The silence lasted three seconds.
\nMaybe four.
\nBut to me, trapped behind the wheel of my car while traffic crawled around me, those seconds became an eternity.
\n\u201cDana?\u201d
\nNothing.
\n\u201cDana, answer me!\u201d
\nStill nothing.
\nI could hear my own breathing.
\nFast.
\nShallow.
\nPanic clawing its way up my throat.
\n\u201cDana!\u201d
\nThen, suddenly, I heard something.
\nA door slamming.
\nA woman screaming.
\nAnd my sister shouting with a force that made my blood run cold.
\n\u201cGET AWAY FROM HER!\u201d
\nI gripped the steering wheel so hard my knuckles turned white.
\n\u201cDana! What happened?\u201d
\nThere was a crash in the background.
\nThen another.
\nSomething metallic hit the floor.
\nAnd finally, Ava screamed.
\n\u201cAUNT DANA!\u201d
\nMy entire body went numb.
\n\u201cI’m here, baby!\u201d Dana shouted. \u201cI’ve got you!\u201d
\nI closed my eyes for half a second.
\nShe was alive.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Ava was alive.<\/p>\n
But something was terribly wrong.<\/p>\n
Then Dana came back onto the phone.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena.\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was different.<\/p>\n
Not angry anymore.<\/p>\n
Not panicked.<\/p>\n
Controlled.<\/p>\n
Almost frighteningly calm.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have Ava.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat about Marissa?\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe\u2019s on the floor.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach dropped.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n
Another pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe tripped when she tried to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
I exhaled shakily.<\/p>\n
Then Dana said something that made my hands tighten around the wheel again.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut Lena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou need to hear this.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHear what?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI found something in the house.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know how to explain it over the phone.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDana, I’m twenty minutes away!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThen tell me!\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana breathed slowly.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Marissa wasn’t supposed to be alone with Ava.\u201d<\/p>\n
The traffic light ahead turned green.<\/p>\n
I didn’t move.<\/p>\n
A horn blared behind me.<\/p>\n
Someone shouted.<\/p>\n
I didn’t hear any of it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does that mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI mean,\u201d Dana said carefully, \u201cI don’t think Caleb knew what was happening.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart twisted.<\/p>\n
Caleb.<\/p>\n
Ava’s father.<\/p>\n
My ex-husband.<\/p>\n
The man who had spent the last year insisting that Marissa was good for him.<\/p>\n
Good for Ava.<\/p>\n
Good for their little arrangement.<\/p>\n
The man who had told me more than once that I was being overprotective.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou will.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then I heard police sirens approaching in the background.<\/p>\n
Dana lowered her voice.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey’re here.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cStay with Ava.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI will.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd don’t let Marissa near her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
The call ended.<\/p>\n
I stared at the phone.<\/p>\n
Then I looked at the road.<\/p>\n
And something inside me broke loose.<\/p>\n
I drove.<\/p>\n
I don’t remember changing lanes.<\/p>\n
I don’t remember the next two exits.<\/p>\n
I only remember the sound of my own voice repeating one sentence over and over.<\/p>\n
\u201cPlease let my baby be okay.\u201d<\/p>\n
When I finally reached Caleb’s street, police cruisers were already surrounding the house.<\/p>\n
Neighbors stood in clusters along the sidewalks.<\/p>\n
A paramedic truck blocked half the driveway.<\/p>\n
And there, beneath the bright flashing lights, stood Dana.<\/p>\n
She was holding Ava.<\/p>\n
My daughter was wrapped in Dana’s black jacket.<\/p>\n
Her face was buried against my sister’s shoulder.<\/p>\n
I slammed the car into park before it had fully stopped.<\/p>\n
I threw open the door.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva!\u201d<\/p>\n
Her head snapped toward me.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy!\u201d<\/p>\n
I ran.<\/p>\n
I didn’t care about the police.<\/p>\n
I didn’t care about the neighbors.<\/p>\n
I didn’t care that I nearly fell on the curb.<\/p>\n
I reached them and pulled Ava into my arms.<\/p>\n
She clung to me so tightly it hurt.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI’ve got you.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was mad.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t mean to break it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cBreak what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava pulled back slightly.<\/p>\n
Her cheeks were wet.<\/p>\n
Her lower lip trembled.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe picture.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat picture, sweetheart?\u201d<\/p>\n
She looked over my shoulder toward the house.<\/p>\n
Her face changed.<\/p>\n
