spr | The House in Which Nightmares Dwell 1.3

At the start of the rainy season when the summer set in, the troubles of the mother and daughter became worse

Regardless of whether it was day and night there was the sound of tapping on the window. When they opened the window after the sound of ticking against the glass occurred, no one was there. The window of the neighbouring house faced their side, but even if the window was not within an arm's reach, the knocking sound still happened.

The troubles continued as usual. Although they closed the shutter at an earlier time whenever possible, closed the window neatly and lived life by relying on the cooler, for the five times they could turn on the cooler there was also one time with trouble. What should have been cooling had become heating or it would stop without a cause. Even though they called someone to repair it again many times, the same failures occurred.

"... ...The hot water in the bath was deep red... ... " Midori heaved a sigh.

"Red water, is it?"

"Yes. We thought that perhaps the water had become mixed with rust from the water pipes. The house rattled... ... and again, even though we called a carpenter, he couldn't clear up the cause."

"... ...I see."

"On the other hand the sound of the television has become strange... ... No matter how many times we adjusted the channels, or corrected the antenna's position, strange patterns appeared and the colour became inconsistent. The telephone's crossed wires rapidly became bad, and at times we can't quite hear the voice of the other person."

Saki interrupted.

"In order to call me, Midori made a phone call from a public telephone. The jarring is so bad that a conversation isn't possible."

Midori nodded.

"That's true. -- To make matters worse, lately we've been receiving calls."

Hirota frowned.

"-- Due to the crossed wires?"

"I think so. When the telephone rings, we pick up the receiver, right? After doing that, the noise is terrible, moreover the voice of the other person is very distant. It appears just as if the telephone has crossed wires. -- Do you understand?

"Yes."

"We can hear the voice and understand the voice's pitch, but we don't understand what they say. It appears that our voice cannot be heard and unfortunately the replies are completely different. It looks like the other person doesn't think it's suspicious, while we yell out sentences like I can't hear it, they seem to have given up and cut off the conversation. We have no idea who the conversation partner is, so we thought it wasn't meant for us."

Hirota knit his eyebrows.

"-- And then?"

"That is all. Those things continued and both of us seem to have developed a neurosis. Whenever we call up someone to repair, they make a detestable face. We have a reluctance of making an impossible request and even if if they finally come it soon will be broken again..."

As I thought, I've come to regret it, Midori sighed. If this was a rented house, then they would quickly leave. Midori and Reiko were already fed up with this. However, they couldn't do it easily like that.

"I see. That's what your troubles are."

At Hirota's voice Midori hesitated to say it a little, so she took a light breath once again, sighed and opened her mouth.

"... ... On top of that, mother became strange lately."

Midori supported her cheeks with her palms by putting both elbows on the table. As it is she wanted to conceal her face.

"She told me that someone is watching from the window outside. That there is someone outside the window or something. There's no way there is someone is there. There is no space for a person to fit in, because it was from the second floor. She says it comes from the voice from the telephone's crossed wires."

Because Reiko complained about it very seriously Midori tried to strain her ears many times over, but she only understood the yelling about something and no matter what they were saying she couldn't comprehend it at all.

"She insisted that the water of the bathtub too was blood. Surely it was red, but it had a metallic smell, so it's natural that it would be rust. Even though I say that she says it's blood and wouldn't hear of anything else. ... ... Although there's a lot of resounding sounds from the neighbours, she says it's not from the neighbours, but that it is something inside our house."

"Something?"

Midori nodded.

"The footsteps of a person, voices and such that can be heard. Even if I say that these are resounding noises from the neighbours, mother keeps to her opinion that what we heard came from inside the house. There's no way what we're hearing comes from inside the house, right? Because apart from mother and I, nobody else lives in the house."

Without commenting on anything Hirota firmly stared at Midori's face.

"Such a thing can't happen, right? ... ...But," Midori covered her face with the palms of her hands. "... ...But, I also have heard things that seem to come from inside the house."

Saki, who had been quiet and listening, exhaled.

"And that's the reason you called me up at my place."

Hirota remained silent.

"I think this is completely abnormal. Wouldn't you think that the house is haunted by something? Furthermore, paralysis happened, the seeing of strange shadows, and so forth."

Hirota didn't look at Saki, but glanced towards Midori.

"Is it like that?"

Midori nodded a little.

"Mother says she has been paralysed many times."

"And Agawa-san?"

"I as well have... ... many times... ... But, it's something that happens often... ..."

Hirota nodded.

"Certainly, it's a frequent thing. -- And the shadows?"

Midori shook her head.

"I haven't seen it. But, mother told me she has the feeling of having seen something. Many times in the mirrors inside the house. Inside that mirrors a person is reflected. Because she hated it, the mirrors have been completely covered by a curtain.

Hey, Saki said, "Isn't it strange? Besides, among the previous people who lived there, there was one person who committed suicide."

"Is that so?"

When Hirota asked Midori, she nodded. When she had heard of it, she didn't know, but she heard it from Sasakura's wife next door that such a thing happened.

"I think there's definitely something there."

Hirota shortly glanced at Saki. After that he sighed once.

"-- Agawa-san."

Yes, Midori said as she raised her face.

"I don't think this is particularly strange."

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