My Roommate Keeps Fiddling With The Shoes

One night, as I was making my way to the bathroom around 3 a.m., I saw my dormmate, Yvonne, squatting in front of our door. She was rearranging all our shoes so that their tips were pointed inward.

I thought it was funny, so I rearranged them to have their tips pointed outward.

The next day, I found that all of them had been positioned inward again.

This kept happening for a week, and I continued to scramble things up, hiding the shoes, even, or tying the shoelaces together.

But they always ended up being repositioned neatly inward.

I started observing my dormmate and found her mumbling to the shoes while squatting at the door.

I ranted about it online, only to have my first reply send chills down my spine.

[Do you also get the weird feeling that something paranormal is happening around you? You have to move out before it’s too late!]

[Do you also get the weird feeling that something paranormal is happening around you?]

When I read that reply again, I shuddered.

Something paranormal happening around me?

I looked around but saw nothing.

Then, I peered at Yvonne’s room from the corner of my eye, only to find her sitting as still as a statue in front of her desk.

Wait. When had she come back?

I heard her leaving to go to work just a moment ago!

Her back was facing me, and at no point did she spare me a glance. That was so weird!

I approached her on tiptoes to see what she was doing, only to find her reading.

“Yvonne?” I called out to her.

She turned around with a bit of a pale face. “When did you wake up?”

I felt like she was avoiding my gaze.

“Why aren’t you at work?” I asked instead.

“I took a leave for today. I have some things to do,” she answered casually.

After a moment of hesitation, I decided to get straight to the point. “I saw you fiddling with the shoes yesterday.”

Yvonne was stunned for a moment before she laughed wryly. “You saw that, huh?”

“What’s that for?”

“OCD,” she replied readily. “I need everything arranged neatly before I can fall asleep, especially shoes.”

She then showed me a medical report from her handbag.

“I’ve had OCD caused by anxiety for years now. The psychologist said that it’s due to stress.”

I read the medical report. It did indeed mention the disorder and treatment suggestions.

“I’m sorry. I thought—”

“That I was doing something strange? I know it looks weird, but I can’t control myself.” Yvonne smiled.

I found myself feeling embarrassed. I had simply been reading too much into the situation. Not too long after that exchange, Yvonne turned around and said nothing else. I tried talking to her some more, but her answers were crisp and short. Clearly, she was distracted.

I peeked at the entrance again. All the shoes were indeed pointed inward.

But Yvonne was behaving normally, like a standard roommate. Had I not seen her doing all those things, I would not have thought that there was anything strange about her.

Puzzled, I sent a DM to the person who had replied to my post.

[What did you mean by that? What’s this about something paranormal happening around me?]

The person replied quickly, [Girl, your roommate is performing the Guiding Ritual! It’s an ancient ritual. I don’t know the specifics, but it’s nothing good. Be careful. Those who perform this ritual usually have their reasons.]

The Guiding Ritual.

I did not recognize that term at all, but it did not sound like the average ritual.

[What should I do now?]

[Don’t alert her for now. Just watch and see whether your roommate acts normally or not. If I’m right, then she’s not just rearranging your shoes. By the way, have you been feeling sick lately? Such as feeling cold often or feeling as if someone is watching you?]

When I read this, I was stunned again.