The Guest She Never Met

American accent

Emma lived alone in an apartment in the city. It was quiet, close to her office, and the perfect size for just one person.

Every evening was almost the same. She ate dinner, washed her dishes, and watched TV. She went to bed early and slept with the light off. She did not think about danger. She did not think about other people. Nothing ever changed there, and that made her feel safe.

One morning, Emma noticed something strange.

Her cup was on the table. She was sure she had left it by the sink the night before. Emma stopped and looked at it for a moment. She tried to remember, but she couldn’t think properly.

She did not worry about it for long because she needed to go to work.

That night, Emma woke up for no clear reason. The room felt different. The air felt heavy. She stayed in bed and listened. Everything was quiet.

She turned on the light. The room looked normal.

Days passed. Small things changed. A chair was not in the right place. A door was not fully closed. Emma noticed, but she said nothing. She told herself she was tired.

Then food started to disappear.

She bought bread. The next day, there was less. She bought cheese. Part of it was gone. Emma lived alone. She locked the door every night. She checked it twice before bed.

Emma began to feel nervous. She woke up more often at night. She listened to every sound. Sometimes she heard soft noises, but she could not tell where they came from.

One night, Emma woke up and did not move.

She heard breathing.

It was close.

Emma stayed very quiet and listened. After a long time, the breathing stopped.

She turned on the light.

No one was there.

The next morning, Emma called the police. They came and looked around the apartment.

“We don’t see a problem,” one officer said.

Emma wanted to believe him, but she did not feel calm.

After that, things got worse.

She came home one evening and smelt soap. It was not the soap she used, and the smell was very strong. Everything else in the apartment was normal, but something felt wrong. She left at once and slept at her sister’s house.

The next day, she came back with the police.

This time, they looked more carefully. One officer touched the wall near the hallway. It made a strange sound.

He pushed.

Part of the wall moved.

Behind it was a small room. It was just long enough for a person to lie down in. There was a blanket. Empty food boxes. A cup. It looked like someone had been sleeping there for a long time.

Emma felt sick.

“Someone has been living here,” the officer said.

The police ran outside. They checked the building. They checked the street.

No one was found.

Later, the police told Emma that they had seen many cases like this in the area. Other homes. Other people. The same story. Small changes. Quiet nights. A small room inside the home.

Each time, the person left before the police arrived.

Emma moved away soon after.

She does not live alone now. She keeps the lights on at night. She listens carefully.

Because she knows quiet does not always mean empty.

📒 Key vocabulary

• noticed (notice, noticed, noticed) – see or feel something and think about it
• strange – not normal, hard to understand
• sink – a large open container in a kitchen that fills with water to wash dishes in
• locked (lock, locked, locked) – close something securely with a key
• breathing – air going in and out of the body
• worse – more bad than before
• soap – used to clean the body or hands
• hallway – long space inside a home between rooms
• blanket – cloth used on a bed to keep warm
• empty – with nothing inside
• cases – incidents or situations under official investigation by the police

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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