Babysitting 101

[00:00:04] A kind and brilliant boy, a strange obsession with dolls, and a story that still gives me chills to this day.

[00:00:13] My name is Edwin, and here's a scary story.

[00:00:24] Like with every job I had up until that point, it started with desperation.

[00:00:29] The homecoming dance was coming up, and I needed to get enough money to buy a dress and shoes.

[00:00:34] And everything I had done up until that point was get babysitting gigs here and there.

[00:00:39] Normally, these would be friends of my family who would ask me to watch their kids while they went out on date night or during the day,

[00:00:45] when there was a work event where their children couldn't go.

[00:00:49] This one was different.

[00:00:52] Back then, with house phones, we had mom be the one who picked up the phone all the time.

[00:00:57] But on this particular night, I happened to answer from the kitchen.

[00:01:01] It was for me.

[00:01:03] Not unusual.

[00:01:04] This is how our friends or anyone really would get a hold of us except for a few who had cell phones already.

[00:01:10] It was a woman named Elizabeth who asked for me by name,

[00:01:13] saying that she had these appointments every Thursday evening for a recurring commitment at work,

[00:01:18] and that until they got a replacement, they needed a babysitter only until her and her husband got home,

[00:01:24] typically around 7pm on those days.

[00:01:28] Would 80 bucks be alright?

[00:01:30] Of course it would, especially back then.

[00:01:33] This was good money.

[00:01:36] I would only have to work a day and be able to afford most of what I would need and needed to pay for as a high school kid.

[00:01:42] There was one bus that would take me there.

[00:01:45] It drove down one of the side streets by the highway

[00:01:48] and take me straight to the small valley just over the hill that the entire town could see from pretty much anywhere.

[00:01:55] Rock Hill, we called it,

[00:01:56] although it had a name that I only found after getting on that bus.

[00:02:01] Drewberry Viewpoint,

[00:02:03] as the driver announced once I got to the stop.

[00:02:06] But still, I kept calling it Rock Hill.

[00:02:09] It sounded better.

[00:02:11] The house was one of the few in the area.

[00:02:14] Typical rich person home.

[00:02:16] Two stories, porch all around the exterior,

[00:02:19] and acres of land behind it.

[00:02:22] Trees that created a little forest back there.

[00:02:25] The inside was modern, open space,

[00:02:27] and the smell of baked breads or cookies seemed to be absorbed into the curtains and couches.

[00:02:33] When I showed up, the mother was waiting for me by the porch,

[00:02:37] walking up to me as soon as she saw me come through the gate at the front of the property.

[00:02:41] I hated that awkward walk toward each other,

[00:02:44] whether it was a friend of mine coming up to me down a hallway or a stranger on a sidewalk.

[00:02:50] But there we were,

[00:02:51] trying to decide when to greet each other,

[00:02:53] until she finally did.

[00:02:57] Are you Emma?

[00:02:58] She asked, yelling.

[00:03:00] I pretended not to hear her and then followed up with a,

[00:03:03] Oh, yeah, Elizabeth, right?

[00:03:05] How are you?

[00:03:07] Both of us, yelling at each other,

[00:03:09] trying to make small talk until we weren't anymore.

[00:03:13] I was early, so I was surprised that she was ready for me,

[00:03:16] but I was glad to be able to get inside right away.

[00:03:20] As I walked in, she introduced me to her husband,

[00:03:23] who was holding a broom in his hand,

[00:03:24] sweeping up some large blocks, like Legos,

[00:03:27] but the ones that the baby couldn't swallow.

[00:03:30] He set it off to the side and walked up toward me, smiling.

[00:03:35] How was the ride over?

[00:03:37] You hopped on the 24 bus?

[00:03:39] Elizabeth should have told me to go get you, he said.

[00:03:42] Not really sure if he meant it,

[00:03:44] but the bus wasn't too bad anyway.

[00:03:46] I smiled and tried to say something else,

[00:03:48] but instead found myself being quiet again.

[00:03:52] They soon started explaining everything,

[00:03:54] and we got along great.

