Failed Rituals
I really wish I had left that fucking light switch alone. Who would have thought the flick of a switch could mean the difference between life and death. Actually everyone’s thought that. That’s why I turned it on. Stupid little rituals that we take from childhood. The light will chase the monsters away, the blanket over your head will save you from the boogie man. And you just get more of these rituals as you get older. As long as you lock the doors and turn on the home security system, you can rest your head happily in your cozy little fortified home. No killers or psychos, monsters or boogie men.
But it doesn’t work. None of it. We always slip up some how. The one time you forget to lock that door. That’s when they get you. I would have been sound asleep if I hadn’t been woken by the loud slam as the front door blew open. I stumbled out of bed and down the hall to see it swinging back and forth. I moved quickly down the hall to secure it. A moment of panic swelled inside of me. My home felt like a crime scene. It wasn’t my safe little sanctum anymore.
Despite the overwhelming feeling of intrusion, there was no sign of disruption. Just the door. Just my careless mistake. I couldn’t comprehend it at first. It had to be a burgler or some psycho. I looked around the rest of the house. Checking every cupboard, every crevice. Nothing. I felt stupid but relieved. I just wanted to get back to bed, to forget this whole embarrassment. I flung myself back down on my bed, closed my eyes for just a second. I sat back up. There was no way I’d fall asleep unless I double-checked that I locked the door this time. I mean I was sure I had done it this time but I felt this was justified paranoia.
I got to the door and twisted the handle roughly about a dozen times, each time feeling the resistance of the lock. I smiled. Safe. I turned on my heels to go back to bed. But it was just a glimpse, a flicker of something in my peripheral vision that sent me swinging back into a panic. A shadow from the kitchen. I rushed in only to be confronted by my normal kitchen, bathed in moonlight. I sighed, questioned my sanity and decided that this, the longest night of my life must end. I went towards the bedroom once more. Another odd shadow crossed my path. As a shiver travelled down my spine, my tired mind braced apathetic denial and decided that it was probably the neighbours cat passing by the moonlit window.
I sat wide awake in my bed. Trying to lull myself to sleep. Counting in my head until I might eventually nod off. But everytime I closed my eyes that feeling of intrusion was still there. The hands of something unseen looming above my head. Every creak and every shadow filled my mind with the dread of my childhood. Those nights after being tucked in by my parents. Those same fearful thoughts of lurking terror. But it was nothing… right? More creaks. More movement in the shadows. I turned and pushed my face into the pillow. I felt something brush passed my foot which stuck awkwardly out from under my blanket.
I jolted upright, looking deeply into the darkness. Swirling shadows. The monsters. The boogie men. I felt around sheepishly for my phone. The dull light of the screen could put me at ease. Nothing on the nightstand and when my fingers roamed around the edge of the bed, instinctively I retracted them for fear of the unknown. I was alone but in the shadows I saw them, the monsters. Inky abominable beasts.
It was the only thing I thought could help me. I lunged from the bed directly at the switch. My palm slammed down on it and the room erupted into light. My eyes burned momentarily and I glanced round the room. Empty. Safe. Just paranoia. I shook my head and hit the switch once more. Climbing into bed in the pitch black. No shadows without my nightvision. But now I hear them. I can’t see them now. I don’t know what they want but I know I can’t leave. The rituals have failed. They’re on the other side of this blanket and all I can do now is hope that they’re gone in the morning.
//
Credited to Chris Stewart
Lukewarm pasta is lukewarm. The only motivation I had that kept me reading was the hope of some punchline ending. There was none. 5/10
It didn’t quite scare me, however, I found it intersting enough to read, most stories are way too damned long, this one seemed a bit short though, not enought build up.
Writing- 7/10
Concept- 4/10
Have I seen it before? – Yes.
Very nice. I love the execution of the story and the psychological aspects of it. Probably every reader can relate in some way to this story, for we all have those little rituals from childhood and we’re all afraid of the unknown. Very well done.
9/10
First.
well except at the end where likethe character hears \’em…
but yeah this is why I have my earbuds in and keep a flashlight by me at all times.
I liked it. I always like ones about the childhood rituals. I think this one could have been milked more but it was a fun read anyway.
Blah.
It was okay, felt as if the tension it was building would erupt at the end but it felt like it was missing something. Good buildup, bad closure. Other than that, good job.
