Girl doesn’t want Grandma to babysit; her mom installs cameras. She’d been convinced that her daughter was in good hands at her grandma’s house. But when the child stopped talking altogether, the mom knew something was terribly wrong. She wanted her daughter and Grandma to bond; she’d believed Grandma’s house was a cozy haven full of baked pastries, cuddly teddies, and warm milk. She’d soon find out just how wrong she was.
For endless months, visits to Grandma June’s house had been the highlight for Haley James and her six-year-old daughter, Susie. The two had always loved visiting June’s house; it had been a source of love and laughter for them, making them always look forward to it. But out of nowhere, Susie started acting differently right after she visited her grandma. Once a bubbly kid, she’d become quiet and withdrawn, barely smiling or laughing. Whenever she came from her Grandma’s, she looked visibly scared whenever Haley told her they’d be visiting Grandma June or that the grandma would be babysitting while Haley was off at work.
Haley didn’t know what to make of the behavior. Was it a phase, or was there something happening to her daughter at June’s house that she didn’t know about? Haley couldn’t tell when this behavior started; all she could remember was that one Saturday morning, Susie started complaining about not wanting to visit her grandmother anymore. Of course, Haley took her to June’s a few days later. That’s when she noticed how quiet her daughter was; something was wrong, and the mom needed to get to the bottom of it before it was too late.
Caught between wanting to be Susie’s perfect mom and June’s best daughter, Haley found herself between a rock and a hard place. What had once been a source of love and laughter had quickly devolved into a stressful situation for her. She didn’t want her daughter to grow up without experiencing the joys of being a granddaughter, but she also didn’t want Susie to feel like she was suffocating whenever they visited Grandma June.
Trying to find a balance between the two, Haley decided to reduce the trips to her mom’s place. Her mom couldn’t understand why the visits, which had been a weekly thing, were slowly decreasing. Haley couldn’t tell her; she couldn’t break her heart like that. She’d also noticed a slight difference in Susie’s demeanor; the girl seemed less miserable, although her face always fell whenever Haley brought up Grandma June. What was happening?
Haley had hoped she’d have more time to get to the bottom of the issue, but out of nowhere, she got a call from her boss informing her she’d be a part of a team that would go out of town for a business meeting that weekend. She knew what that meant; she’d be gone for at least two days and would need someone to watch over her daughter. Haley slowly exhaled; there was no way this wouldn’t end in disaster.
Summoning the courage to endure seeing her daughter’s heart get broken, Haley called Susie and informed her she’d have to spend the weekend at Grandma June’s. « Mommy, » the girl stated, her bottom lip trembling and her eyes already glossy, « you said you wouldn’t go there unless we really need to. I don’t want to, please. » Haley had to look away to wipe her own tears. « I really need to, » she said, and her daughter’s tears finally let loose. But Susie didn’t protest or try to convince her otherwise; she’d seemingly accepted her fate, which was even more heartbreaking to watch. She walked away with her head hung low, heading straight to her room to sleep.
Haley got everything ready the following day and drove her daughter to Grandma June’s. The elderly woman was more than delighted to see her daughter and granddaughter again. She hugged Haley tightly, but her smile seemed to waver the moment she hugged Susie, as if she sensed something was wrong. But quickly, she masked her shock and wrapped her arms around the six-year-old. If only Haley knew the mistake she was making.
Haley left Susie at Grandma June’s and went on her business trip. But that night, while in her hotel room, she couldn’t help but feel like she’d made a terrible mistake letting her mom babysit. She knew June didn’t mind watching over Susie; the two had been close for years, and this would have been the right move for Haley. But Susie, for some reason, didn’t want to even talk about her grandma, let alone visit and spend time with her.
But everything was about to come to light. Haley was still lost in thought when her phone started ringing. She read for surprised when she saw it was her mom. « Hi, » she answered, still taken aback because June rarely called, choosing to text mostly. Grandma June’s voice was trembling with worry as she spoke. She reported there was something odd about Susie. « She’s been acting quite strangely since she got here. I don’t know what’s wrong. » Haley ended the call more worried than she already was; she couldn’t even sleep that night, trying to piece together the different pieces of this puzzle. She couldn’t get the image of Susie crying when she told her she’d have to spend the weekend at her grandma’s out of her head. The girl looked so helpless and meek, as if this was a death sentence. But what could Haley do when she herself didn’t know what was happening?
Haley did the only thing she could; she called her boss and explained she had a home emergency. Since she’d already spent the first day of the trip with her co-workers and the business associates they were to meet, would it be okay if she rushed home? Her boss, who knew and appreciated Susie, agreed almost immediately. « Go, I hope everything’s all right. Keep me posted. »
Haley got into her car as fast as humanly possible. She immediately drove to her mom’s, knowing she’d get there a day earlier. Thoughts scoured her mind as she stepped onto the gas, shifting gears as she sped down the highway. She needed to figure out what was happening to her daughter, what had changed during the many times she and Haley had been at Grandma June’s, and how could Haley fix it.
