A Lapse of Memory

(The mother is reading a bedtime story to her daughter.)

Mother
... And so the prince and the princess lived happily ever after, and the dragons were all banished from their kingdom, forever.

Daughter
Mommy? Are there such things as ghosts?

Mother
Of course not, honey! They're just in scary stories.

Daughter
Like the ones that grandpa tells us on Halloween?

Mother
Yes, exactly.

Daughter
What about monsters? Are they real?

Mother
No, there's no such thing as monsters, either.

Daughter
... But sometimes I hear noises. In the basement.

Mother
The noises in the basement? Those are just the furnace, or maybe the pipes. There's nothing down there to worry about!

Daughter
Are you sure?

Mother
Of course I'm sure. I'm also sure that it's time for you to go to sleep. Goodnight, honey. I love you.

Daughter
I love you, too, mama.

(Mother exits, turning off the light, hesitating at the door for a moment. She does not close the door all the way.)

(Some time has passed. The mother is in the kitchen, reading a newspaper, when the daughter enters, carrying a doll under her arm.)

Daughter
Mommy, there's a monster in the basement. I can hear it.

Mother
Don't be silly. There's no monster in the basement.

Daughter
But it's scratching on the floors!

Mother
Okay. I'll go down there and tell the monster to stop making so much noise and leave so that you can sleep.

Daughter
Be careful, mommy.

Mother
I'll be as careful as can be!

(Mother exits to the basement while the daughter waits. Time passes. More time passes. The child shifts, worried, slowly moving towards the door leading to the basement.)

Daughter
Mommy?

(The daughter opens the door to the basement, and gathering her courage, makes her way down the stairs into the basement. It is empty.)

Daughter
Mommy? 
...Mommy? 
Where are you? 

(There is no answer.)