I remember the night it all started.
It was a cold Thursday evening. The sky was dark and heavy, like it was about to rain. I had closed my curtains, so barely any light came into the room. The only thing lighting my face was my phone screen.
I was scrolling through Instagram, not really watching anything.
Then I saw it. A flicker.
Not from my phone – from the corner of my room.
I looked quickly, but there was nothing there. My heart jumped a little.
Just then, a video popped up. A little girl was running around the house, giggling. Her mother was playfully chasing her. I smiled.
But then the giggle got louder. Too loud.
It sounded like it was happening in my room. Right next to me.
I sat up straight and looked around. Nothing. The video kept playing like normal. I told myself it was just in my head and lay back down.
I swiped to the next video. It was a soldier working out. But the same giggle was still there. It didn’t stop.
I swiped again. And again. New videos. Different sounds. But the same giggle stayed. Louder… and closer.
It was like the laughter had escaped my phone and was now hiding in my room. I panicked and locked my phone.
Silence.
For a few seconds, I just sat there, breathing hard.
Then I heard it again. Another giggle. But this one was different. It didn’t sound like a happy child. It sounded… wrong. Like someone pretending to be a child.
The sound got closer, and then I heard something move.
Soft steps… like small feet dragging across the floor.
I climbed to the top of my bed, shaking, ready to run or fight.
Then I saw something. Just for a second.
A small hand… in the corner of the room.
No body. Just the hand.
It flickered with the light. Like a bad light.
Then there it was, another giggle.
It was right behind me.
“Hi,” I heard a soft voice whisper in my ear. It was so faint, I almost thought I imagined it. But I felt it. A breath. Cold. Light. Right on my ear.
I screamed and jumped off my bed, running straight to the door. I tried to open it. It was locked. I pulled again, nothing.
Then a light flickered in my room.
But this time, it wasn’t a flicker.
It stayed for about ten seconds.
In those ten seconds, everything felt wrong. It didn’t feel like my room anymore. The walls looked unfamiliar. The air was heavier. I tried the door again. Still locked.
Then I heard the giggle again.
But this time, it was above me.
I froze. Then I felt it.
A small hand,wrapping around one of my fingers. I couldn’t move. My entire body stopped. I opened my mouth to scream…
But no sound came out.
“Come,” The voice said again, pulling me toward a place I couldn’t see in the darkness.
I took slow, careful steps. But the footsteps beside me were fast, like they were running. So I started running too.
We kept running… and running… Until we reached a bright light. So bright, I had to shut my eyes as we stepped into it.
Suddenly – silence.
The air felt lighter. The tension disappeared. Everything was calm. It felt… like home.
I slowly opened my eyes. And that’s when I saw it –
My childhood home.
And the little girl holding my hand?
It was me.
.
It felt like home. But it also felt… unfamiliar.
It looked like my memory, but I knew I hadn’t made these ones.
I didn’t remember home being this peaceful. This bright. This beautiful.
It felt unnatural – like someone had nicer a version of my life I never lived.
My parents were there too.
I hadn’t seen them since I… since I left home.
They smiled at me. But it didn’t feel real.
Their smiles flickered – like a glitch in a screen. Their eyes kept darting somewhere else, like they were trying to warn me.
I followed their gaze… And saw two boxes. No, not boxes – they were too big for that.
There were writings in them. But how can a box hold writing? I thought.
And it didn’t look like ink.
They were scratches – deep, frightened marks. Like someone had clawed the words into them. I couldn’t read what was written at first, so I moved closer.
That’s when I heard my mum – or the woman who seemed to be her – make a small grunt. Not loud, but urgent.
I turned to her. She was still smiling… but her eyes weren’t.
She was shaking her head. Just slightly.
And I saw it. Fear in her eyes.
I ignored her, and turned the box toward me.
The words were upside down.
So I flipped it.
‘RUN AWAY.’
‘PLEA’ It seemed the second box was unfinished.
It took me a moment to understand what I was reading.
But when I did, both of them – the couple – started making sounds. Urgent. Real. Anxious.
I looked at them, but they weren’t looking at me. Their eyes were fixed behind me.
I turned around slowly…
And there she was. The little girl.
Her eyes locked onto mine.
“You were supposed to meet me here,” she said calmly.
“With them. But you knew better, didn’t you? That’s why you ran.”
She smiled. Not a sweet smile. An eerie, knowing smile.
“But you’re here now,” she whispered.
“You’re here to stay.”
Silence.
The giggling started again. But now it was coming from me.
I looked down. My hands were small. A child’s hands.
The room melted like wet paper.
And then I understood. I wasn’t getting out. I was part of it now.
