Strange neighbors

One day, a young boy named Fionn walked back home with his backpack over his shoulder, humming absentmindedly until he stopped upon seeing a large moving truck parked right next to his house.

"Ah... new neighbors?"

Young Fionn considered himself a completely normal boy leading an ordinary life, until an unexpected change in his surroundings led him to pay particular attention to his new neighbors.

"They look pretty nice."

At first glance, they seemed like a typical and charming family: an exemplary mother, an attentive son, and a sweet housemaid.

"No way... What was that? I could swear I saw a giant shadow on their wall... No, no, it was probably just the reflection of the trees... I need to stop going to bed so late..."

But as the days went by, it became distressingly obvious that there was absolutely nothing normal about that house.

"Please, allow me to help you with that! Don't worry, it's no trouble at all."

The boy with silver hair and white eyes, who appeared to be around his age, acted like a true angel in public.

"That's what neighbors are for, right? Have a wonderful day!"

Whenever he walked down the street, he smiled gently, greeted people politely, and compassionately offered to help anyone in need.

"Wait... who is he talking to right now? There's no one there."

However, behind that perfect facade, he hid deeply disturbing eccentricities.

"Ah?! What do you mean the salt is unbalanced?! I know perfectly well what I'm doing, leave me alone!"

Fionn watched him from his window performing complex tasks like an adult, cooking incredible dishes, and thoroughly cleaning the property.

"Shut up! I'm not exaggerating! If I don't clean this corner right now, the fate of the entire world will crumble! You don't understand anything!"

But he often stopped mid-work to argue heatedly with the open air or shout strange phrases into nothingness, as if talking to an invisible spectator.

"Hey, don't judge me! This is necessary for the plot!"

Those words usually echoed in the empty yard.

"I told you not to look at me with that face! I already know I have to finish dinner! Stop pressuring me!"

And as if that weren't enough...

"...Damned noisy cockroaches... If one of them passes by just once more... I swear I'll tear it apart with my own hands until there's nothing left."

Whenever a truck roared down the street, the boy's compassionate smile vanished instantly, replaced by a gaze of pure, murderous hatred.

"Good morning! What a joy to run into you. I hope we haven't caused too much trouble with the moving noise."

The mother, on the other hand, was the very picture of perfection to the community.

"I've brought you this little gift as a token of our appreciation for such a warm welcome."

Lilith presented herself to others with impeccable elegance, refined manners, and a soft tone of voice that charmed every adult in the neighborhood.

"Ah... Finally. What a hassle having to pretend all day... That damned fake smile is going to ruin my face."

Nonetheless, in the privacy of her home, reality was radically different.

"It's so hot... Good thing that in here I can throw appearances out the window."

Whenever Fionn sneaked a peek through his window to glance at the house next door, he almost always saw her walking around the living room completely naked or wearing only a loose shirt, calmly smoking and drinking beer like a delinquent sprawled on the couch.

"Hey, brat, bring me another beer..."

And without exception, she could be heard shouting in a lazy voice, acting entirely dependent on her own son.

"Why is she walking around like that in her own living room?! Someone could see her!"

That was the first time young Fionn experienced his sexual awakening...

"Understood. Sara will proceed with the cleaning right now."

...But unfortunately, that was not the end of it.

"..."

The last member of the family was a maid who always maintained the same completely expressionless poker face, with a deeply empty gaze that gave Fionn constant chills.

"It's just not normal... She doesn't blink, she doesn't smile, she doesn't even change her tone of voice when she speaks... Besides..."

But what ultimately terrified him was watching the maid go out to the backyard every morning, kneeling like a dog to relieve herself on the lawn while loudly uttering humiliating phrases about herself, repeating degrading behaviors throughout the day.

"Sara is stupid, useless trash who doesn't even deserve to use the toilet like humans. May the earth absorb my farts!"

It was that very experience that irreversibly distorted young Fionn's sexual preferences and his perception of the world from that moment on...

"What on earth is she doing?! On the grass?! What kind of weird people moved in next door?!"

...However, what completely shattered his worldview...

"?!"

...was seeing the maid lift a gigantic boulder with a single hand just to clean underneath it, keeping her face blank without showing the slightest effort.

"...They are definitely not human... No normal person can do that!"

As a result, terrified by all of it, he desperately tried to warn his parents about the anomalies occurring next door.

"Mom, Dad, I'm serious, the maid lifts giant rocks and the mother walks around naked!"

However, unfortunately, in response his parents merely smiled patronizingly.

"Son, stop making up stories about the neighbors."

To them, Lilith was a distinguished lady, Mireya a polite boy, and the maid a very hard-working young woman.

"They are lovely people."

Because of that, gripped by panic, little Fionn tried to seek help from the police or anyone else on the street, but every time he opened his mouth with that intention, his body froze completely.

<"I would hate to silence a young boy... However, I cannot allow you to reveal those secrets.">

And on every occasion, little Fionn experienced an icy sensation running down his spine, feeling the suffocating presence of a giant serpent staring intently at him from the shadows, even when there was nothing there.

"...What should I do?"

Left with no other choice, Fionn had no option but to remain on high alert, constantly watching his strange and dangerous neighbors.

"Hey, Echidna... Is it just my imagination, or is that kid spying on us...?"

Especially since his fear multiplied upon noticing how, during the darkest nights, tiny and sinister figures that appeared to be made of straw moved stealthily across the windows in the moonlight...

<"It must be your imagination. Besides, the fish is cooked to perfection.">

...From then on, the boy's paranoia only grew...

"Huh... Oh, no... My fish?!"

...And that was how Fionn had his very first, involuntary contact with the paranormal.