The dust in the attic is thick. It coats your tongue. It tastes of iron and old paper. You are the new custodian. Your uniform is stiff. The brass buttons are cold against your chest. You stand in the center of the room. The house is silent. The wind rattles the window panes. They are cracked. The glass is dirty. You see your own face in the reflection. It is pale. Your eyes are wide. You are looking for the book. The ledger. It is missing.

The house is large. It was built in the last century. The walls are thick. They are made of stone. The floors are oak. They groak under your boots. You walk slowly. You do not like this place. It feels heavy. The air is still. It does not move. You hold your flashlight. The beam cuts through the dust. It hits the walls. The shadows are long. They stretch out like fingers. They touch your ankles. You shake. You are cold.

You remember the letter. It was short. It said come. It said stay. It said do not ask. The ink was black. It was fresh. You signed your name. You thought it was a job. You thought it was simple. You were wrong. The house is not empty. You can hear it breathing. It is a low sound. It comes from the walls. It comes from the floor. It is in your bones. You try to ignore it. You cannot.

You go to the study. The door is locked. You have the key. It is small. It is iron. You turn it. The lock clicks. It is loud. It echoes. You push the door open. It creaks. The room is dark. Your flashlight flickers. It dies. You stand in the dark. You wait. Your heart beats fast. It is a drum. It is a hammer. It is a bird. You click the light again. It works. The room is full of books. They are stacked high. They touch the ceiling. The smell is strong. It is the smell of rot. It is the smell of time.

You look for the ledger. It is not there. You open the drawers. They are empty. You open the cabinets. They are empty. You are angry. You are scared. You want to leave. You cannot. The door is closed. You turn the handle. It does not move. You pull. It will not budge. You are trapped. The house is watching you. It is smiling. You can feel it. It is in your mind. It is in your blood.

You sit down. You are tired. You lean against the desk. The wood is cold. It is wet. You touch it. Your hand is sticky. You look at your fingers. They are black. You wash them. There is no water. You lick your hand. It tastes of copper. It tastes of fear. You remember the old man. He lived here before you. He was your mentor. He was your father in a way. He taught you the rules. He taught you the code. He said the house is alive. He said it feeds. He said you must serve. You thought he was mad. You thought he was sick. You were wrong.

You stand up. You walk to the window. You look out. The garden is overgrown. The grass is tall. It is yellow. It is dry. There is a path. It leads to the gate. The gate is open. You can see the road. You can see the cars. They are far away. They are small. You are far away. You are alone. You are lost.

You go to the kitchen. The stove is cold. The sink is dry. The dishes are clean. They are white. They are bright. You pick one up. It is warm. It is hot. You drop it. It shatters. The sound is sharp. It cuts the air. It cuts the silence. You jump back. You are shaking. You are breathing hard. The air is thin. You cannot get enough. You gasp. You cough. You feel the dust in your lungs. It is burning. It is spreading.

You go to the bedroom. The bed is made. The sheets are white. They are smooth. You lie down. You close your eyes. You see the old man. He is standing in the corner. He is watching you. He is nodding. He is smiling. He says nothing. His lips do not move. You hear his voice. It is inside your head. It is soft. It is gentle. It is cruel. He says you are ready. He says it is time. He says let go.

You wake up. The light is on. The room is empty. The old man is gone. You are alone. You are still here. The house is still here. The dust is still here. You stand up. Your legs are weak. Your head is heavy. You feel sick. You feel dirty. You feel wrong. You look in the mirror. Your face is different. It is older. It is darker. Your eyes are hollow. Your skin is grey. You are changing. The house is changing you. It is eating you. It is wearing you.

You go to the attic again. You climb the stairs. They are steep. They are narrow. Your hands slip. You catch yourself. You hold on. You pull yourself up. You are in the attic. The dust is thicker. It is a cloud. It is a fog. You cannot see. You feel around. You touch the walls. They are warm. They are soft. They are breathing. You feel the pulse. It is strong. It is fast. It is yours. The house has your heart. The house has your soul.

You find the book. It is under the floor. It is hidden. It is buried. You dig. Your hands bleed. The dust turns red. The blood mixes with the dust. It is brown. It is thick. You pull the book out. It is heavy. It is cold. You open it. The pages are blank. There are no words. There are no numbers. There is nothing. You stare at the pages. You wait. You breathe. The dust settles. The silence returns.