[00:03:56] I'd always get there early,

[00:03:58] and they would always pay me right when I left their house.

[00:04:02] Elizabeth and her husband David were kind

[00:04:04] and very respectful of everything,

[00:04:06] including giving me money for food

[00:04:08] and often asked what I wanted to have stocked in the fridge for me.

[00:04:11] Always welcoming me to bring along a friend if I got bored

[00:04:14] and that they had cable TV,

[00:04:16] which was huge for me at the time.

[00:04:19] Reality TV shows were more like contests

[00:04:21] and mom would never let me watch them,

[00:04:24] especially the dating ones.

[00:04:26] But that house, my God,

[00:04:28] it was quiet with the television off.

[00:04:31] And oh, the child, how could I forget?

[00:04:34] The kid was an angel.

[00:04:35] Well, at least in the beginning.

[00:04:38] I thought that this is what I wanted to do as a career choice.

[00:04:42] Babysitting 101,

[00:04:43] I would joke to myself as I made up what the lessons would be.

[00:04:47] His name was Chris,

[00:04:49] seven years old and very smart for his age.

[00:04:53] He would ask me questions about high school

[00:04:55] and loved talking about the things that he learned in school,

[00:04:58] what his homework was about,

[00:04:59] and pretty much everything.

[00:05:01] He prepared his own sandwiches and cereal

[00:05:03] whenever he got hungry.

[00:05:06] On the weeks when I finished my own homework

[00:05:08] and he finished his,

[00:05:09] we would end up watching television in the living room,

[00:05:11] the history channel mostly,

[00:05:13] but one thing that always bothered me

[00:05:15] was just how suddenly he would get up.

[00:05:17] Without saying a word,

[00:05:19] it would go up to his room.

[00:05:22] The first time, it threw me off.

[00:05:24] I thought I had said something

[00:05:25] or that the show we were watching upset him.

[00:05:29] I was warned about this by his father,

[00:05:31] that he liked to be alone with his thoughts sometimes.

[00:05:35] I'm sure you've met some children like these before.

[00:05:38] Some that seem like they're adults already

[00:05:40] in the way they act or behave.

[00:05:42] Maybe it's something in their eyes that give it away.

[00:05:45] But although I've experienced it several times

[00:05:47] after meeting Chris,

[00:05:49] it has never been in the exact same way.

[00:05:53] Chris liked to be alone

[00:05:54] except for when he would come down

[00:05:55] and flick on the television.

[00:05:57] I don't think he liked watching it alone.

[00:06:00] His comments on the documentaries,

[00:06:02] observations on historical figures

[00:06:04] or theories about the past.

[00:06:07] The way he would focus,

[00:06:08] I don't know, something about it,

[00:06:10] just made him seem much older than seven.

[00:06:15] Did you know that the Great Wall of China

[00:06:17] doesn't actually cover the entire country's border?

[00:06:20] That it's broken down in certain parts?

[00:06:24] I acted like I knew what he was talking about,

[00:06:26] but the more and more he told me,

[00:06:27] the more I thought that maybe I should have paid

[00:06:30] more attention in history class.

[00:06:32] He told me how the Constitution was drafted,

[00:06:35] who Benjamin Franklin was,

[00:06:37] and how the Second World War ended.

[00:06:40] Of course,

[00:06:41] he also had his childlike obsessions,

[00:06:43] just like every other kid,

[00:06:44] and for Chris,

[00:06:45] it was drawing.

[00:06:47] The times I would go up to his room

[00:06:49] to get him to come downstairs

[00:06:50] or to let him know that his parents were home,

[00:06:52] I would catch glimpses of his drawings

[00:06:54] up on the walls.

[00:06:55] He would often replace them,

[00:06:57] but there were dozens of them,

[00:06:59] making me wonder just how many

[00:07:00] he would make on any given day.

[00:07:03] There was one that really caught my eye,

[00:07:05] and it was of the building,

[00:07:06] the church, La Sagrada Familia,

[00:07:09] which I came to learn was an old church in Spain

[00:07:11] that took forever to build,

[00:07:13] along with its many towers.

[00:07:16] I don't think it's finished yet.

