The Back of the Closet

[Posted： 2025/11/07]

This is a story I heard from a man?let's call him Mr. A?who lives in a rented apartment in Tokyo.

It happened about six months after he had moved into his new place.

Every night, just as he was drifting off to sleep, he began to hear a strange sound.

“Skritch... skritch-skritch...”

At first, he assumed it was just a rat or something.

After all, the sound came from the very back of the bedroom closet.

It wouldn't be too surprising if a rodent had gotten in there.

But the sounds weren't always the same.

Some nights it was more like:

“Thunk... thunk...”

?like something hard tapping rhythmically against wood.

Other times, it was a rustling, almost like someone rummaging around in the dark...

or worse, crawling.

Mr. A kept his futon stored at the front of the closet for easy access.

Behind that were out-of-season clothes.

Further back were old photo albums and unused appliances?things he almost never touched.

And all the way in the very back were unopened boxes he had shoved in during the move and never bothered to unpack.

The sounds always seemed to come from beyond even those...

from somewhere deeper.

Maybe something was back there.

But to find out, he would have to take everything out.

It was too much trouble.

So he left it alone.

He chose not to know.

But then, one night, the sound was unmistakable.

“Tap-tap. Tap-tap.”

It was as if someone?or something?was knocking from the inside of the closet doors.

In that same moment, from the corner of his eye, he saw the sliding door?

which had definitely been shut?

slightly open.

Just a few millimeters.

Softly. Silently.

Sliding.

Mr. A bolted upright and turned on the light.

But the closet door was tightly closed.

Locked in place.

A trick of the light.

A dream, maybe.

That's what he told himself.

Over and over.

Sometime later, Mr. A heard a rumor from a neighbor.

Apparently, a few years ago, someone living on the same floor had died alone in their apartment.

That person had owned a large dog.

Because the body wasn't discovered right away, the dog had been locked inside the room for days.

When help finally came, the animal was found severely malnourished?

and the room was covered in deep scratch marks.

All over the walls.

On the doors.

Marks left by the dog's claws,

desperately trying to get out.