You rub at your head. Ow. Where did that come from? It was a sudden pain, but it was tiny. It doesn’t really matter- maybe you’ll grab yourself an Aspirin or something if it comes back.
You open the door to your house. Looking around the kitchen, it seems like your mother isn’t home, which is unusual. She doesn’t work, and has no real reason to leave most of the time.
You see a note on the kitchen table. It lies next to a plate with two cookies and a glass of milk. You pick it up.
Hi sweetie,
I’m out at the store- we need more groceries. I should be back in about an hour.
Love,
Mom
You sit down in one of the wooden chairs, adjusting the tie-on cushion so that you can sit properly. Mom doesn’t usually let you have treats when you get home. She must be feeling extra nice today. You decide that you’ll thank her when she gets back.
After you finish eating your snack, you put the dishes in the dishwasher. Suddenly, your phone rings.
You go into the other room and pick it up. The call is from an unknown number.
You normally wouldn’t answer it, but you’re feeling careless today. What’s the harm in a wrong number?
A young girl’s voice comes from the other end. “Hello?”
You greet her back, asking who she wants to speak to.
Surprisingly, she gives your name. You’re a bit confused, as you’ve never met this girl before, and don’t recognize her voice from anywhere. How would she have gotten your number, anyways?
You're about to hang up, when you remember that Mom told you that her family might be calling at some point today. That's the most logical explanation, but you'll check if it's true first. You ask who she is.
“My name is Wendy,” she says. “I’ve been in your area for a while and I thought that I should call you.”
Did you even have any relatives named Wendy? At this point you didn't even really know. Maybe you could look it up at some point, but you felt like it would be rude to hang up with no good explanation.
You tell her that you’d love to talk, but your mother isn’t home and you think she’ll be able to set up a time where you can meet face-to-face.
“Oh no,” she says. “That won’t be necessary. I can worry about that myself.”
In the background of the call, you hear scratching noises. You ask where they’re coming from.
“My brother is playing with the walls again. He’s rather annoying, isn’t he?”
You agree with her, despite still having no real idea how she’s connected to you and who her brother even is.
“Anyways,” she says, “I just wanted to give you a quick message.”
The scratching sounds in the background are getting louder. Wendy is right, her brother really is annoying. And what did she mean by “playing with the walls?”
You ask her what she wants to tell you.
She speaks, but you can’t hear her over the scratches.
You ask if she can repeat herself.
This time, while the scratches are still drowning out most of the noise, you can clearly hear her voice. Or, at least you can hear someone’s voice. It doesn’t sound like the girl on the phone is the one talking.
A dark, echoing voice resounds through the phone at such a volume that it almost sounds as if it’s coming from the room you’re in.
"SEE YOU TOMORROW."
The phone hangs up seconds after they finish speaking.
You are confused, but you realize it must have just been a prank caller. You’ll talk to your mom about it later. You put down your phone and turn around to head upstairs to your room.
Then you hear the scratching noises again.
This time, they’re louder. Even louder than they were on the phone.
But this time, nobody's calling.
And then you see it.
Up on the ceiling is a boy with blond hair and a striped shirt. He clings up there like a spider on its web, his body jerking and shaking in all sorts of abnormal movements.
You try to back away, but he turns his head around at just the right time, noticing you.
You attempt to move your feet, but you can’t run.
You want to scream, but you can’t open your mouth.
And then, he jumps down upon you.
There’s a shriek- your sudden last attempt at a cry for help.
Then a flash of light.
For a short moment, everything is black.
You’re standing on the sidewalk again, a few feet away from your house. You step forward, then pause.
Ouch. You’ve got a headache.
But it’s probably nothing.
You should head inside.