The Thing That Knocks

“The Thing That Wears People” When I was nine, my mother taught me a rule:

“If someone knocks after midnight, don’t open the door. Even if it sounds like me.”

I thought she was joking. Now I know she wasn’t. 1. The First Knock

It started last winter. At 2:14 a.m., I heard someone gently knocking

on my bedroom door. Tap… tap… tap. I was half-asleep, confused. I thought maybe

my mother needed something. Then she spoke. “Sweetheart… can you let me in?”

Her voice was wrong. Like someone who had only heard her speak once and was trying to copy her

tone. I didn’t say anything. I didn’t move. “Come on,” it whispered. “I’m cold out here.”