“But I don’t want to go to bed, the man with no eyes is waiting for me in the closet!”

It was those very words that made Sammy and I pause what we were doing, frozen at the dining table as if we had been turned into stone. Slowly, I turned to our younger sister Rose, who was clutching her worn teddy bear in her chubby hands.

“Rose, what…” Sammy started, but quickly trailed off. I chose to continue what he began, and said, “Rosy, what do you mean by that?” I said it firmly, but my voice was shaky and hesitant. Despite most kids Rose’s age, she wasn’t prone to fear induced hallucinations, and she wasn’t usually tricked by nightmares or tricks of light. Because of her unique trait, it made the situation all the more concerning.

I stood up. “Julia, wait,” Sammy said, putting down his cup of coffee as he scooted his chair back. “Maybe Rosy is just seeing things, I’m sure it’s nothing.”

“Even so, if it’ll make her feel better, I should still go and check, isn’t that right Rosy?” I turned towards the smaller child, looking down at her tiny frame. She looked back up at me, smiling slightly. “Yes, big sis. That would make me feel much better!” Sammy looked conflicted as I walked back towards the bedrooms, deciding whether or not to tag along. He ultimately decided however, to stay behind as I went.

Rose took my hand and squeezed it, suprisingly tight for someone like her, as we walked down the long hallway. Eventually, we arrived at her bedroom, and I pushed open the painted wooden door. She inched closer to me as we stepped inside, and I turned towards her closet. Reaching my hand forward, I placed my palm on the closet door, and pushed.