
Janelle hesitated for only a moment before stepping through the threshold. The instant her foot crossed into the room, a quiet hum filled the air like a vibration just below the sound level, like the house was waking up.
The light in the room was warm and golden, too inviting for a place that had been hidden for decades. Janelle scanned the space, which had pristine furniture and dust-free surfaces, like someone had just tidied up. And then her eyes locked onto the journal on the desk, the one with her name written inside it.
She picked it up, the weight of it unnerving, like it wasn’t just paper and ink but something, something alive. She flipped the cover open.
The pages were blank.
Except for one.
“You’ve come home.”
Then, before she could react, the door behind her swung shut, sealing her inside.