In the middle of the night, I received a package with no return address.
Inside was nothing but a strange wooden carving of a figure hugging its knees. It felt ice-cold to the touch.
From then on, every night, I heard knocking from inside my closet.
My appliances went haywire, and photos of it crouching in a corner inexplicably appeared in my photo album.
I threw it into the river, called in an exorcist, and changed the locks.
The next day, it was back at the head of my bed, completely unharmed.
The bronze bell the exorcist gave me to ward off evil was looped around its finger. It gently shook it at me.
Now its raised head has tilted a little more.
In the darkness, it seems... to be smiling at me.
It says, "Time for the next round of the game."
