Gaëlle attendait un heureux événement, elle l’

Gaëlle’s heart overflowed with joy. Noémie, her little girl, had arrived, a tiny bundle of pink cheeks and bright, inquisitive eyes. Axel, her partner, was beside himself, showering his daughter with kisses and promises of a lifetime filled with love and laughter. Every day was a celebration, a marvel as Noémie thrived, her tiny fingers grasping, her big eyes tracking the world around her.

But the idyllic bubble burst one Tuesday morning. Gaëlle, tending to Noémie, found a small, red mark on her daughter’s arm. It was barely visible, but a knot of fear tightened in Gaëlle’s chest. Axel, arriving later, examined the mark with concern. “It could be anything, Gaëlle,” he reassured her. “Maybe a scratch, a bug bite.”

But Gaëlle, a nurse by profession, wasn’t convinced. The mark was too perfectly circular, the edges too defined. It looked like a burn, but there was no trace of heat or redness around it. She consulted with a pediatrician, who, after examining Noémie, scratched his head. “It’s peculiar,” he admitted, “but I can’t pinpoint the cause.”

Days turned into weeks, and the mark remained. It seemed to shift, sometimes appearing on Noémie’s leg, other times on her foot. The doctor, now baffled, referred them to a specialist. The specialist, after a series of tests, came up empty-handed. The mark was a mystery.

Fear began to gnaw at Gaëlle. Noémie, previously so lively, was now quieter, withdrawn. She wouldn’t sleep, would often cry for no apparent reason. Had someone hurt her? Was there something sinister at play? One night, she woke to a chilling sound – Noémie was whimpering, and the mark had reappeared, this time on her face, near her eye. Gaëlle, her heart pounding, switched on the lamp. There, etched on the wall beside Noémie’s crib, was a single word: “STOP.”

Panic seized Gaëlle. She knew this was more than a medical anomaly. Someone was watching them, someone dangerous. She confided in Axel, who, initially skeptical, was forced to acknowledge the reality of the situation. They decided to call the police.

Detective Bernard, a weathered man with sharp eyes and a quiet demeanor, listened intently to their story. He questioned Gaëlle and Axel, examined the crib, and scrutinized the mark. He took samples and promised to investigate. As the days passed, Gaëlle, haunted by fear, tried to remain strong for Noémie. She felt a chilling presence watching them, a darkness encroaching upon their lives.

One evening, Detective Bernard returned with a small, worn leather notebook. “We found this,” he said, “in the basement of the building where your neighbor lives.” Gaëlle opened the notebook. The first page contained a single, handwritten sentence: “I will not let them hurt her.” The following pages were filled with a series of cryptic symbols and strange sketches.

As Gaëlle studied the drawings, a chilling realization struck her. The symbols resembled the mark on Noémie. The drawings were not of everyday objects – they were diagrams of complex, mechanical devices. One drawing, in particular, stood out: a small, cylindrical device with a series of buttons and a faint glow emanating from the top.

“It’s the mark,” she whispered, “it’s not a burn, it’s…it’s a device.” She explained to Detective Bernard about the shifting nature of the mark, its appearance on different parts of Noémie’s body. He listened, his face growing grim.

The notebook was the key. It led the police to a retired engineer, a recluse obsessed with technology and a bitter grudge against the medical community. The man, convinced that modern medicine was a threat to humanity, had developed a device capable of leaving a mark, a warning, a silent protest against what he considered a corrupt system. He had targeted Noémie, believing that Gaëlle, a nurse, represented the forces he opposed.

The engineer was arrested. Noémie was safe. But the terrifying ordeal had left a scar, a chilling reminder of the darkness that lurked beneath the surface of their seemingly idyllic lives. Gaëlle, though shaken, resolved to protect her daughter, not just from physical harm, but from the unseen dangers that often hide in plain sight. The mystery was solved, but the question remained: what other secrets lay hidden, waiting to be revealed?