The House That Listens
horror◐ TeenMara refused to be scared by a house. That night she stood in the hallway and shouted, "If you can hear me, do something!" The lights stayed on. Nothing moved. But the air went thick, and somewhere in the walls there was a soft sound, like a held breath being let out slowly.
Mara dared it again, louder. "Take my voice then! Try!" And the house answered, not by taking, but by giving. A whisper came from every wall at once, repeating her words back in her own voice. She went pale. "That's not me," she breathed. "I didn't say it twice."
What happens next?
2 ways forwardInstead of running, Mara did the brave, stupid thing. She started talking over the whisper, louder and faster, telling it a long boring story about her day until the echo couldn't keep up. The whispering stumbled, then faded. "It can only copy," she panted. "It can't keep up if we never stop." So we didn't. We talked it to death.