Haley reached her mom’s house in record time. She walked in not knowing what to expect, but what she found had her lips parting as furrows drew across her forehead. Susie was seated on the floor in the corner of the living room; her eyes were vacant, her face reduced to a heartbreaking frown. She didn’t even greet her mom as she usually did whenever Haley came home. Haley dropped her jacket and hurried to one knee. « What’s wrong, baby? » she asked, locking eyes with her daughter. She tried to hug her, but Susie was absent mentally. Haley realized the girl’s eyes speared past her, seemingly fixated on some unseen entity beyond Haley’s perception. But that wasn’t the worst part of the interaction.
Just when Haley thought things wouldn’t get any worse, her daughter brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around her shins. Ever so slightly, she started rocking back and forth as tears tipped her bottom lashes. « Susie, » Haley called, and the girl seemingly snapped out of it, finally recognizing her mom. « What’s wrong? » Haley asked, worry flooding her veins. « You’re back, » Susie said, still rocking back and forth. Haley had to hold her in place to get her to stop. « Let’s go home, » the mom said, and Susie, after a minute of thinking it through, got up and headed straight for the front door. She didn’t even bother to pack her things or say goodbye to her grandma; she was ready to leave right away. That alone had Haley’s mind racing. Was June doing something traumatizing to Susie that she would act this way?
On the drive home, Susie was as quiet as ever, withdrawn and lost in thought. But it was more than that; an aura of dread seemed to radiate from her, making Haley even more apprehensive. The mom started asking questions as soon as the two of them got into their apartment, but Susie wouldn’t speak; she kept her lips tight. The tears in her eyes told the story her tongue couldn’t. « It’s all right, baby, » Haley said and hugged her. She had an ace up her sleeve that would help settle this matter.
Right before leaving for a business trip, she’d secretly installed cameras all over her mom’s house. From the kitchen and living room to the bedroom Susie usually slept in, Haley had watched files to record what was happening with her daughter. Seated behind her, the mom turned on her laptop and connected to the camera footage. Haley took a deep breath; she didn’t know what to expect. What was her mom doing to Susie that had gotten the girl so scared and traumatized? The camera footage would reveal everything.
But for two hours, there was nothing substantial. Grandma June carried on her duties as always, making dinner and trying to bond with Susie, who was still quiet and upset. Haley was almost giving up when she saw it. At first, she thought she’d imagined it, but she realized she could simply rewind the footage and quickly did so. Her heartbeat paused as she registered it: the fast-moving shadow in the background of where her daughter was. What was that? The mom whispered, rewinding the footage again; this time she played it in slow motion, and her breath caught as she realized it was the silhouette of a man.
Haley continued to watch the footage in horror; she noted that at the time of the recording, Grandma June wasn’t around. At first, Susie seemed calm, but she tensed up as soon as the shadow moved behind her. Her eyes became broad, and she started trembling. Slowly, her eyes inched to the side, and she started shaking her head slowly, terror oozing out of her little being. Haley couldn’t jump on the phone fast enough.
« Mom, » she demanded as soon as June picked up her call, « is there someone visiting or living with you? » But Grandma June seemed genuinely surprised by the question. « No, why do you ask? Do you want me to host someone? » No, Haley answered; she didn’t explain what she’d just seen in the footage. But then it dawned on her that if her mom didn’t know someone was in her house, she might also be in danger.
« Can you come over to my place now? » Haley asked, trying not to spook her mom. The image of the shadowy figure had seared itself into her mind, making her blood curdle. « Yeah, I’m a bit busy at the moment, honey, » Grandma June said. « It’s an emergency, Mom, » Haley quickly added. The fact that her daughter had been this traumatized for weeks meant the intruder, whoever he was, had been frequently in Grandma June’s house. Either June knew about it, or she was in danger too.
She agreed to come over, and as soon as she confirmed that she was out of the house, Haley phoned the authorities. She explained everything, even sending over the footage. The authorities wasted no time in responding; by the time Grandma June was over at Haley’s, a team had been dispatched to scour the older woman’s house. What they’d find would send shockwaves all over the town.
When Grandma June arrived at Haley’s, she found a distraught Haley trying to comfort her daughter. Haley felt like she’d failed Susie more times than she could count. June tried to console her, quickly finding herself in the same boat as soon as she learned that a man had been visiting her house whenever she wasn’t around. With tears in her eyes, she checked Susie all over, frantically patting her clothes. « Oh God, no! Did they ever hurt you? » Susie shook her head, but although her mom and grandma finally understood what was happening, she seemed even more scared.
« He’s going to come for you too now. He said he’d hurt you if I said anything. » And her tears doubled. « No, no, no, » Haley assured her, going down on one knee. « He can’t get to us or you, I promise. » Grandma June nodded, assuring next to her, her eyes still wet. It was then that the authorities called with their findings. The findings were as shocking as they were disturbing.
It turns out a squatter had turned Grandma June’s attic into his residence. The authorities found him sleeping up there with supplies to last him a few days. However, most of his supposed belongings were items June recognized as her own. What made it even worse was that the man was wanted in multiple states and had recently escaped custody. As the officers handled him into the car, they thanked Haley and her family for all they’d done. As for Susie, her experiences at her grandma’s would hopefully return to what they used to be: moments filled with love and laughter.