Man Finds 3 Kids in His Cellar, Learns They Secretly Live There Alone for a Year – Story of the Day

Grieving couple Josh and Rebecca move into an old family home to cope with their little daughter's tragic death. Things take a sour turn when they experience 'unnatural' events and find three kids living alone in the basement for a year.

Rebecca and Josh sat at the dining table, surrounded by untouched lamb stew, grilled chicken, and mashed potatoes. They had lived in Josh's late mother Agatha's country house for three days.

It was filled with talismans, feathers, animal bones, crystal balls, old Ouija boards, spellbooks, strange figurines, and half-burnt candles, which made Rebecca feel deeply uneasy, but Josh had brought them there after the tragic death of their daughter, Emily.

"Becky, what's wrong?" Josh asked, slicing the chicken.

Rebecca rolled her eyes, knowing he was aware of her discomfort. She wanted to return to their home in Miami, but Josh suggested they stay longer and make this house their own.

"You were only raised here until you were seventeen. Your mother couldn't have you among these things," Rebecca said but paused when a creaking noise came from the basement.

"Josh, I can hear something down there...like something's being dragged."

"Ah, it's nothing...just Mom's fortune-telling things and old furniture down there...it's got to be the rats."

"I told you it was a bad idea to move in here," she insisted, scowling.

"You know what, Becky? Mom would've never wanted me to sell this house, even though that's what I wanted earlier. But after coming here...and staying over...I feel this can be our home. Besides, you very well know why we're here."

"Josh, it's not always only about you, okay? I want to leave this place immediately, and that's final. No more discussions," she stated firmly, making big eyes at him only to tear up almost instantly.

She was still dealing with the loss of their daughter, but Josh wanted them to move on, too. He brought up the topic of adoption to change the subject, showing her a pamphlet titled 'Choosing Love: Your Path to Adoption.'

"Stop!" Rebecca yelled. "Emily's not gonna come back, I know that. But I'm not ready to parent somebody else's child. I'd rather live with our girl's memories."

"Becky, remember what the doctor said? We must figure out how to overcome this," he urged, but she shook her head stubbornly.

As they started eating, a loud knock at the door interrupted them. Puzzled, Rebecca whispered, "Who is it at this hour?"

Rebecca was stunned to open the door and find a little girl, most likely ten years old. She looked up at her with big, brown eyes, pulling her backpack straps closer to her frail body.

"Yes, hi! Can I help you?" Rebecca asked.

"Hi, does Josh live here?" the girl asked, grinning.

"Uhm, yes," Rebecca's brows arched suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"My name is Winnie...and I think...I'm Josh's daughter," the girl said, making Rebecca's eyes bulge. She immediately turned to Josh, who was frozen in his chair.

Winnie explained that Josh used to date her mother, Alice. Although shocked, he remembered his old girlfriend from around a decade ago, so the timing matched.

The girl also revealed she had hitchhiked over a thousand miles after her mother, who lived a transient life and recently passed away from cancer, told her about her father, Josh. She first went to Miami, and when she couldn't find him, she researched at the library for his new address in Illinois.

They invited her inside, and Josh felt an immediate connection and a sense of responsibility for the girl. His wife wasn't so convinced and grabbed his arms while the girl made herself at home.

"Josh, what if she's not your daughter? We can't just trust a stranger," she argued, far from the girl's earshot.

"I know, but I can't send her away. We need to help her at least find a good home. She seems like a sweet kid," Josh pleaded. After a little more discussion, they decided to finish their meal, offering some to Winnie.

After dinner, the girl slept in the guest room. Despite the house's creepy artifacts, she seemed unbothered. Rebecca, still skeptical, insisted they visit the police station in the morning.

The next day, the police suggested a DNA test but warned it would take time. Josh opted to let Winnie stay despite Rebecca's reluctance and insistence that it would only be until they found a better place for her.

Back at home, Josh suggested buying clothes for Winnie, much to Rebecca's dismay. She couldn't understand how he could become so attached to a stranger so quickly.

At the mall, he indulged Winnie while his wife struggled, wanting to cry at the loss of their late daughter all over again. She raised her concerns again when the girl was distracted.

"Becky, while she's with us, I want you to be kind to her," Josh said, trying to justify the expenses. "It's just a damn pair of shoes."

Although still annoyed, Rebecca let it go and softened momentarily when Winnie appeared in a new dress, asking for a ring like Rebecca's. Josh promised her a similar ring in the future if she behaved.

They arrived home from having a good lunch, but Josh got a call from work and left shortly afterward, leaving Winnie and Rebecca alone to have dinner. Later, Rebecca asked for help with the dishes, but Winnie refused, saying she was going to bed.

Rebecca frowned but continued her end-of-day chores and noticed missing food from the refrigerator. Suspecting the little girl, she confronted Winnie, only to find her missing from her room.

She then heard a strange voice out of nowhere that whispered in a raspy hush: "GET OUT!"

Chills ran down her spine as she turned around and bolted out, calling out for Winnie. The girl appeared from nowhere, running through the hallway.

When questioned, Winnie claimed to have used the guest bathroom. Taking a deep breath, Rebecca asked if she had taken any food from the fridge, but the girl shook her head. She also wondered if Winnie had heard any strange noises, but the girl said no and wandered off.

