The hours passed and Paula could not sleep. When she noticed that her uncle or uncle had locked her up, she became very angry. First she was afraid, but then that feeling turned to anger. They couldn't do that to her! And what if she wanted to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night?

Paula began to walk from one side of the room to the other, not caring about the noise she caused. But suddenly she began to calm down because she heard noises again. It was as if someone had slammed a door on the lower floor of the house, then she heard hurried steps going up the stairs and stopping in the corridor.

Then Paula's fear increased when she realized that the steps did not stop in Uncle and Aunt Parker's room but in front of her own door. Before that, she believed that her uncle Parker was who caused the footsteps, maybe he was returning to her room.

The girl almost ran on tiptoes to her bed and then she turned off the light. She had been so angry that if she had been sure that it was her aunt who was approaching, she would have faced her without fear, but if it was her uncle Parker who was approaching... it was something different because Paula was very afraid of that man. The door made a noise. It seems as if someone was opening it, then Paula covered herself with the blanket to her head, trying not to make noise. The door opened and a dim light illuminated the wooden floor of the room... Someone was watching her from the threshold.

After a few minutes eternal, the door was locked again. Paula then heard the sound of steps moving away and then a door that closed in the distance. Her hands were shaking so much that it took a long time trying to open the drawer of her bedside table to take the bottle out of her pills. She needed to take a painkiller because her anxiety had risen like foam in a very short time.

Her hand felt in the dark, but she couldn't find the bottle in the dark, then she turned on the light. The girl searched desperately, but noticed that the bottle was not there again. It was clear that her aunt had taken away her medication and locked her in that room. Paula was furious. How could they do that?

That night it took a lot of time to fall asleep for Paula, it was already dawning when she got it. Suddenly a disturbing feeling interrupted her sleep. What if she had discovered the truth? What if her Uncle and Aunt Parker did have a child locked in the basement? Aunt Parker maybe pretended to be offended when Paula told her about the rumors and then, maybe she would have told her husband everything.

That explained why she had locked her up that night and also her constant vigilance. All that was so that Paula would not discover her secret, but why had she taken his pills? Paula didn't understand the reason. Paula's mind worked all night to give an explanation to all the questions she had.

The next day she woke up quite late, she had a headache again and her mood had fallen. She had dreamed of her own child, maybe because the cry she had heard last night had reminded her of her own baby's last hours. Paula regretted not being able to attend his funeral.

At that time she was admitted to the psychiatric hospital, heavily sedated. She couldn't see him or say goodbye to him and that made her feel guilty. Her Doctor had asked her once why she didn't love her baby, and she who was surprised by those words responded with a slap in his face.

When Paula was alone with her aunt she asked about the bottle of her medications that had «disappeared». Her aunt denied knowing where it was and Paula was about to lose control of the anger since she was sure that her aunt was lying. Anyway, that night the bottle appeared «by miracle» in the same drawer where she used to keep it. Paula, angry, went around her room looking for a good hiding place for her medications, until she found a loose table on the floor. She picked up the table and hid the bottle there. She didn't understand the Parker's attitude, but she understood a few days later.

The closed door incident caused a fight between the two women. However, her aunt said she never locked her and Paula believed her because her eyes didn't lie. It was obvious that her uncle had been the culprit, anyway the fight served to keep them from locking her up again.

The week went by quickly. Every day were the same and monotonous for Paula. Her friend had not visited her again because she was afraid that the Parkers would call the police if they saw her at home. Paula still intended to investigate what Mr. and Mrs. Parker were locked in the basement, but her aunt didn't leave her alone for a second and when she went to bed she fell asleep immediately. Paula felt tired all the time. But even though she slept a lot, she didn't feel rested or relaxed due to the nightmares they had returned. She always dreamed of her baby: his face full of tears and his scared eyes, but Paula still didn't remember anything about the day of the accident, that day that changed everything.

"Hurry up, Paula!" her aunt told her, taking her out of her thoughts (that smell of clean clothes brought back memories to the girl).

"I'm almost done," Paula replied.

She was leaning over the old washing machine, she was putting wet clothes in a basket while her aunt was waiting for the cloth in the yard to hang it. Paula took the basket and opened the door that led to the garden.

"We have to take advantage of the heat. According to the radio, there is rain forecast tomorrow," Mrs. Parker said.

"Really? But if it never rains around here," Paula answered while looking at the sky that was as clear as ever.

"They are never wrong," her aunt said as she took clothes from the basket to hang her on the rope.

Paula didn't want to contradict her aunt, but she was almost certain that those who made the weather forecast were wrong. Since she arrived there, the heat had not subsided and the wind was the only one that went to visit from time to time. It never rained and, in fact, Paula wondered if that house could withstand heavy rain without the roof collapsing.

A short time later the women finished hanging their clothes. There was a little breeze, but in the sky there were no traces of clouds.

"C'mon darling. We must start cooking lunch," the woman said as she walked towards the house.

Paula sighed, grabbed the empty basket of clothes and followed her aunt. She was distracted, without looking at any specific place until, but when she passed in front of thorny bushes, her eyes fell on the basement window and what she saw left her paralyzed with fright... A child was playing there in the basement.

"Ahhhh!" the scream came out of his throat inevitably. She backed up instinctively and stumbled upon a rock, falling back on the thorny bushes.

The basket of clothes fell to the ground.

"Paula!" shouted Mrs. Parker. She was scared and ran to help her. "Are you ok?"

Aunt Parker helped the girl get up. Paula was so scared that she was speechless and took a few seconds to recover. She had a couple of cuts on her arms because she had hurt herself with the thorns of the bushes, but Paula had not even noticed about that.

