Emily and Jay had been together for 6 years before marriage and 4 years now after marriage and had been trying for a child ever since. They tried everything possible but were all to no avail.
After many struggles, Emily finally conceived.
The pregnancy was going perfectly, and the doctor assured them that it was going to be a success.
Emily, hopeful, suggested they move to a new house to start anew, and Jay agreed.
They moved into Elly's street, which was quite calm and perfect for a fresh start.
They moved into the only available house, which had been vacant for some time. The house wasn't new, but it was alright. The only weird thing was their neighbor Kacy, who never greeted them and acted strange whenever she saw them.
Unknown to them, their creepy neighbor was the least of their problems, and it was just the beginning.
Sadly, close to her due date, Emily had a stillbirth. It affected her so much; she would cry all night and stay in the room they prepared for their child.
Emily couldn't cope with the loss and opted for them to adopt. But Jay didn't approve because he saw Emily was hurt and not thinking straight. He believed they could still have a child of their own.
When Emily kept on pushing, Jay agreed for them to go to the orphanage, but only just to find a possible choice when they were ready. He wasn't going to adopt until he was sure Emily was okay. They got to the orphanage, and immediately Emily saw this cute little girl, Lisa; they connected easily. Even Jay was surprised at how he cozied up to the girl in just minutes with her. If they ever ended up adopting, it was going to be Lisa.
A few days passed by, and Emily started to recover; the happiness she felt from the few minutes with Lisa also helped significantly in her recovery.
Sadly, everything came tumbling down when suddenly Jay died from a heart disease that was never diagnosed, and he had never shown any signs or symptoms. It was like it appeared from nowhere.
Emily was downtrodden by her loss. First her baby and now Jay — she felt cursed. She spent days mourning — more than a month mourning Jay. After the burial, both Jay's and Emily's family came to her house to comfort her and offer whatever help they could, but she resisted everyone.
“Goodbye, Ma,” Emily kissed her mom goodbye, the last person to leave.
As her mom's SUV drove away, no longer blocking the view of the opposite house, she saw her weird neighbor just standing and staring at her like she was studying a discovered creature. It gave Emily the chills, and she went in immediately.
Emily had a dream of her, Jay, and Lisa happy together that night. When she woke up, she wished she never did. And without much thought, she went to adopt Lisa. She told herself, “This is what Jay would want; maybe that is the meaning of the dream.” Deep inside, she felt Lisa was going to be the cure for her pain.
She got to the orphanage, and she was hit with the horrible news. Lisa's heart had ceased just days ago. Emily felt her heart ache; she was sure she was a curse now.
She sat and cried. The pain was just too much. When did her life suddenly turn into such a nightmare?
“Hi,” a little voice said as a soft little hand touched Emily. She raised her head as she cleaned her tears — it was a little girl.
“Hi there. What is your name?”
“Lucy.”
“Oh hey, Lucy,” Emily said as she smiled for the first time in a while.
And just like that, they had a chat. Emily couldn't exactly remember the chat, but they connected, and the next thing she knew, she saw herself signing adoption papers. She looked at Lucy, who she was holding, and Lucy was more than happy to be her child.
Emily took Lucy home. She didn't share the news of the adoption because she knew neither her family nor Jay would agree with her decision. Lucy was like sunshine. She lit up every part of Emily's life, and Emily hardly had a sad moment with Lucy — it was all like a dream, almost like the one she had.
One day, while she and Lucy were playing with Lucy's dolls, the doorbell rang. Emily answered the door, and to her surprise, it was her creepy neighbor.
“Hi, I am Susan, your neighbor,” she said with a fake smile.
“Can I come in? It's quite cold out here,” Susan said.
“Oh, I guess,” Emily said, still shocked.
The moment Susan saw Lucy, she stared at her with fear in her eyes, and her hands began to tremble.
Emily noticed it, and she saw Lucy wasn't comfortable with the stares, so she sent Lucy away. “Honey, go bring a glass of water for the visitor.”
Lucy went into the kitchen.
“How can I help…” Emily was asking when Susan grabbed her by the arm and started dragging her towards the door. “Let go of me,” Emily struggled, but she was weak.
“She is dead; the child is dead,” the deranged-looking Susan kept pulling.
Emily got out of the grip when they reached the door, but then noticed she could only because Susan was now distracted. Susan's demeanor changed, and she was now scared and trembling again, staring behind Emily.
Emily turned and saw Lucy behind her with a knife. “Baby, put the knife down. Lucy, listen to me.”
Lucy held the knife out to her, tears running down her cheeks.
“Mummy, kill her…”
Emily froze, her body stiff, and her mind raced, completely ill at ease with the impossible sight before her.
Susan took the opportunity and yanked Emily by her shirt. The moment Emily crossed the house threshold, Lucy vanished. She tried running back, but Susan stopped her. “She is dead.”
Susan took Emily to her place and explained everything to Emily, who thought she was going crazy.
Susan had moved into the neighborhood just shortly after the former occupant of Emily's house, Lucy, had died from a heart disease (the same that killed Jay). Her mother and dad were brutally killed. Lucy's spirit never left; it couldn't leave the house but could manipulate one's mind inside the house and feed on grief and loneliness.
But if so, does it mean Lisa's heart-caused death was a coincidence?
No — Emily had never left the house after her mom left. It was Lucy manipulating her mind all that time.
Emily stayed with Susan and slowly recovered. She went back to the orphanage and adopted Lisa, and they both lived with Susan.
But Emily didn't stop renewing the house rent. She and Susan made sure they locked the house, making sure no one ever entered as long as they could.
But Emily still swears she hears whispers of Lucy some nights, begging, “Mommy, come back…”
