House Rules: No Going Outside

My mom set three house rules for me:

1. After 10 p.m., don’t leave your bedroom.

2. If you hear chopping in the kitchen, don’t get curious. That isn’t Mom.

3. If you see your “sister” going back to her room, pretend to be asleep immediately.

I thought she was just being strict.

Then, through a crack in the door, I saw a woman who looked exactly like Mom, chopping a piece of black meat with a cleaver in the kitchen.

And my “sister” was crawling across the ceiling, her limbs twisted, smiling at me.

Now Mom is standing outside my door, holding a plate of that meat and gently calling my name.

Should I open the door?