We Used to Live Here
by Marcus Kliewer
Contents
12. Old Friends
Overview
At Heather’s house, Eve learns two crucial truths: the property records for the mountain were stolen rather than lost in a fire, and Thomas lied or reshaped the past by calling Alison his sister. Heather reveals that Alison was a mysterious girl the Fausts took in and that she nearly murdered Thomas as a child after claiming the house and its people were changing. A white cymbal monkey, strange noises, and a door that seems to open on its own deepen Eve’s dread, driving her to flee before answering a ringing phone.
Summary
At Heather’s house, Eve drinks tea and studies family photos while waiting for Charlie to call back. Heather asks how Eve likes the isolated property, and Eve steers the conversation toward the history of 3709. Heather says the house is extremely old and corrects a key detail Eve has been told: the local property records were not destroyed in a fire, but stolen from town hall in the early 1950s.
As Heather moves around the house, Eve hears a faint noise from deeper inside and briefly worries that someone else may be there. She then asks about Thomas Faust’s family. Heather says the Fausts lived on the mountain for a little over five years and left after serious family trouble. When Eve refers to Thomas’s older sister, Heather corrects her again, saying Thomas was an only child.
Heather explains that the girl was named Alina or Alison, a mysterious child who appeared on the Faust property in a nightgown with no memory of her identity or origin. The Fausts became her temporary guardians, but never formally adopted her. This revelation makes Eve realize Thomas misrepresented Alison as his sister when he told the story of his childhood.
After Eve presses further, Heather reveals the full extent of the incident Thomas only hinted at. Alison became convinced the house and the people in it were changing and believed violence was the only way to stop it. One winter night, she stabbed eight-year-old Thomas thirty-seven times with a fountain pen before his parents pulled her away. Thomas survived, but Heather says he was never the same afterward, and Alison was taken away by the state.
While Heather refills her tea, Eve notices a white Jolly Chimp toy among some children’s things. The toy reminds her of Mo, the cymbal monkey she lost as a child, and triggers a vivid memory of its sudden disappearance during a family trip. The resemblance unsettles Eve enough that she abruptly decides to leave.
As Eve heads for the door, Heather invites her back, but a rotary phone begins ringing from down the hallway. Eve sees that a door which had been closed is now slightly open, and the change intensifies her fear that something is wrong in the house. Instead of answering the call, Eve gives in to her paranoia and rushes outside, fleeing across Heather’s yard.
Who Appears
- EveQuestions Heather about the property and Thomas, recalls losing Mo, and flees when her fear spikes.
- HeatherNeighbor who shares local history, corrects false details, and reveals the truth about Alison’s attack on Thomas.
- Thomas FaustDiscussed through Heather’s memories as an only child who survived Alison’s brutal attack.
- AlisonMysterious girl taken in by the Fausts who believed the house was changing people and stabbed Thomas.
- MoEve’s missing childhood cymbal monkey, recalled when she finds a similar white toy in Heather’s house.
- ShyloHeather’s dog, whose alertness briefly reinforces Eve’s fear that someone else may be present.
- MichaelHeather’s husband, seen in photos and mentioned during her comments about the stolen records.