Fear returned instantly.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe picture Daddy told me never to touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Dana.<\/p>\n
Dana looked at me.<\/p>\n
Neither of us understood.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat picture?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava buried her face against my chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe one in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat room?\u201d<\/p>\n
She whispered the answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe locked room.\u201d<\/p>\n
A cold sensation traveled down my spine.<\/p>\n
I looked toward the house.<\/p>\n
Caleb’s house had four bedrooms, a home office, a basement, and a small storage room off the upstairs hallway.<\/p>\n
But there was one room I had never been allowed inside.<\/p>\n
A room Caleb always called his \u201cprivate office.\u201d<\/p>\n
I had never questioned it.<\/p>\n
Not until that moment.<\/p>\n
A police officer approached us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need to ask you a few questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course.\u201d<\/p>\n
His eyes moved toward Ava.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs she your daughter?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd you are her legal guardian?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
He nodded.<\/p>\n
\u201cThen there’s something you should know before we proceed.\u201d<\/p>\n
My stomach tightened.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer glanced toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe found evidence suggesting this may not have been an isolated incident.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t breathe.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat evidence?\u201d<\/p>\n
He hesitated.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarks.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOn Ava?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
My eyes burned.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe has bruises from tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo,\u201d he said quietly.<\/p>\n
\u201cOlder ones.\u201d<\/p>\n
The world tilted.<\/p>\n
I looked down at my daughter.<\/p>\n
Ava’s arms were wrapped around my neck.<\/p>\n
I gently moved one sleeve upward.<\/p>\n
There was a faint yellowish bruise near her elbow.<\/p>\n
I had noticed it two days earlier.<\/p>\n
She told me she bumped into a table.<\/p>\n
I had believed her.<\/p>\n
Another faint mark was visible near her shoulder.<\/p>\n
And suddenly I remembered something.<\/p>\n
Three weeks earlier, Ava had refused to go upstairs at Caleb’s house.<\/p>\n
She had cried.<\/p>\n
She had said she was tired.<\/p>\n
I thought she simply missed me.<\/p>\n
I thought she was having a difficult day.<\/p>\n
I had been wrong.<\/p>\n
\u201cOh God.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer’s expression softened.<\/p>\n
\u201cMa’am, we’re going to have a child specialist speak with her. We don’t want you questioning her repeatedly right now.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI understand.\u201d<\/p>\n
But before I could say anything else, a voice came from behind the police line.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena!\u201d<\/p>\n
I turned.<\/p>\n
Caleb.<\/p>\n
He was standing beside another cruiser.<\/p>\n
His face was pale.<\/p>\n
His shirt was wrinkled.<\/p>\n
He looked like a man who had just been informed that his entire life had caught fire.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena, what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at him.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat happened?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell me.\u201d<\/p>\n
His mouth opened.<\/p>\n
Nothing came out.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou left our five-year-old daughter with that woman.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn’t know\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou didn’t know?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought Marissa was\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou thought?\u201d<\/p>\n
My voice cracked.<\/p>\n
Ava buried her face against me.<\/p>\n
Caleb took one step forward.<\/p>\n
Dana immediately stepped between us.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cDana, I need to see my daughter.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana’s eyes hardened.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou can see her when the officers say you can.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cShe is my daughter!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd she’s terrified of the house you left her in.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb looked toward Ava.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva?\u201d<\/p>\n
My daughter didn’t look at him.<\/p>\n
That silence said more than any accusation could.<\/p>\n
Caleb’s face collapsed.<\/p>\n
\u201cBaby?\u201d<\/p>\n
Nothing.<\/p>\n
\u201cAva, Daddy’s here.\u201d<\/p>\n
She squeezed my neck tighter.<\/p>\n
I watched my ex-husband’s eyes fill with tears.<\/p>\n
For one second, I almost felt sorry for him.<\/p>\n
Then the officer spoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cMr. Mercer, we need you to come with us.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb turned.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have some questions.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cAm I under arrest?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNot at this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Caleb looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena, please.\u201d<\/p>\n
