0:00

The summer she turned 11, my

0:02

sister saw a ghost. I

0:04

was 17 at the time. We had

0:06

just moved to a new town and were

0:08

getting ready for the academic year at a new school.

0:11

Practically a new life. So I

0:14

didn't believe Molly when she told me about the

0:16

face looking in her window at night. Worse

0:19

than not believing her,

0:20

I was dismissive. I

0:22

told myself I had too much going on in my

0:25

world to play along with such a silly

0:27

childish fear. But Molly

0:30

was right. And if I believed her,

0:32

maybe things wouldn't have gone as bad

0:34

as they did. David,

0:36

it's back. I put down my

0:38

phone and rolled my eyes. It

0:41

was our first week in the new house. Mom

0:43

was out and I wasn't

0:45

in the mood to deal with Molly's nightmares for

0:48

a second night in a row. Go

0:50

to bed! I yelled, thumping

0:52

on the wall between our shared rooms. Molly

0:55

was silent for a moment and I went back

0:57

on my phone. I was watching

1:00

TikToks from all of my old friends back in

1:02

California, celebrating summer vacation.

1:05

It looked like they were having fun.

1:07

And there I was, stuck in Maryland, 3,000

1:09

miles from anybody I knew.

1:14

The raw hysteria in Molly's voice ripped

1:16

me out of bed. I ran to a room

1:18

next door, feet barely touching the carpet.

1:21

I never heard my sister or anyone

1:24

sound that scared. For

1:26

a terrible moment, her door wouldn't open. I

1:29

was worried it was locked, but it moved

1:31

when I put a shoulder into it. The room

1:34

was dark, only moonlight leaking

1:36

in through one window. The bed

1:38

was empty. Molly! I shouted,

1:41

fumbling for the light switch. Don't

1:43

turn on the

1:44

lights, Molly whispered. I

1:46

still couldn't see her, but it sounded like

1:48

she was under the bed. I

1:50

ignored her and flipped on the switch. The

1:53

ceiling light came to life, casting

1:55

low shadows around the room. I

1:57

still didn't see Molly, but when I walked...

1:59

over to her bed, I could hear her sobbing

2:02

underneath. Molly? I

2:05

said softly, kneeling down. Kitto,

2:08

you scared me. My

2:10

little sister peeked out at me from the darkness

2:13

under the bed. I told you

2:15

not to turn the light on, she said. What

2:18

if it sees us?

2:20

I sighed and reached out at hand. Come

2:23

on, little walnut. Like I told you

2:25

last night, the house isn't haunted.

2:28

Not the house, just my room.

2:31

Maybe just my window. Go look. Molly,

2:34

there's... Look. I

2:37

rolled my eyes, but obeyed and glanced

2:39

at the window. The curtains were

2:42

open. The night outside, the glass

2:44

was completely black. For just

2:46

a second, I thought I saw a

2:48

glare at the edge. When I looked

2:50

again, there was nothing. I

2:53

chalked it up to Molly's fear getting contagious.

2:56

I don't see anything, Mal. Come on, come

2:59

look.

3:00

My sister reluctantly crawled out from her

3:02

hiding spot, taking my hand,

3:04

then hiding behind me. She

3:07

stared at the window for a long time.

3:10

I promise it was there, David. There

3:12

was a face. This awful

3:14

face. He was looking right at

3:16

me when I woke up. David, he

3:18

was watching me sleep. What

3:21

did it look like? Molly swallowed

3:23

before answering. A man. It's

3:26

a man for sure. Peyo like

3:29

he'd never ever been in the sun.

3:31

His features sort of... I can't

3:33

fix them in my mind. Whenever

3:35

I think I'm picturing it right, things

3:38

scramble. Black eyes,

3:40

though. That part is always the same.

3:43

And tonight, he started to smile

3:45

a little.

3:46

I looked at the window again. I

3:49

knew, deep down, that Molly

3:51

was just dealing with new move jitters. He

3:54

uprooted our lives to go across the country. Mom

3:57

was a fucking mess. Dad? Dad

4:00

was the reason we had to move away.

