All I wanted was to crawl into bed and stop existing for a few hours.
I was almost there when something tapped lightly against the window.
The sound was so unexpected that I froze mid-step.
For a second I just stood there listening, wondering if I’d imagined it. The old house made noises sometimes. Branches scraped. Pipes rattled. The desert wind found ways to make every structure sound haunted after dark.
Then it came again.
Not loud.
Just enough.
A sharp little tick against the glass.
My stomach tightened.
Slowly, I turned toward the window.
The curtains were partially open, allowing moonlight to spill across the floorboards in pale silver stripes. Everything looked ordinary. The same window. The same night. The same view of the yard beyond the house.
Then my gaze landed on th
