Investigation

Despite all objections I had, I went over to Kip's house earlier this day to ask for her opinion. I knew the answer would probably be ridiculous, but it couldn't hurt to ask, could it?

Kip lives down the street from my house, near the outskirts of Rhododendron Ridge, at the forest border. Her house is only one story high - simple, and yet it stands out from all the others with its Haint Blue-colored curved roof.

When I got there, I pressed down the doorbell, ominous gongs ringing out, almost like thunder on this overcast day. There was a brief pause, a sky blue eye appearing in the peep hole, looking out, staring at me. Then, the eye disappeared and the door opened. Kip walked outside, her hair tossing around in the breeze.

"Void?" she asked, though that was pretty obvious. "What are you doing here?"

I was silent for a slight second, carefully considering my answer. I had to phrase it in a way that wouldn't make Kip jump to the conclusion that it was anything paranormal. Eventually, I said, "Recently there's been a... bird of some kind... maybe... tapping on a window in my house. I've been searching for answers as to, you know, what species it is and how to get rid of it, and so far I've come up with nothing."

"I'm sorry to hear that, Void, but I'm not a specialist in birds or anything. What can I do to help you?"

Suddenly, I was feeling rather foolish. What had I expected her to do? However, I had already come to her house, so there wasn't much point in turning back now.

My improvised explanation was, "Well, I was wondering if you could come with me over to my house to check on the window. You might be able to see something I... didn't."

I could tell that Kip wasn't very impressed with that explanation, but she said, "Well, I don't really have anything to do today, so... fine, I guess. I'll go with you over to your house."

We walked back to my house, barely even speaking. Kip wanted to look around the back of the house, near where my window was - something I hadn't thought of doing. To be honest, most of my searches were just on the internet. I don't really like the forest anymore and I prefer not to go near it. It's one of the reasons I keep my window's curtains closed. Plus, it helps keep out the summer heat.

Kip and I paced around in the forest, mainly gazing up at the trees. If it was a bird tapping on my window, there would have to be a nest nearby, after all. I was glad that it was cloudy out, otherwise we would have had to shield our eyes from the sun.

Eventually we came to a conclusion: there were no nests near my house.

The next thing we did was go upstairs to check on the windows for cracks and holes. Constant tapping would have to leave some mark. Once again, we found nothing. There was not a single piece of evidence that any kind of bird was there.

Kip turned towards me. "I don't think a bird is making the tapping noise, Void."

"If it's not a bird, then what is it?" I asked, though I already knew what was coming.

"I think it's a person. A person is tapping on your window."

I groaned and shook my head, running my hand through my hair in annoyance. "No, no, no. It's not a stalker, if that's what you're implying. That's just... ridiculous."

Kip pressed on. "Then what is it? There are no nests around, nor any sign that the tapping is coming from a beak."

"My room's on the second floor!"

"And? That doesn't dismiss my theory. They could be throwing rocks, or using a ladder, or... something!" Kip paused, and then stared me directly in the eye. "You should call the police, Void. They can do an actual investigation."

"No. No... no way. I'm not going to do that. That'd be... moronic!"

Kip got up and began to walk away. "Fine, Void. I just hope your denial doesn't end up getting you killed."

She closed the door, and like that, she was gone.

What am I supposed to do now?