"Minnie, please eat something. You're only hurting yourself by starving."
"No matter what's happened, you still need to eat."
"Minnie, can you hear me?"
Nora set the food down outside the door.
"Whenever you're ready, it's right here. I've left it by the door."
"I'll head back downstairs for now."
I stared at the steaming dishes, mouth watering. Too bad I could no longer eat.
Everyone retreated to their rooms, and the whole house fell quiet.
I drifted through the wall into my bedroom. My body still lay on the floor, deathly pale.
A sudden scream rang out from next door. Jennifer, sounding like she'd just woken from a nightmare.
I flickered into her room.
She was gasping for breath, muttering to herself.
"Why was I dreaming about Minnie?"
"She was trying to kill me. That was terrifying."
"Thank God it was just a dream. I'll go find her later and chew her out. That should make up for the scare she gave me."
So you're getting scared now, Jennifer?
If it hadn't been for the things she'd said to me, I might still be alive.
I waved my hand and drifted over to the window.
It looked like rain was coming. The sky had turned dark and heavy.
The curtains billowed inward on a gust of wind.
Jennifer got up, latched the window shut, then switched on the desk lamp beside her bed.
Right at that moment, a crack of thunder split the air, and she yanked the covers up around herself.
Maybe it was the electromagnetic interference from the storm, but the lamp started flickering on and off.
Jennifer could feel something was wrong. She clutched her blanket tighter and muttered, "Don't scare me. It's the middle of the day."
I gathered every ounce of strength I had and knocked the lamp off the desk.
That was Jennifer's breaking point.
She grabbed her stuffed animal and bolted downstairs.
"Dad! Mom!"
"Dad! Mom!"
Their parents rushed out of the master bedroom the moment they heard her.
"What is it? What happened?"
Jennifer latched onto their mother's arm, trembling.
"I'm scared. The desk lamp fell off the table by itself!"
Their father looked at her like she was being ridiculous.
"How is that not normal? Just pick it up. Why all the screaming?"
"I thought something serious had happened!"
"Dad! I'm telling you, something felt off. I can't explain what exactly, but something was just wrong."
Their mother rubbed Jennifer's shoulders, trying to calm her down.
"All right, all right. Stop overthinking it. I'll sit with you in the living room for a while."
Their father sighed, said nothing more, and went back to bed.
Jennifer clung to their mother like she'd vanish if she let go.
"Mom, there's nothing... unclean in our house, right?"
As she said it, her eyes darted around the room.
"I keep feeling like something's watching us!"
Their mother stroked Jennifer's hair.
"What nonsense are you talking about?"
Outside, the sky opened up. Rain hammered the windows, and lightning tore through the clouds one flash after another.
Goosebumps crawled up Jennifer's arms.
"Mom, I'm sleeping with you tonight."
"Please?"
Their mother gave in with an exasperated sigh.
"Fine, fine. Like a little baby."
The clock on the wall read three forty in the afternoon.
"Why hasn't she come out to eat yet? She can't possibly not be hungry."
Jennifer's guilt was written all over her face. She didn't dare tell their mother she'd ordered Nora not to save me any food. Of course, Nora hadn't listened.
"She's a grown woman, Mom. If she's hungry, she'll come out and eat. Stop worrying about her."
Nora came downstairs from her afternoon rest, passed through the living room, and started prepping ingredients for dinner.
"Good afternoon, ma'am."
"Mm. Hello."
Then Nora remembered the untouched dishes still sitting outside the door upstairs.
