The Unseen Guest in the Old House

April 1, 2026

by Susan

2 min read

Story Premise 2 min read (208 words)

"When I was a child, my family moved often because of my father’s job. We settled for a year in a tall, narrow house in a quiet neighborhood. After we had been there for some time, my parents began to argue more than usual. Their voices were a constant, low storm in the house. One […]"

When I was a child, my family moved often because of my father’s job. We settled for a year in a tall, narrow house in a quiet neighborhood. After we had been there for some time, my parents began to argue more than usual. Their voices were a constant, low storm in the house.

One evening, my two brothers and I were by ourselves, chasing each other around the furniture. We heard a car pull up and our parents’ footsteps on the porch. The key turned in the lock, but the front door would not open. My older brother pushed against it with all his strength, but it felt as if someone much stronger was pushing back.

Our father grew angry on the other side, his voice booming through the wood. He was sure we were playing a joke. Then our mother spoke softly, and when she touched the knob, the door swung inward without a sound.

After that night, small disturbances became a weekly occurrence. A framed picture would be found facing the wall. A radio would turn itself on in the middle of the night. Most unsettling were the thin, red lines that would sometimes appear on my father’s arms, like scratches from a thorny branch.

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