Lara never expected her world to tilt at 2:25 p.m. on a quiet Friday. That time of day was usually reserved for emails and lukewarm coffee. But when her phone rang—no caller ID—something told her to pick up. On the other end was a small, trembling voice: “Mommy… I’m scared.”
It was her six-year-old son, Ben.
Ben was her entire world. Sensitive and kind, the kind of boy who felt everything deeply—not just his own emotions but everyone else’s too. He was the kid who’d rescue worms from the sidewalk after the rain. And Ruby, their 21-year-old babysitter, had always understood him. She was calm, thoughtful, and made Ben feel seen. She knew he was in an Allosaurus phase and played along like it was the most important thing in the world.
That’s why, when Ben whispered, “She was standing… and then she wasn’t,” Lara’s heart dropped. He said Ruby had fallen, a glass of water spilled, and something seemed off. He didn’t know if she was asleep or hurt—only that she wasn’t responding. Lara didn’t wait. She ran. No explanations. No goodbyes. Just panic and instinct.
When she got home, everything looked too normal—curtains drawn, doors locked. She called out, but there was no answer. Then she remembered—Ben had said he was hiding. She found him curled up in the hallway closet, holding his stuffed dinosaur, shaking but quiet. “I tried to help her,” he said. Lara’s heart broke.
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