This is a true life story.
• Year: 1978
• Country: France
• State/Region: Lyon
• Place: The old woods near the Rhône River in Lyon
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It was late September, and since I wasn't about to resume college till November, I was babysitting the Rousseau children: Clara who was nine years old, Hugo, seven; and little Max, just five.
I can't say I've babysat anyone before much less a child and multiple at once, but I needed the extra cash.
So...
Their parents were out for a dinner date, leaving me in charge until midnight.
I'd been told that the kids were mischievous but so far, the three kids haven't given me much trouble.
... Asides from when they made me chase them around the house to get them to eat their veggies, and when I caught them trying to leave the house and when they'd sprayed water on me with a water gun, and when the refused to brush their teeth.
Yeah, other than that they were okay.
I mean, my friends have told me worse stories about rich kids the babysitted, so I think I'm lucky the Rousseaus hired me.
"Okay, no sweets after eight," I warn them as they giggled on the couch, watching cartoons.
"Your mom said no running outside, especially not in the woods, alright?"
They nod.
Smiling to myself, I walked to the kitchen to have my dinner.
There are cup noodles and cheese in the cupboard which Mr and Mrs Rousseau said I could take, so all I had to do now was to microwave them.
Soon I was done and grabbed a clean plate, then poured out the hot noodles and sprinkled some cheese on top.
I had some orange juice to go with it, although I would have preferred apple juice, but apple juice was quite expensive in this region and this isn't my house so...
Yeah.
Anyways, after eating I did some tidying up in the kitchen and making sure everything was neat and in order.
Then I walk over to the room the kids shared to clean it up as well so I could put them to bed.
However when I get into their room, I'm starstruck, and my jaw drops.
All I can do is run my eyes over the room in shock.
I would never say this out loud, but those kids are dirty.
This place is a mess!
With how bad the place was, I had to go back to the kitchen and grab the vacuum tube before I then began to clean.
By the time I'm done cleaning, it's 8:30 pm.
Stretching my arms, I go down to the living room where I'd left them but they weren't there.
Only the TV was still on, playing a cartoon.
Where had those children gone?
"Clara? Hugo? Max?" I call, but none of them answer me.
They aren't even making any noise in fact.
"Kids c'mon, let's not do this. It's time for bed."
Now that I'd remembered; Mr and Mrs Rousseau said that the kids hated bedtime.
Sigh, how wonderful; maybe they're in their playroom.
So I check, but they weren't there.
I search the other rooms in the house until I'd gone through all of them, but I still didn't see the children.
Now I'm getting scared, "Alright kids, come out. I'll give you sweets if you stop hiding from me."
However none of them answer me, and I keep on moving around in search of them.
Then I see the back door slightly open, the curtains hanging over it fluttering in the night breeze.
My heart drops. "No… no, no, no."
Tell me those children didn't go out.
Mr and Mrs Rousseau won't be happy about this.
Quickly I rush to the kitchen where I'd seen a flashlight, and grab it then put on my coat and walk out of the house.
Outside the woods loomed ahead, showing black silhouettes of trees swaying under the moonlight while cold kisses at my skin even through the coat I'm wearing.
If I'm this cold, how are those kids faring?
"Kids! This isn't funny!" I shouted, my voice trembling.
"Your mum and dad said not to go in there! Do you hear me?"
Wind rustles through the branches afar from me as I walk closer to it.
Then I hear the faint laughter from one of the children.
"Clara?"
Nothing.
"Answer me! Where are you guys!!"
Again I hear a giggle, and I grimace when I realise that these kids are actually playing hide and seek in the woods.
... Of all places!!
I follow the sound, raising my flashlight so the beam could go far ahead that way I'll spot the kids faster.
I walk for what feels like forever, calling out their names with none of them responding.
At a point I stop hearing the sound of their laughter.
Then, my flashlight's beam casts down on a shoe peeking out from behind a tree.
Those brats! I think, but even as I do I breath a sigh of relief.
At least this is over, catching one person would make the other two to stop the game.
Moving over carefully, I walk towards the tree.
"Gottcha!" I yell, reaching my hand out and grabbing at the child who was behind the tree.
... But my hand catch nothing.
Panicking, I turn around the tree and see that no one is there; it's just the shoe on the ground, lying in the dirt.
Bending down, I pick the shoe up and from it's size I realise who amongst the kids it belongs to.
"Hugo!" I scream, panic clawing up my throat.
Suddenly I hear a sound, so faint that I almost think I'd imagined it.
"Hungry…"
I freeze.
"Who's there?"
However instead of an answer, what I hear is just the sound of something being dragged along the forest floor.
Raising my flashlight again, I point it in the direction I think the sound came from.
But then it flickers, turning on and off rapidly and then goes out, plunging me in darkness.
Bewildered that this is happening now, I slap at the flashlight, cursing under my breath.
Suddenly a low growl rumbles from the darkness, followed by heavy breathing.
I take a step back. "Kids if this is a rich prank, it's not funny!"
Just then, I see something move and so I squint, hoping it's the kids.
But it's not them, definitely not with the height of this...
Person? Animal?
I can't see too well in the dark, so it's hard for me to tell.
The figure moves closer to me, and while I'm thinking of whether to stay still and for help, a strong smell hits my nostrils.
It smells like rotting meat.
Alarmed I slap at the back of the flashlight again, and it decides at that moment to turn on.
Immediately I raise the flashlight and point it at the figure, only to give a startled gasp at the sight in front of me.
Its eyes are sunken, the skin yellowish with strange marks all over it, and it's mouth is hanging wide open.
And that smell------ god, that smell is awfully bad.
"Hungry…" it rasped again in a low voice, this time walking over to me.
I scream and turn around, running with branches whipping at my face.
I don't stop running, but then as I turn to look back, my foot gets caught on a root and I crash down to the ground.
Gasping and spitting out dirt and dried leaves from my mouth, I push myself up with my palms, but then something grab my ankle.
I kick and thrash, but it yanks me backward, dragging me through dirt and leaves.
Clawing at ground, leaves and soil, I try desperately to grab on to anything, but nothing is that strong, and I'm pulled roughly.
My throat burns while I scream, until then my head slams against a rock, and my vision goes black.