traditionally does. Discouragement filled Casey’s face when he said, “I can’t believe I live with you two.”