“My 76-Year-Old Grandpa Took Me Into the Woods Every Day and Made Me Undress Until I Was Half-Naked. But One Day, My Mother Secretly Followed Us and Heard Strange Screams Coming From Deep Inside the Forest. When She Got Closer and Saw What We Were Actually Doing, Her Heart Couldn’t Take It. She Fell to Her Knees and Burst Into Tears…”

To my mother, who had followed us without knowing the truth, the scene looked terrifying.

She didn’t see the measurements or the work we had been doing.

She didn’t know why I was there.

She saw her daughter frightened and her elderly father standing in the water.

That was enough.

“STAY AWAY FROM MY DAUGHTER!”

Her scream echoed through the forest.

I turned so quickly that I nearly lost my balance.

“Mom?”

She rushed toward us, splashing through the shallow water without even noticing the cold.

“Emily, come here! Right now!”

I reached for her.

She pulled me behind her and faced Grandpa with tears streaming down her cheeks.

“What have you been doing to her?”

Grandpa stood completely still.

“Sarah, please. Let me explain.”

“Explain what? Why does she come home crying? Why have you made her keep secrets from me? Why is my daughter terrified every time you call?”