Horror Short Story | The Mattress

The mattress in Shen Jing's rented room was provided by the landlord. It was old and the springs were a bit saggy. He wanted a new one, but the landlord said this mattress had sentimental value from the previous tenant and refused to replace it. Shen Jing had no choice but to keep sleeping on it. One day, as he turned over, he felt something moving inside the mattress. He lifted the sheet to check. The mattress surface had no holes, but he could feel something hard buried inside. He used a utility knife to cut open the edge of the mattress and pulled out a small booklet from the sponge. The cover read "My Diary" in delicate handwriting. He opened the first page; the date was three years ago. The diary belonged to a girl, recording her daily life. As he flipped further, the content grew stranger. "The mattress is so soft, I sleep so well every day." "Today, the mattress feels a bit sunken, like someone is sleeping with me." "When I turn over, the mattress moves on its own. Are the springs broken?" The last page read: "I discovered there's someone inside the mattress. Every night, he crawls out from the sponge and sleeps beside me. I don't dare tell the landlord; he'll think I'm crazy. If anyone finds this diary, please help me change the mattress." The diary ended there. Shen Jing threw the diary away and called the landlord, demanding a new mattress. The landlord was silent for two seconds, then said, "Did you find the diary?" "I've replaced that mattress three times," the landlord said. "Each time I replaced it with a new one, that girl would appear inside the mattress. So I stopped replacing it. Anyway, she just sleeps and doesn't harm anyone." "Is she still there now?" "Touch the middle of the mattress." Shen Jing reached out and touched the center of the mattress. Beneath the sponge, something was gently rising and falling. Like breathing.