[00:07:18] His parents had books,

[00:07:20] a ton of them,

[00:07:21] all along the last hallway

[00:07:22] near the back of the house.

[00:07:24] The shelves reached the ceiling,

[00:07:26] with some of them turned sideways

[00:07:27] to ensure they filled every space available.

[00:07:31] Most were in English,

[00:07:32] but I also remember seeing some in Spanish,

[00:07:34] Portuguese, and French.

[00:07:37] I often wondered how they kept the place

[00:07:39] from smelling like an old library.

[00:07:41] You know what I'm talking about.

[00:07:42] The smell of old paper and dusty carpets.

[00:07:46] And all this time,

[00:07:47] I never questioned how Chris knew

[00:07:49] all this stuff.

[00:07:50] I could usually see what spot

[00:07:52] he would put the stool or stepladder

[00:07:54] he would lean against the bookshelves.

[00:07:56] He would almost always go for a book

[00:07:58] with pictures or illustrations,

[00:08:00] and those were usually the bigger ones.

[00:08:03] Once he was finished,

[00:08:04] he would bring them right back

[00:08:05] to where they had been.

[00:08:07] And I would sometimes push in the books

[00:08:09] a little bit more into the shelf,

[00:08:10] just to tidy it up.

[00:08:15] One afternoon,

[00:08:16] I showed up early again,

[00:08:17] and Elizabeth,

[00:08:18] Chris's mother,

[00:08:19] walked up toward me

[00:08:20] when I was going through the gate.

[00:08:22] How are you?

[00:08:23] She asked.

[00:08:24] A worried look on her face.

[00:08:28] We wanted to stick Chris with us today.

[00:08:30] I don't think he's feeling well,

[00:08:32] but he refused.

[00:08:33] He wanted to stay and wait for you.

[00:08:36] We were coming into the house by this point,

[00:08:38] and I was trying to catch my breath

[00:08:40] after trying to keep up with Elizabeth

[00:08:41] on the walk up to the porch.

[00:08:44] David met us at the doorway,

[00:08:46] greeting me and asking Elizabeth

[00:08:47] if she had told me.

[00:08:49] She nodded.

[00:08:51] You ready?

[00:08:52] He asked her.

[00:08:54] Something was a little bit different

[00:08:55] about them that day,

[00:08:57] and it wouldn't take very long

[00:08:58] for me to catch on to what was going on.

[00:09:01] But it wasn't a problem with them.

[00:09:04] It was Chris and what he wanted to tell me.

[00:09:07] The hundreds of drawings all over his room

[00:09:09] I saw when I walked up to it.

[00:09:12] I can clearly remember it too.

[00:09:18] I heard laughter from his room.

[00:09:21] The first time I had heard something like that,

[00:09:23] so I did my usual

[00:09:24] knockity knock knock on his door,

[00:09:26] and he became quiet.

[00:09:28] I opened the door.

[00:09:30] It was sitting on the round rug on the floor,

[00:09:33] bright green against the rest of it.

[00:09:35] His back was turned toward me.

[00:09:39] Chris?

[00:09:40] I asked him,

[00:09:41] expecting him to turn around

[00:09:42] with his usual

[00:09:43] high and brief smile.

[00:09:46] But instead,

[00:09:47] he sat still,

[00:09:48] frozen in place.

[00:09:50] I could tell by the direction of his nose

[00:09:52] that he was looking toward the window.

[00:09:55] His right hand that held a pencil

[00:09:57] he was drawing with

[00:09:58] was completely still

[00:09:59] against the spiral notebook.

[00:10:01] I started walking toward him.

[00:10:05] Chris?

[00:10:07] He didn't budge.

[00:10:10] Chris?

[00:10:12] He set his pencil down

[00:10:13] and looked away from the window.

[00:10:15] His eyes slowly turned toward me

[00:10:18] as the chill of the cold air outside

[00:10:20] started drifting in.

[00:10:24] Okay.

[00:10:26] They left.

[00:10:27] He whispered.

[00:10:30] I looked around the room

[00:10:31] and walked toward the window

[00:10:33] to shut it.

