It all started the day her Auntie was called in as a last minute babysitter.
She would have to admit that it didn’t happen very often, but when it did, it was dreadful. After all, she was eight going on nine. Old enough to have a mind of her own. Old enough to make decisions for herself. Auntie didn’t see it that way. She was very bossy. It all started the moment her parents left for her father’s company dinner. They wouldn’t be back very late they said. She knew that this meant she’d be spending the entire evening with this nasty woman. With the sound of the car pulling out into the street, it started.
“Now, young Miss.” She often called her that. “I don’t want any nonsense from you. I’d like to spend a nice quiet evening watching my favourite shows on the television. I don’t see why I should miss them, just because I have to be here looking after you.”
The girl broke into tears. Wiping her eyes, she said, “Mummy said I could watch my recorded animal program while they were out.”
“Humph!” came the reply. “You can forget that!”
So, this is how it started. It went on for over an hour before the girl simply couldn’t take it anymore…
It was quite late when her parents returned. They were chatting happily as they came in. They had both been drinking and they kept breaking into fits of giggles. Up in her bedroom their daughter could hear them laughing. They had been home several minutes before climbing the stairs clumsily to check on her.
As they entered, her mother said, “Oh! Where’s your Auntie?”
“Gone,” the girl replied, without looking at her.
The mother was sobered by the news. “You mean she left you all alone?”
“Yep. She’s gone.”
With this, the parents carried out a thorough search of the house. Finding no sign of the woman, they rang her home, only to discover her husband was waiting for her to return. Of course, a police report was made, and within the week a full investigation was started, with newspaper articles alerting the public to the mystery. Both parents were deeply disturbed by the whole affair. They were left with the strange feeling that their daughter was not being entirely honest with them.
Time went on and the missing person report was lost among all the others. A further year saw the parents confronted again with the need to ask a relative to act as a sitter for them.
When informed of this, the daughter said, “No need. I’m totally able to look after myself,’ then, with the strangest of looks, asked, “Do you really want to do that?”
They were both shocked by the way this was said. They talked it over. Would they get a sitter in or not?
They decided they wouldn’t.