Tangled Ties

chapter 52: Is Ellie...?

"What do you guys know that I don't?" I asked, looking at mom.

"You won't believe us if we tell you in words." Mom sighed.

"Whatever! Just tell me." I was tired of their mysterious secret.

"Let us ask you something before we tell you the truth." Dad said, making me calm down.

"10 years ago, why didn't your Ellie come in front of us?" Dad asked.

"Because she was afraid of socializing with new people." I replied.

"And do you remember playing with her whole day in our house when we were out for work for a day?" Dad calmly asked.

"Yes... but how do you know about it? It was our secret." I was curious.

"Because we didn't go out that day." Dad said, confusing me.

"Please don't complicate things and tell me the truth." I begged.

"Wait, I will bring my laptop." Dad said and went inside his room. Mom was quietly sitting.

"Do we have to do this?" Mom sighed as dad came in with his laptop.

"We cannot hide it any longer. In order to save his relationship with Ellie, we must tell him the truth." Dad replied.

"Liam, whatever we are going to show you is something you might never believe. But it's the truth. And this is the reason why we moved out from that house." Mom held my hand, looking at me with sorry eyes.

I was now scared. I was about to know something big. Then dad played a video. It seemed like a cc tv footage from our old house. I could see 8-year-old me playing in the living room alone. It seems like I am talking with someone, but who? I brought snacks and juice for two people, but I'm the only one eating them. Then I am drawing something, looked like I am making a sketch of someone.

Wait, that day Ellie came to my house because mom and dad were out for work. We were playing together. I even made a sketch of her, which was supposed to be her birthday gift. But why am I alone in the video? Where is Ellie? And oh god! I forgot my Ellie's birthday is also in 23rd September, which is.... Nothing is making sense.

I turned to dad, confused. I was getting a weird vibe. Was Ellie ......?

"The Ellie you thought as your best friend was a dead soul." Mom said, shocking me. I couldn't believe her.

"M-o-m" I stammered, not knowing what was happening.

"You used to play alone in the garden. You used to talk and laugh alone. You even used to swing the empty swing. When we used to ask you what you were doing, you used to lie to us." Mom said.

"As your parents, we were really worried about you. We wanted to meet your friend but she never wanted to meet us. Then one day your mom and I went to our neighbor's house to ask about Ellie. Then what they said, scared the hell out of us. They said there is no one named Ellie in the locality. Then they added that 8-year-old girl who lived in our house died in a car accident." Dad said, bringing goosebumps all over my body.

"We were in dilemma because you were best friend with that girl. Then we made things up saying we had to go out for work and decided to record you playing with your friend, to see if she was a person or a ghost... And as per our plan, she came inside our house to play with you in our absence. Then when we watched the cc tv footage, you were the only one who was visible, as you can also see that. Our doubts were right. She was not human. Before she could hurt anyone of us, we decided to move out. As your parents, taking you away from her was the best thing we could do." Mom added.