In the morning I went out onto the balcony and right in the wall I noticed something strange that was moving inside it: at that moment I was overcome with real horror, especially when I realized what it was

That morning, I went out onto the balcony completely automatically—to open the window, take a breath, and wake up. And suddenly, it was as if my gaze stumbled on the wall. Something was there. It was moving.

Slowly, strangely, as if it had a life of its own. My insides clenched. My first thought was a shadow. My second was …