A Short Story: The Odd Babysitting Job

On a cold January night in England, just after New Year’s day, a girl named Julia told her siblings about her experience on the last day of the year before.

“At about 10:00 p.m., I was asked to babysit. A very odd time to be asked, but it is true.” said Julia. “I didn’t know what I had agreed to at that time.”

“What was so bad about it?” asked Julia's little brother, Sam.

            

“Just wait and see,” Julia said as she smiled. “I will tell you in a moment.” She made the story sound like nothing odd at all had happened at this job, but it was completely different than she let on. “When I left for the job, I was wondering, ‘What could be so important that you would need a babysitter late at night?’ When I finally found out what it was, I was surprised.”

“Oh, won't you just tell us already?!” said Julia’s other little brother, Tom.

“Be patient! I will get to that part!” Julia scolded her brother. “So, when I got there, I rung the doorbell. But, nobody answered after about five minutes of ringing! Then, just when I was about to leave, the door flung open. There, standing, was a young man – I would say about 17 years old – looking at me from head to toe. Then he scowled. What a mean thing to do,” she said angrily.

“Well, then he ordered me to come in and remove my coat. Once I was done with that, he led me into a small bedroom. I asked him where the children were, and he replied, ‘I will go get them.’ I waited in the room for what seemed like an hour, then walked in two girls. They were exactly alike: same black, lifeless curls, same terribly white skin, same clothes, and same positions. The young man slammed the door without saying anything. I had no idea what to do. They just stared at me with their creepy blue eyes seeming to wait for me to do or say something.”

“Then I heard a loud crash from below me. The girls turned their heads toward the floor at exactly the same time. Then I heard a scream from above me. Again, the girls turned their heads together. I had a feeling that the young man had never left. I heard footsteps coming from outside the door, and I gasped.”

“Then, all of a sudden, there was a wicked laugh from outside the door. I almost screamed until the girls started to giggle along with each other and the creepy laugh. Then I was very suspicious. I pushed the girls aside and yanked open the door to find the young man with a tape recorder. He stared at me for a moment then hit the stop button on the recorder. The laughing stopped, but the girls were still giggling.” Julia stopped for a long breath.

“That is when I realized that it was Pete Longtide from school. Pete is very much a prankster. I yelled at him for scaring me, then grabbed my coat. I then ran out the door as fast as I could. I don't know if I will ever speak to him again,” Julia said as she finished her scary story. Everyone was wide-eyed and still.

– By Alexandria Adelle Mcbeth