4:03

Of course, she'd be having nightmares. And

4:05

our bedrooms are on the second story. Even

4:08

if there was a creep rooming the neighborhood, you

4:11

wouldn't be able to peek into our bedroom windows unless

4:13

he brought a ladder.

4:16

Would it make you feel better if we checked outside?

4:18

I asked. For what? Nobody

4:21

could be looking into your window without a ladder or

4:24

like a grappling hook or

4:27

a helicopter or whatever. Either

4:29

way, there'd be evidence outside, right?

4:32

Molly chewed at a strand of dark hair. What

4:35

if they're still out there? I'll bring

4:37

a flashlight. Molly narrowed

4:40

her eyes, projecting waves of pre-teen

4:42

annoyance. Okay, I

4:45

added. I'll get a flashlight and a baseball

4:47

bat.

4:49

The grass under Molly's window was flat

4:51

and perfect. There were no signs of any

4:54

shadowy peeping toms. No impressions

4:56

in the ground from a ladder, nothing sinister

4:59

at all. See, I

5:01

said, swiping the flashlight back

5:03

and forth over the yard. No way

5:05

for anybody to peek into your room. Molly

5:08

didn't reply,

5:09

holding out her hand for the flashlight. Another

5:12

five minutes of intense scrutiny, she gave

5:14

me back the light and sighed. All

5:17

right, Molly said. I

5:19

guess it must have just

5:21

been a nightmare. Last night

5:24

too. Once again, that's

5:26

one point for David and negative

5:28

like a million-ish for you. Molly

5:30

stuck out her tongue. You're mature. I

5:33

know you are, but what am I?

5:35

With one final glance at the boring, pristine

5:38

grass below her window, my sister

5:40

went back inside. I

5:42

took a step to follow her, but stopped short. I

5:45

looked up and saw something white on the glass.

5:48

A reflection from the moon, I told myself,

5:51

trying hard not to think too much about the cloud

5:53

cover that night or how that pale

5:56

shimmer seemed so much like a face.

5:59

Molly.

5:59

wasn't around much that week.

6:02

I guess her new job kept her busy. And

6:05

I think there was a new guy, too, though

6:07

he never ended up meeting him. Dad

6:09

called once. At least, I'm

6:11

pretty sure it was Dad. I

6:13

didn't recognize the number, and they didn't leave

6:16

a message, but I just had a feeling.

6:18

That summer things got progressively worse

6:21

with Molly ever since our first night in the house.

6:24

She'd wake me by screaming, usually

6:26

while she was still asleep. I've

6:28

never heard anything like the raw panic in my sister's

6:31

voice before or since that summer.

6:34

Always, always, always the

6:36

first thing she'd do after I shook her awake was

6:39

look at the window. He's there!

6:40

He's still there! She told

6:42

me one night. How do you not see him?

6:45

He's horrible, David, and he's smiling

6:47

at us.

6:48

Molly was drenched in sweat, shaking

6:51

like a trapped bird. Her eyes glued

6:53

to the window. But when I looked,

6:55

there was nothing. Just thin glass

6:58

holding back a starless night. Why

7:00

do you keep opening the curtains? I

7:03

asked gently, moving to close them. I

7:05

don't, Molly whispered.

7:08

Can I sleep in your room tonight? Of

7:10

course you can.

7:12

While Molly was making her way to my bedroom,

7:14

I approached the window. Even

7:17

though the curtains were now drawn and it was summertime,

7:20

the air in front of the opening was cool. I

7:23

reached out carefully, brushing the white

7:25

curtains to the side. When

7:28

I pressed my fingers against the glass, there was

7:30

a subtle hum so faint, I

7:32

wasn't sure if it was real or in my mind.

7:35

It was the kind of vibration you might feel in the

7:37

air before a thunderstorm or in the

7:39

air above a hornet's nest when they're just

7:42

waking up. I walked

7:44

away and didn't look back before closing

7:46

the door. After

7:49

that night,

7:50

I ended up swapping rooms with Molly the

7:52

next morning. I don't think Mom even

7:54

noticed. Molly helped me

7:56

move in with a pretty clear mixture of guilt

7:59

and relief. She looked so

8:01

small standing in the doorway that day blonde

8:04

hair still racked with bedhead eyes constantly

8:07

drifting to the window There was

8:09

a small red stain on her white pajama top

8:12

I made a mental note to tell her to lay off sneaking

8:14

strawberries at night.

