Every man reaches a moment when he wants to settle down and have a loving family. But not Henry—he was convinced he would stay single forever, believing it was the better life for him. However, a day with his nine-year-old niece makes him realize the true reason behind his choices.
The morning light filtered through unfamiliar curtains, and I woke up to the sensation of something warm and wet on my face.
It was a dog—not mine—a small, fluffy creature with wide, eager eyes that seemed to say, You’re mine now.
It licked my cheek persistently, wagging its tail with determination. Did it want food? A walk? Who knew?
As I rubbed my eyes, the events of the previous night slowly returned. I turned my head and saw her—a girl I’d met at the club.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
She was asleep, her hair sprawled across the pillow.
This wasn’t my place. If I was here, that meant I’d accomplished what I’d set out for.
And now it was time to do what I always did: gather my things and make a quiet exit.
I slipped out of bed carefully, scanning the room. There were my pants, crumpled on the floor. My shirt hung awkwardly off a chair.
One sock sat beside my shoe, but the other… where was it? My search led me to the dog’s mat.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
There it was, claimed by the little fluffball now wagging its tail with pride.
I crouched down, whispering,
“Hey, buddy, that’s mine.” I reached for the sock, but the dog grabbed it with its teeth, growling playfully.
Just as we began our tug-of-war, a groggy voice broke the silence.“Henry? Are you up already?”
I froze. She was awake. Turning, I saw her smiling at me with sleepy eyes.
“Uh, yeah,” I stammered, “I’ve got work. Running late for a meeting.”She frowned.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“But it’s Saturday…”
“I work weekends sometimes. Important stuff, you know.”
Her smile faded, replaced by a curious tilt of her head.
“So… will I see you again?”
“Of course,” I lied smoothly. “I’ll call you.”Her brow furrowed.
“You’ll call me? Did I even give you my number?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Uh-oh. Panic swirled in my chest.
“I thought you did. Didn’t you?”
“And how did you save my name?” she pressed.
Caught, I stammered, “By your name, obviously.”
Her gaze sharpened.
“And what’s my name?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I swallowed hard. Two options: admit the truth or …
“Nancy?” I guessed weakly.
Her face darkened instantly.
“Get out of here! I knew it! You’re just like the rest—ugh!”
Slippers flew in my direction as I grabbed my jacket and shoes, dodging her fury all the way out the door.
Sitting in my car, I leaned back and sighed. The rearview mirror reflected a face that looked satisfied, smug even.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
This was my life: no strings, no responsibilities, just freedom. Who needed the hassle of a family? Not me.
While others tied themselves down, I lived for the thrill—parties, work, and the kind of independence most people only dreamed about.
A loud ringtone interrupted my thoughts. I glanced at the screen and blinked. Riley? My sister hardly ever called. I hesitated before answering.
“Hello, Riley?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Henry,” she said, her voice tight, “I need to talk to you. Got a minute?”
I frowned. “Sure. What’s going on?”
“Come over as soon as you can. I can’t explain over the phone. When can you get here?”
“Fifteen minutes. Is everything okay?”
“Just come. I’ll explain.”
I stared at the phone for a moment, then started the car. Whatever this was, it had to be serious.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Twenty minutes later, I pulled into her driveway and barely made it to the door before it swung open.
Riley stood there, arms crossed, her expression a mix of annoyance and urgency.
“You’re late!”
“By five minutes,” I retorted, stepping inside.
“Relax, Riley. You don’t have to be such a pain in the…”
“Don’t swear,” she hissed. “My daughter’s nearby.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I followed her gaze and saw Mira, her nine-year-old, curled up on the couch with an encyclopedia.
Her tiny face was scrunched up in concentration, her finger tracing the lines of text like a mini scholar.
“As expected, you’re my last option,” Riley said with a sigh. “I need you to watch Mira today.”
“Me? Are you serious?” I asked, glancing nervously at Mira, who hadn’t looked up from her book.
“I wouldn’t ask if I had another choice,” she said, exasperated.
“I have a business dinner tonight. Either I go and close this deal, or I cancel because I can’t leave her alone. Can you help me or not?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Fine,” I muttered. “If it’s that important.”
“Great. Food’s in the kitchen. I left money in case you need to order something, but keep it healthy. No greasy junk. And she’s not allowed outside. Got it?”
“Got it.”
With a quick goodbye, Riley was out the door, leaving me and Mira alone. I looked at her. She looked at me.
Neither of us said a word. Let the longest day of my life begin.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
The day dragged on like an endless loop of boredom.
Mira sat on the couch, clutching her encyclopedia, and occasionally glanced at me with a look that made me feel like a failing science experiment.
Her small face was calm, but her raised eyebrows screamed judgment.
I cleared my throat.
“So, uh, you like reading?” I asked, trying to break the awkward silence.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Yes, I do. Mom says books are knowledge, and I want to know a lot,” she said, her voice cool and sharp, like a character straight out of a movie about child prodigies.
