─˚˖2˙₊

Months after Camila’s disappearance, the case remained open but showed no significant progress. The Envigado police had temporarily archived the file, attributing the events to a possible kidnapping or voluntary flight. However, in the neighborhood where the abandoned house stood, the rumors did not cease.

Laura, a thirty-eight-year-old local journalist, decided to investigate on her own. She had heard the stories about the grandmother’s house and felt there was something deeper behind Camila’s disappearance. On a cloudy March afternoon, she arrived at the location with her recorder and camera.

The property looked even more deteriorated. The guaduales had almost completely taken over the garden, and an oppressive silence enveloped the humid air. Laura pushed the main door, which yielded with a prolonged creak.

As she walked through the first-floor rooms, she took detailed notes on the condition of the house. Suddenly, her phone vibrated. Unknown number.

⏤Why doesn’t anyone come for me?

Laura stopped abruptly. She looked at the screen with a frown.

⏤ I’m Sofía. I’m alone again. Mrs. Camila left me too.

Laura felt a knot in her throat. She replied quickly, trying to stay calm:

Who are you? How do you know about Camila?

⏤ Everyone forgets me. Mom left me here. Camila promised to stay with me, but she left too. Now you are here.

The temperature inside the house dropped noticeably. Laura heard small footsteps on the upper floor, as if bare feet were running down the hallway. She climbed the stairs cautiously, her heart beating strongly.

When she reached the second floor, she found the room where the photograph Camila had received was supposedly taken. In the center of the room, on the dusty floor, lay a teddy bear identical to the one found in Camila’s apartment, but this one looked newer, as if it had just been placed there.

Her phone vibrated again.

⏤ Do you want to play with me? No one wants to play with me.

Laura recorded an audio with a trembling voice:

This is not funny. If this is a joke, end it now.

Suddenly, a childish giggle echoed in the adjacent room, followed by a very clear whisper:

⏤ It’s not a joke. You will love me too, right? Don’t leave me like the others…

Laura retreated toward the stairs. As she descended, she felt a small, cold hand brush against hers. She turned sharply, but there was no one. However, a red mark remained on her hand, as if small fingers had squeezed it tightly.

That night, Laura did not return home. Her husband reported her disappearance the next morning. When the police inspected the abandoned house, they only found Laura’s recorder lying on the floor of the second floor. The last audio file played the voice of a small girl saying through sobs:

⏤ Now we are three. Mom, Camila, and Laura. But I’m still hungry for affection…

The neighbors of Envigado claim that, since then, on clear nights, childish laughter mixed with cries can be heard coming from the house. Some say they have seen three figures —a little girl and two women— standing at the second-floor window, looking toward the road with hope.

And sometimes, when someone passes near the property, they receive a message from an unknown number:

⏤ Do you want to be my new mommy?

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