8:15

You shouldn't stay in here either David Because

8:18

of the window monster don't joke

8:21

about it not even during the daytime

8:23

Okay, I looked over my shoulder

8:25

from where I was hanging my reservoir dogs poster

8:28

Sorry, ma. I won't joke and

8:30

you'll tell me if you see anyone

8:33

Anything weird I held up

8:35

my pinky. I solemnly swear

8:38

Molly linked her little finger around mine

8:41

and smiled for probably the first time since

8:43

we moved in

8:44

This room is nicer. Anyway, Molly

8:47

said She headed out probably

8:49

to bask in her new larger bedroom. I

8:52

Turned my attention back to the poster then

8:55

I saw the curtains They were open

8:57

again and sunlight came barreling

8:59

into the room like a car with cut brakes I

9:02

Knew for a fact that I'd closed

9:05

the windows before I started putting up posters

9:07

so that Molly wouldn't have to see the window

9:10

For a moment. I wondered if she

9:12

moved the blinds to play a trick on me But

9:15

as soon as I had the thought I dismissed

9:17

it Molly was genuinely

9:19

terrified of whatever she thought she saw in the

9:21

glass. She wouldn't be playing pranks

9:23

Not about that not about the face.

9:26

There was nothing in the window nothing other

9:29

than sunshine But for a moment

9:31

when I looked hard It did

9:34

feel like something was looking back. I Walked

9:37

over pulled the curtains and went back

9:39

to hanging posters My Eyes

9:43

popped open, but I couldn't see anything Still

9:46

I was certain there was someone in the room with me.

9:48

I Fumbled for the lamp

9:51

managing to knock it off the nightstand instead

9:53

of turning it on Cursing I

9:55

slid off the bed Glancing around

9:57

the pitch black room searching for a human

9:59

shape

9:59

shaped shadow that might stand out. Eventually,

10:03

I found the lamp, placed it back

10:05

on the stand and flipped it on. Bright

10:08

yellow light revealed an empty room. A

10:11

few cardboard boxes I hadn't unpacked

10:13

yet stood stacked in the corner. I

10:15

felt an urge to check under the bed and

10:17

rifle through the closet, but I realized

10:20

I was letting my imagination get the best of me.

10:23

I laid back down and closed my eyes. A

10:25

second later, I opened them again

10:27

to confirm the last image I'd seen.

10:29

The curtains were open again. I

10:32

got up to close them, but didn't fall asleep again

10:35

that night.

10:37

That first week after we swapped rooms, Molly

10:40

started to improve.

10:41

She was finally getting some sleep.

10:44

Her smile and laugh was back.

10:46

Molly even convinced mom to stay in one

10:48

night so we could all watch a movie and play a

10:51

board game. But that only

10:53

lasted for five or six days. Then

10:55

the bad dreams started again.

10:57

Night after night after night, Molly

11:00

would wake up shrieking, sobbing and

11:02

inconsolable. Her cries were

11:04

so loud, they managed to pierce

11:07

through mom's wine haze and the three

11:09

of us would all lay down together downstairs.

11:12

It was always the same story from Molly.

11:14

A pale face, black eyes and

11:17

a grin that seemed to grow the more she screamed.

11:20

Four days after the nightmares began again,

11:23

I offered to take Molly to the park.

11:25

It was a gorgeous day, all

11:28

soft blue skies and summer clouds

11:30

casting lazy shadows on the grass. I

11:33

figured maybe we could go looking for arrowheads

11:35

or even play some tennis and that might

11:38

take her mind off of the face. At

11:40

first,

11:41

Molly wasn't interested. She

11:43

seemed drained, just sitting on the

11:45

couch, chewing on her hair, staring

11:48

at the cold TV.

11:49

But I cajoled and persisted and

11:52

hinted that there might be some rabbits or turtles

11:54

at the park that she could introduce herself to

11:56

if we hurried. That did it and

11:59

I got my sister.

11:59

her back for a little while.