I nodded. “Cool, cool… What’s your favorite subject in school?”
Mira sighed, looking at me as if I’d just asked the world’s most boring question.
“That’s such an unoriginal question, but I’ll answer anyway. I like biology because it has lots of animals, and I love learning about them.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Cool,” I mumbled, unsure what else to say. Conversations with kids were harder than I thought.
After a moment, she closed her book and tilted her head. “So, are you my uncle?”
“Yeah,” I replied. “You probably don’t remember me, though. We met when you were little.”
“Got it,” she said simply. Then she hit me with a curveball. “Are you married?”
“Uh, no. I’m not married.”
“Why not?” she asked, her curious tone sounding more like an interrogation.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I don’t want to get married. I like being on my own,” I said, hoping that would end the conversation.
“No one likes being alone,” she replied, crossing her arms.
“I do,” I insisted, though her words stung more than I cared to admit.
“Maybe you’re scared,” she said matter-of-factly.
“Scared? What would I be scared of?”
“Mom says marriage is a lot of work. She also says you don’t like working. So maybe you’re scared of hard work.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I sat up straight.
“She told you that!? Well, just so you know, I’m not scared! Maybe it’s just… not for me. For now.”
“Got it. You’re scared,” Mira concluded, her lips curling into a tiny smirk. “Anyway, I’m hungry.”
“Then eat something,” I said, gesturing toward the kitchen.
“Mom said you’re taking care of me. So take care of me,” she shot back.
“Fine,” I muttered, opening the fridge. It was full of salads, juices, and not a single thing I wanted to eat. I sighed and pulled out my phone.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Pizza it is,” I declared.
Minutes later, we were sitting on the couch, devouring slices while watching TV. Mira was quiet for once, her face lit up by the screen.
Before I knew it, my head rested against the back of the couch, and the exhaustion of the day caught up with me. I didn’t even notice when I drifted off to sleep.
I woke up with a jolt, blinking against the light streaming into the room. Something felt off. The house was too quiet. I glanced around, and that’s when it hit me—Mira was nowhere to be seen.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Mira!” I called out, my voice echoing through the house. “Mira, where are you?”
No answer.
Panic surged through me. I started tearing through the house, opening doors, peeking under beds, and even checking the closets and cupboards.
Every empty space mocked me. My heart raced faster with each passing second.
I had one job. One simple job. Watch Mira for a day, and I couldn’t even manage that.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
I pulled out my phone, desperate for a clue, and saw a text from Riley:
“On my way home. I’ll be there in an hour. Everything okay?”
I froze for a moment, then typed back: “All good!” It was a lie, but I needed time to fix this.
Running downstairs, I scanned the living room again and noticed something I’d missed earlier: the window.
It was open, and a faint breeze fluttered the curtains. Mira had gone outside.
I crawled through the window and spotted a small shoe lying by the neighbor’s fence. My breath caught.
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
Climbing over, I found myself in their backyard, where a tall tree stood with a sturdy wooden treehouse perched near the top.
“Mira!” I yelled, looking up.
“I’m here,” her calm voice replied from above.
I climbed the rickety ladder, my pulse still hammering. At the top, I found Mira sitting cross-legged with another boy.
They were playing with toy figures, completely unbothered.
“Mira! You scared me!” I said, still catching my breath. “Why did you run off like that?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“I got bored,” she said, shrugging. “And Sam was here. Sam, say hi to my uncle.”
“Hi, Mira’s uncle,” Sam said, not looking up.
“But your mom said you weren’t allowed outside!”
“She said you were supposed to make sure I didn’t go out,” Mira pointed out, her tone matter-of-fact. “But you were sleeping. Now I know what you’re scared of.”
“Of course I was scared!” I snapped, then softened. “Sorry. But why doesn’t your mom let you play with other kids?”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“She says I’ll pick up bad habits,” Mira said.
“But I like playing with Sam.”
“There’s nothing wrong with playing with other kids,” I said gently.
“Your mom’s just… protective.”
“And you’re not protective enough,” she quipped with a smirk.
I sighed. “You’re right. From now on, I’ll be more careful.”
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
In half an hour, the door creaked open, and Riley stepped into the house, her keys jingling as she set them on the counter. “Mira!? Henry!? Where are you two!?” she called out, her voice bouncing off the walls.
No answer.
The house was dark and eerily silent, with no sign of life. The faint glow of the streetlights seeped through the curtains, casting long shadows that made the empty space feel even more unsettling.
Riley’s heart raced as she scanned the room. “Where are they?” she muttered under her breath, her hands trembling slightly. Her eyes darted to an open window, the curtain flapping lazily in the breeze.
“Oh my god! I knew I shouldn’t have trusted my idiot brother!” she mumbled, panic setting in. She rushed toward the window, her mind racing with worst-case scenarios.
