The Babysitting Job I Regret Taking - Reddit Horror Stories

The Babysitting Job I Regret Taking - Reddit Horror Stories

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
I'm nineteen, a college freshman, and like a lot of
people my age, I pick up random babysitting gigs to
make extra cash. I've had my share of weird families,
but nothing ever made me genuinely scared. Until last month.
A friend gave me the number of a couple who
had just moved to town. They had two kids, a

(00:22):
boy named Dylan six and a girl named Anna four.
They needed someone for just one evening while they went
out to dinner. Sounded easy enough. When I got to
their house, everything seemed normal, nice, clean, two story home
in a quiet neighborhood. The mom was sweet but rushed,

(00:46):
and the dad was on his phone the whole time.
They told me the kid's bedtime was eight thirty, there
were snacks in the kitchen, and please don't let them
play near the basement. That part stood out, but I
just nodded. The kids were cute, shy at first, then
full of energy once their parents left. We played board games,

(01:08):
ate popcorn, the usual stuff. Around eight, I told them
to get ready for bed. Dylan complained, of course, but
eventually they both brushed their teeth and I tucked them
in upstairs. By eight forty five, the house was quiet.
I sat on the couch scrolling my phone when I
heard tiny footsteps running in the hallway upstairs. I sighed,

(01:32):
thinking Dylan was sneaking out of bed. I went up,
but both kids were asleep, or at least they looked asleep.
Dylan was sprawled out, mouth open. Anna was curled up
with her stuffed rabbit. I went back down A few
minutes later, again, footsteps lighter, this time, almost like tiptoeing.

(01:55):
I didn't bother going up. I just called out back
to bed. That's when I heard it, a whisper. It
came from the kitchen. I froze on the couch, straining
my ears. It was a child's voice, soft and sing songy.
I couldn't make out the words. Slowly I got up

(02:16):
and peeked into the kitchen. No one was there, but
one of the dining chairs had been pulled out, and
sitting on the seat was Anna's stuffed rabbit. I was
sure she had it in bed with her. My stomach dropped.
I grabbed the toy and went upstairs. Both kids were
still in bed. Anna clutched a different stuffed animal, now

(02:40):
not the rabbit. Dylan stirred and whispered, we don't like
when they played downstairs. Then he rolled over and went
back to sleep. I wanted to wake him up and
ask what he meant, but I didn't. I just shoved
the rabbit under Anna's arm and went back down, trying
to shake it off. At ten pm, I heard it again,

(03:04):
this time knocking, soft rhythmic knocks coming from the basement door.
I told myself it was the pipes, old house noises,
anything but what it sounded like. But then the doorknob
turned slowly back and forth. I bolted upstairs and sat

(03:25):
outside the kid's room with the door cracked open, staring
down the hallway. That's when I saw a movement, two
small figures at the end of the hall children. I
almost laughed, thinking it was Dylan and Anna, but then
I realized they were already asleep in the room behind me.
I could hear their breathing. The figures just stood there,

(03:48):
side by side, watching, and then without moving their feet,
they slid backward down the hall and disappeared into the dark.
I don't remember breathing until I heard the garage door open.
The parents were home. I nearly cried with relief. They
paid me thanked me, asked how the kids were. I

(04:11):
wanted to tell them everything, but the words stuck. I
just said fine and left as fast as I could.
The next day, curiosity got the better of me. I
texted the mom to ask if the kids had ever
sleep walked or said weird things about the basement. She
didn't reply for hours. When she finally did, all she

(04:32):
sent was they've never gone near the basement. They know better.
That's where my brother's children used to play before the accident.
I haven't taken another babysitting job since.