Something nice is at the door

Something nice is at the door.

Nobody answer it!

Turn off the lights! Get down on the floor! Stop breathing so loudly!

It knocked again.

The nerve. It was supposed to leave by now.

Nice things are persistent like that.

This one says it brought peace. Says nobody has to earn it. Says it might stay awhile.

Suspicious.

The house remembers what happened the last time it opened its doors.

So everything inside goes silent.

Even hope knows better than to make a sound.

The nice thing doesn’t leave.

Doesn’t bang on the windows or crawl down the chimney or shout about gratitude.

Just sits on the porch.

After a while, the curtains move.

Then the lock.

Not the door. Nope, no one said anything about the door.

Just the lock.

That’s enough for tonight.

Somewhere inside the house, a room that’s been closed for quite a long time feels a little less empty.

Tomorrow, maybe the door opens an inch.

Maybe good things don’t always need to be welcomed with open arms.

Sometimes they can wait on the porch until being wanted stops feeling so dangerous.

— Autistic Ang

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Adult Autism 101