The New House

Sue and Greg were excited. They had just moved into a new house.

“We are going to be so happy here,” said Sue. ‘’I feel so lucky.’’

The house was big with large windows. The garden was green with tall trees. For Sue and Greg, it was perfect.

But one thing was strange about the house. It had been empty for a long time. The neighbours said they could not remember the last people who lived there.

Some said it had been empty for ten years.  Nobody was sure.

“Maybe they just moved away,” Sue said.
“Yes,” said Greg. “We don’t need to worry.”

They worked hard to make the house feel like home. They painted the kitchen, cleaned the rooms, and bought new furniture. They were very happy.

But sometimes, Sue thought the house was too quiet. She thought she heard small noises at night.

A step on the stairs. A door moving. When she asked Greg, he said, “It’s only the wind.”

One rainy afternoon, Sue was cleaning the cupboard in the living room. At the back, under an old book, she found something flat. It was a photo.

“Greg,” she called.

Greg came quickly. They looked at the photo together. It showed a family: a man, a woman, and a child.

But the family did not look happy. They were not smiling. Their eyes looked dark.

“This feels strange,” Sue said.

Greg turned the photo over. On the back, the words were written in red. The words were not small. They were big and clear.

“You’re next.”

Greg dropped the photo on the floor. “What is this?” he asked.

Sue felt cold. “Is it a joke?”

But deep inside, she knew it was not a joke.

They stood in silence. The room felt colder. The light outside grew darker.

“Maybe we should leave,” Sue whispered.

“No,” Greg said. ‘It’s just an old photo. Nothing more.”

But that night, Sue could not sleep. She sat in bed, listening. The house was too quiet.

Then she heard it: a step on the stairs. Slow. Heavy. Another step. And another.

She touched Greg’s arm. “Do you hear it?” she asked.

This time, Greg was awake. “Yes,” he said.

They listened together. The steps came closer. Up the stairs. Down the hall. Stopping at their door.

Slowly, the door moved.

Greg jumped out of bed and opened it. But the hall was empty. Only the dark and the sound of rain on the windows.

He turned back to Sue. “See? Nobody is there.”

But Sue was looking at the floor. Her face was white.

By her feet was the photo. The same photo she had found in the cupboard. But now, the picture had changed. The family was gone. The photo showed only two people: Sue and Greg.

Terrified, Greg turned the photo over.

The words were new. They said, “Now.”

The light went on and off. The door closed loudly.

And the house was quiet again.

📒 Key vocabulary

• excited – very happy and full of energy
• empty – with nothing inside
• furniture – things in a house like chairs, tables, and beds
• step – the sound or movement when someone walks
• cupboard – a piece of furniture with doors for keeping things
• joke – something said to make people laugh
• whispered – spoke very softly
• awake – not sleeping
• hall – a long space inside a house or building
• terrified – very frightened

🤔 Comprehension quiz

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