One Small Knock

You hear a knock. Just one small knock. It sounds like it's from a door. But when you check all your doors, no one's there. At first, you think you're just mistaken - hearing things. The knocks are not that frequent, happening several days apart. You are not worried. This is nothing.

But then you notice them more, louder even. Maybe it's neighbor kids playing pranks. You still can't catch them though. No one's at the door.

You hear a knock, but no one's at any door.

Then you start to notice that you hear the knocks at unusual places. Like in your car, or at the store. you're sure you hear these knocks from a door, but there's no door around.

You start to think you're slowly losing your mind.

You hear that one Knock, and go frantically looking behind every door. Even the closets. But still, no one's there.

Your friends and family are worried about you. They don't hear the Knock, and so when you run around looking through all the door – they think you've completely lost it. These “fits,” as they call them, drive them away. They don't visit, and rarely call.

You feel lonely.

Are they right?

Are you crazy?

This Knock, this one small Knock is ruining your life.

You truly become obsessed. you must find where the Knock is coming from. Find who is causing such torment to you.

So you rarely leave the house. You skip work. You barely eat; you barely sleep, and when you do the Knock is in your dreams. You can't find the door there either.

You hear the Knock multiple times a day now. Your emotional state is so fragile you break into tears or go into a rage every time you hear the Knock.

Then, you start ignoring the Knock. When you hear it you start shouting at it, or crying. Saying your done with it. You won't heed to it anymore. It can't make you dance one more day.

The next day, there are no knocks.

You sit in a chair, curled up and paranoid. Waiting, just waiting to hear the Knock.

But it doesn't come.

Three o'clock rolls around and you start to believe the Knock is gone.

You wait another hour and still, nothing.

Elated, you jump up and cheer. You run around the house telling off all the doors.

It suddenly hits you, you're free.

The Knock had forced you into solitude, caged you in your house. Now you are free. You can live your life again.

You order food. You take a shower. You turn on the radio to your favorite station and sing and dance.

You eat your food in quiet peace in your kitchen. Delivery had never tasted so good.

As you like your plate clean you hear something.

You pause.

Silence.

Then . . .

One.

Small.

Knock.

You're senses suddenly leave you, you have no sanity left now.

Running through the house, you pull open every door. Crying. Screaming.

Mass hysteria is an understatement.

You tightly grasp the bathroom doorknob, and nearly pull your shoulder out opening it.

You freeze.

A person.

There's a person there.

“I've finally found you.”