MY TODDLER WAS WATCHING TV LIKE THIS—AND HIS GESTURE MADE ME TURN IT OFF IMMEDIATELY (3 of 5)

“W-what did you say?” I stammered, my mind trying to make sense of the situation.

He blinked once, his gaze softening as if nothing had happened. “I said, don’t turn it off,” he repeated, his voice back to normal.

I stood there, unable to move. I was now 100% sure something was wrong. I couldn’t explain it, but I knew something was off.

Trying to shake off the eerie feeling, I crouched down to his level. “Oliver, did you hear something?” I asked gently, needing him to respond in a way that made sense.

He shook his head. “No, Mommy.”

But the air felt thick with something I couldn’t quite name. I stood up, turning the TV back on, hoping that maybe, just maybe, it was all in my head. Maybe he was just overly absorbed in the movie, and I was reading too much into his odd behavior.

The screen flickered to life, and I saw the characters from The Muppet Christmas Carol once again. I turned back to Oliver. His eyes were locked on the screen, and his hands, which had been folded behind his back, were now clenched at his sides.

A chill ran down my spine.

And that’s when I noticed something else—the room seemed colder. The air felt heavier, and the shadows in the corners of the room seemed darker.

I didn’t want to admit it, but I felt like something was wrong. Maybe it was just me being paranoid, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I was missing something. Something important.