Mistake - 33

I paced from my cot to as far as the chain would let me go, then back again. With no windows, I had no way of telling how long I’d been down there, but any time was too long for me. The sound of the door opening sent me hurrying back to the cot. I pressed myself into the corner as the heavy footsteps came down the wooden stairs. Mike’s mom stepped out of the way when she reached the bottom, allowing room for Doctor Samson to come off the stairs.

“Here she is, doctor,” Mike’s mom said as if having someone chained in the basement was normal. Maybe for her, it was.

The doc, at least, had the good sense to appear horrified by my situation. He walked over to me; his expression somber. “What seems to be the problem?”

“Besides the obvious?” I said, moving my leg so the chain would rattle.