Jonas

My neighbor, Everett, lived on the other side, retired, maybe late 60s.

Kept his grass short and his blinds closed.

We didn't talk beyond the occasional nod.

He'd give this little wave if he happened to be outside when I pulled in after work.

That was pretty much our entire relationship.

The weird stuff started around the second week of November.

I came home after a long shift closed to midnight and noticed his porch light was on.

Just his side.

Mine stayed dark unless I flipped the switch.

His light wasn't just on, though.

It was pulsing.

Like he couldn't decide whether it was dying or trying to stay alive.

Just the slow, irregular flicker.

I stood in the driveway for a second, watching it, waiting for movement inside, but his place looked sealed up tight.

No TB glow, no sound.

Eventually, I just shrugged it off and went inside.

Heated up some leftover stew and crashed on the couch.

The next morning, when I stepped out to head to work, I noticed something weird right outside my front door.

A circle of damp leaves, maybe three feet wide, laid out neatly like someone had taken their time with it.

Right in the middle was a dead bird.