“MY REAL MOM STILL LIVES HERE,” WHISPERED MY STEPSON ONE NIGHT. I LAUGHED AT FIRST, UNTIL I STARTED NOTICING STRANGE THINGS IN OUR HOME.
When I married Ben, I thought I knew what it was like to become part of a widower’s life. He had been deeply devoted to his late wife, Irene, and was raising their seven-year-old son, Lucas, on his own.
The Perfect First Months
The first months as a family were just what I had hoped for. Lucas accepted me wholeheartedly, and we formed a close bond. We spent hours playing, I read him bedtime stories, and I helped him with his homework.
One day, out of the blue, Lucas started calling me “mom.” Ben and I exchanged proud looks every time he did it. Everything seemed perfect.
An Unexpected Revelation
One evening, after tucking Lucas into bed, he looked at me with a seriousness that made me shiver. “You know, my real mom still lives here,” he whispered.
I chuckled gently and said, “Honey, your mom will always be with you, in your heart.”
But Lucas shook his head, gripping my hand with an intensity that made my heart race. “No, she’s here. In the house. I see her sometimes.”
A cold chill ran down my spine, but I tried to laugh it off and ignore it. “It’s just a dream, dear. Go to sleep.”
Strange Things Begin to Happen
As the days went by, I began to notice unexplainable things. Lucas’s toys, which I would put away, reappeared exactly where I’d left them. The kitchen cupboards, which I reorganized, returned to their old order.
Then, Irene’s photo, which I had moved to a more discreet location, showed up the next morning in its original place, perfectly dusted.
One evening, I asked, “Ben, are you moving things around the house?” He laughed and said, “I think you’re imagining things.” But there was something in his look.
A Confrontation with Lucas
One evening, Lucas looked at me and said, “Mom says you shouldn’t touch her things.”
I tried to remain calm and asked, “What do you mean, honey?”
“The real mom. She doesn’t like it when you move her stuff,” he whispered, casting a glance over his shoulder as if someone was listening.
A Discovery in the Attic
Once Ben fell asleep, I ventured into the attic. I knew Ben had kept some of Irene’s belongings there. Amid the boxes, I discovered a hidden compartment. Inside, I found letters, photos, and a small door concealed behind boxes.
When I opened the door, I found Emily, Ben’s sister, sitting on a small bed, covered with blankets. “You weren’t supposed to find out like this,” she told me.
Emily explained that Ben had hidden her there because he didn’t want to abandon her. But she had been influencing Lucas, telling him stories about his mother.
Resolution
Ben confessed everything, and we decided to seek help for Emily. We arranged for her to be seen by a doctor, and the house became calmer. Lucas struggled at first but slowly began to accept the truth.
Although this experience wasn’t what I expected, it strengthened my relationship with Ben, and we grew closer as a family.
