18/05/2025
The Secret of the New Neighbor
It all started with a scream.
Not loud, not longâjust enough to freeze my blood for a second. It came from the old grey house next door, the one that had been empty for years. But last week, someone finally moved in. A man. Tall, quiet, with dark hair and a smile that could melt glass. Everyone called him Mr. Hale. I called him the mystery.
I first saw him in the garden, hands deep in the soil, planting red roses. He caught me staring and waved. Something about his eyes made my heart skip. Kind, but haunted.
âHi,â he said one day, stepping to the fence. âIâm Mike.â
âEmmanuella â I replied, tucking a strand of hair behind my ear.
After that, we spoke every evening. He was smart, funny, and always seemed to know what I needed to hear. But behind his smileđ, there was somethingâŠđ„ș hidden.
Then came the scream.
I rushed to his door, heart racing. He opened it, pale and trembling.
âAre you okay?â I asked.
He hesitated. âYes. Just... a bad dream.â
But I saw itâblood on his sleeve.
The next day, I returned. I couldnât let it go. âWhat happened last night?â
He sighed and led me inside.
The house was colder than it should be. In the living room sat an old painting of a womanâbeautiful, with eyes like mine.
âThatâs Elena,â he said. âMy wife. She died two years ago. This house was hers.â
I stared. âShe looks⊠exactly like me.â
He nodded slowly. âThatâs why I came back. When I saw you, I thought I was losing my mind. Youâre her mirror.â
My chest tightened. âYou think Iâm her?â
âNo,â he said gently. âBut I loved her. And Iâm starting to⊠care about youđ„°.â
My heart swelledâand shattered all at once.
âBut the scream,â I whispered.
He looked down. âI hear her sometimes. In dreams. In this house. I think⊠I think she never left.â
I didnât know what to believe. Ghosts? Or grief?
That night, I dreamt of the painting. The womanâs eyes moved. She whispered, âSave him.â
I woke in cold sweat and ran next door.
Mike was in the living room, unconscious. A gas leak. I pulled him out just in time.
When he woke, he whispered, âYou saved me.â
âNo,â I said, staring back at the house. âShe did.â
From that day, the screams stopped. The roses bloomed brighter. And Mikeâhe smiled like a man free.
We fell in love, not because of the mystery, but because of the truth we found in each other.
The secret of the new neighbor wasnât just about ghostsđ±.
It was about letting go of the past⊠and finding loveâ€ïž in the most unexpected place. Please like, share and fo_llow Lizzyejerinma page for more interesting stories â€ïž you.