I don’t know what I was expecting, but it wasn’t that.
It simply hadnt occurred to him that nobody else lived quite the same way, and why should it?
None of their traditions were more arbitrary than a cake on your birthday or an inside tree on Christmas.
My name is Elizabeth, and my family has their own tradition.
Every morning, it would be clean.
That night I had a terrible nightmare about rats swarming through the house and eating our leftover food.
simpleinsomnia
I was about to drift back to sleep when thepitter-patterof light feet clearly distinguished itself in the still air.
Now that I was focusing on it though, I couldnt hear anything else.
Running around crying about a nightmare was as good as giving the murder jury my bloody axe.
The sound grew louder as I approached the basement door.
I froze at the sound of a chair being pushed across the concrete floor.
I turned off my own flashlight and carefully opened the door…
Somethingsnarledand I immediately shut it again.
I pressed my back to the door and tried to catch my breath.
I hadnt realized how fast I was breathing, or how loud.
I turned around and saw the doorknob beginning to turn.
Theres no way it was a rat in there.
I must have believed my dad when he said it was the spirit of the house.
We had been taking care of it after-all, so why would it want to do me harm?
The door opened and I stood face to face with a pale girl a few years younger than me.
I dont know what I was expecting, but it wasnt that.
I slammed the door as hard as I could and turned to run.
I sprinted up the stairs, locking my room behind me and diving into bed.
The doorknob began to rattle.
The doorknob stopped and lights sprang to life around the house.
In about a minute, there was apoundingon my door.
Everything okay in there?
I ran to him and unlocked my room.
He was standing there, looking dazed and confused, ready to collapse back into bed.
Now that the lights were on and he was here, I felt like an idiot for being afraid.
Id feel even stupider telling him about the girl.
Sorry, I said.
I thought I heard something downstairs.
Damn, who needs an alarm when you might scream like that, he said.
It was probably just a bad dream.
Sorry for waking you.
Dad looked around behind him, making sure we were alone.
Then he leaned in close and whispered Was it coming from the basement?
His smile was nothing but relief, and I couldnt help but feel it too.
At least until he added:
Thats just the spirit, honey.
Dont bother it, and dont tell mom, okay?
Its not going to hurt you.
I didnt know what else to do.
He grinned and ruffled my hair before plodding back to his room.
I gave the empty stairs a quick glance before locking myself in again and climbing back into bed.
I dont need to tell you that I didnt sleep until the sun began to repaint my room.
I slept in late that day, but by nightfall I was ready for answers.
Thats why I waited until both my parents were in bed to creep down to the basement and wait.
The basement door was open when I got there.
I just sat there with my hands folded in front of me, waiting for her to come again.
If she was a friend of the house, then I wanted to meet her.
And if she wasnt… well surely wed know by now.
My mistake was to watch the door.
Despite my resolve, it was impossible to hear thescratchingsound above my head without my entire body tensing up.
She was as alien to me as death.
I didnt even know if she could speak or understand.
Kevin (my dad) wont let me go.
I dont want to leave.
He takes care of me.
He said he loves me.
He promised to marry me when I turned 13.
Stay here in the kitchen, okay?
I hope she didnt notice the revulsion in my voice.
I couldnt believe what she was saying.
I couldnt believe any of this, and I didnt know how to handle it alone.
I came back in five minutes with mom instead.
What are you doing in my house?
my mother roughly pushed me behind her.
Shes not going to hurt us.
She needs our help.
I was beginning to regret telling mom what the girl told me.
Im Sandy, the pale girl said.
Im Kevins wife, thats who.
The one youre making up lies about.
Mom took an indignant step forward.
I tried to hold her back, but she was livid.
You better tell me how you broke in, or Im going to call the police.
I didnt break in, the pale girl stood from the table and faced us belligerently.
Kevin brought me here.
Sandys head turned sharply from the blow, but then began turning back in small, jerky increments.
Mom youve got to stop…
Mom just look at her!
Cant you tell she isnt normal?
Now who else you been telling this perverted trash to?
Sweet Jesus, I want you out.
Out of my house right this instant.
Whats all this noise down there?
My dad thundered into the room.
He froze mid-step as he instantly appraised the situation.
Dear God Kathy (my mom), have you lost your mind?
mom screamed, turning to face dad.
Dont tell me youre going to defend that creature in our house.
I only hear one of you yelling, and dont you dare call Sandy a creature.
Ive never seen either of them so worked up.
I think I was the only one who heard Sandy whispering.
It wasnt just the girls voice that wavered.
Her whole body seemed to somehow glitch and distort like a corrupted video.
He lied to me?
She looked absolutely heart broken.
I couldnt even begin to formulate a response.
Tell me the truth, Sandy insisted.
Does Kevin still love me?
How was I supposed to know?
The idea of my dad being with this child almost made me sick.
All I could tell is that she shouldnt be here.
I shook my head.
No he doesnt, I said.
He loves my mom.
You should just go.
Thanks for telling me, Sandy replied.
Im going to get even now.
I didnt want to, but I couldnt help it.
Mom didnt see it coming though.
Most of her neck was still intact, but the trachea was pulled straight out through the skin.
Dad wasnt so lucky.
He just stood there until the white fingers punched through his chest and ripped out his heart.
I never forgot you, were the last words he ever said.
I rushed over to my dad, but it was already too late.
When the police swept the house later that night, they didnt find anyone in the basement.
I was sobbing so incoherently, I wouldnt have trusted my testimony either.
I just know what I experienced and later, what I saw.
The police investigation did unearth a collection of photographs hidden in a shoebox in the basement.
I recognized the boy as my father at once.
