He was standing there in his star-print onesie, hands folded behind his back like a tiny professor, watching The Muppet Christmas Carol with the kind of focus I usually reserve for tax season.<\/p>\n
Kermit was talking. Miss Piggy was mid-monologue. And there he stood\u2014motionless.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
No blinking. No shifting. Just dead silent, frozen like he was studying the meaning of life from a puppet frog.<\/p>\n
I called his name. Nothing.<\/p>\n
I waved my hand next to his face. Still nothing.<\/p>\n
Then he…<\/p>\n<\/video><\/figure>\nI waved my hand next to his face. Still nothing.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
Then he turned his head ever so slightly, just enough to glance at me, but his eyes didn\u2019t leave the screen. The faintest flicker of a smile danced on his lips, but it didn\u2019t feel right. It wasn\u2019t the innocent, playful smile I was used to seeing\u2014it was distant. A little too distant for a two-year-old.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
My stomach twisted. Was he okay? Why wasn\u2019t he responding to me?<\/p>\n
I stepped forward cautiously, my heart pounding. \u201cOliver?\u201d I said, trying to keep my voice light, but it was hard to hide the unease creeping into my words.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
He didn\u2019t respond. He simply stood there, staring intently at the TV.<\/p>\n
For a moment, I froze. Was this normal toddler behavior? I mean, he loved the Muppets, but this was different. He\u2019d watched it before, and he usually giggled at the funny parts or would mimic their voices\u2014just like any other child his age. But this? This was unsettling.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
I turned the TV off. The sound stopped immediately, but Oliver didn\u2019t move.<\/p>\n
\u201cOliver,\u201d I said, stepping closer. \u201cSweetheart, are you okay?\u201d I reached down to gently touch his arm.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
And that\u2019s when it happened. His head snapped toward me so quickly, it startled me. His eyes were wide open, unblinking, and then, in a voice that wasn\u2019t his own, he whispered, \u201cDon\u2019t turn it off.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stumbled back, my heart now racing in my chest. That wasn\u2019t his voice. It wasn\u2019t even close.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
\u201cW-what did you say?\u201d I stammered, my mind trying to make sense of the situation.<\/p>\n
He blinked once, his gaze softening as if nothing had happened. \u201cI said, don\u2019t turn it off,\u201d he repeated, his voice back to normal.<\/p>\n
I stood there, unable to move. I was now 100% sure something was wrong. I couldn\u2019t explain it, but I knew something was off.<\/p>\n
Trying to shake off the eerie feeling, I crouched down to his level. \u201cOliver, did you hear something?\u201d I asked gently, needing him to respond in a way that made sense.<\/p>\n
He shook his head. \u201cNo, Mommy.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
But the air felt thick with something I couldn\u2019t quite name. I stood up, turning the TV back on, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it was all in my head. Maybe he was just overly absorbed in the movie, and I was reading too much into his odd behavior.<\/p>\n
The screen flickered to life, and I saw the characters from The Muppet Christmas Carol once again. I turned back to Oliver. His eyes were locked on the screen, and his hands, which had been folded behind his back, were now clenched at his sides.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
A chill ran down my spine.<\/p>\n
And that\u2019s when I noticed something else\u2014the room seemed colder. The air felt heavier, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed darker.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
I didn\u2019t want to admit it, but I felt like something was wrong. Maybe it was just me being paranoid, but I couldn\u2019t shake the feeling that I was missing something. Something important.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\u201cOkay, that\u2019s enough TV for today,\u201d I said, reaching for the remote to turn it off once more.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d Oliver said, almost in a pleading tone. His voice sounded\u2026 different again, but I couldn\u2019t place why. His expression wasn\u2019t angry or upset\u2014he just looked sad, almost as if he were asking me to leave the room and leave things alone.<\/p>\n
But I couldn\u2019t leave it alone. I had to know what was going on. Something wasn\u2019t right, and I was determined to figure it out.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m going to check something,\u201d I said firmly, trying to keep my voice steady.<\/p>\n
I took the remote from his tiny hands and turned the TV off again, this time refusing to let it back on. He stared at me, his eyes wide but almost\u2026 resigned, as if he knew he couldn\u2019t stop me.<\/p>\n
As I stood there, my mind racing with questions, I noticed something else\u2014something far more disturbing. There was a faint glow coming from beneath the door to the basement.<\/p>\n
My heart skipped a beat.<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
The basement. I\u2019d never liked it down there. There was something unsettling about the space, an old house with creaky floors and low ceilings. But I\u2019d never thought much about it, until now. Now, that faint glow felt like a beacon, drawing me closer, whispering for me to come down.<\/p>\n
I turned back to Oliver. \u201cI\u2019m going to check something, okay? Stay right here.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded, his eyes never leaving mine.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/div>\n
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