Whisked Away

Welcome Foolish Mortal

With myself getting closer and closer to the mansion with each footstep, the house becomes even more run down.

The color of the house has faded to a sort of grey color. The massive wooden doors withstand the degenerating odor of the swamp. Wild bramble bushes are growing just about everywhere as I try and walk the path to the mansion.

A part of my skirt gets caught on a prickly bush. I tug the skirt free, but it leaves a patch of fabric on its thorns.

A lone raven cawed, I jumped.

"Calm Down, Genevieve.." I said to myself.

To keep myself from getting scared, I recite to myself what I know.

"It's... an old antebellum house from the south." I mutter and continue walking.

A light fog came over the path, slightly hiding the brambles. I lifted my skirt higher as I walked. Even as I walk up to the house, the bogs smell is still powerful. I scrunch my nose and reach for my fan that I had kept on my wrist to disperse the smell irritating my nose. But, then I remember that I left it in the car.

"Fiddlesticks.." I mutter. I guess I'll just have to rush into the house then.

I continue reciting what I know.

"It was abandoned after all of the members of the Gracey family died." I say quietly.

I look down at my feet, I've come to the steps that lead to the mansions massive front porch. White-ish gray columns stand as pillars on the porch. And in the center of those pillars, is two wooden doors.

For a second, I stop to admire the craftsmanship of the two doors. The carvings and designs are simply beautiful. The knockers, are also gorgeous. The old black lions hold the circular knockers in their mouths.

I go to knock but the door pushes itself open.

My hand falters for a moment.

I look back at Katie's car. Is it still even there? I squint my eyes, it's far.

But the car is gone.

"She left me." I growl.

Should I even go into the mansion? I ask myself.

Surely since she left me I can go home right? But I'll need a mode of transportation to get out of the area.
But, I don't get a choice. My foot was hovering over the threshold, I was thrown in.

The doors slammed shut behind me.

I quickly get up, and view my surroundings for any attackers. But there are none.

I now take a moment and survey the grand hall. It's magnificently lit. The lighting is as if the house was never abandoned. Despite being an old haunted house, the decor is beautiful.

The old tiles shine like new, and the light fixtures are stunning. The wooden steps and hallways look freshly dusted, as if they were expecting someone.

"Wait... What's that..?" I ask myself aloud this time. I hear distant music playing? Yes, it is music. It's an organ playing.

The music sounds.. Slow. But I was intrigued. So, naturally, I followed the sound.

I pass a hallway and go through an entirely wooden archway. I then enter a little circally shaped vestibule, thats very dark. It has purple wallpaper.. With black designs on them. I walk over to a wall and touch the wallpaper. Then I gasp. They look like eyes. Not just eyes... But faces.

Then, I realize where the music is coming from.. There is a cracked wooden door in this room that leads into the next room. The cracked door has light that bleeds into this room like blood. I stop for a second.. This seems to be a portrait gallery. But only one portrait hangs. The massive portrait hangs up above a fireplace, whose embers are dying. The portrait is of a man. A very young man, possibly in his mid-twenties. He has curly black hair, and blue eyes that can just stare into your very soul. He stands with a dignified posture, master of the house maybe?

Wait! This portrait could be my ticket out of here!!

"Hah! This'll show Katie!" I say victoriously. I get my phone out and pose in front of the portrait. I tap the camera button. The phone makes an audible 'click' when the picture is captured.

Then the music stops. The music is silenced in the middle of a note too.
Then, somewhere inside the next room, something moves. I hear footsteps. I accidentally drop my phone. Its light from the screen illuminates the room for a bit, but then it shuts off.

I walk to the cracked door.
I stand at the edge of the door and peek my head in. This room too, is a portrait gallery.

Despite hearing footsteps nobody is in the room.

"Hello?" I ask, sheepishly. I don't want my voice to reverberate in the empty room and be scared by myself.

And, just like with the front door, I get thrown in. And just like with the front door again, the wooden door slams shut.

This time, I get up, and bang on the door. But it's locked.

"Welcome, Foolish mortal!" A voice booms from above.