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NOTE
Exact first-edition text; paragraph-timed synthetic narration; performance not human listening certified.

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Chapter Four — The Visitor

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The knocking stopped.

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The House waited.

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Then came a voice.

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“Hello?”

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A pause.

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“Is this the place?”

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The House had no idea what place the visitor meant.

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It looked around.

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There was a piano.

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A couch.

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A dog asleep in an inconvenient location.

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A bookshelf.

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Several rooms that had not existed a month earlier.

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And, of course, the button.

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The House decided this probably was the place.

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It opened the door.

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Standing outside was a woman carrying a suitcase.

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She wore a red coat and had a small paper ticket tucked into her sleeve.

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The House had never seen her before.

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“I'm looking for the room where unfinished things go,” she said.

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The House became very still.

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It had not advertised such a room.

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It had barely admitted the possibility to itself.

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“Who sent you?” the House asked.

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The woman looked at her ticket.

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“It doesn't say.”

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The House disliked this answer.

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“Do you have a reservation?”

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“No.”

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“An appointment?”

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“No.”

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“A source reference?”

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The woman considered this.

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“I have a suitcase.”

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The House looked at the suitcase.

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It was old and brown and covered in scratches.

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“What's inside?”

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“Things I didn't finish.”

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The House opened the door wider.