The thing living in my basement is not my daughter.
“So sorry, really I am.”
The thing living in my basement is not a person. 
“How are you holding up?”
The thing living in my basement was not there a week ago. 
“Take as much time as you need.”
No one can know about the thing living in my basement. 
Laying in bed is as much of a chore as anything else. But what else do they expect me to be doing? A bed is comfortable, caring, and safe. A bed is silent. It won’t say things to me, even in the dark. 
“Daddy, are you up there?”
The thing in my basement is not my daughter.
“Come down and see what I’ve made for you.”
My daughter died a week ago. 
“It’s cold down here. It’s cold down here.”
A week ago I saw my daughter die. 
I’ll be happy when they let me go back to work. Damien says I should work on resting while I still have time to do it. I think resting is making everything worse. You ever have nothing to do but listen to the little noises in your house? Meanwhile he’s already back to work. 
“I wasn’t in the car. You need it more than I do.” He’s trying to be sweet. He wants to be the nurturing one, like always, even though he looks like he hasn’t slept for a month. He would be better off at home than I am. He doesn’t hear it. 
“Come and find me!” 
Don’t stop at the door. Don’t touch the handle. 
“Come and find me!”
Don’t listen, don’t look, don’t answer, don’t think. 
“Come and find me!”
The thing in my basement is not my daughter. My daughter was difficult and particular (something she got from me), and I was always tired. My daughter always asked to sit up front in the car, but I was a good parent. I always said no. 
“Why not?!” 
I usually said no.
“I hate you! I hate you!”
I should have said no. 
“Look out!”
Then the swerve. The screech. The crash. What did she see?
Something in the road.
I didn’t see anything.
What was in the road?
There was no trace of anyone.
Not a person in the road.  
There was nothing there.
Something awful in the road.
Nobody will believe me.
There’s something in the basement.
Who’s going to believe me?
There’s something in the basement.