The duty officer was sitting at the station, staring at the screen of an old monitor. The clock on the wall showed ten minutes to three in the morning – the quietest time of the night. Not a single emergency call had come in all night. The officer was already yawning when the phone suddenly rang.

– Police station, this is officer speaking, – he said, picking up the receiver out of habit.

On the other end, a thin, slightly trembling child’s voice was heard:

– Hello…

The officer frowned. The voice belonged to a little girl, no older than seven.

– Hello, sweetie. Why are you calling so late? Where are your parents?

– They… they are in the room, – she replied hesitantly.

– Okay, give me the phone to your mom or dad.

There was a pause.

– No… I can’t, – the girl’s voice grew quieter.

The man’s hands began to shake.

– Alright, then tell me what happened. You know you only call the police for something important.

– It’s important… – the girl sobbed. – Mom and dad are in the room… and they aren’t moving.

The officer’s sleepiness vanished immediately.

– Maybe they’re just sleeping? It’s late at night.

– No. I tried to wake them. Usually Mom always wakes up when I enter the room… but not now.

The officer sensed immediately that something was wrong. His instinct told him: this is serious.

– Are there any other adults in the house? Maybe grandma or grandpa?

– No… only Mom and Dad.

– Okay, give me your address, – he said quickly, already signaling his partner to get the car ready.

The girl dictated the street and house number. Before hanging up, the officer said firmly:

– Listen to me carefully. Stay in your room and wait for us. Don’t go anywhere, okay?

– Okay… – came the quiet reply.

Ten minutes later, the patrol car stopped in front of a small two-story house on the outskirts of the city. The door was opened by the little girl herself.

– They’re there… – she pointed to the bedroom door.

The officers exchanged glances and entered the room, but what they found there shocked everyone 

The bedroom was silent. On the bed lay a man and a woman. Both – motionless, with deathly pale faces.

– My God… – one of the officers exhaled.

They immediately called an ambulance and an investigation team. The experts quickly determined: no signs of violence, no traces of a struggle. But when they checked the air, everything became clear. There was a gas leak in the house. The parents had suffocated in their sleep.

The little girl survived by a miracle – her room was on the second floor, where the heavy gas rose more slowly. Her habit of getting up at night and opening the door also saved her: a little fresh air entered the room.

Nevertheless, the doctors said that the girl had also inhaled dangerous fumes – she was immediately taken to the hospital, where her condition was later stabilized.

If the duty officer hadn’t believed the girl, if he had thought it was childish imagination or a silly joke – she could have shared her parents’ fate.