The Curse of Taloncrest Manor

Chapter 1: A Vacation Like No Other

-2010-

The warm Californian breeze swept through the air as Ricardo, his girlfriend Rose, and his three friends Cooper, James, and Elijah cruised down the road on their way to check out Ricardo's new property. "Hey, man," Cooper said. "Sorry, but you know we've got to talk about your aunt." 

"I know, I know," Ricardo replied. "I wasn't really all that close with her to begin with, but it all feels so sudden, you know? She was perfectly healthy before....how could she have fallen victim to cancer so quickly? I swear, it was like that tumor came out of nowhere...." 

"Cancer is notorious like that. You never know who or when it will strike. Maybe it was just an unlucky occurrence," James suggested. "And hey, your aunt sounds like a pretty generous woman if she's willing to give you this entire estate." He turned to Elijah, the youngest member of the party. "You did look up some details about this place, right? Make sure we're going to the correct location?" 

Elijah was two grades below Ricardo, Rose, and James, and one grade below Cooper. Still, he got along with them very quickly and now hung out with them on a regular basis. "Sure, but you're probably not gonna like what I've discovered. Apparently, in the distant past, some pompous billionaire named Bartholomew Taloncrest took up residence here, along with his butler Thomas and countless other associates."

"His ownership came to an unsettling end....they say that one night, during one of his parties, his wife Jane suddenly died, and he himself committed suicide out of despair. After that, every single person in attendance, including his butler, Thomas, was said to have abruptly disappeared into thin air, without a trace. When the mansion was investigated, officers only found Jane and Bart's dead bodies on the second floor." Elijah explained. 

"What?!" Rose exclaimed. "Sounds scary to me...." 

"Superstition is more like it," Cooper stated. "Maybe all of them just left afterward....." "But then why would no one report on their deaths?" Ricardo asked. "Still....we don't exactly know what we're in for, so I'd advise that everyone exercise caution." 

"There's more, by the way, Ricky," Elijah continued. "After Bart's death, the mansion acted as a residence for several people who wanted to get their hands on it. Guests have reported many strange happenings, such as the piano in the Conservatory somehow managing to play itself, to strange mechanical whirring noises in the basement...."

"A basement? No....that's impossible. My aunt never mentioned a basement in her letters she shared with me describing the mansion...." Ricardo thought aloud. 

"Maybe there was a basement in the past and it was sealed off after a while," Rose said. "But....they would have to have a good reason for doing so...." 

"Dang, dude, how do you know so much about this stuff?" Cooper asked Elijah. "The mansion's been somewhat of a hotspot lately. It's grown infamous among the people in this part of town due to everything that's occurred inside it. Some enthusiasts, speculators, and theorists apparently got together and made an informative website about it. Taught me everything I know," Elijah replied. 

"What happened to the guests who submitted those reports of abnormal activity?" Ricardo asked him. Elijah shrugged. "From what I know, they were mostly ignored. Either that, or treated with great suspicion. Up to y'all if you want to believe them or not." 

"Well....enough about that. Look, we're pulling up to the house now." Ricardo told the crew. "Bro, imagine how cool it'd be if there legit were ghosts in this place. It'd make for quite the horror story!" James said excitedly. Cooper scoffed. "Hmph....I still think those guests were just hearing things." 

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Ricardo and company unpacked their luggage and walked through the huge double doors into the mansion's lobby. "Whoa! Check this place out!" Rose cheered. The group immediately went about, exploring the venue.