Pāhonoa te oro

I started hearing something under the floor of my room at night. At first, I didn’t think much of it. Old house… pipes… settling wood… there’s always an explanation if you want one. So I ignored it. But it didn’t stop. Every night, the same thing. Soft sounds under my bed. Not loud. Not random. Consistent. Like something was there… and didn’t care if I noticed it. --- I started paying attention to it. I waited one night, completely still, just listening. And when everything in the