You Listened

There’s a character kids whisper about called The Listener. They say he only appears when you’re

alone and the room is completely quiet. One night, Mia turned off her

light and lay in bed. No phone. No music. No sound.

Then she heard it. Breathing. Not hers. She froze, listening carefully.

The breathing stopped. A voice whispered right next to her ear: “I heard you listening.”

Mia screamed and turned on the light. The room was empty. But her phone buzzed. A new audio recording

had appeared. Length: 12 seconds Title: “You listened.” The recording was her breathing.

And something else… listening back.