Pretty creepy. I definitely know the feeling…good pasta.
ok i’m sorry but this was awful. honestly i want to straight up track you down and hit you in the face, especially with the line of “i would have been sound asleep, if i hadnt been woken by the loud slam as the front door blew open”. other than that the man character can’t decide whether or not they did an old ritual (i.e. blanket and light) wrong or if they never worked in the first place. also the person going to check the front door 12 times gets annoying. guess who would die in a horror movie? you would. you would go right after the couple having sex because you would be the one who answers the door. damn…besides the splunking ones this has been the worst pasta in a while.
first!
mediocre pasta, though. i\’ve been refreshing daily since god\’s mouth though so i guess i can\’t complain that there\’s something new up.
When do we get to read the second half?
The rituals didn’t fail, only the protagonist did. “Thank God the light switch got rid of them! Well, better turn it back of IMMEDIATELY and walk into the darkness again.
What could go wrong?”
I couldn’t get into this one. Sorry, bro.
I loved the tension but i feel like it just ended with nothing, i felt a little rush as I read it but then nothing at the last too sentences.
This had a perfect bate and hook to it, but the end was sorely disappointing. It’s not that it ended to soon, but it just had no climax. I don’t think anything was/is there, it just seems like he smoked too much pot before bed, and forgot to close his door all the way and lock it then got real paranoid.
Awesome. Very effectively plays to the reader, creating a good rapport between the story/the creepy/the reader. Very clever how it turned out not to be pasta about something creepy, but a pasta about the paranoia that possesses one in the middle of the night when awoken abruptly in wierd circumstances. And the understated cliffhanger ending puts it over the edge. Well done author.
It’s about time someone made a new Creepypasta. I would give this an 8/10 mostly because it does create tension well. It does not add up to anything, but it is up to our imagination for that. We do indeed have rituals like this about keeping the light on. It reminds me of my childhood and I assume other people had it like that too. Darkness magnifies all problems.
This was terrible. The writing was absolutely horrible, and the premise was stupid. And why did he he get so mad at himself for turning on the light when it didn’t seem like it helped or hurt him at all? Send this back to the chef. Maybe he can spit on it to make it more enjoyable.
3/10
OH MY GOD I’M FREAKING FI- Waaaaaiiit…
So what we have here is a case of a character in denial. The door bursts open, but he finds nothing. That’s excusable. Then he sees a shadow. Sorta creepy, maybe a coat or something moving by a draft. Another one. By now, most normal people would probably be bolting from their house instead of telling themselves it’s the neighbor’s cat. And then he gets to the bedroom and turns on the light, then the shadows are under his blanket making small talk, wth.
This was promising pasta, and it was something to read so I am glad of that, but this is just silly bad x3
4/10
It’s was interesting, but not very well thought out. They could of made much more use of “childish” rituals, and milked the horror aspect a little more. It ended a bit to early, and it doesent really explain what “ritual” he did wrong. Did he not lock the door? Did he do something else? What?
Not a very large portion of pasta….6/10
I liked it. Nice bit of paranoia fuel. I can’t remember how many times I’ve done this after reading some of the more scarier creepypasta’s out there. Well all but checking my door as it does not have a habit of blowing open.
God, what a relief to see something decent after all the recent shit.
8/10
Best one in ages, read this on my phone in bed trying to get to sleep.
7/10
Some stories work very well with an ambiguous ending, but I do not feel this is one of those stories.
All that build up without a money shot, my imagination is pretty much rebelling against me, and has joined the logical part of my mind that he will simply wake up in the morning unharmed, feeling like an idiot.
Oh, or maybe it will all just be a dream, that is just odious enough to get my blood boiling.
meh
It’s short. It has that going for it. It’s not the worse I’ve ever read, as this site suffers from editorial perspective obviously, but it’s far from great. One, sentences like : “I mean I was sure I had done it this time but I felt this was justified paranoia. ” Two, it’s like the author focused mostly on the light switch, and less on the overall plot of the story. The “creatures” were secondary to the act of cutting on the switch. They might has well not even been a part of the story.
The scariest thing about this entire story was the bad grammar and punctuation horrors, but with a rewrite, is worth a second read.
Call the police, maybe?
Stupid creepypasta victim is stupid.
