Don’t mind the knocking in the walls. That’s just the sound of the old radiators acting up again. Don’t mind the moaning in the attic. That’s just the old gable shifting in the wind. Don’t mind the creak of the stairs even when no one is there. This house is very old and all of the boards creak when it shifts and settles. Don’t mind the tapping on the windows. That’s just the rain that the weather station forgot to forecast. Don’t mind the hissing in the upstairs bathroom. The pipes are as old as the house and they make that sound from time to time. Don’t mind the scratching by the back door. There’s an old stray who likes to get your attention; ignore him and he’ll go away. And don’t mind the thumping in the basement. By the time you find out what it is, it won’t matter, anyways. Nothing will. Entry for writer's contest