[00:10:34] The sun was setting,

[00:10:35] so the sky was a darker blue outside.

[00:10:38] I looked at his drawings

[00:10:40] as I always did,

[00:10:41] but held my breath

[00:10:42] as I saw his new ones.

[00:10:44] Dozens of them.

[00:10:46] Dolls on a window frame

[00:10:48] and each of the white sheets of paper

[00:10:50] all lined up against his wall.

[00:10:53] I was standing in Chris' room

[00:10:55] trying to decipher

[00:10:56] what had just happened.

[00:10:57] So I asked the obvious question,

[00:11:01] Who left?

[00:11:03] Who are they?

[00:11:07] He looked at me.

[00:11:09] I could tell he was already wondering

[00:11:11] if I would believe

[00:11:12] the next words out of his mouth.

[00:11:14] And I got a chill done in my spine

[00:11:16] when I heard him say,

[00:11:18] with a slight nervousness in his voice,

[00:11:22] the dolls.

[00:11:36] I stared at him in silence.

[00:11:38] This kid was far too smart

[00:11:40] to joke around like that,

[00:11:41] enough to know that

[00:11:42] it would be hard to believe at least.

[00:11:46] The dolls?

[00:11:47] I asked,

[00:11:48] not whispering anymore

[00:11:49] as I looked over the window again.

[00:11:52] Yes, he said.

[00:11:54] A tear sliding down

[00:11:56] and around his nose.

[00:11:59] Can we...

[00:12:00] Can we go watch TV?

[00:12:01] He asked,

[00:12:02] as he stood up.

[00:12:04] I followed him out of the room

[00:12:06] and down the stairs.

[00:12:07] I grabbed the remote

[00:12:08] and flicked it on.

[00:12:09] The show,

[00:12:10] The Amazing Race,

[00:12:12] was on.

[00:12:13] I had so many questions

[00:12:14] zooming around my brain

[00:12:15] that I honestly can't remember

[00:12:16] how long we were watching.

[00:12:18] before he decided

[00:12:19] to speak up again.

[00:12:21] I would call this lesson

[00:12:23] of babysitting 101

[00:12:24] as patience.

[00:12:26] Wait and listen.

[00:12:30] They have a game,

[00:12:31] he said.

[00:12:33] I lowered the volume on the TV.

[00:12:36] It's like a secret,

[00:12:37] he continued,

[00:12:39] similar to when he was telling me

[00:12:41] about something he watched

[00:12:42] or read about.

[00:12:44] The last time he sounded like this

[00:12:45] was when he mentioned the CIA

[00:12:46] and some of their secret missions

[00:12:48] that weren't secrets anymore.

[00:12:51] They said I can't tell my mom and dad.

[00:12:55] And then he whispered,

[00:12:58] But they didn't say anything

[00:12:59] about you.

[00:13:03] Okay.

[00:13:04] I caught myself whispering.

[00:13:06] Who are they

[00:13:07] and

[00:13:07] what are you talking about?

[00:13:09] What games?

[00:13:11] I was impatient.

[00:13:12] I don't think he had ever

[00:13:13] seen me like that.

[00:13:16] Okay,

[00:13:17] he started.

[00:13:17] The shaking of his voice

[00:13:19] was gone.

[00:13:22] Four nights ago,

[00:13:23] a thing woke me up.

[00:13:25] A tapping

[00:13:26] on my window.

[00:13:28] He went on to tell me

[00:13:30] one of the most terrifying stories

[00:13:31] I had ever heard.

[00:13:33] Although I must admit,

[00:13:34] I think it was because

[00:13:35] it was coming from him.

[00:13:37] A boy who was so involved

[00:13:39] in facts and thoughts

[00:13:40] in his own little world.

[00:13:43] He told me he was woken up

[00:13:44] by this tapping on the window.

[00:13:46] But it hadn't woken him up completely

[00:13:48] when he felt the bed sheet

[00:13:50] vibrating from the left side,

[00:13:51] the side closest to the window.

[00:13:55] At first,

[00:13:56] he thought it was just

[00:13:56] his imagination.

