The rain hits the glass.

Hard.

Soft.

Always.

You sit in the chair.

It is your chair.

The wood is cold.

You wear the coat.

The gray wool.

It smells of dust.

And old smoke.

And her.

You cannot leave.

You cannot move.

The room is dark.

The house is quiet.

The clock ticks.

One.

Two.

Three.

Four.

The pendulum swings.

Left.

Right.

Left.

Right.

It does not stop.

It will not stop.

It cannot stop.

You look at the door.

The heavy oak.

The brass handle.

It is closed.

It has been closed for years.

You hear a sound.

A knock.

Soft.

Delicate.

Like a finger on wood.

You do not move.

You do not breathe.

Your heart is a stone.

In your chest.

Cold.

Hard.

Still.

The knock comes again.

Louder.

Insistent.

It is not a stranger.

It is not a thief.

It is not the wind.

It is her.

You know it.

Your bones know it.

Your blood knows it.

But your mind says no.

It is not her.

She is gone.

She is dead.

You buried her.

You watched the dirt fall.

You felt the weight.

Of the earth.

On the wood.

On the lid.

On her.

You are alone.

You are always alone.

The knock stops.

Silence.

Thick.

Heavy.

You stand up.

Your legs shake.

The floor is cold.

You walk to the door.

Your hand hovers.

Over the handle.

You do not touch it.

You are afraid.

If you open it.

The illusion breaks.

If you open it.

You lose her.

If you open it.

You are just a man.

In a house.

With no one.

The silence stretches.

It pulls.

It tears.

You open the door.

The hallway is dark.

Empty.

No one is there.

Just the air.

Cold.

Still.

You close the door.

You lock it.

You lean against the wood.

You slide down.

To the floor.

You sit.

Your knees to your chest.

You wait.

You wait for the trick.

For the ghost.

For the memory.

To play its game.

But nothing comes.

Only the rain.

Against the roof.

A drum.

A beat.

A pulse.

You close your eyes.

You see her face.

Eleanor.

Her skin.

Pale.

Like porcelain.

Her eyes.

Blue.

Like the sky.

Before the storm.

She smiled.

You remember.

The smile.

It was warm.

It was kind.

It was a lie.

It was a trap.

You were the hunter.

She was the prey.

Or was it so?

No.

You were the fool.

She was the witch.

She took your money.

She took your name.

She took your soul.

And she left.

She walked away.

Into the night.

Into the rain.

Into nothing.

You chased her.

You ran.

You screamed.

But she was gone.

And then she was not.

She came back.

To the house.

To the chair.

To you.

And she died.

In your arms.

On the floor.

With blood.

On the rug.

Red.

Bright.

Warm.

You held her.

You held her tight.

You whispered her name.

Eleanor.

Eleanor.

Eleanor.

She did not wake.

She did not speak.

She did not move.

She was still.

Like a statue.

Like a stone.

Like you.

You have been here.

For ten years.

You have not left.

You have not moved.

You have not lived.

You have waited.

For the knock.

For the return.

For the end.

But the end does not come.

Only the waiting.

Only the rain.

Only the clock.

Tick.

Tock.

Tick.

Tock.

You stand up again.

You walk to the window.

You look out.

The street is empty.

The trees are bare.

The sky is gray.

There is a figure.

In the distance.

Walking.

Slowly.

Toward the house.

You squint.

Your eyes burn.

The rain blurs.

The world shakes.

Who is it?

Who is coming?

Is it her?

Is it death?

Is it me?

The figure gets closer.

Closer.

Closer.

It wears a coat.

Gray.

Wool.

Like yours.

It holds an umbrella.

Black.

Open.

It stops at the gate.

It looks up.

At the window.

At you.

You do not move.

You do not breathe.

The figure raises a hand.

It waves.

A small.

Weak.

Gesture.

You recognize the hand.

The ring.

The silver band.

The one she wore.

The one you took.

When she died.

You put it on.

Your finger.

It fits.

It fits perfectly.

The figure opens the gate.

The metal groans.

A sound.

Of pain.

Of rust.

Of time.

The figure walks up the path.

Past the weeds.

Past the stones.

Past the shadows.

It reaches the door.

The same door.

You unlocked.

You locked.

The figure raises its hand.

It knocks.

Soft.

Delicate.

Like a finger on wood.

You are at the door.

You are at the lock.

You turn the key.

It clicks.

A sound.

Of release.

Of surrender.

You open the door.

The figure is there.

It is you.

It is not you.

It is a mirror.

In the rain.

In the dark.

In the house.

The figure smiles.

It is your smile.

It is her smile.

It is the lie.

It is the truth.

It is the end.

The figure steps in.

It closes the door.

The lock clicks.

The light goes out.

The darkness comes.

It wraps around you.

It holds you.

It hugs you.

It is warm.

It is soft.

It is safe.

You are not alone.

You are with her.

You are with you.

You are with the ghost.

The rain stops.

The clock stops.

The silence comes.

Total.

Complete.

Final.

You do not move.

You do not speak.

You do not live.

You are still.

Like a statue.

Like a stone.

Like the house.

Like the night.

Like the rain.

Like the end.

You are home.

You are safe.

You are free.

You are bound.

You are lost.

You are found.

You are gone.

You are here.

You are nowhere.

You are everywhere.

You are nothing.

You are everything.

The door is closed.

The key is in the lock.

The handle is cold.

The wood is old.

The house is quiet.

The rain is done.

The night is deep.

The dark is full.

You sit in the chair.

The gray coat.

The silver ring.

The cold floor.

The ticking clock.

Stop.

Silence.

You wait.

You wait.

You wait.

For the knock.

But there is no knock.

There is no sound.

There is no one.

There is no her.

There is no you.

There is only the house.

And the rain.

And the dark.

And the silence.

And the end.

And the beginning.

And the end.

And the beginning.

And the end.

And the beginning.

And the end.

And the beginning.

And the end.

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And the end.

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And the end.

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And the end.

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And the end.

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And the end.

And the beginning.

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And the end.

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And the beginning.

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