The Call That Gave Chills
Although it seemed different, it began as a joke.
On a calm summer evening in rural Pennsylvania, Frank Lewis, a 911 dispatcher, took a call from a child who was whispering.
Mia was her name. She was only five years old.
She said, “Please come—they’re under my bed.”
In his twelve years on the job, Frank had heard it all: fires, accidents, and hoaxes. His stomach, however, constricted at the child’s quivering voice.
“Remain on the line, my love. With frantic gestures to his companion, he informed her, “We’re sending officers now.”
A House No One Was Aware Of
A tidy ranch home on the outskirts of Scranton, constructed in the 1950s on former mining property, was the address displayed on his screen.
Less than five minutes later, officers Brian Martinez and Kelly Howard showed up.
Embarrassed, Mia’s father opened the door.
He claimed that she occasionally imagines things.
However, the sergeant walked courteously by. “We’ll just make sure.”
The Room’s Whisper
Stuffed animals were arranged on the shelves of Mia’s pink-painted room. Silently, she gestured toward the small bed in the corner while holding a battered teddy bear.
Officer Martinez dropped to his knees. Dust. A pair of plastic horses. Nothing more.
He got to his feet. “This place is empty.”
Officer Howard then held out her hand. “Hold on.”
There was silence. Everyone held their breath.
The Sound That Nobody Could Ignore
There was a slight scraping sound coming from the floorboards, like metal on stone.
It was a digging sound, not a voice.
On the parquet, Martinez knocked. One corner was dull and thudded.
They used a multitool to pry up a slat. There was a tiny layer of fresh dirt beneath the wood.
A Good Tunnel to Nowhere
They hurried to get a shovel from the garage. They struck a corroded metal plate in a matter of minutes.
When it was raised, a narrow shaft leading into the blackness was seen.
The backup showed up. An underground passageway that led to nearby lots was lit by floodlights.
The tunnels were eventually discovered by investigators to be the remains of an ancient coal shaft that three fugitives who had fled a private prison transport two states away had repurposed.
In an attempt to get to a storm drain that went to the Delaware River and a waiting boat, they had been living and excavating beneath the neighborhood for months.
The Young Child Who Heard What Adults Didn’t
The men utilized handcrafted shovels and drills that ran on batteries at night. The sound was inaudible to adults above due to the hum of air conditioners and refrigerators.
However, the vibrations were obvious to a five-year-old who was lying awake in a quiet bedroom.
Mia had made an effort to inform her parents. They believed she was acting.
An Incident That Made News
That following evening, the arrest took place.
Before dawn, armed officers cornered the fugitives after descending into the shaft.
The discovery was likened by local news outlets to “something out of a Stephen King novel.”
Mia was referred to as “the girl with the ears of an angel” by the national media.
Repercussions and Acknowledgment
The males were wanted for serious offenses in West Virginia and Ohio, according to FBI agents.
They never made it to the river because of Mia’s call.
Mia received a “Junior Citizen Hero” medal from the mayor, who also invited her to City Hall.
“This call will haunt me—in a good way—for the rest of my life,” dispatcher Frank Lewis said.
Final Twist
The house is peaceful once more today. Engineers strengthened the base and sealed the tube.
With her teddy bear at her side and a plaque that says, “Always listen to the children,” on the wall, Mia now sleeps through the night.
