The New House

On any given street in any given neighborhood, there lives an empty house. No one really remembers how old the house is, usually reckoning that it's been there forever. It looks old, the yard unkempt, the eves and gutters slightly rusted, the paint slightly peeling in spots, or the windows a bit covered over by dust. No one really remembers when the people that used to live there moved out, either. Usually referring to the last occupants in phrases like "some odd years", or "way back when", all without a hint of clarity or specifics before meandering back into cursory lives. Letting the house go unnoticed again.

But that's the way the House likes it.

Unbeknownst to every other resident around it, the House is a patient being. It knows someone will move in soon. And when they do, it will make sure that whoever moves in stays there. For the House is also picky about who it allows to call it Home. For despite its patient nature, it is also fickle. One set of occupants may walk in a family, but the House may not want a family. So what was once a family may instead become four roommates with differing lives. What was once a pair of roommates may become a couple on their way to starting a family together. What was once a new house for someone's Grandma becomes the home of one of the biggest porn stars on the planet.

The House will make sure that whoever takes up occupancy will love being there, changing to fit whoever calls it home. And the rest of the neighborhood, if not the world, is never the wiser for it. And once the House is finished making itself the perfect home for someone, it moves its essence into another building, and bides its time until another crosses its threshold.

Now, the keys have been exchanged. The home has been paid for. Who is now the proud owner of The New House?