The House That Mimicked Us

I didn't realize it until years later, but I might have lived with something that wasn't human

for almost 20 years. In 2003, my family moved into a city house that was about 30

years old. It sat directly across from a primary school, with a hospital

only a five-minute walk away. From the moment we moved in, I never felt like

it was truly home. I always felt watched, even when I was completely alone. Sometimes I would

be in my room and hear my mom call my name. I'd answer back, only to realize

there was no one there. I brushed it off as my imagination, but it kept happening.

One afternoon, I came home from school to an empty house and went to the kitchen for