Pāhonoa te oro

I didn’t turn around. I couldn’t. The sound of the lock clicking… Echoed in my head. Slowly… Very slowly… The door creaked open. I could feel it behind me. Standing there. Waiting. Then— Footsteps. Inside my room. Not in the hallway. Not outside. Inside. Right behind me. And then… My own voice. Right next to my ear. Soft. Calm. Smiling. “You can go now.” I blinked. And suddenly— I was standing in the hallway. Alone. My door was closed. Everything looked normal. No e