Read Slowly

You see them in the window. It keeps you up at night, knowing they’re out there. You hear them outside your home. Their nails scratching against the walls. Their footsteps circling your home. Their fists knocking on the door. You know never to open it. But even worse than the noise is the silence. You can’t hear the birds anymore. No trees rustle in the wind. There is no sound except your own heart. That’s when you know, with absolute certainty, that if you forgot for even one second they were there, there would be no sound ever again.

You know what they want, and you know it’s only one thing. But you know what happens when you open the door. This isn’t the first time this has happened. The first forgot. She opened the door. The next night, there was a knock. It came from your door. You will never, ever open the door. This will not be how it ends. Not for you. You will not look in their eyes. You are scared. Scared that if you do, something will look back. Pretend they aren’t there, and maybe, someday, they will leave. But until then, you won’t open the door.

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