He Hears You Now

It started with scratching sounds. Every night. Always behind my bed.

I called an exterminator. He said there were no animals. The scratching continued. Then I heard whispering.

At first, I thought I was imagining it. Until I recognized the words.

It was repeating my name. Last night, I pressed my ear against the wall.

The whisper stopped. And something whispered back: “He hears you now.” “Part 2 tomorrow.”