12:01

Molly ran off to the bathroom to wash

12:03

up and get ready. I raided the pantry

12:06

for snacks we could take with us. Before

12:08

I could figure out where mom had stashed the trail mix,

12:11

Molly walked back from the bathroom.

12:13

David, I don't feel too

12:15

good, she said, holding her

12:18

stomach. A moment later, she

12:20

threw up on the kitchen floor. Molly

12:23

hadn't been eating much for the last couple of days.

12:26

Everything that came out of her was red.

12:28

Oh, Jesus. I whispered.

12:31

Molly looked up at me, terrified.

12:33

I realized my reaction was making

12:35

it worse. So I pulled the fear

12:37

from my face and knelt by my sister. It's

12:41

OK. You're OK, I said,

12:43

hugging her. We're going to just take a

12:45

quick drive to the doctor, OK? Should

12:48

we wake mom up? No, I

12:50

said, doubtful that we'd be

12:52

able to get her conscious before noon. I

12:55

grabbed the keys and then lifted Molly up. Don't

12:57

get my puke on your shirt. She

13:00

whispered, head against my neck. Never

13:03

mind about

13:03

that, Molly. Just relax. We'll

13:06

call mom from

13:08

the ER. Ulcers. My

13:10

11-year-old sister had several ulcers in her stomach. In

13:14

addition, Molly had an elevated heart rate, high

13:17

blood pressure, and constant headaches. Her

13:20

doctor pulled me aside while they got Molly settled

13:24

into her room. If I didn't know

13:26

any better, he told me, Molly was at least in her 60s

13:29

and suffering from decades of stress. Is

13:32

there anything going on at

13:33

home that could be causing that? Mom

13:36

and dad are going through a divorce, and

13:39

we just moved across the country.

13:41

The doctor's gray eyebrows went up, but

13:43

he shook his head. Yeah, that

13:46

sure would be stressful. But

13:48

to have such a physical impact on an 11-year-old

13:51

girl, I've never seen it. I

13:54

understand the family's situation is complicated

13:56

for you all. But we need a parent

13:58

or guardian here to actually

13:59

Admit your sister. You said

14:02

your mom is on her way? I watched

14:04

Molly showing off her hospital bracelet to

14:06

a nurse. She was smiling, but

14:08

so pale. A face

14:10

appeared in my mind, paler than my

14:12

sister. White as a corpse

14:15

dredged up from some deep place. Black

14:17

eyes, a smile like an open wound,

14:20

and a slash of a nose. It was

14:22

almost like the face was there in the hospital

14:24

hallway with me for a second. The

14:27

worst part was, while I was looking

14:29

at it,

14:29

I felt it looking back at me. As

14:33

suddenly as it came on, the vision passed,

14:36

and I was perfectly fine, standing

14:38

in the hall next to the doctor. He

14:40

looked at me, waiting for an answer. Yeah,

14:43

I told the doctor. Let me try calling

14:46

her again. I'm sure she's rushing over.

14:49

Mom got there 30 minutes later. When

14:52

she saw the state Molly was in, I

14:54

saw some kind of jolt go through her end.

14:56

For the first time in a long time, she

14:59

seemed like the mom I remembered from before

15:01

things got bad.

15:02

We both went into Molly's room to sit next to her,

15:05

to chat, just to be around. After

15:08

half an hour,

15:09

Mom gave me some cash, and I ran out

15:12

to get some comic books and snacks for Molly. I

15:14

even found her a dorky, but cute stuffed

15:17

fox I thought she'd like. Ball

15:19

was sleeping when I got back. Mom

15:22

excused herself for a minute, probably

15:24

for a cigarette, but I figured

15:27

she more than earned it. As

15:29

soon as Mom was gone, Molly's eyes

15:31

popped open. It's here, she

15:34

whispered, small blue eyes locked

15:36

on mine. I didn't need to ask

15:38

her what she meant.

15:39

Where? Everywhere. Her

15:43

voice was so small, so scared. I

15:45

looked around, but couldn't see anything out of the ordinary.

15:49

Every time I close my eyes, I see it. Molly

15:51

continued. And when they're open, it's

15:53

there, just at the corner, almost

15:56

clear, but not quite. It's looking at

15:58

us now, both of us.

