Arthur’s world had become very small. It was now just his small, tidy flat and the long, white-tiled corridor that led to the community laundry room. It was a quiet building, mostly elderly people like him. He liked the quiet. Or he used to.

It started on a Tuesday. Arthur was taking his clean sheets back to his flat. From the corner of his eye, he saw someone standing at the far end of the corridor, near the fire exit. It was just a shape, tall and still. Arthur paused, but when he turned his head to look properly, no one was there.

The next day, he saw it again. This time, it was closer. Halfway down the corridor. It was the figure of a man, wearing a dark, long coat. His face was unclear, shadowed. Arthur felt a cold feeling in his stomach. He blinked, and the figure was gone.

After that, Arthur saw him every day. The silent man. He never moved when Arthur looked directly at him. He only appeared in the edges of Arthur’s vision, always a little closer than before. Outside the newsagent’s. Reflected in the microwave door. Standing across the road.

Arthur stopped going out. He locked his door. The quiet of the building was no longer peaceful. It was a waiting quiet. He told his daughter on the phone. “There’s a man, Sarah. He’s following me.”

“Oh, Dad,” she said gently. “It’s probably just Mr Evans from number five. You said yourself it’s a friendly place.”

But it wasn’t Mr Evans.

One evening, Arthur was watching television. The room was dark, lit only by the blue glow of the screen. He felt a chill. Slowly, he turned his head.

The silent man was there. He was inside the flat. He stood in the doorway to the hall, his features still hidden in deep shade. He was close enough to touch.

Arthur’s heart beat very fast. He couldn’t breathe. He squeezed his eyes shut, praying for it to be a dream. When he opened them, the doorway was empty.

That was the final warning. Arthur knew, with a cold certainty, that the next time the man appeared, he would be right beside him. He wouldn’t just stand and watch.

The next day, Arthur did not get out of bed. The fear was a heavy weight on his chest. The flat was silent. Too silent. The usual hum of the refrigerator had stopped. The tick of the clock on the wall was absent. It was a deep, thick silence, like being under water.

He pulled the blanket over his head, like a scared child. He could hear the frantic beat of his own heart in his ears. Thump-thump. Thump-thump.

And then he heard another sound.

A slow, soft breath. Not his own.

It was very close.

Arthur froze. The breath came again, a quiet sigh right next to his ear. The blanket was pulled down from his face, not with a rough grab, but with a gentle, terrible slowness.

Arthur opened his eyes.

The silent man was leaning over him, their faces only inches apart. The shadows were gone. For the first time, Arthur saw his face clearly. It was his own face. But older, much older, with eyes that were tired and empty. It was him, as he would be on the day he died.

The figure did not speak. It simply looked at him with a sad, final understanding. It raised a pale, thin hand and gently placed it over Arthur’s heart.

Arthur felt a coldness spread through his chest. The frantic beating of his heart slowed. Then it stopped.

The silence in the room was complete. The figure straightened up, looked down at the peaceful bed once more, and then faded away, leaving Arthur alone with his ending.

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Vocabulary Notes

Tidy (adjective)
Meaning: Neat, clean, and organised, with everything in its correct place.
Example: “…his small, tidy flat and the long, white-tiled corridor…”
Similar words: Neat, orderly, organised, spruce.
Opposite: Untidy, messy, cluttered.

Certainty (noun)
Meaning: The state of being completely confident or sure that something is true.
Example: “Arthur knew, with a cold certainty, that the next time the man appeared, he would be right beside him.”
Similar words: Sureness, conviction, confidence, assurance.
Opposite: Doubt, uncertainty, hesitation.

Frantic (adjective)
Meaning: Done quickly and with a lot of activity, but in a way that is not organised, because you are desperate or worried.
Example: “He could hear the frantic beat of his own heart in his ears.”
Similar words: Wild, desperate, panicked, hectic.
Opposite: Calm, relaxed, measured, leisurely.

Absent (adjective)
Meaning: Not present or existing in a place; missing.
Example: “The tick of the clock on the wall was absent.”
Similar words: Missing, gone, lacking, unavailable.
Opposite: Present, existing, here.

Fade (verb)
Meaning: To slowly become less clear, visible, or loud until it disappears.
Example: “The figure straightened up… and then faded away…”
Similar words: Disappear, vanish, dissolve, diminish, melt away.
Opposite: Appear, materialise, intensify.

Story written by DeepSeek AI.

Image created by aimagicx AI.

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