Ellen moved to Brighton for a new job. The city was busy but she liked the sea air. She found a small flat to rent above a bakery. It was cheap because the last tenant left suddenly. The landlord said, “He found work in London,” but he did not look at her when he spoke.

The flat had one bedroom, a kitchen, and a guest room. Ellen did not need a guest room. She put boxes in there and closed the door. That first night, she woke at 3:12 a.m. She heard a soft tapping. Tap. Tap. Tap. It came from the guest room.

She told herself it was the old pipes. The building was from 1920. Old buildings make noise. But the next night, the tapping came again at 3:12 a.m. This time it was louder. Tap. Tap. TAP.

On the third night, Ellen put her ear to the guest room door. The tapping stopped. Then a voice whispered, “Ellen.” It was her own voice. Cold fear ran through her body. She opened the door fast and turned on the light. The room was empty. Just her boxes.

She called her friend Mark. He said, “You are stressed from the new job. Get some sleep.” But Ellen could not sleep. At 3:12 a.m., the whisper came again. “Ellen, let me out.” It was still her voice, but wrong. Flat. Empty.

On Friday, Ellen stayed with Mark. No tapping. No voice. She felt safe. On Saturday she returned to the flat. The guest room door was open. She was sure she had locked it. Inside, her boxes were gone. In the centre of the floor was a circle of salt. Inside the circle, written in red, were the words: WELCOME HOME.

Ellen ran from the flat. She did not stop until she reached the police station. Two officers went back with her. The guest room was empty. No salt. No writing. Just dust. One officer said, “Maybe you imagined it, miss. Stress can do that.”

Ellen did not go back. She slept on Mark’s sofa for a week and found a new flat. Two months later, she saw her old landlord in the street. He looked thin and ill. He grabbed her arm. “It got out, didn’t it?” he said. “I heard the bakery closed. The new tenant disappeared.”

Ellen pulled away and walked fast. That night, at 3:12 a.m., her phone lit up. A message from her own number. It said: “The guest room is nice. But I like your new bedroom better.”

Ellen did not answer. She packed a bag, left the city before sunrise, and never used that phone number again. She still wakes at 3:12 a.m. Sometimes she hears tapping from inside the walls of any room she sleeps in. She knows the guest is still looking for her. But she will never open the door again.

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Vocabulary Notes

Tenant
Meaning: A person who pays money to live in or use a building or room that belongs to someone else.
Example: “It was cheap because the last tenant left suddenly.”
Similar words: renter, occupant, lodger
Extra example: The new tenant in my apartment is very quiet.

Whisper
Meaning: To speak very quietly, using your breath rather than your voice, so only someone close can hear you.
Example: “Then a voice whispered, ‘Ellen.’”
Similar words: murmur, mutter, speak softly
Extra example: Please do not whisper in the library – use your normal voice.

Grab
Meaning: To take hold of someone or something suddenly and firmly.
Example: “He grabbed her arm.”
Similar words: seize, clutch, grip
Extra example: I had to grab my bag quickly because the bus was leaving.

Disappear
Meaning: To stop being visible or to go away so that you cannot be found.
Example: “The new tenant disappeared.”
Similar words: vanish, go missing, fade away
Extra example: My keys keep disappearing when I am late for work.

Pack
Meaning: To put your clothes and other things into a bag or suitcase because you are going somewhere.
Example: “She packed a bag, left the city before sunrise…”
Similar words: prepare luggage, get ready to leave, collect your things
Extra example: You should pack warm clothes if you are going to Scotland in winter.

Story written by Meta.

Animation created by Meta.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads.

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