15:59

I swallowed. It's

16:02

not real, Molly. It can't hurt us. My

16:05

sister sank down farther in bed. I

16:08

think it already has. Molly

16:11

kept getting worse. She wasn't

16:14

able to sleep for more than a few minutes at a time

16:16

before a night terror dragged her screaming

16:18

back to consciousness. Mom

16:20

and I took turns staying awake, so someone

16:23

was always there with her. But after three

16:25

days, it was clear there wasn't

16:27

much the doctors could do. When

16:29

Molly couldn't sleep, she couldn't eat. Even

16:32

a couple bites of food caused her to get sick,

16:34

and her health was deteriorating daily.

16:37

And I could sense the face, too, even

16:40

though I couldn't see it. No

16:42

matter how many times I tried to convince myself,

16:45

it was a hallucination brought on by stress. Every

16:48

hour, I grew more certain that there was a

16:50

presence around my sister. It

16:52

felt alien, malicious, and

16:54

hungry. It was like there

16:57

was some invisible leech hovering over Molly,

16:59

swallowing her suffering, and

17:02

loving every second of it. I

17:04

tried talking to Mom about it, but she

17:06

was in a bad way herself. I

17:09

figured out later that she was almost certainly

17:11

experiencing withdrawal from drinking, and

17:14

from whatever else she was using at that time.

17:17

But she never wavered. She never left

17:19

Molly's room for more than a few minutes. I

17:22

admire Mom for that,

17:23

love her for it, even if it didn't help

17:26

much. On the fourth night,

17:28

when Molly started throwing up blood-tinged bile

17:31

just from sipping water, I made a decision.

17:34

I was going to confront the face.

17:36

I told them that I was just running home for some clothes.

17:40

Mom believed me, but Molly just watched

17:42

me with those big, shattered eyes. See

17:45

you soon, little fox, I said, patting

17:48

her new stuffed animal on the head. Molly

17:51

hadn't stopped holding it since I brought it for her. You

17:53

too, Mom. Be careful. I

17:56

don't think you should. Whatever she was about

17:58

to say was cut off by a violent series

18:01

of dry heaves. I slipped out

18:03

the door as several nurses came inside. I

18:05

promised myself that it would all be

18:07

done that night. A

18:10

sense of vague unease began to settle over

18:13

me as I drove to the house. By

18:15

the time I pulled into our driveway, my

18:17

heart was beating fast and a thin

18:19

layer of sweat had stained the neck of my shirt.

18:22

I couldn't explain the feeling, but I

18:24

recognized it as dread bordering

18:26

on panic. It was almost like

18:29

the house was trying to ward me off. All

18:31

of the lights were off and the door was locked.

18:34

I was impressed that mom was together enough

18:37

at that time to properly close up. It

18:39

was chilly in the hall after I went inside.

18:41

I flipped the switch next to the

18:44

door. The house remained dark.

18:46

As I moved from room to room, I

18:49

got the impression that I was being watched.

18:52

It was like a presence was following me, just

18:55

out of sight. But it was ahead of me

18:57

too. Some silent, invisible

18:59

hate that wanted me to leave. When

19:02

I passed the downstairs closet, I

19:05

saw that there was a light on. A

19:07

dim glow spread out from under the door, orange-ish

19:10

white and strange. I'd

19:12

never seen any light like it, not

19:15

in any house, not anywhere.

