A sharp, electronic beeping sounds in the room, illuminated only by tiny flickering lights.

Even though she remembers nothing, absolutely nothing, Daniela senses many things, over and over again.

Something is wrong.

Something is happening.

She wants to press the button to call the nurse, but the cord has fallen off the side of her bed, and she is unable to reach it with the little physical strength she has left. She has countless fractures, has lost 75% of the vision in one eye, and her high pain threshold is tested every 8 to 12 hours when the medication requires a new dose, making her suffer. But beyond that, something reminds her of the unrememberable. She doesn't know if it's the sudden cold that has swept through the room, making her breath visible. She doesn't know if it's the shadows that her imagination—or her terrible eyesight—tells her are moving around her, or a fear acquired from those impossible-to-recall days.

But she knows it's no exaggeration, and focusing her vision, she fixes her gaze on that shadow or dark figure that seems to be standing at the foot of her bed. She hears the faint sound of a shoe.

Yes. Just that.

The light sound of a shoe, or rather, a foot. A foot inside a shoe shifting the body's weight from one leg to the other.

"Who's there?" she whispers, terrified.

She turns to the side of her bed, but her mother is no longer there. Her mother is no longer there to take care of her, nor is her grandmother, nor her father.

"Get-out-of-there."

Paralyzed with panic, she tries to scream, but her weak voice only lets out a choked whimper as a rough man climbs onto the bed, pinning her down, raising his fist, ready to strike. And she recognizes him—it's her uncle Joaquín. But it's not really him.

"GET-OUT-OF-THERE!" roars that thing, as it begins delivering sharp blows that paralyze and knock Daniela's poor soul out of consciousness.

Two nurses scream in terror, calling for help. One of them tries to stop the man attacking the girl, but with impressive strength, he hurls her against the wall, where the glass that makes up half of the structure shatters, slitting her throat instantly.

Two security guards rush into the Intensive Care Unit, where the girl from the news is being treated.

"Stop right there!" one shouts, both aiming their weapons but neither willing to fire.

The spectral, semi-human figure turns to them and growls like a beast. One of the guards collapses in panic, while the other, acting purely on instinct, empties his entire magazine into the thing, not caring about the risk of hitting the child as well.

Uncle Joaquín's body slumps to one side of the hospital bed, dragging the girl down with him to the far end of the room, between the bed and the wall.

The security guard, as much as he wants to, cannot summon the nerve to check on the girl, or to see if he has truly neutralized the attacker. Instead, he drops to his knees, weapon still smoking in his hand, buries his face in his palms, and breaks into a sob unlike any he has ever shed before.

More guards, nurses, and doctors arrive, managing to separate the unconscious bodies of the uncle and niece, who seem fused together in what could be mistaken for a kiss or mouth-to-mouth resuscitation under the bed.

No one can imagine what has happened.

What could have happened.

Weeks later, after medical, psychomotor, and emotional recovery, Daniela appears to be a sane and healthy child.

*

Dr. Stef Saft is on her way, arriving earlier than usual, to see Daniela.

She has decided that, given the girl's progress, she will deliver the good news that by the end of the week, she will be able to go home—to her paternal uncle's house, where they will gladly care for her as their own daughter.

Since she has more time than necessary, she considers going down to the hospital café to buy two ice creams to celebrate. She chooses not to go to the cafeteria, knowing that they only serve lemon or vanilla-flavored ice cream; and after several therapy sessions, she knows exactly what Daniela's favorite flavor is.

Saft walks down the hallways, happy, imagining the tremendous surprise she will give Daniela with the ice cream. But as she reaches the children's ward, Stef freezes in terror as she looks through the window and sees Daniela smiling at another girl in a very strange way—while the other girl cries in sheer horror—as Daniela appears to slide her hand under the girl's skirt.

The psychologist nearly drops both ice creams to the floor, and Daniela turns to look at her, snapping out of her trance.

"Hi, Stefie!"

"Hi," she replies automatically, slowly coming back to her senses. "I brought you mint chocolate chip ice cream, Dani."

"It's my favorite!"

THE END