[00:13:58] But then he felt it tug.

[00:14:01] Similar to when you're fishing.

[00:14:03] You ever been fishing?

[00:14:04] He asked.

[00:14:06] I nodded,

[00:14:07] even though I had no idea

[00:14:08] what fish felt

[00:14:08] at the end of a line.

[00:14:11] He sat up,

[00:14:12] unable to scream,

[00:14:14] but wide awake

[00:14:15] when he saw

[00:14:16] a small ball of dark hair

[00:14:18] leaning over the edge

[00:14:19] of the bed.

[00:14:21] Chris always had

[00:14:23] a tiny nightlight on

[00:14:24] in the shape of a shell

[00:14:25] against the wall

[00:14:26] right next to his bed.

[00:14:28] With his eyes

[00:14:29] wide open in disbelief,

[00:14:31] he saw it

[00:14:32] as it climbed up.

[00:14:34] A doll.

[00:14:36] One that would reach up

[00:14:37] to his knees

[00:14:38] if he were standing up,

[00:14:39] he said.

[00:14:40] It was pretty large.

[00:14:43] It dragged itself up

[00:14:44] toward his stomach

[00:14:45] as he held his breath.

[00:14:48] It put its hand

[00:14:49] up to its mouth

[00:14:50] and shushed him

[00:14:51] in a distant whisper.

[00:14:53] It blinked

[00:14:54] its large eyes.

[00:14:57] And that's all

[00:14:58] he remembered.

[00:15:01] He woke up early

[00:15:02] the next morning,

[00:15:03] cold from the window

[00:15:04] that had been left open

[00:15:05] from the night before.

[00:15:07] He drowsily

[00:15:08] stepped over to it.

[00:15:09] It was a foggy morning.

[00:15:11] Wet,

[00:15:12] he said.

[00:15:13] The window was dirty

[00:15:14] and with tiny hand marks

[00:15:16] from the outside.

[00:15:18] He stopped talking

[00:15:19] for a second.

[00:15:21] You can probably

[00:15:22] still find them.

[00:15:23] Want to see?

[00:15:24] He asked,

[00:15:26] quickly changing

[00:15:27] his mind,

[00:15:28] nervous

[00:15:28] about what he was

[00:15:29] telling me,

[00:15:30] waiting for me

[00:15:31] to tell him something.

[00:15:34] What did you do?

[00:15:35] I asked him.

[00:15:37] I was going to tell mom,

[00:15:38] he said.

[00:15:39] But I already knew

[00:15:41] what she was going

[00:15:41] to tell me,

[00:15:42] so I didn't.

[00:15:45] I kind of understood.

[00:15:47] The mom was a kind

[00:15:48] that was worried

[00:15:48] all the time,

[00:15:50] about everything.

[00:15:52] I later learned

[00:15:53] that she had threatened

[00:15:53] to take away

[00:15:54] the step ladder

[00:15:55] from him

[00:15:55] so he wouldn't be

[00:15:56] reaching for books

[00:15:57] on the high shelves.

[00:15:58] Apparently,

[00:15:59] it had all been

[00:16:00] because of the

[00:16:01] curious things

[00:16:02] he would say.

[00:16:04] I'm using

[00:16:04] her own words here.

[00:16:06] She was trying

[00:16:07] to get him

[00:16:07] to stop reading

[00:16:08] all those books.

[00:16:10] And I forgot

[00:16:11] to mention

[00:16:11] her interesting list

[00:16:13] of instructions

[00:16:13] about it,

[00:16:14] limiting TV time,

[00:16:16] not letting him

[00:16:16] draw so much,

[00:16:17] and that if he

[00:16:18] started acting

[00:16:18] like a weird kid,

[00:16:20] she said,

[00:16:21] to just have him

[00:16:21] tell me a story.

[00:16:24] Weird advice,

[00:16:25] I guess.

[00:16:27] And that's actually

[00:16:28] how I ended up

[00:16:28] hearing so many.

[00:16:30] But this one?

[00:16:32] Well,

[00:16:32] this one was different.

