“When The Lights Go Out”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

“Children really brighten up a household–they never turn the lights off.”

Ralph Bus

I know that something is wrong as soon as I see that the lights are off. Emilia is supposed to be home, and that means that the lights should’ve been on. The lights are always on when Emmy’s home. Even when the babysitter is over, she insists to keep the lights on because she’s afraid of the dark. For all five years of her life, she’s been afraid of the dark.

Now, I’m afraid of the dark too. Because if it’s dark, that means that something happened to Emmy. And that’s my worst nightmare.

Needless to say, I race inside. As soon as I burst through the door, I start yelling for the babysitter.

No reply.

I turn on the lights and run up to Emmy’s bedroom. I open the door, already fearing the worst.

Emmy’s not there.

The panic creeps over me so fast that I don’t even have time to think. I can’t think.

My precious little girl is missing.

I back out of the room and continue calling for the babysitter, for my baby girl, for anybody.

Still no reply.

I turn on all the lights as I check each room, frantically checking each and every one of Emmy’s hiding spots.

They’re all empty.

My heart is pounding so hard that it’s all I can hear. My eyes refuse to focus. Everything is just a blur of bright lights and emptiness.

My head hurts. I can’t think straight.

I need to relax, I know that I do. If I don’t relax, I’ll never find my little girl.

I need to call the police. I need to call someone, anyone, for help.

I fumble in my pocket for my cellphone, but it’s not there. Tears start pooling in my eyes. I swear my phone was in my pocket. I swear I put it there before I left the office.

I waste over a minute trying to find my cellphone before giving up. I run to the nearest phone and punch in 9-1-1.

I get a dial tone.

I let out a yell of frustration and slam the phone back down.

The lights go out.

I freeze. Something doesn’t feel right.

I hear a sound behind me.

I turn around slowly, my heartbeat taking over all my senses.

And I see her. My little girl. My Emmy.

She stares at me in the darkness. A smile curls up the corners of her lips and she says in a voice that’s not her own,

“Hello, Daddy.”

Final Comments: I feel like the ending to this one might’ve been a bit predictable. That being said, I enjoyed writing something a bit more on the horror side. I would’ve liked to have included more descriptions about how the protagonist was feeling, so I’ll keep that in mind for next time.

Overall Rating: 😨