Eh….it was kind of creepy. Kind of cuz I’ve had that happen to me before loads of times so I can relate to this XD but not entirely creepy to have me staying up at night with all the lights on. Givin’ it a 6/10.
Hasn’t this story been on here before? I don’t read creepypasta anywhere else but this site and I have read this pasta before…
“I felt something brush passed my foot”
*past*
But this was good. Not great, but good. I’ve never seen a pasta that took the concept of not being able to see in the dark after you turn the light on. Because it happens in real life, but never seen it before.
Lame. And really, what did that fucking light switch ever do to you?
“I would have been sound asleep if I hadn’t been woken by the loud slam as the front door blew open.”
Jesus. Are you serious?
Also, there’s no ending. 0/10
it twas ok
Sleep with a pistol under the pillow.
Blast any damn thing that shows up uninvited.
Problems solved.
“I would have been sound asleep if I hadn’t been woken by the loud slam as the front door blew open. ”
The fuck does that even mean?
It was an alright-ish pasta, let down by the fact it’s been done before and the protagonist was evidently some form of Mongoloid. 3.5, maybe a generous 4/10
THEN WHO WAS SHADOW?
How do I submit a creepypasta?
so… they just turned the light back off. Right. Very sensible.
0/10
It catered well to my very little attention span so I can say it’s very interesting. The build up was decent, it could use a better ending though. Good article, nevertheless.
Then who was lightswitch?
Glitter-Hell yeah boomstick
Creepy pasta has gone downhill…no good pastas for months 0/10
Hmm, my front door was just bashed open, I keep seeing random ass shadows, and I felt something brush against me. CLEARLY NOTHING IS WRONG, I’D BETTER GO BACK TO SLEEP.
Good one, i for one identified with the narrator, those useless rituals are all that\’s stands between sanity and paranoia… Most of times anyway.
BUT WHO DOOR!?!?!?!
please update :<
Loaded pistol next to my bed only i can grab does the trick.
I liked it. Wasn’t the best, but it was pretty good.
To the author of this work: I adore you, this might very well be the most moving and beautiful piece that I have read in a long time. I truely appreciate the time, effort, and presence of your art. Thank you
-Skylor
“The pulse is almost nonexistent, sir. I don’t think there’s anything else we can do. I’m calling i-”
“No, dammit! We can’t give up hope yet.!”
*Looks down at the hospital bed* “Come on, creepypasta. I believe in you… We all believe in you. Please, for the love of God, send us a sign, show us you’re still with us, and update.”
Does anyone know what happend? I miss the stories.
Nice writing, I liked it. You employed the ‘dont show the monster’ technique. Well done.
IT WAS THE SILENTS! HE CAN’T REMEBER HE SAW THEM!!!!!!!!!!!!
Did the creepy die? What is this? Five months and no updates. And I thought I was bad about updating.
This is really good
I’m quite impressed with the detail, just enough 
I wish you’d come back.
Boring.
Then who was inky abominable beast
ok i’m sorry but this was awful. honestly i want to straight up track you down and hit you in the face, especially with the line of “i would have been sound asleep, if i hadnt been woken by the loud slam as the front door blew open”. other than that the man character can’t decide whether or not they did an old ritual (i.e. blanket and light) wrong or if they never worked in the first place. also the person going to check the front door 12 times gets annoying. guess who would die in a horror movie? you would. you would go right after the couple having sex because you would be the one who answers the door. damn…besides the splunking ones this has been the worst pasta in a while.
+1
I actually liked this one. It’s relatable with the childhood rituals. That’s the whole reason I carried on reading. I don’t get why he turned the light off again though. But the sentences flowed into one another quite well and stuff
I think everybody’s being too harsh.
I certainly couldn’t do any better.
8/10 <3
site dead?
I agree with most of the comments here. It was building up, building up and then…. worst cliffhanger ever. we KNOW how this one ends. wouldve at least been better if morining came but mabe the thick drapes were drawn obscurin sunlight, now what?
why hasn’t this website been updating? There have been no new stories fro almost half a year now :I
Please update soon. I miss this site.
so… did this site die or something? also, admitted newbie here, but where the hell are the forums?
more pasta plz =(
I like this one, particularly because the same thing has happened to me many times. I’m always left hoping that the shadows will be gone by the the morning.
9/10
did this site die or something? also, admitted newbie here, but where the hell are the forums?