You close the book. You put it down. You do not need it. You do not need the code. You do not need the rules. You do not need the house. You stand up. You turn around. The door is open. The light is bright. The sun is shining. The garden is green. The grass is soft. The air is fresh. You walk out. Your boots crunch on the gravel. The sound is clear. It is real. You walk to the gate. You walk to the road. You walk to the life.

You are free. You are clean. You are new. The dust is gone. The fear is gone. The house is gone. You are you. You are whole. You are free.

But the dust is in your lungs. It is in your blood. It is in your bones. You feel it. It is there. It is always there. You are the house. You are the keeper. You are the servant. You are the ghost. You are the echo. You are the memory. You are the past. You are the present. You are the future. You are the dust. You are the silence. You are the breath. You are the house.

You stop. You look back. The house is gone. There is only a field. There is only grass. There is only wind. The wind is cold. It is sharp. It cuts your face. You feel the pain. You feel the loss. You feel the void. You are empty. You are full. You are nothing. You are everything.

You walk away. You do not look back. You know it is there. You know it is watching. You know it is waiting. It is in you. It is in me. It is in us. We are all the house. We are all the dust. We are all the silence. We are all the breath. We are all the keeper. We are all the servant. We are all the ghost. We are all the echo. We are all the memory. We are all the past. We are all the present. We are all the future. We are all the house.

The sun sets. The sky is red. The sky is black. The stars come out. They are bright. They are cold. They are distant. You are close. You are warm. You are alive. You are here. You are now. You are free.

The dust settles. The silence returns. The breath stops. The heart beats. The house stands. The house waits. The house remembers. The house loves. The house devours. The house lives. The house is you. The house is me. The house is us. The house is all. The house is nothing. The house is everything. The house is the golden ritual. The house is the golden death. The house is the golden life. The house is the golden truth. The house is the golden lie. The house is the golden song. The house is the golden cry. The house is the golden whisper. The house is the golden scream. The house is the golden silence. The house is the golden dust. The house is the golden breath. The house is the golden heart. The house is the golden soul. The house is the golden spirit. The house is the golden god. The house is the golden devil. The house is the golden angel. The house is the golden demon. The house is the golden man. The house is the golden woman. The house is the golden child. The house is the golden old man. The house is the golden old woman. The house is the golden stranger. The house is the golden friend. The house is the golden enemy. The house is the golden lover. The house is the golden hate. The house is the golden fear. The house is the golden hope. The house is the golden despair. The house is the golden joy. The house is the golden pain. The house is the golden pleasure. The house is the golden suffering. The house is the golden peace. The house is the golden war. The house is the golden love. The house is the golden hate. The house is the golden truth. The house is the golden lie. The house is the golden reality. The house is the golden fantasy. The house is the golden dream. The house is the golden nightmare. The house is the golden life. The house is the golden death. The house is the golden beginning. The house is the golden end. The house is the golden middle. The house is the golden now. The house is the golden then. The house is the golden when. The house is the golden where. The house is the golden who. The house is the golden what. The house is the golden why. The house is the golden how. The house is the golden all. The house is the golden nothing. The house is the golden everything. The house is the golden dust. The house is the golden silence. The house is the golden breath. The house is the golden heart. The house is the golden soul. The house is the golden spirit. The house is the golden god. The house is the golden devil. The house is the golden angel. The house is the golden demon. The house is the golden man. The house is the golden woman. The house is the golden child. The house is the golden old man. The house is the golden old woman. The house is the golden stranger. The house is the golden friend. The house is the golden enemy. The house is the golden lover. The house is the golden hate. The house is the golden fear. The house is the golden hope. The house is the golden despair. The house is the golden joy. The house is the golden pain. The house is the golden pleasure. The house is the golden suffering. The house is the golden peace. The house is the golden war. The house is the golden love. The house is the golden hate. The house is the golden truth. The house is the golden lie. The house is the golden reality. The house is the golden fantasy. The house is the golden dream. The house is the golden nightmare. The house is the golden life. The house is the golden death. The house is the golden beginning. The house is the golden end. The house is the golden middle. The house is the golden now. The house is the golden then. The house is the golden when. The house is the golden where. The house is the golden who. The house is the golden what. The house is the golden why. The house is the golden how. The house is the golden all. The house is the golden nothing. The house is the golden everything.