The narrator recounts a series of events that occurred during a summer when they babysat a 10-year-old boy. The boy, who had a brain injury when he was five, had trouble sleeping and often played in the dark. The narrator, initially confused and disoriented, gradually became aware of the boy's situation. The boy's aunt, a surgeon, had adopted him after he fell from the stairs and developed a neuroanatomic lesion. The boy's aunt had been negligent towards him, and the narrator felt compelled to take care of him.
One day, the boy's aunt was called for an emergency and asked the narrator to stay the night. The boy, who claimed he didn't sleep, was found sitting on his bed, staring towards a closet. The narrator, feeling unsettled, asked the boy who hurt him, to which the boy pointed to his head and said, "they hurt me here."
The next day, the aunt returned and revealed that the boy had a brain injury when he was five. She had filed for adoption after the fall, and the boy had developed a neuroanatomic lesion, causing him to have trouble sleeping. The narrator felt sad for the boy and decided to get to know him better.
One night, the narrator felt a strange tingling sensation at the back of his neck and heard a faint noise. He turned around but found no one. He started running and called his dad to let him know where he was heading. The next day, the aunt called the narrator to babysit the boy again.
One evening, the boy told the narrator about a girl named Layla who was kidnapped and locked in a closet. The boy had tried to help her, but a man had threatened him with a baseball bat. The man had later locked the door and left the room. The boy and Layla became friends, and over the next few weeks, they were only given one meal a day.
One night, the man entered the room, angry and carrying a baseball bat. He threatened to hit Layla with the bat, and she was crying and shouting for help. The boy was scared and started screaming. The man turned his attention towards the boy and hit him with the bat. The boy woke up in the hospital, and after a few days, he came to his aunt's house.
The narrator, feeling speechless, decided to find out what happened to Layla. The boy, who was also scared, hid behind the narrator when they heard a scraping sound outside the window. The narrator peered from the peephole and saw the man, their stalker, standing on the patio. The man was trying to open the door lock from the outside. The boy gasped loudly, and the narrator sprung into action and locked themselves inside the boy's room.
The narrator was just about to call 9-1-1 when they heard the sound of police sirens coming their way. The man started running away, but the police caught him. The narrator's dad hugged him and the boy, and the police handcuffed their neighbor, who turned out to be the man. The narrator decided to find out what happened to Layla.
1. The speaker woke up in the middle of the night in an unfamiliar room and found someone standing next to them.
2. The person standing next to them was the boy they had just started babysitting.
3. The boy's aunt had a work emergency and asked the speaker to stay the night.
4. The boy told the speaker that he doesn't sleep.
5. The speaker found out that the boy had a brain injury when he was five years old.
6. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling at the back of their neck while walking home from another babysitting gig.
7. The speaker felt followed and started running, eventually reaching home.
8. The speaker felt followed again when they walked to the boy's house to babysit.
9. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
10. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
11. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
12. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
13. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
14. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
15. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
16. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
17. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
18. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
19. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
20. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
21. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
22. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
23. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
24. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
25. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
26. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
27. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
28. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
29. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
30. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
31. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
32. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
33. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
34. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
35. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
36. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
37. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
38. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
39. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
40. The boy told the speaker a story about being kidnapped and locked in a closet.
41. The boy's aunt was a surgeon who often gets called for emergencies at ungodly hours.
42. The speaker felt a strange tingling feeling again when they were about to babysit the boy.
43. The speaker felt followed again when they were walking to the boy's house.
44. The boy told the speaker that he can't sleep because he is scared.
45.