Midnight Claps: Whispers in the Storm
Hi, I’m Yana. It’s 2 a.m., and I’m alone in the backyard, swinging silently as I write this. Tonight, I’ve decided to share my horror story. It all began one stormy night…
It was the 1st of June, and the clock had just struck midnight. Suddenly, it started to rain heavily. The sound of the rain hitting the roof and windows was loud, like a thousand tiny fingers tapping everywhere at once. The house felt cold and empty, and I was only fifteen years old, left alone because my parents had to go out for some urgent work.

I was sitting in my room, feeling the cold, damp air coming in through the slightly open window. It made my skin tingle with goosebumps. Then, without warning, the electricity went out. The lights flickered for a moment and then everything went dark. The house felt even scarier in the pitch black, as if the darkness was wrapping itself around me.
Even though I was scared, I told myself to stay calm. I carefully made my way to the kitchen, finding my way through the darkness. I found a small torch and some candles. As I lit the candles and placed them around the room, their soft glow created moving shadows on the walls. It felt a little safer with the candle’s light, and the sound of the rain was almost comforting in the silence of the house. Then I went to my room and I tried to focus on my studies, but then something strange happened.
I heard a faint whisper behind me. It sounded like my name, “Yana,” spoken in a chilling, quiet voice. At first, I thought it was just my imagination, maybe the wind or the storm outside. But then, there was a sudden, loud clap that echoed through the room, making me jump. My heart pounded as I turned around quickly, expecting to see someone standing there. But there was no one. The room was empty, and the shadows from the candles flickered calmly as if nothing had happened.

I felt scared, but I knew I had to be brave. I decided to leave my room and see if there was anyone in the house. As I stepped into the hallway, a deep silence surrounded me. The only sound was the soft patter of rain outside. My footsteps echoed as I walked through the empty house, and each creak of the floor made me feel like I wasn’t alone. Despite my fear, I told myself it was just my mind playing tricks on me. After a while, I went back to my room, trying to focus on my work again. But I couldn’t forget the whisper and the clap. They stayed in my mind, making me feel uneasy.
After some time, I felt hungry and decided to go to the kitchen for a snack. I opened the cabinet and found a box of biscuits which had 8 pieces of it. I ate a few and counted how many were left. There were four. But then I remembered—hadn’t I eaten three? My heart skipped a beat. How could there be four biscuits left if I had already eaten three? I felt a chill run down my spine, but I tried to tell myself it was just a mistake.

Just as I was trying to calm down, my dog, Bruno, suddenly started barking loudly. His bark was sharp and alarmed, like he had seen something that frightened him. I jumped in surprise.
Then, out of nowhere, I heard another loud clap, like hands clapping together, coming from somewhere inside the house. My fear grew stronger. I was too scared to move. The kitchen, which felt like a safe place just moments ago, now seemed full of shadows and strange noises.
After a moment, I knew I couldn’t stay there forever. I took a deep breath, gathered all the courage I could, and decided to go back to my room. The hallway was dark and seemed to stretch on forever. Every step I took made the darkness feel heavier, pressing in around me. I kept telling myself that I was safe, that there was nothing to be afraid of. But then, as I almost reached my room, I felt something cold and firm grip my shoulder. It was like an icy hand had grabbed me.
A shiver ran down my spine. My heart started to race. It felt like I was being watched, followed. I wanted to scream, but no sound came out. I broke into a run, racing towards my room. As I ran, I heard footsteps behind me, matching my pace, like someone or something was chasing me. My fear turned into a panic. I reached my room, fumbling with the key as my hands shook. I finally managed to push the door open and rushed inside, slamming the door behind me. I leaned against it, breathing heavily, trying to calm down myself.
I stayed there for what felt like hours, listening for any sound outside the door. But there was only silence. I was too afraid to open the door again. I climbed into bed, pulling the covers over me, wishing for the night to end. I barely slept that night, drifting in and out of uneasy dreams.

The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the doorbell ringing. I got out of bed, still feeling tired and scared, and went to the front door. When I opened it, my parents were standing there. I felt a wave of relief wash over me. They were back. I wanted to tell them everything, about the whisper, the clap, the icy grip on my shoulder, but something stopped me. I wasn’t sure if they would believe me. So, I stayed quiet.
As the day went on, my parents told me that we would be moving to a new house soon. They didn’t say why, but I felt a sense of relief. Maybe in the new house, strange things wouldn’t happen. Maybe I could finally feel safe.
Now, I am in the new house’s backyard, swinging. Wait a minute………………..I am seeing a guy who is waving his hand.
To be continued……………………….part 2 exists.
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