Suddenly—
For illustration purposes only. | Source: Midjourney
“Surprise!!” Mira and I popped up from outside, shouting in unison.
Riley jumped back, clutching her chest. “God! I thought you were both gone! What’s wrong with you two!?”
We burst out laughing, and Mira nearly doubled over with glee. Riley’s face softened as she watched her daughter giggling, her playful spirit infectious.
“Sorry, sis. You were asking for it,” I teased, grinning. “Don’t worry so much. Nothing could go wrong, you’ve got to trust Mira a lot more.”
“Yeah, Mom!” Mira chimed in, beaming.
Riley sighed, a reluctant smile creeping onto her face. “You two are impossible,” she said, pulling Mira into a hug. “But I guess I’ll let it slide this time.”
As I left, I realized something: sometimes, kids teach you things about yourself you didn’t even know you needed to learn.
Tell us what you think about this story, and share it with your friends. It might inspire them and brighten their day.
If you enjoyed this story, read this one: Laura believed that her writing could change the world. But reality turned out differently, and her boss pushed her to dig up dirt on famous people. Desperate to save her job, she disguises herself as a cleaner compromising a millionaire. However, she uncovers a life-changing truth in the process.
This piece is inspired by stories from the everyday lives of our readers and written by a professional writer. Any resemblance to actual names or locations is purely coincidental. All images are for illustration purposes only. Share your story with us; maybe it will change someone’s life.
Man digging in his backyard makes the last discovery he ever expected to find
When a man named John Sims made a decision to buy a house in Tucson, Arizona, from a friend of his, he never imagined the purchase would lead to an astonishing discovery.
Once the deal was done, John’s friend mentioned that there was a rumor about the place that there was something mysterious under the ground.
John didn’t give it much thought at the time, but as time passed by, he became more and more interested to unravel the mystery.
He first started exploring the yard by digging four holes on four different sides, but he found nothing. He then thought about it and figured it out that if there was nothing under the grass, there could definitely be something under the bricks. The next step was to take a closer look at municipal records and learn more of when his house had been built. In those records, it said that a company that went by the name Whitaker Pools built a strange structure on the property in 1961. It was now determined that there was indeed something buried there, which made John even more eager to explore the place.
In order to know where to start digging again, he hired consultants with metal detectors. When the detectors began to go off, he was able to mark the spots with Xs.
After he started digging at the marked places, he stumbled upon something metal, but as he couldn’t possibly know what it was, he didn’t proceed. It could be electric wires, a water pipe, or a septic tank, and he didn’t want to take the risk of damaging anything.
In the days that followed, he dug with precision and stumbled upon what looked like an entrance to a hatch. As he bent down, a metal lid opened. But as there was a possibility of gas fumes or mold spores, he left the lid open for a couple of days for the potential gases to waft out and had the air tested for mold.
The following morning, John took a look inside the hatch and found a spiral staircase that was headed downwards.
As a captain of the Rural/Metro Fire Department, he needed someone around in case the lid fell back in, so he gathered a crew. The first thing they decided to do was to repair and reinforce the concrete structure surrounding the stairs and set up Sonotube cardboard around the entrance to ensure that they do not damage anything.
In order to provide proper lighting and in order to be able to use tools, the crew installed an electric line. They also installed a black pipe to funnel fresh air into the shaft.
The work around the structure was done. Now they needed to secure the spiral staircase.
John was the first one to explore the inside of his backyard. Once he reached the bottom, he knew their work was done and they didn’t need to do any more digging. The underground structure was bare, but it was obvious that it represented a nuclear bomb shelter.
The shelter was built during the cold war between USA and the Soviet Union. At the time, the company mentioned above, Whitaker Pools, turned out to expand their business to bomb shelters.
This wasn’t the sole shelter in the area, however.
Tucson was once a rocket town that held 18 ballistic missiles that were capable to travel across continents and destroy an area of 900 square miles. This was a top secret, and with the end of the cold war, the missiles were all disabled.
John’s discovery was of great significance. Once he shared all about it on Reddit, many media outlets were quick to pick up his story.
“I was really hoping it was going to be a little microcosm… a time capsule full of civil-defense boxes, radiation detectors, and cots and stuff like that,” John shared during an interview.
For those around the are who want to know if there is a nuclear shelter in their yard, John suggests looking up records of the City of Tucson or Pima County for information.
In case they do discover anything alike, John urges citizens to be extra cautious, just like he was. “Jumping into holes in the ground is generally not a good idea,” John said and explained that toxic air in a tunnel or a cave-in can easily incapacitate anyone.
It is John’s wish to restore the bomb shelter, but because that requires plenty of money, he set up a GoFundMe page. It is his priority to replace the staircase so that people can enter the shelter easily and explore the place.
Leave a Reply