Warm and Welcoming Walls

September 14th, 2019 (8:10 p.m.)

     I think there is someone in my house. It started two days ago, a light scratching in the walls and a subtle patter in the attic, sounds which I quickly and logically attributed to an animal that must have made its way into the house. I have had many animals find refuge in my house in the past, especially during this time of year when it really begins to develop a harsh chill in the air. I know what a rat sounds like when it scurries between the drywall and wood paneling, what a raccoon sounds like when it makes a nest in my attic, and what a squirrel sounds like when it scales the outside of my house trying to find some warm crevice it can huddle down in. Therefore, at first, I wasn't thrown off by the elusive creaks in my floorboards, the patter in my walls, the squeaks in the attic, or the whistling in the wind that seemed to blow against the house just a little harsher. Although, after a few days of these sounds continuing, I then started to pay more attention to them. I realized that the creaks in the floorboard didn't sound like the results of an old shifting house, the patter in the walls sounded more heavy and determined than a rat aimlessly slithering through them, the squeaks in the attic sounded more like a shuffle that paced the entire attic in carefully practiced circles, and the whistling in the wind started to sound more like a howl. The air started to get heavier with my paranoia, but I ignored it for those two long days; doing my best to block out the sounds coming from all around me, surrounding me in my own home. But I am not able to ignore it any longer, the creeks are getting too loud, the scratching is getting more desperate, the pacing is getting more frantic, and now there is a new addition; the walls have started whispering.

September 16th, 2019 (7:05 p.m.)

     Today, after I heard the distinct shuffling in my attic, I gathered the courage I had previously abandoned for the last several days and went up to search for whoever it was in my house. I brought the bat that I have kept next to my bed ever since the sounds increased with me as I pulled down and climbed the unstable ladder and held my bat ready when I got to the top. I don't know if I was hoping I would see someone when I peaked my head through the hatch, but when I didn't see anyone pacing the creaking floorboards, I filled with even more dread. I was terrified to see the person hiding in my house, but it was almost even worse not seeing them because I know that they are still there.

September 17th, 2019 (8:45 p.m.)

     The sounds have only kept getting louder. They are more frequent and obvious, they are not trying to hide between the sounds of my steps or the sound of me dropping a pan, and they are not afraid anymore. They are becoming clearer, almost like they are wanting me to hear them, wanting me to be aware of them, and always letting me know that they are here.

     I have started lying awake at night, not wanting to sleep in fear that I may miss one of the sounds that echo all throughout this old house or one of the whispers that I can never seem to make out behind the walls. I also fear the eyes that I can feel watching me when I sleep. I can feel them on me at all times, but they are especially vibrant in the dark crack that runs along the left side of my wall at night.

September 18th, 2019  (10:20 a.m.)

    The person in my house has started coming out of the walls, floorboards, and attic, or wherever it is that they are hiding. When I got up this morning after getting a rare few hours of sleep, I walked into the kitchen, but as I did, I noticed one of my dining room chairs missing. On the ground where the chair was supposed to sit, there are scrapes from the chair being dragged along the hardwood floor. I followed the scrapes up to the far corner of the dining room; there the chair now sits, in the corner to the right of the entryway and directly across from the kitchen, facing away from the corner and looking out towards the room. The chair was empty, but I still felt as if the person in my house was sitting in it, simply waiting for me to notice them. They are getting more daring.