But when I came home, I stopped cold at the front door.<\/p>\n
The house was completely dark.<\/p>\n
My mother-in-law always left the kitchen light on for my son. Always.<\/p>\n
I rushed inside and called his name. No answer.<\/p>\n
Then I heard whispering upstairs.<\/p>\n
My heart pounded as I climbed the steps quietly. My son\u2019s bedroom door was slightly open, and I could hear my mother-in-law speaking softly.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou have to tell Grandma if you see the bad man again,\u201d she whispered.<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
Bad man?<\/p>\n
I peeked inside. My son was clutching his stuffed dinosaur, trembling. My mother-in-law sat beside him with an old photograph in her hand.<\/p>\n
When she noticed me, she looked startled.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat\u2019s going on?\u201d I demanded.<\/p>\n
Before she could answer, my son burst into tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe man in the hallway!\u201d he cried. \u201cGrandma talks to him!\u201d<\/p>\n
A chill ran through me.<\/p>\n
My mother-in-law slowly stood up and handed me the photograph. It was an old picture of my late father-in-law\u2014the man my son had never met because he died years before my son was born.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe started talking about a man standing near his closet weeks ago,\u201d she said quietly. \u201cThe exact same way my husband used to dress.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at her, unsure whether to feel scared or ridiculous.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t want to upset you,\u201d she continued. \u201cSo I tried calming him down whenever he saw him.\u201d<\/p>\n
That night, after my mother-in-law left, I tucked my son into bed myself.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy?\u201d he whispered.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, sweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThe hallway man isn\u2019t scary anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n
I forced a smile. \u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n
My son looked toward the doorway.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause Grandpa said Grandma protected me until you came home.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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