When I was a child, I lived in a rented two-floor house. Both my parents worked, so I was often alone when I got back from school.
One early evening when I came home, the house was still dark. I called out, “Mum?” and heard a voice say “Yeeeeees?” from upstairs.
I called my mum again, and again got the same “Yeeeeees?” reply. I felt she was calling back at me, and climbed up the stairs.
When I reached the first floor, I called her once more, and the voice, “Yeeeeees?” came from the furthest room. I felt uneasy, but also felt a strong urge to see my mother, and started to walk towards the room.
But just as I was about to open the door, I heard the front door downstairs open and my mother come in, carrying a lot of shopping bags.
“Sweetie, are you home?” she called in a cheery voice.
Hearing her voice made me feel instantly better. I turned back to go downstairs at once… but not before I had a quick glance towards the room.
While I watched from the top of the stairs, the door to the room slowly opened a crack. For a brief moment, I saw something strange in there. A pale face, staring at me.
Original author unknown
Originally uploaded on August 9th, 2010