I said nothing.<\/p>\n
He walked away with the officers.<\/p>\n
Marissa was taken out through the front door several minutes later.<\/p>\n
She was crying.<\/p>\n
Angry.<\/p>\n
Shouting that everyone was misunderstanding her.<\/p>\n
That Ava was lying.<\/p>\n
That she had never touched the child.<\/p>\n
But when she passed us, she looked directly at me.<\/p>\n
And she smiled.<\/p>\n
It was only for half a second.<\/p>\n
But I saw it.<\/p>\n
A tiny, cold smile.<\/p>\n
Then she whispered something.<\/p>\n
Only I heard it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk your daughter what happened to the first girl.\u201d<\/p>\n
I froze.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did you say?\u201d<\/p>\n
Marissa kept walking.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk her.\u201d<\/p>\n
The police vehicle door slammed shut.<\/p>\n
I turned toward Dana.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did she mean?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana’s expression had changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
But her eyes said she was thinking the same thing I was.<\/p>\n
There was another girl.<\/p>\n
Maybe.<\/p>\n
Or maybe Marissa was simply trying to frighten me.<\/p>\n
But after what had happened tonight, I wasn’t willing to dismiss anything.<\/p>\n
A child specialist arrived shortly afterward.<\/p>\n
She introduced herself as Dr. Harper.<\/p>\n
She spoke to Ava gently.<\/p>\n
No pressure.<\/p>\n
No leading questions.<\/p>\n
No accusations.<\/p>\n
She asked Ava if she wanted to draw.<\/p>\n
Ava nodded.<\/p>\n
They sat together on the back step of the ambulance.<\/p>\n
I stayed several feet away.<\/p>\n
Dana stood beside me.<\/p>\n
For nearly fifteen minutes, Ava drew silently.<\/p>\n
Then Dr. Harper looked up.<\/p>\n
Her expression was serious.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
I walked over.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYour daughter has told me something that I think you should hear.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart started pounding again.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr. Harper turned the paper around.<\/p>\n
It was a drawing of a house.<\/p>\n
A little girl.<\/p>\n
A tall woman.<\/p>\n
And a dark square upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is that room?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
Ava pointed at the square.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s where she made me stay.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWho?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cSometimes when Daddy went to work.\u201d<\/p>\n
I closed my eyes.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow many times?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava held up five fingers.<\/p>\n
Five.<\/p>\n
Five times.<\/p>\n
My knees almost gave out.<\/p>\n
Then she pointed to another figure in the drawing.<\/p>\n
A small girl.<\/p>\n
With long hair.<\/p>\n
Standing behind the locked door.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho’s she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava’s expression changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe was there before me.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana leaned forward.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat was her name?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at the drawing.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho is Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava shook her head.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don’t know.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere is she?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava pointed toward the dark room.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe went away.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHow?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava’s eyes filled with tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa said she was bad.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart pounded so hard I could hear it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat did Marissa do to Emily?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava suddenly stopped speaking.<\/p>\n
Dr. Harper immediately intervened.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s enough for tonight.\u201d<\/p>\n
But Ava grabbed my hand.<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t let Daddy take me back there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI won’t.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cPromise?\u201d<\/p>\n
I knelt and kissed her forehead.<\/p>\n
\u201cI promise.\u201d<\/p>\n
Behind us, Dana whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cLena.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at her.<\/p>\n
She was holding something.<\/p>\n
A small metal key.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere did you get that?\u201d<\/p>\n
She glanced toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom Marissa’s jacket.\u201d<\/p>\n
I stared at it.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat does it open?\u201d<\/p>\n
Dana looked at the upstairs windows.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe locked room.\u201d<\/p>\n
My blood ran cold.<\/p>\n
An officer approached us.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Mercer?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe’ve just received something from the department.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked uncomfortable.<\/p>\n
\u201cA missing-person report.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cFor who?\u201d<\/p>\n
