I had just got into a huge fight with my parents, I don’t even remember what the argument was about, all I know is that it was something I was so passionate about that I was willing to run away from home and never speak to my parents again. I ran though the woods, the dark new moon sky shrouded everything below me, the only saving grace was the flashlight I took with me.
I didn’t know what I was going to do for food or shelter, I just knew that I couldn’t go home and spend another moment with my parents, thinking about it now, I believe the argument was about getting a C on my report card and they wanted to ground me for a month over it. I came out to the other side of the boggy woods and before me was the old, abandoned mansion. There was never anything interesting about it, it had been abandoned two years ago when the previous owners died, the town could never sell it with how little people make around here, so there it stands.
I was happy to finally find a solution to my housing problem, I would just live here and worry about food in the morning. I climbed the stairs and went though the double door. A large hallway appeared with a staircase at the end that branched off into a west wing and east wing. To the right of the entrance was the living room and the left was the kitchen.
There were also some oil lamps I turned the nob and surprisingly I got a flame, I would be sure to turn on all oil lamps I came across Just in case I had to use the bathroom. I went up the stairs and to the west wing where I found a bedroom, one large bed, a bookshelf and even some jewelry, it also had its own bathroom, so I decided to stay here tonight. But first I wanted to see the rest of the house. I then walked out and explore the east wing, it lead into a hallway with two rooms I went to open the room on the left but something stopped me cold in my tracks.
From the door at the end of the room, I could hear someone humming.
The voice hummed a hypnotic lament, “No way! this place is supposed to be abandoned!” I thought to myself as I walked and open the door to make sure I wasn’t hallucinating, the door opened and the first thing my light shinned upon was a young girl, pale white skin, red eyes, and a crimson/black ballroom dress. She turned her attention away from the doll she was holding and fixed it on me.
“Hi there, I’m glad you came I was getting so lonely in this house.”
I had a hard time mustering up a response, “If your so alone why not leave and meet people?” She looked down as tears began to swell in her eyes.
“Mother and Father went out and they said No matter what don’t leave the house, so I don’t.”
“What do you eat?”
“I dunno I’m not hungry.”
“what’s your name? mines Jason.”
She paused for a minute and just shrugged her shoulders, this was getting far too strange, I had to ask her one last question. “How Long ago did your parents leave?” she shrugged her shoulders again “I dunno it’s been a while though.”
She then turned her eyes to look at mine all while getting closer.
“would you like to stay here with me? you only have to do one thing.”
“Oh yeah what’s that?”
“Die.”
My heart dropped when I heard her say that “w-why do I have to die?” she smiled as the porcelain dolls around her began to animate and stand. “That way we can be friends forever.”
I turned and ran as fast as I could, I practically tumbled down the stairs. Now with my flashlight broken the only light left were the oil lamps that were slowly starting to dim out, I didn’t even run to the door Instead I smashed through the first widow I saw. I turned around to see her on the other side of the window crying while surrounded by floating dolls. “I am not allowed outside; you have to come back in so we can play!” I scrambled to my feet and ran until I hit the forest, something then pierced my ears, a banshee’s wail “DON’T LEAVE ME ALONE!”
I ran all the way to town before I collapsed on the ground, I took a moment to look up and see the clouds have passed and the sky was littered with stars, “We have found the boy! Please dispatch ambulance.” I hear before fading out. The next thing I remember was waking up in a hospital bed. I spent days grounded for running away. I tried to tell the police about the girl, but they said they would get around to investigating it, but I knew they didn’t take me seriously. I tried to tell the kids at my school, but they told me I was making it up.
A month after my grounding I went back to the mansion and there she was, standing on the other side of the window pleading for me to come in, she was kind of cute when she wasn’t trying to kill me and I decided that if people don’t stop disrespecting me, then I might take her up on her offer.