"Why I Stopped Babysitting"

**"Why I Stopped Babysitting"** is the first tale in the second episode of the sixth season of the Nolseep Podcast. In it, a teen shares a terrifying babysitting experience. Written by Eleni Vassiliadis, it has a runtime of 12:40 and was performed by Alexis Bristowe, David Cummings, and Nikolle Doolin. It is the 629th tale overall on the podcast.

## Summary

Eleni wants to save enough money to buy a car. She decides to start babysitting to raise funds, eventually gaining a reputation in the neighborhood as a responsible, likeable sitter who is great with kids. It is not uncommon for her to be hired by family friends or even complete strangers who have heard of her.

One weekend, she receives a call from a man claiming to be a friend of a friend who asks if she can sit Sunday night for him and his wife's baby. They offer to pick her up from her house, but her usual protocol is to have her father drive her to the house so he can come if there's an emergency. He agrees.

On Sunday night, Eleni's father drops her off at the address the man gave her and drives away. She knocks on the door, but a confused older woman answers. The man comes running up from a car nearby, saying him and his wife used to live there and he gave her the wrong address accidentally. Though Eleni is suspicious, she gets in the car with him and they drive fifteen minutes away to a larger, more modern house.

The wife is waiting inside and gives her a tour. The house is large, cold, and sparsely decorated. The pair say their baby is sleeping upstairs and tell her to not wake it under any circumstances. They leave her in the living room with a table full of snacks, saying they will be back very late, and leave.

Eleni is suspicious that the couple didn't want to introduce their child to her, but resigns and sits on the couch to read her book as night falls. She doesn't like any of the snacks on the table and heads to the kitchen, but finds the cabinets and fridge empty. There is no baby food or bottles anywhere.

Now growing anxious, she notices a chill in the air and goes looking for the house's heater. She also decides to check on the baby upstairs. However, all the doors in the upstairs hallway are locked and there are no lights. Terrified that she has been tricked, Eleni goes downstairs and attempts to leave but finds all the doors and windows are locked from the outside. She also realizes the man gave her the wrong address on purpose so her father wouldn't know where she was.

Minutes later, Eleni hears the back door being quietly opened. She hides in a laundry cabinet and listens while the couple looks for her. As they go up the stairs to check the hallway, she runs out the back door, jumping through yards until she finds a main road and calls her father.

The police are contacted, but Eleni is unable to remember where the house was located. All attempts to find or identify the couple are unsuccessful. She stops babysitting. Five years after the incident, she gets a call from an unknown number. When she picks up, there is nothing on the other end but an automated sound effect of a baby crying that shuts off after a few seconds.

## Cast

Alexis Bristowe as Eleni/the old woman

David Cummings as the man

Nikolle Doolin as the wife