I’ve never lived in one place for long.
As a kid, me and mom were constantly on the move. It was hard when I was younger because what child doesn’t crave stability?
But as I aged, it became easier. I grew used to being alone and didn’t bother making friends. There was no point getting close to anybody because, eventually, I would be gone. We made promises to keep in touch, but we never did.
As an adult, I was free to stay or go, but I always chose the latter. I never wanted to stay in one place too long, so I wandered.
My mom used to tell me about her childhood home. The grandmother I had never known still lived there. She told me how often she would get lost in the house with its winding staircases, shifting hallways, and dark, windowless rooms.
“The walls talk,” she said, her eyes misty with memory. “They know all your secrets. They can divine your future.”
I laughed. “So, you lived at Hogwarts, mom?”
She didn’t say anything, and when I looked at her, her eyes were dreamy.
Life seemed to be going my way after I turned thirty. I had a great job in a city I loved, and for the first time in my life, I wanted to stay. I didn’t want to drift anymore.
Then mom disappeared.
I didn’t worry initially because she never stayed in one place for too long. She was still wrapped up in wanderlust. But it was strange because no matter where she was, she would call me at least once a week, but a week passed by, and then three, and I knew something was very wrong.
Call it a hunch, I guess, but I knew she had returned to her childhood home with the shifting staircases and windowless halls.
Grandma still lives there, she told me, and when I asked to meet her, she said no.
Never go to the house, Raquel. She said. Promise me you never will.
Now I was breaking the promise, but what choice did I have?
It took me months to find the house.
When I first saw the house, I almost drove away. I would look for mom someplace else. I would tell the police, and they would help me find her.
But I couldn’t do that, and nobody can help me.
I knew she was here.
But how she could be here, I didn’t understand. The state of the home was past dilapidation. It looked like if you breathed on it, it would cave in.
I squinted. What was that?
There was a figure sitting on a porch swing. Without thinking, I exited my car and walked up the drive. The figure stood up and walked into the crumbling house.
They left the door open, and darkness billowed out like a cloud.
I walked through the weed-choked yard and glanced at the black and yellow sign lying on the ground.
CONDEMNED
THIS AREA IS DEEMED UNFIT FOR HUMAN HABITATION
So they said, but from what I saw, that didn’t appear true.
Eyes gazed at me from the doorway, and hands reached out to grab me. I should have run. I could have gotten away! But my feet wouldn’t listen to me. They had a mind of their own.
A woman walked out of the dark. She stooped over, and her face showed signs of great age.
Grandma, I thought, and as if she had heard my thoughts, the woman held her arms out, and I walked towards her embrace.
Something crunched beneath my boot. I thought it was the bones of a field mouse at first, but as I looked closer, I realized I was stepping on teeth. Teeth connected to a jawbone. A jaw bone that had once been attached to a human.
Mom.
I turned to run, but it was too late. My grandmother grabbed me by my arms and dug her nails in.
I shrieked as she punctured my flesh. She ripped out my veins and clawed at my bones.
Everything went black, and I died.
I’m here now; yes, I’m in this fucking house. Grandma is here too, and so is Mom.
I don’t know how much time has passed. I don’t think that matters here.
I hear voices coming from the walls. I’ve seen faces in the mirrors.
I’ve tried breaking down the wall and smashing out the windows.
Nothing works; I’m stuck here.
This is why I’m writing this. Maybe one of you can help me. Please go to [REDACTED] Ash Lane, Lily PA [REDACTED]. Please, look for the house torn apart by age. My car is still there. The license plate is [REDACTED]. I’ll see you. I promise. That’s my face pressed against the window’s glass.
I feel so dumb, and I’m angry. But mostly, I’m scared.
Mom told me that Grandma called her home. She told her she was dying, and so mom went.
But Grandma had died long ago. She wanted company, so she took her daughter and waited for me. She is so happy, and she’ll never be alone again because, in this house, death doesn’t exist.
Only eternity.