Make Believe

Chapter One: The New House

Seven-year-old Lily Thompson wasn’t fond of the new home. It felt too silent. Each step made the creaky floorboards moan, and her bedroom window overlooked a dense, overgrown wood—like a tangle of secrets murmuring behind the trees.

Her mother told her it was nothing more than her imagination.

“It’s normal, sweetheart,” she reassured. “Big moves are hard.”

Her father barely registered her feelings. He was always caught up at work or hidden behind glowing screens in his study, muttering about deadlines.

So, Lily found someone who would listen.

His name was Mr. Buttons.

Chapter Two: The Game Begins

Mr. Buttons wasn’t like other imaginary friends. He didn’t tell silly jokes or wear eccentric hats. Instead, he dressed in an oversized suit that hung loosely on his wiry frame, and his head appeared stitched together, with button eyes that never blinked.

He first emerged in her drawings: rough sketches of a tall, smiling figure standing in the shadows behind her bed. Then he joined her tea parties, where she poured imaginary cups of water from delicate porcelain, feeling a tremor in her hands when he pretended to sip.

At night, he would whisper unsettling phrases like:

“Don’t trust Mommy.”

“Daddy hides bad things in the basement.”

“I can keep you safe, Lily. Just let me in.”

And every night, Lily would leave her closet door open—just a crack.

Chapter Three: The First Sign

The trouble began with the pets.

Mr. Fluffles, the family cat, was the first victim. Lily discovered him in the dryer—bones askew, eyes wide with terror. Her parents dismissed it as a horrible accident. But that night, Mr. Buttons laughed—a deep, sticky laugh that echoed along the floorboards.

Then came the babysitter. A kind college student named Hannah. One evening, Lily caught Mr. Buttons whispering in Hannah’s ear while she slept on the couch. The next morning, Hannah was gone. The police later found her abandoned car near the lake, and her nails were scraped bare, as though she had desperately tried to claw her way free.

Lily insisted Mr. Buttons was behind it all.

Her parents claimed she was simply disturbed.

Chapter Four: Let Me In

One evening, Lily’s mother heard soft whispers through the baby monitor.

“She’s talking to someone,” she told Lily’s father. “Someone... who talks back.”

He checked the room and found it empty.

But the closet door was wide open.

Scratched into the wood were the words:

LET ME IN.

SHE PROMISED.

I’M HUNGRY.

Chapter Five: The Night Everything Broke

It all came to a head on a stormy night.

Thunder split the sky, and the power suddenly went out.

Lily’s screams pierced the darkness. Her parents rushed into the room, only to find her floating three feet above the floor, her eyes rolled back as her mouth issued a strange, low, unearthly voice.

“You should have let me in,” it rasped.

From the open closet, a dark shape surged—a form with long, reaching fingers and button eyes that glowed like embers. It lunged at them with the speed of a nightmare.

Her father never made it out of the room.

Her mother struggled to escape, carrying Lily into the rain-soaked woods while whispering desperate prayers, clutching her daughter as if she could squeeze the evil out.

Epilogue: The House Stands Still

Three days later, Lily was found wandering alone down a lonely highway, with no memory of what had transpired.

Her mother was never located.

The house was sold cheaply, and no one stayed there for more than a month.

Sometimes, neighbors claim they still see a little girl in the upstairs window, holding a tea cup and staring blankly down.

And in the closet, beneath the floorboards, freshly scratched into the wood, are three simple, chilling words:

"I’m still here."