The young girl had two dolls. One of a girl with bright blonde hair, and the other of an old woman wearing maids' clothing. As she was playing, the first doll fell to the ground with a thud louder than what could reasonably be expected from a toy of those proportions.

"Oh, no! Little Miss Daughter fell down the dollhouse! We've gotta help her!" she said, as she grabbed the second doll and, with a motion vaguely resembling walking, moved it towards the first. For all she was alone in this dark room, the young girl was having fun.

Flicker. Did something walk past the fireplace? She looked around the living room but saw nothing. Shrugging, she quickly returned to playing with her dolls. Help! There it was again. The sound came from the hallways this time. She got to her feet, shuffled over, and inspected the dark corridor, but there was no trace of anyone there.

She knitted her brows. Something was wrong. Where were the other kids? The caretaker? Kelly and the others should be here by now, they asked me to play with them tonight. And dinnertime bell was supposed to have been rung thirty minutes ago, but the whole house had been quiet for quite some time now.

She's-- And there it was again, very near the outside of the window this time! Was the orphanage preparing a surprise for her birthday? She was grateful if that was the case, but they really were just dragging this on for too long and she was getting very, very impatient. With a huff, she turned around to go back to her dolls but as she stomped her way through, she saw someone already there. The hairs on her arm stood on their ends.

She didn't know who this was. But I know everyone in the orphanage! Fear overtaking her, she dashed towards the nearest sofa and hid behind it. Who was that? They were too big to have been an orphan like her, and the slender shape of the silhouette suggested that she didn't seem to be the caretaker. She spent a moment there, considering. Then, steeling herself, she took a deep breath and peeked her head a few centimeters above the sofa, taking a quick peep at the stranger.

They— no, she was a woman with blonde hair wearing a long white gown with a brown sleeveless tunic. She was wearing the caretaker's clothes! She looked like a normal woman, but something was different. It was her smile. It was gentle but had a mystifying feeling to it. The young girl just couldn't put her finger on it. The woman's gaze seemed to glaze over, looking around, and she walked over to near the corridor.

She inspected the dark hallway. Still smiling. Shifting around the sofa to hide from her, the young girl somehow fell and hit the floorboards with a small thud. The woman turned, and to the young girl's horror, slowly and deliberately walked over to the sofa that she was hiding behind. The girl held her heavy breath, drawing her arms around her shaking legs. Please, don’t come here! Please no! Closing her eyes, she prepared for the worst.

"Chloe? Are you alright?"

Her eyes flickered upwards. She thought for sure that something bad was going to happen to her. But the thoughts, her terror seemed to vanish with the woman's— no, the babysitter's words. In an instant, it seemed as though the fireplace-lit room wasn't so dark, and the silence of the house didn't seem deafening anymore. Her legs stopped shaking. She was— relieved?

This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.

"I brought dinner for you. Would you like me to help you up?"

The babysitter's voice was gentle, oddly nostalgic, but for some reason, she couldn't remember whose voice it was. Chloe pulled herself up to look. The babysitter was still smiling, but Chloe thought that she wasn't as scary as before. Chloe let her eyes lay on her for a few moments, before realizing that she was waiting for her to reply.

She tried to get the words out of her mouth, but all she could manage was a raspy noise from her throat. Embarrassed, her cheeks turned a shade of pink, eyes swimming across her side. The babysitter chuckled and offered her a hand. Chloe took it and walked gingerly to where she was led to sit on the sofa.

Her eyes wandered around for a bit and saw that the caretaker did bring food for her. The dishes were practically spilling off of the living room table. And the cake! It had four layers! She almost didn't recognize it because it looked more like a piece of art than it did a dessert.

Never had Chloe seen this much variety of dishes on the orphanage's dinner table, not even when it was her or the other kids' birthdays. But as she remembered, this wasn't there just a few moments ago when she was playing. And where are my dolls?

As Chloe started panicking, she felt something warm touch her hands. She looked up and saw the babysitter still smiling.

"We could play for a little while if you're not hungry."

Chloe looked down again. She didn't know why these feelings came over her whenever the babysitter spoke. She shook her head and managed to eke out a few words.

"N-no, it's alright. Sorry."

She heard her laugh and felt the babysitter lay her soft hand on her hair.

"Now, which dish would you like to try first?"

Although Chloe didn't know who this woman was, she felt strangely reassured sitting next to her. As though everything was all right, and that she didn’t have to be scared, didn’t have to be alone anymore. Her heart slowed to a steady beat. So they passed the time together.

"Shall we head to your room now? I made an exception this time since it's your birthday, but it is well past curfew."

Chloe nodded meekly, her face relaxed and softened by this strange babysitter. She even held a small smile.

They walked through the hallways, the babysitter leading her by the hand with her other hand holding candlelight. And she was still smiling. Chloe thought that something was strange. Whenever she looked at the babysitter's face, her mind would wander and she would feel calm and, she thought, even happy.

And the house. Except for the two of them talking, the plates and the forks clattering, the wood from the fireplace sometimes crackling, and now the sound of their footsteps along the floorboards gently creaking, she had heard no other noise from the whole house this whole night. She didn't hear nor see any sign of life from the rest of the house.

With a click, the babysitter opened the bedroom door. The two of them walked toward one of the two bunk beds, and as Chloe sat down, she saw the framed photograph of her and her late mother on her bedside drawer. It showed the two playing with each other on the beach, laughing as the two of them built a small sandcastle. And all at once, a warm feeling had washed over her.

The babysitter laid down the candlelight on the bedside drawer and tucked Chloe in. Leaning in, she gave Chloe a gentle kiss on her forehead and turned around, walking toward the door. As the babysitter pulled the doorway close, Chloe saw a few slivers of light from the candle illuminate her face one last time, and Chloe whispered under her breath,

"Good night, Mom."

The babysitter paused, her smile faltering for but a single moment, eyes creased in melancholic sorrow.

"Good night, Chloe."