The Old Mansion
As an investigative journalist, I had gone on many assignments in my career, yet none of them had prepared me for what I was about to uncover in the old mansion on the outskirts of my town. Rumors had circulated for decades about the dark secrets that were kept locked away in the musty halls of the old estate, but no one had ever been brave enough to explore it themselves.
As I approached the crumbling mansion, I could feel chills running down my spine. The air around me was cold and damp, with a faint smell of decay that made me cringe. I had to resist the urge to run away as I gingerly pushed open the rusty gate and stepped into the overgrown garden. The house loomed above me like a giant monster, its windows black and empty.
As I slipped inside, I could feel the moisture seeping through my shoes as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. Everything was draped in cobwebs and layers of dust, as though the mansion had been left untouched for centuries. Every step I took was met with the creaking of the old wood floors, the floorboards groaning under my weight.
As I began to explore the first floor, I noticed that every room seemed to be empty, devoid of any furniture or decorations. That was until I reached the drawing-room, where a grand piano sat in the center of the room. A faint melody seemed to be playing from nowhere, and I could feel my heart quickening with every step towards the instrument.
As I approached the piano, I could see the dust had been wiped clear from the keys recently. My hands trembled as I slowly began to play a few notes. Suddenly, a hidden door burst open, creating a cloud of dust, and revealed a spiral staircase leading down into a dark abyss.
“This must be it,” I murmured to myself, taking a deep breath before descending the stairs.The basement was like nothing I had ever seen before. It was like an underground dungeon, complete with chains hanging from the walls and an iron door at the far end of the room. As I approached the door, I could hear the sounds of moaning and whimpering coming from within.
“What on earth…” I whispered as I tried to push open the door, but it refused to budge. It was as though someone was pushing back against me. Suddenly, the ground began to shake, sending me tumbling to the floor as the door slowly creaked open.As I picked myself up, I realized that the room beyond was the opposite of what I had seen so far. The walls were covered in expensive tapestries, the floors lined with plush rugs, and the light was warm and inviting. The room was dominated by a large table in the center, with a single figure standing at the head of it. She was dressed in a long white gown and had jet-black hair that seemed to be swirling around her like a living thing.
“Who are you?” I asked, my voice cracking. “I am the mistress of this mansion,” she replied, her voice like a soft melody. “I have been waiting for someone like you for a long time.”The woman's eyes glittered in the light as she beckoned me closer. As I took a step forward, the door behind me slammed shut, the lock clicking ominously.
“Do not be afraid,” she whispered. “All I want is for you to stay with me forever…”And that's when I woke up, drenched in sweat, realizing it was all just a nightmare. But as I gazed out of my window into the darkness of the night, I couldn't shake the feeling that the old mansion was still there, waiting for me to return…
