The Forgotten

Return to Ravenswood

The car's engine hummed softly as Emily Harlow drove through the winding roads that led to Ravenswood. The late afternoon sun cast long shadows across the landscape, making the familiar, once cherished scenery seem eerie and foreboding. As she neared the town, a sense of dread settled in her chest, growing heavier with each passing mile.

Ravenswood was a place she had never intended to see again. The memories she had tried so hard to bury now clawed their way to the surface, each one more painful than the last. The image of her mother's tear streaked face the day she vanished haunted her thoughts, and Emily could still hear her mother's desperate voice echoing in her mind: "Promise me, Emily. Promise you'll never come back here."

But life had a cruel way of disregarding promises. The divorce had shattered her carefully constructed life, leaving her adrift. And the miscarriage losing the child she had yearned for was the final blow. With nowhere else to turn, Emily found herself drawn back to the one place she had vowed never to return to.

As she drove into the town's outskirts, the dilapidated sign welcoming her to Ravenswood creaked in the breeze, its paint faded and peeling. The town itself seemed frozen in time, as though it had been waiting for her all these years. The streets were eerily quiet, the houses lined up like silent sentinels, guarding the secrets they harboured.

Emily pulled up to her old family home, the Harlow house, its once grand exterior now showing signs of neglect. The large, ivy-covered mansion loomed over her, its darkened windows staring back like hollow eyes. She hesitated before stepping out of the car, the weight of her mother's warning pressing down on her. But she had no other choice; this was the only place she could go.

As she approached the front door, the familiar creak of the porch boards beneath her feet sent a shiver down her spine. She fumbled with the key, her hands trembling slightly, before finally managing to unlock the door. The heavy oak door groaned as it swung open, revealing the dimly lit foyer within.

The air inside was thick with dust and the scent of age, as if the house had been holding its breath since the day she left. Emily flicked the light switch, but the chandelier above only sputtered weakly before plunging her back into shadows. She sighed and reached for the flashlight in her bag, its beam cutting through the darkness, revealing the familiar yet unsettling surroundings.

The house was exactly as she remembered it every piece of furniture, every photograph on the wall was a relic of a life long past. Yet, something felt different, as if the house itself had been waiting for her return, holding onto something just out of reach. Emily walked slowly through the foyer, her footsteps echoing in the silence. She paused at the bottom of the staircase, staring up at the second floor where her mother's room was located.

Taking a deep breath, Emily made her way upstairs, the stairs creaking in protest with each step. The hallway was dim, lit only by the fading light filtering through the dusty curtains. She reached her mother's room, hesitating for a moment before pushing the door open. The room was just as she remembered it neatly made bed, books stacked on the bedside table, and the large wardrobe that had always seemed too big for the room.

Emily walked over to the dresser and ran her fingers over the surface, disturbing a thin layer of dust. Her gaze fell on a small, ornate box resting on top, something she had never noticed before. Curious, she picked it up and opened it, revealing a set of old keys and a folded piece of paper. Unfolding the paper, she recognized her mother's handwriting immediately.

"If you've found this, it means you've come back. I'm sorry, Emily. I'm sorry I couldn't keep you away. But there's something you need to know, something I never told you. The Harlow house is not what it seems. There are secrets here, secrets that could destroy everything. Whatever you do, don't go into the basement."

A cold shiver ran down Emily's spine as she read the words. Her mother had always been secretive, but this was something else entirely. What was hidden in the basement? And why had her mother been so desperate to keep her away?

Emily folded the note and tucked it back into the box. She glanced around the room, suddenly feeling like she was being watched. The shadows in the corners seemed to shift, but when she looked again, there was nothing there. She shook her head, trying to dispel the unease that had settled over her.

I'm just tired, she told herself. It's just the stress.

But deep down, she knew it was something more. There was a darkness in Ravenswood, something her mother had known but never spoken of. And now, it was up to Emily to uncover the truth even if it meant facing the very thing her mother had feared most.