Knock Knock

The cabin in the woods had been abandoned for years, but one night, a candle burned in the window. Silas and his sister, Lucy, were walking their dog up the dirt path that wound its way around the ancient oaks when they noticed the light burning in the window. They both stopped still, staring silently at the cabin in an open question, and Hunter took his opportunity and pulled free of Lucy's grip, running over to sniff around at the rusting water tank that stood across from the dilapidated shack. Silas caught Lucy's eye, and shrugged towards the cabin, but she glared at him and, with a roll of her eyes, sighed, "This better not be like last time dude. Let me tie Hunter up." Without response, Silas turned back towards the cabin to stare again at the candle burning in the window, and suddenly he found his feet tracing their way towards the door.

He could hear Hunter barking in the background when he knocked on the door, waiting but hearing nothing from within. He called out, "Hello, is there anyone there?" and, after waiting a moment or two more, he twisted the handle, which turned easily. As he glanced up while swinging open the door he could have sworn he caught a glimpse of a woman sitting at the table, but when he looked again the room was empty. An eerie silence pervades the room, and as he stands there he can't shake the impression that there really was someone sitting right there at the table moments ago. Suddenly he realizes that the candle in the window is out, and he moves closer to it to observe that there is a trail of fine smoke leaking from the candle into the air, as if it has just now been extinguished. As he's standing perplexed by the window, he hears a knocking at the door and his sister's voice, asking him if she can come in. He replies that he's inside and she should come in too, though he doesn't look up from the candle as she enters the room. When she speaks, he suddenly looks around to see his sister looking at him, eyes wide. He asks her to repeat herself, and she says, "What happened to the candle? Did you put it out?"

"No, it was out when I came in." he replies, then after a moment of hesitation, adds, "when I came in I swear I saw a woman in the room, but she was gone the next moment." She squints at him and shows a shy smile, and he feels a surge of indignation, telling her, "I wasn't seeing things! Don't look at me like that." She turned away from him to look around the cabin, which was pretty bare, having only a fireplace, a bed and the table and chairs. Silas noticed that the bed looked as if it had been recently slept in. As Lucy drew closer to the windowsill, she pointed out a box of matches sitting snugly in the window frame and in a mischievous tone suggested that he light the candle again so that they could see the place properly. Silas felt suddenly wary, but didn't know why, and he glanced around the cabin in an attempt to locate what had unsettled him. Unsuccessful in identifying the source of his discomfort, Lucy again suggests that he ought to light the candle so that they have some light, a request to which he acquiesces in the hope that it will help to dispel the sudden feeling of gloom that he has.

To his surprise, the moment that he has lit the candle, he begins to feel better, and although he knows Lucy is talking to him, he's not quite sure what she's talking about. Something about the warmth and the light and her voice are wrapping him up, drawing him in, and he's having trouble thinking through the fog which has draped itself around his mind. She's telling him a story of finding this cottage and taking refuge in it, a wild fairytale about an in-between life. He doesn't really understand what she's saying, but he can't help himself but be caught up and carried away by her stream of words, and he has almost forgotten who he is when he hears a sharp noise which cuts through the fantasy for a moment: Knock knock.

Lucy ignores the knocking, but stops speaking, waiting for the person at the door to go away. As they sit in silence, Silas suddenly realizes that the colour has been slowly leaching from the world, and when he looks out the window all he can see is a grayscale world. The world, which just moments before had felt to him so pleasantly warm, has suddenly grown so cold, and when he glances over, he sees that the flame on the candle is fluttering. How long has he been sitting here? How long has this hypnotic voice been talking to him about everything and nothing? Just then, his sister's voice rings out - her real voice - asking him where he has gone. The creature in the room with him is suddenly wearing a wicked grin, and he can hear Hunter barking in the background as his blood turns to ice in his veins.

x

His sister opens the door, and for a moment someone appears to be sitting next to the table near the window, but when she looks again there is no-one inside the room. The candle which she saw burning in the window has gone out, and she moves closer to see smoke rising off the candle, as if it has only just been extinguished, when the door slams behind her. Moments later, she hears a 'Knock knock' - her brother calls out, asking if she is inside and if he can come in. Finally, she thinks, I was wondering where he'd got to. "Yes, come on in, this place is creepy." He comes through the door and for a split second he seems to be grinning wickedly before the door shuts promptly behind him and he looks normal again. "What happened to the candle?" he asks.