I woke up to find my dog staring at me—and then I saw what was under the bed. At first, I thought he just needed to go outside. Murphy usually nudges me or paws the edge of the mattress when he wants something.
But that morning, he wasn’t moving—just standing there, frozen, ears slightly back, eyes locked on my face like he was trying to tell me something. I groaned and rolled over, still half-asleep, muttering something about “five more minutes.”
But then I realized something weird. He wasn’t looking at me.
Not exactly. His head was tilted just slightly… downward. Toward the space under my bed.
I sat up fast, heart already picking up. Murphy didn’t move. I whispered his name.
He glanced at me, briefly, then looked back down. I don’t know what made me do it, but I swung my legs off the side, lowered my head, and slowly leaned down until my cheek was almost touching the mattress. It took a second for my eyes to adjust to the shadows.
That’s when I saw it. Or—her. A pair of wide, terrified eyes stared back at me from the darkness.
A girl. No older than twelve. Curled up tightly, like a rabbit in a burrow, her small hands gripping the bed frame.
I yelped and jumped back so hard I smacked my shoulder on the nightstand. Murphy didn’t even flinch. He just stayed where he was, staring.
I scrambled to my feet, confused and a little shaky. My voice came out sharp and cracked. “Who are you?”
The girl didn’t answer.
Her lips moved like she was trying to say something, but no sound came out. She just looked… scared. Not wild, not dangerous.
Just scared. “Hey… it’s okay. I’m not gonna hurt you.” I crouched down again, softer this time.
She didn’t move. But her eyes followed me, and that felt like something. Murphy inched forward and sat next to me.
I felt his warmth by my knee. His tail wagged once. Slowly.
“I’m gonna call someone, alright?” I said gently, not knowing who I meant exactly. As I reached for my phone, she suddenly whispered, “Don’t.”
I froze. Her voice was barely there, but I heard it.
And the fear in it. “Why not?” I asked, blinking. She looked around nervously, her little body trembling.
“He’ll find me.”
That made the hairs on my arms stand up. “Who?” I asked. She didn’t answer.
So I made a choice. One I didn’t even fully understand yet. I told her she could stay.
The story doesn’t end here –
it continues on the next page.
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