"I think..." she stammered, terrified, but held back in time.

It was not worth telling her aunt that she had seen a boy playing in the basement. Surely Aunt Parker would get mad at her and probably she would think that she was crazy... «Crazy» that word gave her chills and yet it had been her partner for a long time.

"Why did you yell?" the woman asked, looking at her carefully. Then she looked at the wounds Paula had on her arms. Her eyes widened due to surprise. "Oh my god! You got hurt!"

"Oh! It is nothing. I just saw a snake," the girl lied.

"Oh yes, they are hateful," the woman said as she watched the floor.

Afterwards, the two women returned to the house. In the kitchen, Paula washed her arm wounds. They hurt a little, and her hands were still shaking due to the fear of seeing the boy play in the basement. But that didn't matter to her. What the hell was going on? Paula wondered. That could not be possible. Or yes? Had she discovered the truth? Paula had to find out what was really happening in that house and she had to do it urgently.

That night, after having tea that her aunt always used to make for her, Paula went to bed. The girl would also wait for Uncle and Aunt Parker to go to bed, so she would take advantage of the impunity that darkness gave her to try to find out if the Parkers had a child locked in the basement... After what happened that morning, she was sure that this child existed.

She dressed in her nightgown, turned off the lamp and lay on the bed, but she had her eyes open but could not fight the sleep that she was beginning to defeat her. A short time later she fell deeply asleep. Paula didn't even know that it rained a little during the night since the next morning everything was dry.

The next day Paula couldn't believe that. However, she was sleepy all day and was a little clumsy. That night she tried to develop her plans again but he fell asleep again. And after trying for several more days,

Paula realized that something was wrong... She was tired all the time, it was hard thinking clearly, and fell asleep anywhere, anytime. She believed that her pills were causing that effect on her, so she stopped taking them at night, but that didn't work because she continued with the same symptoms.

"Paula!" she heard a voice in the distance, and when she opened her eyes, she realized that she was asleep on the kitchen table.

"What... What happened?" she stuttered, still drowsy.

"You fell asleep," her aunt told her. She looked worried.

"Did it happen again?" Paula told herself.

"Are you very tired?" the woman asked.

"Yes... I think my pills are causing me this reaction," the girl confessed.

Mrs. Parker was alarmed.

"Have you stopped taking them?"

"No," the girl lied.

"Next week, the doctor Rush comes to see you, so you can ask him if you need to lower the dose," said her aunt.

That news made Paula very happy. She had no idea that Dr. Rush had called to make an appointment.

"I will go to sleep for a while. Do you need me to help you with something else?"

The woman said no and then Paula went to sleep a little. All that day the girl felt still tired and clumsy and she didn't understand why until the night came and also Mr. Parker. Paula was walking through the garden when she heard his low and unmistakable voice, so she decided to go see him. She entered the house through the back door and walked down the corridor that led to the lobby. Then Paula continued walking until she reached the door of the kitchen that was ajar. The voices of Mr. and Mrs. Parker were clearly heard. It seemed that both were fighting and for that reason Paula stopped for a few seconds without knowing whether to enter or not.

"I don't want to do it anymore!" said the woman.

"You know that is necessary, Laura!" her husband replied. His voice sounded angry.

"She feels sick! She falls asleep all the time and very often!" the woman replied. She was worried.

When Paula discovered that they were talking about her, she kept listening behind the door.

"I don't care, just do it! When the doctor comes we just have to tell him that Paula does weird things, and she sees imaginary bugs or she eats them. I don't want her in my house anymore! Did you hear?"

"But..."

"I will not change my mind."

Paula heard the man approaching the door, and then she hid behind a piece of furniture. Her uncle entered the hall and went out the opposite door. He was furious. Paula couldn't believe her uncle was able to lie to the doctor to get rid of her. The contempt and hatred he felt for him rose. He is a damn! she thought furious.

Paula didn't understand what Mr. Parker intended to force his wife to do, until Paula entered the kitchen.

She heard her aunt's sobs from the door. Paula walked towards the woman and then she could observe how she placed a few drops of a estrange substance on the cup of tea she used to give her every night.

At that moment she decided to return to the lobby, trying not to make noise so that her aunt did not notice his presence. Paula could not believe what she had just seen. Her aunt was drugging her! Now she could understand why she felt so tired and clumsy all the time.

Paula was still surprised when she heard her aunt calling for her, from the kitchen.

Then, Paula made a cunning decision... She left the house without making noise and then entered closing and opening doors so that her aunt believed she was coming from the garden and entered the kitchen.

"There you have your tea," the woman said without looking at her. "Today I will go to bed earlier."

Her eyes were swollen and when she realized that her niece was looking at her, she turned and began doing the dishes.

"Thank you," Paula said pretending to be calm, and then sat in a chair in front of the table, while she was thinking what to do to not drinking that tea without her aunt noticing about that.

At that moment her uncle entered the kitchen and greeted her with a growl that perhaps meant «Good Night». Then the man sat in front of the table, looking at his niece by the corner of the eye. Paula had no choice but to sip her tea. Mrs. Parker also served some tea for her husband. Paula pretended to swallow the tea, waiting for her uncle to leave the kitchen, until he finally left.

When Mr. Parker left the kitchen and Mrs. Parker turned to wash the cup he had used, Paula took the time to empty the contents of her cup in a vase that was nearby.

"I'll go to rest, aunt," said the girl pretending to yawn.

The woman said good night and Paula went up to her room. This time they were not going to fool her and when Dr. Rush came to see her, she would tell him what her uncle and Aunt Parker were doing.