He glanced down at his notebook.<\/p>\n
\u201cEmily Carter.\u201d<\/p>\n
My entire body went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow old?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cSix years old.\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked at Ava.<\/p>\n
Then at Dana.<\/p>\n
Then at the dark upstairs window.<\/p>\n
The officer continued.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe disappeared eighteen months ago.\u201d<\/p>\n
My mouth went dry.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhere?\u201d<\/p>\n
He looked at the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom this neighborhood.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t speak.<\/p>\n
Dana slowly closed her fist around the key.<\/p>\n
And then, from somewhere upstairs inside the house, we heard a sound.<\/p>\n
Three slow knocks.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Everyone turned.<\/p>\n
The police officers froze.<\/p>\n
Another three knocks followed.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Knock.<\/p>\n
Ava screamed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat’s her!\u201d<\/p>\n
I grabbed my daughter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho’s her?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava buried her face against me.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe girl in the room.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officers drew their weapons.<\/p>\n
Dana stared at the upstairs window.<\/p>\n
Then she looked at me.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
Her voice was barely audible.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe room isn’t empty.\u201d<\/p>\n
A police officer shouted toward the house.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody stay back!\u201d<\/p>\n
Two officers rushed inside.<\/p>\n
Another moved toward the staircase.<\/p>\n
I stood frozen beneath the flashing red and blue lights, holding my daughter while the house seemed to breathe around us.<\/p>\n
Then came a muffled shout from upstairs.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficer!\u201d<\/p>\n
A pause.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n
The response echoed through the entire house.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s a bed in here.\u201d<\/p>\n
Silence.<\/p>\n
Then:<\/p>\n
\u201cAnd there’s someone underneath it.\u201d<\/p>\n
My daughter suddenly screamed into my shoulder.<\/p>\n
\u201cDon’t let them open it!\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked down at her.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n
She lifted her tear-filled eyes to mine.<\/p>\n
And whispered the words that changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cBecause that’s where Marissa keeps the pictures.\u201d<\/p>\n
The officer upstairs shouted again.<\/p>\n
\u201cLena!\u201d<\/p>\n
I looked up.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere’s something else.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped into the hallway holding a cardboard box.<\/p>\n
Inside were dozens of photographs.<\/p>\n
Pictures of children.<\/p>\n
Some smiling.<\/p>\n
Some crying.<\/p>\n
Some standing in the same locked room.<\/p>\n
And on the back of every photograph was a date.<\/p>\n
The officer slowly turned one over.<\/p>\n
His face went pale.<\/p>\n
\u201cMs. Mercer\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cThis picture was taken three days before your daughter was born.\u201d<\/p>\n
I couldn’t move.<\/p>\n
Then he turned another photograph over.<\/p>\n
A different child.<\/p>\n
A different date.<\/p>\n
And another name.<\/p>\n
Emily Carter.<\/p>\n
Dana stared at the photographs.<\/p>\n
I stared at Ava.<\/p>\n
And Ava whispered:<\/p>\n
\u201cMommy\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cMarissa told me I was next.\u201d<\/p>\n
My heart stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cNext for what?\u201d<\/p>\n
Ava pointed toward the locked room.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe said when I was old enough\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n
She began crying.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u2026she would make my pictures too.\u201d<\/p>\n
And suddenly, from inside the house, we heard another sound.<\/p>\n
A camera shutter.<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Everyone turned toward the dark upstairs hallway.<\/p>\n
Click.<\/p>\n
Another photograph.<\/p>\n
Being taken.<\/p>\n
Right then.<\/p>\n
Right now.<\/p>\n
Someone was still inside.<\/p>\n
And whoever it was\u2026<\/p>\n
had just taken a picture of us….<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
PART 3 \u2014 THE ROOM BEHIND THE LOCKED DOOR The silence lasted three seconds. Maybe four. But to me, trapped behind the wheel of my car while traffic crawled around … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4139,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-6192","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-story"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6192","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6192"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6192\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":6197,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6192\/revisions\/6197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4139"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6192"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6192"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/nexttaleus.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6192"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}