Danielle

Alyssa told me a story last night. It was a story that her friend told her at school that day.

The friend said there are a bunch of pictures in the basement of her house. One day, the friend, let’s call her B, said she was down in basement looking at the pictures. One of those pictures as labeled “Danielle.”

B said she asked out loud, even though she was alone, “Who the heck is Danielle?”

B reports that a voice behind her said, “I’m Danielle.”

She looked around. There was no one there.

After Alyssa told me this story, I laughed and said in a spooky voice, “I’m…Danielle.”

Alyssa turned to me with huge eyes and snapped, “Stop it!”

She’d already freaked herself right out just by telling the story and my joke didn’t help.

Alyssa can be a daring kid. But she’s also got a delicate psyche. And I’m a mean mom so you probably know how that goes.

Later that evening we were watching the season finale of America’s Next Top Model (spoiler: the Brit won.) and I asked Alyssa, “Are you tired, Danielle? Should we go ahead and go to bed?”

Alyssa ignored me.

A little later, I said, “I’m going to the bathroom, Danielle. I’ll be right back.”

Alyssa grabbed my arm and said, “Stop doing that!”

I laughed and asked her, “You know B’s story wasn’t real, don’t you?”

She insisted that she did know it wasn’t real but she couldn’t help but be freaked out.

Earlier in the day, Alyssa had declared she was going to sleep in her own bed that night. As in, in her own bed, in her own room.

After the “Danielle” incident, I asked her, “So are you thinking you’d rather stay in my room tonight?”

She gave me such a look of relief and hugged me, murmuring, “I think I need to be near you tonight.”

Poor kid. She’d probably have been sleeping in her own room years ago if she mother weren’t so cruel.

Don’t worry, though. I didn’t make any more Danielle references for the rest of the night or the next morning. My good versus evil is balancing out again.