[00:16:34] Let's see them,

[00:16:35] I told him,

[00:16:36] in a tone

[00:16:37] that I wanted

[00:16:37] to sound like

[00:16:38] I wasn't scared

[00:16:39] inside.

[00:16:39] But I messed up

[00:16:40] and instead

[00:16:41] sounded overly happy.

[00:16:44] We walked

[00:16:45] upstairs again.

[00:16:46] The door to his room

[00:16:47] had been left open

[00:16:48] and he walked in

[00:16:49] and over to the

[00:16:50] bright green rug

[00:16:51] in the center.

[00:16:52] I followed

[00:16:53] close behind.

[00:16:55] He stretched his arm

[00:16:56] out toward the window

[00:16:57] and I could see them.

[00:16:59] Although I can't say

[00:17:00] I had ever seen

[00:17:01] dull handprints

[00:17:02] on anything else before.

[00:17:04] They looked more

[00:17:05] like scratches

[00:17:05] and yes,

[00:17:06] I hated it,

[00:17:07] but it made sense.

[00:17:09] Plastic hands

[00:17:10] probably wouldn't

[00:17:11] leave anything

[00:17:12] other than

[00:17:12] scratches on glass.

[00:17:16] Chris,

[00:17:17] I'm gonna talk to you

[00:17:18] like I would

[00:17:19] to a grown-up,

[00:17:20] alright?

[00:17:21] He looked at me

[00:17:22] with wide eyes.

[00:17:24] What you're telling me

[00:17:26] is crazy,

[00:17:27] but first

[00:17:27] I want to hear

[00:17:28] what happened.

[00:17:29] The full story.

[00:17:30] You saw the handmarks

[00:17:31] and you decided

[00:17:32] not to tell your mom.

[00:17:33] What happened next?

[00:17:35] This part

[00:17:36] of babysitting 101

[00:17:37] I would call

[00:17:38] detective techniques.

[00:17:40] How'd I get the truth?

[00:17:43] Chris had stayed up

[00:17:44] for part of the night,

[00:17:45] this time waiting

[00:17:46] for these things

[00:17:47] to come by the window again.

[00:17:49] The light

[00:17:50] from under the window

[00:17:51] shined perfectly

[00:17:52] against the wall

[00:17:53] by his bed

[00:17:53] and he looked

[00:17:54] at that near-perfect

[00:17:56] square of light

[00:17:57] against the wall

[00:17:57] for two more nights,

[00:17:59] thinking that

[00:18:00] he would see

[00:18:01] the silhouettes

[00:18:01] of the dolls

[00:18:02] climbing over

[00:18:02] the window frame.

[00:18:05] I would have been

[00:18:06] too scared

[00:18:06] to stay in that room,

[00:18:07] but like I said,

[00:18:09] this kid was different.

[00:18:11] The way he told me

[00:18:12] about what he did

[00:18:13] in this situation

[00:18:14] with the dolls,

[00:18:15] it was like hearing it

[00:18:17] from a long-time writer

[00:18:18] or an old uncle

[00:18:19] who lived

[00:18:20] out in the woods.

[00:18:22] But anyway,

[00:18:23] the kid didn't

[00:18:24] see them again,

[00:18:27] so they're gone,

[00:18:28] I concluded for him.

[00:18:29] But he continued.

[00:18:32] Well,

[00:18:32] I didn't see them alive,

[00:18:34] like here

[00:18:35] in my room.

[00:18:36] I saw them

[00:18:37] in my dreams.

[00:18:39] He paused

[00:18:40] for a moment.

[00:18:43] Sort of,

[00:18:44] like dreams.

[00:18:46] I sat down

[00:18:47] on the floor

[00:18:48] as he explained

[00:18:48] what he went through

[00:18:49] for those remaining nights.

[00:18:52] He had woken up

[00:18:53] in an old house,

[00:18:54] a cabin,

[00:18:55] he said,

[00:18:56] and his eyes

[00:18:57] started glazing

[00:18:57] over everything

[00:18:58] as though he was

[00:18:59] reliving every second.

