But even as I said it, I realized something unsettling:
I didn’t actually know that for sure.
Checking Everything
That night, after she finally fell asleep in my bed, I went into her room alone.
I turned on every light.
I stripped the bed completely—sheets, mattress cover, even the mattress itself.
I inspected the frame, the slats, the floor beneath.
Nothing.
No bugs. No damage. No hidden objects.
Just a perfectly normal bed.
I stood there, feeling foolish for even being concerned.
“She’s just imagining things,” I told myself.
Kids do that.
Right?
The 2:00 A.M. Wake-Up
It happened three nights later.
At exactly 2:00 A.M., I woke up.
Not gradually.
Not gently.
I jolted awake, heart pounding, as if something had pulled me out of sleep.
At first, I didn’t know why.
Then I heard it.
A faint sound.
A creak.
It was coming from down the hall.
From her room.
Following the Sound
I sat up slowly, trying to listen.
There it was again.
A soft, rhythmic creaking.
Like wood shifting under pressure.
My mind raced.
Maybe she had gone back to her room.
Maybe she was tossing and turning.
Or worse—maybe she had fallen.
I got out of bed and walked down the hallway, each step feeling heavier than the last.
Her door was slightly open.
The light inside was off.