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The original was posted on /r/nosleep by /u/Kadence444 on 2024-07-21 18:05:37+00:00.

I want to start off by saying I’m not looking for any answers regarding my strange childhood. I just need to tell somebody who won’t look at me like I’m crazy. Maybe I am crazy. Maybe I am looking for answers. At this point, I don’t know.

I’ve never told anyone about the events that shaped my childhood for years. I hadn’t even told my parents.

I just spoke with them today and I think it’s time I tell them everything. I just graduated college and they thought it was time they tell me something they had to keep hidden from me as a child.

In regards to me and my younger sister, in 2012, an investigation of a stalker began, and it’s still an active investigation.

When I was young, my family didn’t have anywhere to call home for more than a year at a time. We moved a lot. When I got older I learned this was due to many financial issues my parents were trying to deal with. We lived in apartments, town homes, wherever we could afford to.

It was around the age of ten that we finally were able to buy a home. I remember my parents were adamant that the house needed to be cleaned up and have some things fixed before we moved in.

A painstakingly long drive through the Colorado mountains accompanied moving day. It didn’t help that we drove during a light blizzard, but I didn’t care. I absolutely loved the snow and as we got higher in elevation, I was ecstatic to see the snowflakes grow in size.

“How much longer?” My younger sister, Madelyn, groaned from the seat next to me.

“It should actually be right off of this road, just a few miles up.” My mom said, trying to keep the car steady while my dad followed in the moving truck.

“I hope the neighbors have kids too!” I said with so much curiosity. I had never had friends for longer than a school year. The idea of having one, knowing I wasn’t going to leave next summer was what excited me the most.

We turned onto a tiny road that connected to the middle of nowhere highway. At the end sat a lone house in the middle of a snow covered field.

“Where are the other houses?” I asked with a hint of disappointment in my breath.

“It’s just us! Your dad found us an amazing deal on this place. All of this is ours too!” My mom said as she gestured to the empty field surrounding us.

She looked back at me through the rear view mirror. I think she could see the disappointment in my eyes.

“Oh, honey. I know you were excited for a new city and friends close by, but we’re not too far out of town and from what I’ve heard, the school here is fantastic. I’m sure you’ll make lots of friends.”

As I grabbed my backpack from the truck, Madelyn charged past me to be the first one inside. I couldn’t let her beat me. I ran after her through the ankle high snow, but I was too late. She had already made it in and left the front door swinging in the wind.

As I stepped inside, I heard Madelyn yell from upstairs.

“This room is mine! This one’s mine!”

I found the stairs to the right of the front door and ran up to claim my room. That was a pretty easy task, as there were only two rooms upstairs apart from the bathroom that connected the two.

As Madelyn sang and danced from her room, I peaked into the second room. It was bigger than any room I ever had before. It had something else I had never had in a room before. A little door at the far end of the wall.

“I see you found the secret room.” My dad said as he hauled boxes past me.

I opened the door and tried to make out the second room through the darkness. It was maybe a fourth of the size of my room. The walls and floor were made from unfinished wood and it had a light bulb that dangled on a cord from the ceiling.

“No way! Evan, look outside!” Madelyn yelled from her room.

I peered through the window. In the middle of a snow plastered field was a single, giant Oak tree with a treehouse built around it. It wasn’t your standard idea of a treehouse either, it was built in a circular shape around the tree, about 15 feet high. It even had an outdoor deck that extended further out.

I ran downstairs to find my mother. “Mom! Can we go to the treehouse?” I could hardly contain my excitement.

“Well, that treehouse is one thing your dad and I haven’t had the chance to check out yet. We don’t know how old that wood is or how safe it is for you guys.”

I could feel that same wave of disappointment wash over again.

“How about this. If you give it a few days for the snow to pass, me and your dad will put that treehouse inspection at the very tip top of our list.”

A week to the day passed, and my parents deemed the treehouse safe. I still remember that feeling in my chest as we made our way down the path to the treehouse. That feeling of excitement only a child truly knows.

Madelyn and I stood in awe underneath the giant Oak. A swinging ladder made of rope and wood hung near the center.