[00:19:02] I sat there

[00:19:03] on a chair

[00:19:04] as he came up to me,

[00:19:06] twisted my arms

[00:19:07] and told me

[00:19:07] to stay still.

[00:19:09] One of them

[00:19:10] in particular

[00:19:10] seemed to be

[00:19:11] the leader

[00:19:11] of the group.

[00:19:13] She put an empty cup

[00:19:14] in front of me

[00:19:15] on the floor

[00:19:15] and asked me

[00:19:16] to drink from it,

[00:19:18] tilting it up

[00:19:19] toward my face

[00:19:19] so hard

[00:19:20] that I could feel

[00:19:21] the ceramic

[00:19:21] against my nose.

[00:19:23] When I tried to move,

[00:19:25] she would yell,

[00:19:26] words I'm not allowed

[00:19:28] to say, right?

[00:19:29] Can I say them?

[00:19:31] I looked at him,

[00:19:32] not done imagining

[00:19:33] what he had just told me.

[00:19:36] Yes, I said.

[00:19:38] He struggled

[00:19:39] to get the words

[00:19:40] out of his mouth,

[00:19:41] but to spare you

[00:19:42] the details,

[00:19:43] it was called names,

[00:19:44] horrible things

[00:19:45] and insults,

[00:19:46] things that I had

[00:19:47] never even heard

[00:19:48] my mother say.

[00:19:49] And that

[00:19:50] should tell you something.

[00:19:54] On the second night,

[00:19:55] he said he met

[00:19:56] other dolls,

[00:19:57] all of them sitting

[00:19:58] with him on the floor,

[00:20:00] on chairs

[00:20:00] and on risky places

[00:20:02] like the edge

[00:20:02] of a table,

[00:20:03] on shelves,

[00:20:05] but in all of them,

[00:20:07] he could hear

[00:20:07] their voices.

[00:20:09] Come play with me.

[00:20:12] Come play with me.

[00:20:15] And then instructions

[00:20:16] over and over again

[00:20:18] for their creepy games,

[00:20:21] all in their distant voices

[00:20:22] like adults

[00:20:24] playing pretend.

[00:20:26] Tea parties,

[00:20:27] story time,

[00:20:29] and sing-alongs.

[00:20:30] And he could tell

[00:20:33] by the laughter

[00:20:33] that would break out

[00:20:35] in the end,

[00:20:35] like when an actor

[00:20:37] breaks character,

[00:20:38] taunting him.

[00:20:42] I would cry,

[00:20:43] he said.

[00:20:44] But then I would be here

[00:20:46] in my room again.

[00:20:49] The boy was sad.

[00:20:52] He looked down

[00:20:53] with a frown,

[00:20:54] lost and nowhere,

[00:20:55] no one to turn to

[00:20:56] for help.

[00:20:59] Can I tell your parents?

[00:21:01] What about your dad?

[00:21:02] Let's lock up your windows.

[00:21:03] I don't know.

[00:21:04] Don't stay here,

[00:21:05] I said,

[00:21:06] admitting that I

[00:21:07] believed him now.

[00:21:09] When I yelled for them

[00:21:10] over there,

[00:21:11] the doll said that

[00:21:12] they were my parents now

[00:21:13] and they got angry.

[00:21:16] They hurt me.

[00:21:19] I decided to stop

[00:21:20] asking questions

[00:21:21] at this moment,

[00:21:22] but I knew that

[00:21:23] I had to talk to them

[00:21:24] to at least let them know

[00:21:25] of what he had told me.

[00:21:28] Listening to a kid,

[00:21:29] one that had no reason

[00:21:30] to lie like this,

[00:21:31] cry real tears of pain

[00:21:33] at remembering something

[00:21:34] was beyond anything

[00:21:35] I had ever experienced.

[00:21:38] We both walked

[00:21:39] downstairs again

[00:21:40] and sat in silence.

[00:21:42] The television

[00:21:43] on volume level 2

[00:21:44] until his dad showed up,

[00:21:46] greeted us as always,

[00:21:48] paid me,

[00:21:48] and walked with me

[00:21:49] toward the front gate.

