Willow was laying in bed, with Sophie in her embrace, like every typical morning. Then, the young woman’s cell phone started to ring. She woke herself up, and answered.
“Hi Willow!” the voice, that Willow recognized as her aunt, said, “I need you to do me a favor.”
“Okay,” the young woman obliged, “What do you need me to do?”
“I need to go somewhere today, and I can’t find a good sitter for Sarah,” the aunt informed.
Sarah was Willow’s cousin. She was no more than one year old, and frequently had to be babysat by the young woman.
“So you want me to take care of her?” Willow stated, “Can do.”
“Great!” exclaimed the aunt, “I’ll drop her off soon.”
It wasn’t until the young woman got out of bed, and put Sophie back into position, that she realized a problem.
“Sophie’s not going to be safe around a baby,” she thought, “Not like this.”
Quickly, Willow began brainstorming locations where she could hide Sophie.
She thought, “The closet? No, she can get in there. Under the bed? No she can get under there as well.”
Then, the young woman came up with the perfect hiding spot: Sophie’s room. In there, her younger sister would blend in, and likely not be noticed by Sarah. Plus, she could keep the door shut for an extra layer of security. Quickly, Willow picked up her little sister, and carried her out of the bedroom. She walked over to Sophie’s room, but there was a slight hinderance to her plan; the door wouldn’t open. It must’ve been jammed.
“Oh great,” the young woman thought, “Now I’ll have to find a new hiding spot.
Then, there was a knock at the front door to the apartment.
“Who is it?” Willow asked.
“Auntie’s here!” a voice from behind the door announced, “And I’ve got a special someone whose excited to see you.”
“Oh,” the young woman said, with a hint of displeasure, “I didn’t think you’d be here so soon.”
“Don’t be shy, and let us in!” the aunt shouted.
Willow complied, and opened the front door. A roughly 40 year-old woman was standing in the doorway, with a baby in one hand, and a bag in the other.
“Everything you need for her is in here,” the woman said, as she handed the bag to Willow.
The young woman reached out to grab it with the same hand that was holding Sophie. The baby giggled in joy at the sight of the doll. She then started making grasping motions.
“Sarah likes your dolly,” the aunt commented, “Maybe you can let her play with it.”
“Yeah, maybe,” Willow said, having no intention to let Sarah play with Sophie.
The young woman put Sophie in the bag, and set it on the floor. Her aunt then handed the baby over to her. Willow grabbed her sides, and moved her to her side.
“I’ll be back in about six hours,” the aunt commented, as she closed the door.
“That’s six hours too many,” the young woman muttered under her breath.
Willow picked up the bag, and walked into the living room. She set both it and Sarah onto the couch, and sat down. At random, she pulled something out of the bag. It was Sophie. Immediately, the baby began giggling and making grabbing motions.
“This is not for you,” the young woman asserted, as she brought the doll to her chest.
Upon realizing that she would get to play with the toy in front of her, Sarah began to cry. The loud noise made Willow irritated, and accidentally drop her little sister. The doll rolled across the couch, and right next to Sarah.