Joan had the wildest imagination anyone could imagine. Her creativity soared, but it wasn’t enough to escape the harsh reality of her life.
After losing her parents in a tragic car accident, she was adopted by a cruel woman who locked her away in the basement. No one was allowed to see her, and she was forbidden from leaving the house.
For years, Joan lived in isolation, left to play with her toys in the cold, dark basement. Her only company….. The echo of her own thoughts.
One day, her aunt and uncle came to visit. They were concerned for Joan and wanted to check on her, but the cruel woman was determined to hide the truth.
She wanted to show them how well she had “taken care” of Joan. So, she prepared a guest room and told Joan to tell her relatives that this was where she slept.
When Joan’s aunt and uncle arrived, they immediately noticed something seemed off.
Joan was also different—her time in the basement had warped her sense of reality. She had not interacted with anyone in so long that she had forgotten how to behave around people.
She muttered to herself, did strange things, and when they tried to touch her or talk to her, she screamed and shrieked at them in fear.
To cover up the mess, the cruel woman quickly ushered Joan away, telling her to go to her “room.”
But Joan, lost in her own world, forgot about the guest room she was supposed to be in. Instead, she made her way back to the basement, where she had spent all her years.
Her aunt and uncle looked at each other, confused. “Is that her room?” they asked, eyeing the basement door.
The cruel woman quickly shot back, “No, no, no. She’s just going to pick up some of her old toys. Nothing to worry about.”
But her tone was unconvincing. Joan’s aunt and uncle exchanged a glance before they decided to follow.
The cruel woman, realizing her mistake, rushed after Joan. She found her in the basement, grabbed an old, ragged toy, and dragged Joan to the guest room that had been ‘prepared for her’.
Joan, lost in her own thoughts, didn’t resist.
The guest room was nice, so different from the dark, cold basement.
Joan wandered around, mesmerized by the change of scenery. It felt like a dream. “This was how life once was”, she thought. She grabbed a fishing rod hidden in the back of a cupboard, reminiscing about the good old days when her parents would take her fishing.
Those were the only times she’d felt truly happy, free from the chaos of the world.
As she held the rod in her hands, a thought sparked in her mind: I need to escape. I don’t want to live with this cruel woman anymore.
As soon as Joan’s aunt and uncle left, they went straight to the police to report what they had seen.
The cruel woman, angry and frustrated, was on the other hand, planning to drag Joan back to the basement. But Joan had a different plan.
When the cruel woman opened the door to the guest room, Joan was waiting.
Without warning, Joan hurled the fishing hook at her face. The sharp barb sliced through the woman’s throat in an instant. Joan stared, wide-eyed, as the cruel woman collapsed, choking on her own blood. The woman’s body fell to the floor, lifeless.
Joan, shaking but determined, grabbed the woman’s head and ran out of the house. “I’m finally free!” she screamed, her voice echoing in the night air.
Just as Joan reached the street, her aunt and uncle returned, followed by the police.
They had come back to find answers—but what they found was far more horrifying than they could have ever imagined!
We’re excited to invite young storytellers and artists to be a part of our vibrant community! Whether you love spinning tales or drawing pictures, you too can get involved here!
You can also support our storytelling journey by purchasing our storybook on Amazon Today
Get notified when we publish new stories.
