Living in the middle of the woods with no one else around sounds like something out of a scary story, you know, when the girl gets harassed by the intruder in the house. Yeah, well I never thought that that girl would end up being me on my first day of babysitting.
I was packing up to go to the Cooper's residence to babysit their eleven-year-old daughter Elizabeth. I live in California. Today was such a hot and such a beautiful day so of course, I wasn't happy about this babysitting on such a nice day, but hey, I get paid! My mom gave me money for food that evening and said to call when Mrs. and Mr. Cooper returned home.
Driving to their house seemed like years, but they really only lived 45 minutes away. Their house was basically a mansion in the woods. It's very old and rustic looking, but clean and very well kept at the same time. When I stepped out of the car all I heard were sticks breaking under my feet and birds chirping through the blue cloudless sky. Jezebel, their well-groomed golden retriever, greeted me at the door. Elizabeth was upstairs playing dolls with her cat named, Tory. After they left, Elizabeth and I decided to have for pizza that afternoon. We got every possible topping from cheese to bacon. After we were done eating, We returned home later that night.
Night fell fast and a storm was forming in the sky. The wind was picking up and kind of made the house shake like a miniature earthquake. I put Elizabeth to bed and after we got done saying our prayers, I got comfortable on the couch with some snacks. I turned on the television and realized that a horror movie was on, so I turned to that channel.
I was almost asleep when I heard a bump. I thought Elizabeth fell going to the bathroom or something, so I jumped up and ran upstairs. I opened her door only to find her dead asleep. I was very relieved but suspicious at the same time. I quietly shut the door and returned to my show. About an hour later I heard the same noise. I told myself I was just being paranoid so I fell asleep.
It was 11 p.m. when the phone rang and woke me. I answered, but the only thing I could hear was breathing. A little freaked out, I hung up. Shaken from what had happened, I called my mom only to hear from her I was being paranoid and to not get myself worked up. I lay down on the couch and closed my eyes, but something or someone was watching me.....I could feel it. I sat up and looked around when something caught my eye outside. A light - a flashlight - was shining into the house. I jumped up and closed all of the curtains. I called the police, and they told me they could be there in 37 minutes since it was 45 minutes outside of town. I panicked and ran upstairs with Tory and Jezebel at my heels.
I gently opened Elizabeth's door, cautious to not wake and scare her. I was turning her closet light out when my cell phone rang. Of course, I had the ringer all the way up, so it broke the silent stillness through the house. I answered cautiously and proceeded to say hello about 20 times, but no one answered so I hung up. I sat by the closet watching the door while I was cautiously moving my flashlight around the room.
It had been quiet for about 15 minutes when I heard the front door open and close quietly. I figured Mr. and Mrs. Cooper had returned home so I gently opened the door. Still cautious, I walked to the balcony to find their car nowhere to be found. Terrified, I stood there in fear not knowing what to do. I ran into Elizabeth's room, grabbed her out of bed, and ran down the stairs. I went to open the front door, but before I could, a figure, such as a man's, appeared between me and the door. I wanted to just cry. I had nowhere to go but through the kitchen door, but it was all boarded up due to a kitchen remodel. He moved as I was stepping back. I remembered what Elizabeth had told me earlier that day about her "secret hiding place". I ran under the stairs where a little piece of the wall was cut out and movable. I moved it over, laid her in, and closed it behind us. I could hear the man breathing and walking through the house. I frantically tried to call the police again, but before I could, the piece covering the opening to our hiding place was gone. He had seen us and was staring at us. I pushed past him as hard as I could. As he fell to the floor, trying to rise to his feet, I proceeded to run with Elizabeth.
We ran to the front door but somehow he had managed to lock the door from the outside. I took a chair and tried to bust it down, but nothing worked. I was angry now. I grabbed a metal rod from the fire place and moved around the house as quietly as I could. I found him sitting in a chair watching through the window with still eyes. Creeping through the darkness, I got right over top of him. I went to push him out of the chair but just as soon as I did, the the door burst open. In rushed Mr.and Mrs.Cooper along with a couple of men who looked like policemen. So relieved, I fell to my knees and began to cry. I was so happy we were gonna be okay. Everything was going to be alright now...or so I thought.
