I had no idea that the quiet suburban family I volunteered to babysit for had a terrifying secret in their basement. A web of obsession that threatened to pull us all apart was revealed to me by young Ben one night as he led me into the darkness. Our lives were irrevocably affected by what we found out. Ben said, “Kate, there’s something you should see.” Ben, you are aware that your dad told us not to go down there. It is not permitted. “Daddy isn’t present. Come on over. Please.
His haste made me uneasy. “All right, but let’s move quickly.” We crept to the basement entrance. I turned the knob, my heart pounding. In addition to being chilly and dark, I could smell mustiness. Ben turned on the lamp. “Hurry.” When I followed him, my blood ran cold from what I witnessed. There were pictures of Linda all over the walls. Many hundreds of them. Linda sleeping, Linda reading a book, and Linda at the grocery shop. “How the heck is that?” I muttered. Ben gave me a sleeve tug. “It’s important, as I mentioned.” I picked up my phone and gave Linda a call. “You must return home. Right now. Twenty minutes later, Linda showed up, pale and drawn. She gasped when she entered the basement. She gasped, “Oh my God,” tears welling up in her eyes. “He has been observing me?” “We must leave this place. This is not secure. The following day, Linda and Ben packed their belongings with my assistance. Ben’s expression of relief was sad. Better was due to them. Both of them did.
