### **Chapter 7: The Whispering Walls**
442 Words
---
Evelyn didn’t sleep. Again.
Every time she closed her eyes, she heard scratching — sometimes behind the walls, sometimes under the bed. But worst of all were the **whispers**.
They weren’t loud. They didn’t shout. But they were steady.
And they always said the same thing:
> *“Tell the truth.”*
---
By morning, Evelyn looked pale and broken.
She got Lila ready for school but decided not to send her. Something was wrong with the house. Something that felt **angry** — and she didn’t want her daughter near it anymore.
But where would they go?
She had used up all her savings on this old house. There was no one else. No family to turn to.
They were alone.
---
That afternoon, Evelyn decided to confront the source.
The attic.
She removed the chair blocking the attic door, gripped her phone with the flashlight on, and slowly climbed up the narrow steps.
The air was colder now — almost freezing. She could see her breath as she reached the top.
But what stopped her wasn’t the cold.
It was the **music box**.
It was open.
Playing.
The same tune she heard on the first night.
> *La-la-la... la-la-la...*
The sound echoed off the wooden beams, and as she stepped closer, she saw it.
On the floor.
A new drawing.
This one was **different**.
Drawn in **red** crayon — the color of blood.
It showed the attic, with a little girl standing at the center.
And behind her, a tall, shadowy figure with arms reaching through the walls.
Rosie?
No.
**Lila.**
Her breath caught in her throat.
The house wasn’t just haunted — it was **targeting her daughter.**
---
Suddenly, the music box slammed shut on its own.
Evelyn jumped, dropping her phone.
The light flickered.
Went out.
Darkness.
Then… footsteps. Soft. Coming from behind.
She turned, heart pounding.
Nothing.
She grabbed her phone and rushed down the stairs.
---
Downstairs, she found Lila staring at the kitchen wall.
Her eyes wide.
Her fingers tapping the wallpaper gently.
"Lila?" Evelyn said, kneeling. "What are you doing?"
Lila turned slowly. Her voice was calm. Too calm.
> "He says you're lying, Mommy."
Evelyn froze.
"Who says that?"
Lila didn’t blink.
"The man in the wall. He says if you don’t tell the truth… he’ll take me instead."
---
Evelyn couldn’t breathe.
What truth?
What secret was the house feeding on?
Something about Rosie?
Something Evelyn was supposed to see?
The whispers returned, now louder, hissing through every corner of the house.
> *“Tell the truth.”*
> *“Or lose her.”*
---
*
- Writer