[00:21:53] In the days that followed,

[00:21:55] I kept thinking

[00:21:56] of how I could tell them

[00:21:57] such a story,

[00:21:58] one that no one

[00:21:59] would ever believe.

[00:22:02] Dolls that are coming

[00:22:03] after Chris,

[00:22:05] and that he has nowhere

[00:22:06] to turn to.

[00:22:08] And I was just about

[00:22:09] to gather the courage

[00:22:10] to pick up the phone.

[00:22:12] It took a lot more

[00:22:13] back then.

[00:22:15] When I got a call

[00:22:16] from Elizabeth,

[00:22:18] in a shaky voice,

[00:22:20] she asked me

[00:22:20] if I knew of any

[00:22:21] of Chris' friends,

[00:22:23] hints, clues

[00:22:23] about where he could have gone.

[00:22:26] David took the phone over

[00:22:27] and begged for me

[00:22:28] to please tell him

[00:22:29] if I remembered anything.

[00:22:33] The police showed up

[00:22:34] within half an hour.

[00:22:35] They were waiting

[00:22:36] for me outside

[00:22:37] along with my mom

[00:22:38] by the front door.

[00:22:40] I thought I was in trouble.

[00:22:41] I had heard about this before.

[00:22:43] If I couldn't help,

[00:22:45] they would blame me.

[00:22:46] At least,

[00:22:46] that's what some

[00:22:47] of my friends talked about.

[00:22:49] Chris had gone missing.

[00:22:52] After dinner,

[00:22:53] he went upstairs

[00:22:54] to finish some of his drawings.

[00:22:55] And when his parents

[00:22:56] went up to check on him

[00:22:57] a little bit later,

[00:22:59] he was gone.

[00:23:01] They searched all over

[00:23:02] for him.

[00:23:03] I only found his pencils

[00:23:05] out of place

[00:23:05] and the bookmark

[00:23:06] he was making

[00:23:07] for himself

[00:23:07] out on his little table.

[00:23:11] It was the last

[00:23:12] that was known of him.

[00:23:15] I went over

[00:23:15] to visit them

[00:23:16] before the year was over.

[00:23:18] Maybe this time

[00:23:19] I would tell them

[00:23:20] about Chris' dreams.

[00:23:21] I had held on to them

[00:23:23] long enough.

[00:23:24] It may be something

[00:23:25] that would at least

[00:23:26] explain what the scratches

[00:23:27] on the window

[00:23:28] had been,

[00:23:28] the ones

[00:23:29] that the police

[00:23:30] had found.

[00:23:32] But David

[00:23:32] got to the door

[00:23:33] and Elizabeth

[00:23:34] started screaming,

[00:23:35] crying,

[00:23:36] when she saw me.

[00:23:39] She wasn't ready,

[00:23:40] he said.

[00:23:41] David started apologizing.

[00:23:45] I understood.

[00:23:47] I walked back out

[00:23:49] over the front gate

[00:23:50] in silence,

[00:23:53] wondering

[00:23:55] what the lesson

[00:23:56] here

[00:23:56] would be.

[00:24:06] Scary Story Podcast

[00:24:07] is written and produced

[00:24:09] by me,

[00:24:09] Edwin Covarrubias.

[00:24:11] To get in touch,

[00:24:12] check out the links

[00:24:13] in the description

[00:24:14] of this episode.

[00:24:15] And if you want to

[00:24:15] support the stories,

[00:24:16] try out Scary Plus

[00:24:17] over on scaryplus.com.

[00:24:19] You can also drop

[00:24:20] some stars for me

[00:24:21] in the reviews.

[00:24:22] And if you have

[00:24:23] a true story

[00:24:24] that you want me to read,

[00:24:25] email me,

[00:24:26] edwin at scarystory.com

[00:24:28] or use the contact form

[00:24:30] on our website.

[00:24:31] Let's see if we can

[00:24:31] put together

[00:24:32] a listener stories episode.

[00:24:35] Anyway,

[00:24:36] thank you very much

[00:24:37] for listening.

[00:24:38] Keep it scary,

[00:24:39] everyone.

[00:24:40] See you soon.