 for about a week.
Nobody knew what to think. The police, confused by the inconsistencies between when Mr. Booker died and the times the noise complaints supposedly took place, questioned many of the people who lived in the same apartment block. Thankfully no mention was made of my antics the night before. Eventually it was determined that Jacob Booker died of natural causes and his body was taken away. One of the investigating officers had, for lack of a more plausible explanation, halfheartedly suggested that the knocking sounds everyone had heard were caused by air bubbles in the water pipes. After all, the bathroom faucet had been left running for a week. Yeah sure, just air bubbles banging in the pipes…
My neighbors and I stood on the front lawn talking through the distressing events of the day for a long time after the police left. No one discussed the “noisy plumbing”. None of us wanted to go back inside. The conversation turned to more mundane topics in an attempt to regain some normalcy. When the sun had set and the chill we all felt was more due to the cool temperature than anything else, we one by one returned home.
Even with the lights on, I couldn’t sleep that night. I listened to the empty rooms below me and thought about what could have happened to me as a consequence of antagonizing a spirit. Or what might still happen, because unnervingly an occasional tapping noise could still be heard from downstairs. I told myself it was just my other neighbors making noise. Or the air in the plumbing. I tried to ignore the goose bumps running along my spine. For the rest of the week I slept with the covers over my head, very still, all body parts tucked safely underneath and my eyes clamped tightly shut, just like when I was little. I didn’t hear the tapping sound again after Booker’s next of kin collected his belongings.
17 Comments on 'The Downstairs Neighbor'
I feel like this particular pasta would be better if it was ended when it said that he was dead for a week. It wouldve made it end on a creepy note. Overall, great pasta 3.74/5!
Good pasta; but I gave it a 4 – There was just something about the ending that I wasn’t satisfied with.
Good pasta.
Very nicely written, but the ending was pretty weak tbh. It would’ve been a five because this story could’ve really gone somewhere, but the ending bumps in down to about a four.
WHAAAAAAT?! This CAN’T be your only pasta, DreamWeaver, because I could’ve swore I saw your username on another pasta, even though I don’t remember which one. 8^(
Thought it was going to end as, “Than someone moved into the vacant room down stairs.”
10/10
It’s a good pasta but I think the twist at the end could have been further developed. Instead of the ‘wow I didn’t expect’ that twist of other pastas, this was more of a ‘oh, is that all’. I feel there is potential for this to be rewritten. But other than that it’s pretty good.
Great pasta, only I had a bit of a problem with the ending. It didn’t give me that chill that most pastas give me. 4.7/5
Good job, just when I thought I had the twist figured out you tricked me!
are you the gentleman who wrote the other story about the dead neighbor? believe me, I wish I could remember but I’m having a real hard time. all I remember is like ‘dawls’ or something. my computer was talking to me.
Great short pasta! 4.5/5
nice pasta
This seem awfully familiar to the friends episode when that neighbour “mr heckles” who keeps complaining about the “noise” rachael and monica are making when they just walk with bangs with a broom stick. One time rachael and monica got sick and tired and banged back with stomps until they no longer heard it. Turns out mr heckles died from a heart attack and they found a broom stick in his hand.
Couldnt resist the similarities are too strong ahaha – episode “the one where mr heckles dies”
I totally agree with MoonChild, it was a good pasta, but no wow factor and I wasn’t satisfied with the end.
Glad to see this one made it too! I wish you could leave comments while your reviewing, because the ending just wasn’t great. Sure, it was a big twist, but it could’ve been better. Try to work on the endings for future pastas! (I still loved this one)
That was so creepy. I rate it OVER 9000!!!!!!!!!!!!! It was awesome.input question: Write a sentence not in English.
output answer: Doch mit dem russischen Einmarsch in der Ukraine ist es Präsident Wladimir Putin offenbar gelungen, die Bemühungen Europas hinsichtlich der weiteren Ausbreitung von Demokratie, Rechtsstaatlichkeit und offenen Märkten auf dem gesamten Kontinent zum Erliegen zu bringen.  
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output answer: Demzufolge ist jegliche Haftung des Hotels Weisses Lamm für das gesetzeswidrige Verhalten der User ausgeschlossen.
input question: Write a sentence not in English.
output answer: Falls ein Paket wiederholt fehlschlägt, überspringen Sie es mit emerge --resume --skipfirst.
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output answer:
Dafür ist eine klare und öffentlichkeitswirksame Informationspolitik zu Umweltfragen notwendig.Only after taking the oath of allegiance can you register to vote in the United States.
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If you do not wish to register to vote at the oath ceremony you can register to vote any time after at approved locations including the post office or the department of motor vehicles.Republican voters casting ballots in the June 10 primary will decide whether U.S. Sen. Lindsey Graham or one of his six challengers will win their party’s nomination. A look at some of the differing faces of the GOP and the values that drive their politics:
‘Government is too big’
“Government is too big, and the runaway deficits have got to be dealt with at some point. I’ve got a 2-year-old granddaughter and I’m scared to death for her.... You can’t grow your business when you have all these things you have to worry about that have nothing to do with getting a product out the front door.”
Kerry Brown, 66, of Lexington, partner with the Brittingham Group accounting firm
‘It’s about helping America’
“A lot of my family members that aren’t Republicans, they haven’t seen the world, and they haven’t been able to relate to the different situations that are going on in the world.... That holds a lot of people back because they believe in the old ways and no change.... I don’t think the Republican Party is that way. They’re for everybody.... It’s