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The House That Listens

horror◐ Teen
5 contributors · 4 paragraphs deep

The held breath in the walls became a habit. Every night the house breathed when we spoke and went still when we didn't. Mara started talking less just to keep it quiet. Within a week she barely spoke at all, and I realized the house had trained her like a pet, one silence at a time.

By the second week, neither of us spoke at all. We just nodded and pointed. It felt easier, safer, like giving in was what the house wanted. When the agent called to check in, I opened my mouth to answer and only air came out. Now I understood why none of them ever moved away. They simply had nothing left to say.

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