19:16

I reached for the doorknob,

19:19

but stopped before my fingers could brush the

19:21

brass. Suddenly, and

19:23

with no glimmer of doubt, I knew

19:25

that if I opened that door, I would

19:28

die. I didn't know how

19:30

or exactly when, but I was

19:32

certain it would happen soon and it would

19:34

be violent. I backed away,

19:37

eyes never leaving the closet until my foot bumped

19:39

the first stair. I ran up to the

19:41

second floor despite the darkness. It

19:44

was a short walk to my sister's old room. The

19:47

one where the nightmare started. The

19:49

curtains to the window were open, just

19:51

like I knew they would be. The

19:53

face of some devil stared at me from the other

19:55

side of the window. That

19:58

was the first time I saw the face clearly. Clearly,

20:01

though it felt familiar, unnaturally

20:03

white. It reminded me of a theater

20:06

mask, grinning in a way that never

20:08

reached the holes where the eyes should be. Those

20:11

empty sockets, black as the night

20:13

outside, followed me as I walked

20:15

across the carpeted floor. Now

20:17

that I was near the thing,

20:19

my resolve was shaky at best. It

20:21

didn't seem real. Not only did the

20:23

face exist, it was present and

20:25

horribly aware of me. That

20:28

smile, that cold smile. What

20:31

the hell is so funny? I asked the face

20:33

as I got closer. Every step

20:35

was miserable, like walking through

20:37

wet cement. I expected my

20:40

legs to go out at any moment. Something

20:42

about the grinning reflection in the glass promised

20:44

more suffering than I could imagine in a lifetime

20:47

of nightmares. But Molly

20:49

was sick, and I knew the face was

20:51

to blame. So I made it to her

20:53

nightstand, picked up the lamp, and took

20:55

a breath. What's so fucking funny?

20:58

I shouted, burling the lamp into the window.

21:01

The lamp was heavy, an antique

21:03

thing Molly picked out from a secondhand store

21:05

years ago on one of the rare trips we

21:07

had with Dad. It shattered the

21:09

glass and the face with it, sending

21:11

shards raining outside. I

21:14

wanted to be happy, triumphant, but

21:16

I couldn't feel anything but gnawing anxiety,

21:20

because the face smiled wider as the window

21:22

broke.

21:24

Molly

21:24

was dead before I made it back to the hospital.

21:28

When I made it to the hallway before her room, I

21:30

knew something was wrong. There

21:32

were nurses everywhere, shapes and

21:35

blue scrubs running back and forth. Mom

21:37

was outside wailing, leaning on a

21:40

senior nurse who held her tight. The

21:42

doctor stopped me before I could get a

21:44

good look into Molly's room, but

21:46

the long, dead ring of a flat

21:48

line echoed into the hall. I

21:51

did catch a glimpse through the door though. I

21:53

saw the room's

21:54

single window, and in it, the

21:57

reflection of a pale face staring inside.

21:59

After the funeral, after

22:03

some numb time, I barely remember. I

22:06

did what I should have done from the start. I

22:09

did my research. It

22:11

only took a few Google searches and a rainy

22:13

afternoon to track down the information I

22:15

wish I had from the first night Molly

22:18

woke up shrieking. SCP-965

22:22

is a visual manifestation

22:24

that occurs within framed windows. This

22:27

manifestation takes the shape of the shadowed

22:29

face

22:29

of an apparently pale-skinned male

22:32

that is looking through the window. The

22:35

exact details shown vary, as

22:37

does the direction of orientation, as

22:40

well as the age of the person. However,

22:43

sufficient detail shows it to consistently

22:45

be the same being at differing points

22:48

of its life, between the approximate

22:50

ages of 10 and 55. Research

22:54

into an individual matching SCP-965 has

22:57

thus far proven inconclusive.

22:59

I found all of that on a page claiming to

23:02

belong to the official Secure, Contain,

23:04

Protect Foundation website. I

23:07

heard of SCPs from friends at school, but

23:10

never took any of it seriously, but

23:12

my experience lined up exactly

23:15

with the entry. What I

23:17

read about containing 965 is

23:19

what will keep me from having a good night's sleep ever

23:21

again. Once it shows up

23:24

in a window, it can't leave

23:26

on its own. Not until that

23:28

window is broken, then it's

23:29

free to relocate. It's

23:32

my fault, Molly. I'm

23:35

so, so sorry. You

23:37

trusted me to protect you. I

23:40

swear I thought I was, but

23:42

all I did was let it loose to finish you off.

23:45

I found out through our local paper that the hospital,

23:48

where Molly stayed, is due for major renovation

23:50

soon. If something happens to

23:52

the window where 965 is now, it'll

23:55

be loose again, and it

23:57

will be hungry.

24:06

Thanks for listening. Spotify now

24:08

allows listeners the ability to rate their

24:10

favorite podcasts. If you could please

24:12

take a second to leave a rating for the SCP

24:14

experience, I would greatly appreciate

24:17

it. Thank

24:17

you so much.