“Ladies first.” I said, gesturing Madelyn towards the ladder.

“No way, I’m going after you. I know if it can hold you, it can hold like three of me.”

“Are you calling me fat?” I questioned.

“Yes.”

I stumbled over my own frustration for a moment.

“I’m not fat, mom says it’s just my metabolism. She said I get it from grandpa.”

I was fat.

Despite the harsh criticisms of my weight, I was happy to be first in the treehouse. I placed my foot on the first plank of wood and made my way up. About half way up the rope began to swing against my weigh. It was nerve wracking at first, but I soon found myself sitting in the entrance.

“What’s it like up there?” Madelyn yelled from below.

“Uh, I don’t know. It looks like there was a bunch of stuff left up here.”

As my eyes adjusted to the darkness, I saw a flash light sitting close by on the wooden floor. I picked it up and miraculously, it still had some juice in it. Through the flickering beam of light, I inspected the room. A cabinet sat to the left of me. To the right was a wall littered with band posters from the late 80’s, most of which I wouldn’t recognize until later in life.

There was only one window in the treehouse. It sat within the door that lead to the wrap around deck. The light that shined into the room displayed one final piece. A wooden table and bench set. It was beautifully made. It was obviously hand made. Spiraling patterns were sanded into benches, both mirroring each other perfectly.

Sitting on the table, was an absurd amount of art supplies.

“Woah, no way!” Madelyn exclaimed as she pushed past me. “I forgot my paint set when I was packing, but look at this!”

She was astonished. Ever since Madelyn was able to hold a brush, she was considered the artist of the family. Honestly, for a seven year old, she was pretty talented. Her eyes gazed over the table until-

“What is this?” She said, placing her finger on the end of the table.

It was a weird symbol. Three points jutted from the center and spun outward, clockwise. It was carefully carved into the wood and filled with a baby blue paint. We didn’t think much of it.

I got thirsty and left Madelyn alone to get water and talk with my mother about the treehouse.

“Have you been out on the deck yet?” She asked.

I shook my head.

“Well when you go back you and Madelyn should really check it out. It’s got quite the view.”

I began to make my way back, following the trail my parents had made in the snow. I placed Madelyn’s water bottle in my jeans pocket and quickly climbed the ladder.

“Hey, mom said we needed to look at the-“ I paused. Madelyn sat on the floor, sobbing. “What happened?”

Her eyes were full of something heavier than fear. She didn’t respond.

“Madelyn…”

She looked at me, and said with a hint of dread in her voice “I want to go inside.”

“What happened?” She looked up at me from her red, tear soaked eyes.

“Someone talked to me.” She said in a soft whisper.

I tried to get more information out of her, but she wouldn’t speak. I ran out onto the deck, in hopes of catching whatever intruder had been in our treehouse. There was nothing to be found but the rustling leaves in the country side winds.

I helped her down by stabilizing the ladder from the ground below. The sun had began to set, painting the sky with bright orange and pink streaks.

Our walk back to the house was quiet. Madelyn kept her focus on her boots as they swept through the snow.

“Are you okay?” She didn’t answer.

We made it to the back sliding glass door and as Madelyn reached for the handle I questioned her once more.

“What did you mean someone talked to you? I didn’t see anybody and there’s no way I missed anyone on the way up.”

Madelyn’s hands were still shaking, though I don’t think from the cold. She still would not budge.

Later that day, mom had the table set and dinner was ready. Everyone gathered around the table, everyone except for Madelyn.

“Mom do you want me to tell Madelyn dinner is ready?”

“I tried honey, she’s not feeling well. I’m starting to think we need to get you guys some heavier jackets, our Kansas immune systems aren’t built for the Colorado cold.”

After dinner, I did the dishes for my mom in exchange for an extra thirty minutes of computer time before bed.

As per usual, RuneScape would be the only thing on my agenda for the next hour.

As I booted up my old desktop, I couldn’t help but think about what had happened earlier. How did Madelyn hear somebody if there was no one there. I mean, there’s no way anyone else could have been up there.

Did she just imagine it? I know that’s the logical answer, but the f…

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