The Night Visitor

It was a cold, winter night when Emma and her husband, Daniel, moved into their new house. They had been searching for a place to call their own for months, and this one had felt just right the moment they saw it. The two-story house was surrounded by tall trees and had a large backyard that Emma could already picture her garden in.

But as night fell and the couple sat on their living room couch, Emma started to feel uneasy. There was something about the silence that seemed oppressive, and the creaking of the wooden floorboards made her jump at every sound. Daniel tried to reassure her, but he could tell she was on edge.

"Maybe we should go to bed early tonight," he suggested. "We've had a long day."

Emma agreed, and they went up to their bedroom. As they were getting ready for bed, Emma couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched. She tried to ignore it, telling herself that it was just the stress of moving to a new place.

As they lay in bed, trying to sleep, they heard a faint tapping sound coming from the window. Emma sat up and looked out, but there was nothing there. She was about to lie down again when she heard it again. This time, it was louder, more persistent.

Daniel got up and opened the window to see if there was anything outside. But there was nothing, just the darkness of the night. He closed the window, and the couple tried to go back to sleep.

But then they heard footsteps on the stairs. Emma was paralyzed with fear as the footsteps grew closer and closer. The doorknob turned, and the door opened slowly.

There, in the doorway, stood a tall, dark figure with a hood covering its face. Emma could see nothing but darkness under the hood, but she could sense that the figure was staring at her. The figure handed her a small package and whispered, "This is for you."

Emma's hands trembled as she took the package. She watched the figure disappear into the darkness, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She opened the package and found a small, rusty key inside.

The next day, Emma asked their new neighbors if they had ever heard of anything strange happening in the area. They told her the story of the Night Visitor, a mysterious figure who was said to roam the streets at night, knocking on doors and handing out packages to unsuspecting residents.

Emma couldn't believe it. She thought it was just an urban legend. But as the nights went by, she started to hear the tapping on the window again, and the footsteps on the stairs. Each time, the Night Visitor would leave her a small package, with nothing but a key inside.

Emma and Daniel tried to leave the house and stay in a hotel, but they found that they couldn't escape the Night Visitor. It followed them everywhere they went, leaving its eerie packages behind.

One night, as Emma sat in the living room, the Night Visitor appeared in front of her. She could now see its face under the hood. It was a pale, ghostly face with deep, empty eyes.

The Night Visitor spoke for the first time, its voice low and ominous. "You have something that belongs to me," it said.

Emma was terrified. She had no idea what the Night Visitor was talking about. But then she remembered the key. She handed it over, hoping it would satisfy the figure.

The Night Visitor took the key and disappeared into the darkness. From that night on, Emma and Daniel never heard from it again.

But they never forgot the terror that the Night Visitor had brought into their lives. They moved out of the house as soon as they could, and Emma never looked back.

Years later, Emma would tell the story of "The Night Visitor".