It was just past midnight when Lauren heard the tapping. At first, she thought it was branches scratching against the glass. But when she pulled back the curtain, her heart skipped.
A little girl stood outside, illuminated by the pale glow of the porch light. Her hair hung in wet strands, and her white dress clung to her thin frame as if she’d been caught in the rain. She looked no older than eight.
The girl pressed her tiny hand against the glass. “Please,” she whispered, her breath fogging the window. “Can I come in?”
Lauren froze. She lived on a quiet street, miles from the nearest store, and she had never seen this child before. Instinct screamed at her to open the window, but something deeper—a heavy, unshakable dread—held her back.
“Where are your parents?” Lauren called softly through the glass.
The girl’s eyes darted to the shadows behind her. “Please,” she whispered again. “Before they find me.”
A chill ran through Lauren. Against every ounce of reason, she unlocked the window. The moment she slid it open, cold air rushed in. But when she looked outside again, the girl was gone. No footprints in the dirt, no sound of retreating steps—just silence.
Shaken, Lauren barely slept that night.
The next morning, she walked to the edge of the yard, searching for any sign. Instead, she found something half-buried near the bushes: a small silver locket. Inside was a faded photo of the same little girl—and on the other side, engraved initials with a date.
Lauren’s breath caught. The date was over thirty years ago.
Later that day, she visited the local library to dig into old newspapers. What she found made her blood run cold: an article about a girl who vanished from the very same neighborhood three decades earlier. She had been last seen near Lauren’s property. Her name, the initials on the locket, matched perfectly.
That night, Lauren placed the locket on her dresser. As she turned off the light, she glanced toward the window. The curtain fluttered, though the glass was closed tight. And in the reflection, for just a moment, she swore she saw the little girl’s face staring back at her.
The tapping hasn’t stopped since.
