"It was getting louder. Sobrang lakas na ng boses, parang hindi na siya nagtatago. And the worst part? I wasn’t sure if it was all in my head."
There was no denying it now—there was something in the house, lurking just out of sight. Pero di ko alam kung tao ba o hindi. Days had passed since my first experiment, and every day since then, the whispers grew stronger, closer. The door was no longer content with silence. It wanted to be heard.
I woke up in the middle of the night, again, the same strange sensation creeping over my skin. The air felt thick, almost suffocating. There were no windows open, pero ramdam ko ang bigat ng malamig na hangin. It clung to me, wrapping around my arms, my neck, like it was alive.
"Anong nangyayari?" I whispered to myself, but even my voice sounded too loud in the silence of the room. It was too quiet. The kind of quiet na hindi mo basta-basta binabalewala.
I had tried to stay away from the door. God, I really did. Sinubukan kong mag-focus on my studies, distract myself with anything—movies, games, kahit anong nakakapagpalipas ng oras. But every time I closed my eyes, the door was there, in my mind, just waiting for me to acknowledge it.
Every creak of the floorboards, every soft breeze brushing against my face, reminded me of that space. It’s calling you, Aelion, I could almost hear a voice say. You know you can’t ignore it forever.
"Focus ka lang, Aelion," I muttered to myself as I sat at my desk, trying to read an article for class. Quantum mechanics. Dapat ito ang ginagawa ko. Pero kahit anong gawin ko, ang hirap na mag-concentrate. I looked at the door, half-expecting it to move, to open on its own.
Paranoia was starting to take over. Or was it?
That evening, I received a message from Eli, one of my close friends from class.
Eli: "Yo, dude! Kamusta na? We haven’t seen you sa uni for days. Everything okay?"
I stared at the message, feeling the weight of isolation. Everything wasn’t okay. Nothing was. I hadn’t been to class in what felt like forever. Hindi ko na nga alam kung anong napag-usapan in the last few lectures.
Me: "Yeah, all good. Just… dealing with something. Alam mo na, uni stress."
A lame excuse, but it worked. I didn’t want to drag anyone into this mess. Kahit ako, hindi ko na maintindihan kung ano talaga ang nangyayari. How could I explain it to someone else? "Hey Eli, so there’s this weird door in my house that’s whispering my name—any thoughts?"
Day 10: The whispers got louder.
By now, I had grown accustomed to them. In a weird way, they became a part of my routine. Every night, like clockwork, the door would hum with energy, and the voices—barely more than a murmur—would creep through the cracks. Pero iba ngayon. I heard something clear, like someone was right beside me.
“Aelion…”
Napatingin ako agad sa paligid, heart racing. "Sino ‘yon?!" I shouted into the emptiness. My own voice echoed back at me. There was no answer, of course. Just the sound of my panicked breathing.
Nanginginig ako sa takot, but deep down, something else was stirring. Curiosity. This was the first time I had heard it so clearly, and as much as I wanted to run, I couldn’t. Parang magnet ‘yung pinto. Hinahatak ako.
"Is this what you want?" I asked aloud, eyes fixed on the door. "You want me to open it?"
The room felt like it was holding its breath, waiting. I moved closer, almost drawn by some invisible thread.
"Okay, okay, kalma lang," I told myself. I had done enough research to know how dangerous this could be. Baka mag-collapse na ako if I opened that door. But I couldn’t just stand there, doing nothing. If I was going to figure this out, I had to act.
I grabbed my camera, set up my equipment again, but this time with a clearer purpose. The previous experiment wasn’t enough. Hindi pwedeng makuha ko lang ang mga senseless readings. I had to see something. I had to catch these whispers in action.
The moment I pressed record, the temperature dropped again. Pero hindi tulad nung dati, this time, there was movement—barely perceptible, but I caught it. Something shifted in the corner of the room.
The door… It moved.
I watched in disbelief as the knob twitched, ever so slightly, as if being turned by an unseen hand. The hair on my arms stood on end.
I recorded everything, my heart hammering in my chest. I wanted to run, but I forced myself to stay. I had to know. The whispers grew louder, building to a crescendo.
“Aelion…” The voice was clearer now. There was no mistaking it.
The night stretched on, and with each passing hour, I felt the presence behind the door growing stronger, almost like it was coming to life. This wasn’t just a door anymore. It was a gateway to something I couldn’t explain, but I could feel it—just on the other side.
For a moment, I felt an overwhelming urge to open it, to finally see what was waiting for me beyond the threshold. Pero something inside me—instinct, maybe—told me to wait.
This wasn’t the right time.
There were more answers to find. The whispers weren’t done talking yet.
As I stood there, frozen, I knew one thing for sure: Whatever was behind that door wasn’t going to wait much longer.
Day 11: The walls have eyes.
