When my six-year-old daughter began reporting that someone was lurking in her closet, I assumed it was just a child’s hyperactive imagination. But one night, I decided to check for myself, and what I discovered prompted me to ask for aid.

Hello everyone, I have a story that still gives me chills when I think about it. It’s about how I discovered the hard way that children often know more than we give them credit for.

I’m Amelia, a 35-year-old single mother to my wonderful 6-year-old daughter Tia. She’s always been a curious child, full of questions and wonders about the world around her. But a few weeks ago, her ongoing curiosity morphed into something that made us both lose sleep.

Before I go into what happened, let me give you some background. I divorced Tia’s father, Alberto, when she was just a year old. Our relationship began to change shortly after I became pregnant with Tia.

It all began when he told me he wasn’t ready to be a father.

Our arguments quickly evolved into fights, and he began spending nights at the office (which I subsequently discovered weren’t actually at the office). I believed he’d change when Tia was born, but I was completely mistaken.

Alberto had no desire in being a father. I thought he’d help me care for Tia, but all he did was moan when she wailed at night because it disturbed his sleep. How dreadful, right?

So, one day, I got tired of giving him opportunities and expecting him to change. I packed our bags and didn’t look back.

To be honest, parenting Tia on my alone has been difficult, but we’ve managed. She is my entire world, and I will do anything to keep her safe and happy. That’s why what came next rocked me to the core.

It began on a Tuesday night. I was snuggling Tia into bed after we completed reading her favorite story for the millionth time.

I was about to turn off the lights when she abruptly grabbed my arm.

“Mommy, wait!” Her huge brown eyes widened with fright. “There’s someone in my closet.”

I sighed, assuming it was simply another excuse to put off going to bed.

“Sweetie, it’s just your imagination,” I said. “I promise, nothing’s in there.”

Tia shook her head aggressively.

“No, Mommy, I heard them! They’re making noises!”

I walked over to the closet and flung open the door.

“See? Nothing but your clothes and toys,” I reassured her. “No monsters, no boogeymen, and definitely no people.”

She didn’t seem convinced, so I gave her one additional kiss and exited the room.

“Goodnight, pumpkin. Sweet dreams.”

As I shut the door behind me, I heard a little voice say, “But Mommy, I really heard something…”

I assumed that was the end of it, but I was mistaken.

Tia’s worry intensified over the next three days. She’d wake up in the middle of the night, sobbing over “someone” in her closet. During the day, she refused to play in her room, instead keeping one eye on the closed closet door.

At first, I brushed it off.

“It’s just the wind,” I’d say. Or, “Maybe it’s the house settling.”

But, deep down, I was starting to feel bad. Was it right for me to reject her fears? I was thinking. Is this what a good parent would do?

Tia entered my room on Thursday morning, as I was getting ready for work, trailing her favorite teddy bear.

“Mommy,” she said, her voice small, “can I sleep with you tonight?”

I kneeled down to her level.

“Honey, what’s wrong with your room?” I asked.

“The closet people…” she began. “They were talking last night.”

I was concerned, but I pushed it aside. Looking back, I suppose I should have listened to her right away.

“Tia, we’ve talked about this,” I said. “There’s no one in your closet. It’s all in your imagination.”

“But Mommy—”

“No buts,” I cut her off, perhaps a bit too firmly. “You’re a big girl now. You need to sleep in your own bed.”

The sight of disappointment on her face broke my heart, but I stayed firm. I could not allow these foolish concerns to take hold.

That night, as I was preparing the dishes after supper, I overheard Tia talking in her room. Curious, I crept down the hallway and looked through the crack in her door. She sat on her bed, facing the closet.

“Mr. Closet Person,” she said, “please go away. You’re scaring me.”

I nearly moved in to hug her, but I’m not sure what stopped me. Maybe it was denial, or maybe I didn’t want to recognize that my daughter’s anxieties were more than just a child’s imagination.

Then came the night that flipped my world upside down.

It was Friday, and I was getting Tia ready for bedtime. That was when she completely broke down. “Please don’t make me sleep here,” she sobbed, clinging to my leg. “It’s real, Mommy. I hear it. They talk and buzz and move around.”

My heart broke watching her so scared.

“Okay, okay, I’ll check. But there’s nothing to be afraid of, okay?”

Tia nodded, but she didn’t let go of my hand as we proceeded towards the closet. I took a deep breath before reaching for the doorknob.

“See? Mommy’s not scared at all,” I said, trying to sound braver than I felt.

I flung the door open and peeked inside, but saw nothing unusual. I was just about to turn to Tia when I heard something. It was a strange, faint buzzing sound.

“Did you hear that, Mommy?” Tia whispered, tightening her grip on my hand.

“It’s probably just the pipes,” I said. “Or my phone?”

But then I noticed the buzzing was coming from inside the wall.

I put my ear on it, and the sound became louder. It was not mechanical. It was alive…like there was something in there.

“Tia, honey,” I said, trying to keep my voice calm, “why don’t we have a sleepover in Mommy’s room tonight?”

Her face brightened up with relief, and she nodded enthusiastically. That night, Tia slept well next to me for the first time in days. Meanwhile, I continued wondering about that strange sound.

What if there was actually anything inside her wall? I thought. Had I been ignoring a potential threat all this time?

The next morning, I contacted an exterminator while Tia was eating breakfast. They said they could come by that afternoon, so I spent the morning attempting to keep Tia entertained with games and TV shows. All the while, the buzzing sound echoed in my head.

Mike, the exterminator, arrived at around 3 p.m. I brought him directly to Tia’s room and explained what was wrong. Then he pulled out some tools and began inspecting the wall.

After a few minutes, Mike gave me a serious look.

“Ma’am, you’ve got a pretty serious situation here.”

“What do you mean?” I asked.

Mike pointed out a minor break near the baseboard.

“See this?” he looked at me. “You’ve got a massive beehive in there. These bees have probably been active for a while.”

“You’ve got to be kidding me. In the walls?” I was shocked. “How did we not notice this before?”

“Bees can be sneaky,” he began. “They probably found a small opening and set up shop. But I’ve got to tell you, in all my years of doing this job, I’ve never seen a hive this big behind a wall. It’s honestly impressive.”

“Impressive?” I repeated, feeling a bit faint.

“Oh yeah,” Mike said enthusiastically. “From the sound of it, this colony is huge. It’s a good thing you called when you did. Any longer and they might have broken through into the room.”

As Mike described the removal procedure, all I could think about was how I had rejected Tia’s concerns for days. My young kid had been telling the truth all along, but I had not believed her.

Mike departed, promising to return tomorrow for the removal process. Later that night, I sat down with Tia to talk about.

“Honey,” I began, “I owe you a big apology.”

“For what, Mommy?” Tia asked, confused.

I took a deep breath.

“For not believing you about the noises in your closet. You were right all along. There were… well, not people, but bees living in the wall.”

“Bees?” Tia asked, looking at me with wide eyes. “Like, buzzy bees?”

“Yes, buzzy bees,” I nodded. “A whole lot of them. And I’m so sorry I didn’t listen to you sooner. I should have—”

“It’s okay, Mommy. I forgive you,” Tia interrupted and hugged me tightly.

“I’ll never ignore you like that again, I promise,” I said as tears trickled down my cheeks. “From now on, if something scares you or worries you, I want you to tell me, okay? No matter what it is.”

“Okay, Mommy,” Tia nodded.

We’re currently in the guest room, waiting for Mike and his colleagues to clear out the swarm. It will take a few days, but I’m glad I summoned the exterminators in time. I wonder what would have happened if the bees had gotten into Tia’s room. That would have been a nightmare.