10/31/2026
UNDER THE COVERS
by Amanda Gleason‑Mack ( )
In real estate, the word “occupied” usually means one thing: you’ll need to work around somebody’s schedule. After this showing, that word meant something completely different.
I was showing a duplex. We had the keys, and we had been told someone was living there. When we arrived, we knocked. No answer. We waited, knocked again, and eventually let ourselves in.
At first, it seemed like it would be a normal showing. But almost immediately, something felt wrong. If you’ve walked through enough properties, you know they all have a certain feeling. Some are welcoming. Some immediately have you calculating repair costs. This one made me uncomfortable.
Then there was the smell. It wasn’t overwhelming at first, but as we moved farther into the property, the uneasy feeling grew stronger. Then we opened the bedroom door.
There was someone lying in the bed, completely covered. For a moment, I assumed the person was sleeping. After all, we had been told the property was occupied. Suddenly, nobody answering the door made sense. But something still didn’t feel right.
We were walking through someone’s home. There was a person lying just feet away from us, yet there had been no response to the knocking, the door opening, or people moving through the house. And the smell was still there.
The longer we stayed, the more uncomfortable we became. Eventually, we all started thinking the same thing. What if that person wasn’t sleeping?
We never received confirmation of what happened inside that bedroom. But I can tell you this: Opening that door and seeing the figure beneath those covers is something I have never forgotten.
We had been told the property was occupied. We just never thought to ask exactly what that meant.