Or at least, that’s what it felt like. May mga araw na hindi ko na kayang ignorahin. Parang lahat ng sulok ng bahay, every shadow, was watching me, silently waiting. Kahit saan ako magpunta, kahit mag-shower ako or mag-luto ng instant ramen—may presence. Parang may hindi ako kasamang tao pero nararamdaman ko siya.
I paced around the living room, trying to shake the feeling, but it was useless. Nakakaloka. Parang mala-horror movie vibe na sa utak ko. Was I going insane? Sino bang makakausap ko about this without sounding like I needed a one-way ticket to a mental hospital? Even Eli wouldn’t believe me, and he was the type to believe in conspiracy theories.
Hindi ako mapakali. I grabbed my phone, scrolling through TikTok to distract myself, pero wala ring kwenta. There was a sound—a soft shuffle—just outside my peripheral vision, like someone… or something, moving. Lurking.
"Okay, Aelion, stop being so dramatic," I whispered to myself, pero deep inside, my heart was pounding. Seryoso na ‘to.
My phone buzzed. Eli again.
Eli: "Dude, you good? It’s been days, bro. You still up for that quantum mechanics collab?"
I ignored it. May mas malaking problema ako ngayon kesa sa school projects. My brain was screaming at me that the door was trying to communicate. Ang labo, pero at the same time, everything was becoming too real. Hindi na ‘to simpleng imagination.
Day 12: The whispers spoke my name again.
"Open it."
That was the first time I’d ever heard the words so clearly. No longer just a whisper, but almost like a command.
Putangina. My whole body froze.
"Huwag mo kong ganunin," I mumbled, my hands trembling. But even I knew na hindi ko na ito matatakasan. Whatever this was—this thing—it wasn’t going away.
I don’t know what possessed me to finally approach the door. Maybe it was the weeks of tension building up. Maybe it was the fact that, deep down, I was tired of pretending like I could still live normally. Like this door wasn’t driving me crazy every day.
This wasn’t normal. Nothing about this was normal.
I walked slowly, one hesitant step at a time, my heartbeat thundering in my chest. The temperature dropped as I got closer. As in, super lamig—parang aircon set to 16 degrees, but I was nowhere near any vents. My breath misted in the air. Literal chills, bro.
The whispers came back, louder, like they were pushing me forward. Every fiber of my being screamed danger, pero kahit alam kong mali, I couldn’t stop. This was beyond logic. It was something primal.
I reached out for the doorknob, my fingers brushing the cold brass. Ang bigat ng hangin, as if the very air around me was holding its breath. Naramdaman ko ang panginginig ng kamay ko. Tumingin ako around the room, half expecting someone to jump out of the shadows.
But it was just me and the door.
"Okay, let's do this," I whispered. And I turned the knob.
Nothing.
It didn’t open. Hindi gumalaw. I twisted harder, trying to force it, but it wouldn’t budge. Parang there was some invisible lock keeping it sealed shut. I banged on the wood, my palms slapping it in frustration.
"Anong gusto mong gawin ko?!" I shouted. "I’m here, okay? You win. Ano ba talagang gusto mo?"
The whispers didn’t answer this time. There was just silence. Deafening silence.
I backed away, panting. My pulse was racing, my head spinning from adrenaline. It was too much, too fast. Was this some kind of trick? The door was clearly mocking me, pushing me closer only to shut me down.
"Okay, fine. I’ll figure this out." I grabbed my notebook and started scribbling down ideas. This was the scientist in me kicking in. Hindi lang ito basta-bastang door. There was something else at play here—something more complex, beyond just physics.
Days passed, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that the door had a mind of its own. Every time I passed by it, I could feel it watching me, silently daring me to try again. But I couldn’t.
Not yet.
Day 15: Something was wrong. I woke up in the middle of the night, heart pounding in my chest. The air was thick again, pero iba ngayon. There was a sense of urgency, like something bad was about to happen.
I got out of bed, my feet hitting the cold wooden floor. The house was dark, save for a faint light coming from the hallway. Weird. I never left any lights on.
I crept forward, feeling my pulse quicken with each step. The whispers were back, but this time, they weren’t coming from the door. They were… coming from the shadows.
Putangina, what was happening now?
I reached the hallway, and that’s when I saw it. A shadow—but it wasn’t mine. It moved, independently, slithering across the wall like a living thing. Parang it was alive, reaching out towards the door.
My breath caught in my throat.
I watched, paralyzed, as the shadow seemed to stretch and warp, forming a vaguely human shape. No face, no features, just a dark silhouette. But I could feel its eyes—its focus—on me.
"Aelion," it whispered, and my whole body went cold.
The shadow paused, its form flickering, as if deciding what to do next. And then, in one fluid motion, it slid towards the door, merging with it like ink spreading across paper.
The door began to hum, a soft vibration that resonated through the house. The air crackled with electricity, like the world was on the verge of something—something huge. I backed away, my breath catching in my throat. What was happening?
I knew, without a doubt, that this was far from over.
Whatever was behind that door… it was coming for me.