The Haunted Python Algorithm

I never should have run that code.

It all started when my science teacher, Mr. Patel, assigned us a project: "Use Python to research and analyze data." I was thrilled. I loved coding, and this was my chance to impress the class. I decided to do something spooky—analyzing reports of paranormal activity in our town using Python.

I found an old database online, filled with eerie reports—ghost sightings, strange sounds, people disappearing without a trace. It was perfect. I wrote a Python script to analyze the most haunted locations, searching for patterns in the data. But something weird happened.

Late that night, as I stared at my screen, the results popped up:

"The most haunted place in town is… YOUR BEDROOM."

I laughed nervously. It had to be a mistake. I checked my code. The dataset had addresses of real locations—abandoned houses, cemeteries, old schools—but how did my bedroom get in there?

Then my laptop flickered. The screen went black.

I tapped the keyboard, and suddenly, the words reappeared:

"You're not alone."

My breath caught in my throat. I turned around, scanning my room. Nothing. Just my bed, my posters, my desk piled with books. But then… a soft whisper.

"Help me..."

I jumped. The sound came from my speakers. But I hadn’t programmed my script to play audio.

Heart pounding, I checked the code again. My hands trembled as I scrolled through the lines. One line stood out:

print("I see you.")

I didn’t write that.

I deleted the line and reran the code. My screen glitched. More words appeared:

"Too late. You found me."

The lights in my room flickered. My laptop’s fan roared, growing louder, almost like... breathing. Then the screen filled with symbols—strange, ancient characters I couldn’t understand. But in between the symbols, I saw my name.

I slammed the laptop shut and yanked out the power cable. Silence.

For a moment, I sat frozen. Then, slowly, I lifted the laptop lid. The screen was normal. The code was gone. Just a blank file. Like nothing ever happened.

I deleted everything and shut down my computer. That night, I barely slept, my mind racing. Had I uncovered something real? Or was it just a glitch?

The next morning at school, I decided to research where that database had come from. But when I searched for it again, it was gone. Like it had never existed.

I never used Python for ghost research again. But sometimes, late at night, my laptop turns on by itself.

And I swear, in the darkness of the screen, I see someone looking back at me.