Josh arrived later, and to Rebecca's shock, he brought home a dog, naming him Cookie. While reluctant at first, she got comfortable with the dog quickly. In fact, she liked her more than Winnie for some strange reason.

She told him about the disappearing food and the odd noises in the house.

"You know what, I'm tired. Winnie was probably hungry. Can we talk about this later? I wanna sleep. Goodnight."

Still, Rebecca remained suspicious, especially about the canned fish containers that appeared but hadn't purchased herself. She decided to keep a close eye on Winnie.

Later that night, Rebecca woke up to Cookie's loud barking. "Josh, the dog is barking so loudly. I think something's wrong," she whispered, alarmed. She rose from the bed, pulling Josh with her.

He followed Rebecca downstairs to find Cookie barking and scratching at the cellar door. Despite Josh's attempts to calm him, Cookie continued growling at the door. It woke Winnie up.

"Must be a rat," he muttered. "Go back to sleep, Winnie."

Rebecca watched Winnie's face fall. She kept staring at the basement door and slowly walked away.

At this point, Rebecca knew something was wrong. As soon as they retired to their room, she nudged Josh to check what was in the basement.

"You want me to go down there now? Darling, I bet Mom would've stored her creepy things down there. I'm not going now."

Moments later, another noise made her jump. "Did you hear that? That crying sound of a woman?"

Josh had heard it, too, and started freaking out. He grabbed his flashlight, approached the huge window, and lifted the lace curtain.

"What is it?" Rebecca pressed his shoulder from behind.

"I don't see any kids. Trick-or-treating is next week," Josh whispered.

They heard the creepy wailing noise again.

In the stillness of the night, Josh and Rebecca heard unsettling, echoing footsteps on the creaking wooden floor, accompanied by a woman's weeping sound.

"Becky, stay close. I'll go get the girl. I think someone is in our house," Josh whispered.

They quietly approached Winnie's room, only to see her heading towards the basement with a bowl of food. "Wait! What is she doing down there?" Josh whispered, surprised.

They followed the girl to the basement, where Josh cautiously opened the door and descended the ladder.

"Hey, Becky, you wanna come down and see this," Josh called up. His voice sounded...resigned and relieved for some reason.

Rebecca joined him, and her jaw dropped: two girls in shabby clothes sitting in a makeshift living area. The basement was unexpectedly well-kept, with a mini refrigerator, boxes of stale pizza, canned fish, and other personal items. Among these, Rebecca found her missing jewelry.

"I gave it to them," Winnie admitted, startling both.

"WINNIE??" they gasped. "Who are these girls? What are they doing in this house?"

Winnie confessed that Harper and Claire were her sisters. Harper, taking a step forward, began to reveal a story that finally let Rebecca breathe in relief. See? I wasn't crazy!

"It all started when we returned home from the store one day last year…"

Harper explained that they snuck out of their stepfather's house and found themselves at Agatha's door, who was known as Miss Moonshadow for her work as a medium. Harper wanted to see inside, but Winnie was scared because of the rumors of Agatha being a witch.

But they peaked through the windows, realizing that Miss Moonshadow was tricking her clients. They later confronted her, and the old woman made them a deal: they would work for her, helping with the creepy effects, in exchange for money and food.

After thinking about it, the girls agreed. Things got better until they heard their stepfather planning to send them away. They decided to escape his house, hoping Agatha would let them stay with her.

But they arrived to see an ambulance and heard the old woman died. Realizing they couldn't return home, Harper devised a plan to break into Miss Moonshadow's house through an unsecured window. They'd been there ever since.

"We never turned the lights on in all the rooms so nobody would suspect a break-in. We used to sleep in the basement at night."

Winnie added, "Miss Moonshadow hid all her money in a secret box she showed us. We bought eatables and other necessities with that money, and when we ran out of cash, we started shoplifting..."

"We've been living here for a year now," Claire admitted. "Our stepdad never searched for us. We wanted to scare you both and make you leave."

Harper explained how they used Miss Moonshadow's hidden speakers to create the crying sounds and sent Winnie to pretend to be Josh's estranged daughter.

Josh was stunned. "How did you girls know about Alice?"

"Your mother told us about your life, wife, and Alice," Harper explained. "We thought you'd never question Alice's story."

Rebecca angrily demanded their stepfather's contact number, but the girls pleaded with her, terrified of returning to him. Seeing them wail, her heart softened, and she put her foot down, exchanging a glance with Josh.

***

A few days later, Josh and Rebecca arrived at the stepfather's house with the three girls in tow.

"You again? I thought I lost you stupid girls for good. Why did you come back?" John yelled, frowning and getting red-faced.

"Hold it right there, Mister. We came to give you this," Rebecca said, handing him guardianship paperwork, which Rebecca had obtained quickly thanks to her lawyer friend.

"Oh, you're gonna adopt these brats! I never wanted them. Whatever," John barked and signed.

The couple drove back home with their three newly adopted daughters.

"You were right... We got our Emily back… threefold!" Rebecca laughed, tears in her eyes, as they made plans to go back to Miami with their new daughters and Cookie, looking forward to their future as one happy family.

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