Nana was still standing motionless in the middle of the old room. Her breathing felt heavy. She stared at the tightly closed door, listening to a voice that sounded like her mother's from the other side.
"Nana, open the door."
The voice came again.
Dita moved closer and whispered,
"Was that really your mom's voice?"
Nana didn't answer right away.
She tried to remember the way her mother spoke. The way her mother called her name. The way her mother always sounded worried whenever something happened.
But the voice outside felt different.
"It sounds similar," Nana answered softly.
Dita swallowed.
"Similar doesn't mean the same."
Those words made Nana even more certain that she shouldn't open the door.
The two of them slowly backed away.
Suddenly, the doorknob moved.
Slowly.
As if someone outside was trying to open it.
Nana immediately grabbed Dita's hand.
"Don't make a sound."
They hid behind the large wardrobe in the corner of the room.
A few seconds later, the doorknob stopped moving.
The room fell silent again.
Then they heard footsteps moving away.
Nana waited a long while before finally coming out of hiding.
"I need to make sure of something."
Dita stared at her.
"Where are you going?"
"Downstairs."
They slowly opened the bedroom door.
The hallway was empty.
There was no one there.
Nana hurried toward the stairs.
When she reached the living room, she immediately saw her mother sitting on the couch.
Her mother's face looked confused.
"Nana?"
Nana stopped.
"Mom?"
Her mother stood up.
"Where have you been? I've been looking for you this whole time."
Nana studied her mother carefully.
"This whole time?"
"Yes. I just went into your room, but you weren't there."
A chill ran through Nana's body.
"Mom, did you come upstairs earlier?"
Her mother furrowed her brow.
"No."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes. Why?"
Nana looked toward the stairs.
Dita, standing behind her, also looked pale.
"Mom, someone was standing outside the old room earlier."
Her mother's expression instantly changed.
"What?"
"They called my name."
Her mother stepped closer.
"What did the voice sound like?"
Nana fell silent for a moment.
"It sounded like you."
Her mother immediately stepped back.
Fear flashed across her face.
"That's impossible."
Nana watched her mother.
"What's wrong, Mom?"
Her mother didn't answer.
She hurried to the table and picked up the old wooden box she'd shown Nana before.
With trembling hands, she opened it.
"There's something I haven't told you yet."
Nana and Dita looked at each other.
"What?"
Her mother took out an old photograph.
The photograph showed Rani with a little girl.
Nana took it.
"Who is that?"
Her mother was silent for a long time.
"That's you."
Nana was stunned.
"Me?"
"Yes."
Nana looked more closely at the photograph.
She really was still a little girl in it.
But what confused her was the background.
The photograph had been taken in front of the old room.
And the room's door could be seen behind them.
But there was something strange.
Through the door's small window, it looked like someone was standing there.
"No way..." Nana whispered.
Dita looked at the photograph too.
"Who's behind you?"
Her mother took the photograph back.
"That's why I've always forbidden you from going near that room."
Nana stared at her mother.
"Did I ever go in there when I was little?"
Her mother nodded slowly.
"You were five years old at the time."
"Then what happened?"
Her mother sat down.
"You disappeared for almost an hour."
Nana fell silent.
"I disappeared?"
"Yes. We all searched for you. In the end, you were found sitting inside that room."
Nana's head filled with questions.
"But I don't remember."
"You don't. After that day, you never remembered what happened."
Nana held her head.
A strange feeling began to surface.
As if a part of her childhood had gone missing.
"Why is everything coming back now?"
Her mother looked toward the second floor.
"Because maybe something that happened back then hasn't ended yet."
That night, Nana couldn't stop thinking about any of it.
She sat in her room, looking at the old photograph.
So many things didn't make sense.
Why had she ever gone into that room?
Why had Rani written about the knocking?
And why was something in that house calling her name?
Dita, who was still staying to keep Nana company, sat in a chair near the window.
"Are you okay?"
Nana nodded slowly.
"I just feel like there's a part of my life I don't know about."
Dita looked at the photograph in Nana's hand.
"Maybe your memories are coming back little by little."
Nana gazed at the night sky.
"I'm scared the answer will be worse than I imagined."
Dita was silent for a moment.
"But you can't keep living with questions either."
Nana gave a small smile.
"You always know how to make me brave."
"That's what friends are for."
They shared a quiet laugh.
But the laughter stopped when a sound came from the second floor.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Nana immediately looked toward the stairs.
The sound came again.
But this time, it was different.
It wasn't coming from the old room.
It wasn't coming from the wardrobe.
The sound was coming from Nana's own room.
Knock.
Knock.
Knock.
Dita stood up.
"Nana..."
Nana slowly turned toward her bedroom door.
The door was closed.
Even though they were sure it had been open before.
A small voice came from behind it.
"Nana..."
It wasn't her mother's voice.
It wasn't a stranger's voice.
Nana knew that voice.
It was her own voice.
A voice like a little child's.
"Little Nana..." Nana whispered.
Dita stared at her.
"What did you hear?"
Nana didn't answer.
Because from behind her bedroom door, the voice came again.
"Do you remember me now?"