The Mansion

Chapter 1

  As soon as the plane touched the lane, there was a round of thunderous applause and cheers for the plane’s safe landing. After the applause died out, the captain thanked everyone for remaining calm during the storm and that we were extremely lucky. My neighbor, a kind blonde lady, leaned over me and said:

            “It’s alright, now. We’ve safely landed,”

            I opened my eyes cautiously but I wouldn’t loosen my grip. Veins protruded from my pale hands. Relieved, I gave out a heavy sigh and dabbed a towel on my forehead covered with beads of perspiration. My heartbeat thundered in my ears as I slowly steadied my breathing.

            “That was quite a bumpy ride,” my neighbor mused. “First time on a plane?”

            “Yes,” I croaked and turned away in embarrassment.

            I could tell that my neighbor was forcing back a laugh by her muffled noises.

            The airhostess said something which I couldn’t quite catch and all of the people started standing up and taking stuff out of the above compartment. Without further ado, I grabbed all my belongings and rushed off on my wobbly legs, forgetting to bid farewell to the lady. I kept mumbling ‘Excuse me’ to make people move out of my way. Sharp glares pierced my back as I overtook the line. Some muttered complaints whilst others grunted in irritation. 

            Upon reaching my destination, I halted to a stop and exhaled loudly. All I wanted to do was to get away from this thing—fast! Claustrophobia began creeping up on me and I clasped my bag firmly trying to reassure myself I wasn’t Claustrophobic.

            Just a few minutes and you’re out, Genessa. Just hold on there.

            The exit opened and I flew out like a caged bird released into freedom. After that, I hustled my way through the crowd, occasionally muttering apologies and keeping my eyes downcast so as to avoid looking at them. Fortunately, all of them were so engrossed in their conversations that they all failed to notice my presence. I waded through the mass, trying not to get tossed to the back—which was quite a very hard attempt.

            The atmosphere was filled with the sounds of endless chatter and luggage being dragged. The throng queued in front of a counter and I stood behind them, envious about the fact that they all had companions who accompanied them the whole way whereas I was alone.

             All of a sudden, the temperature of the room dropped which left me somewhat shivering. I thought it was normal but there was a tingling sensation on the back of my neck.

            Not again.

            I quickly shut my eyes at the realizing the situation.

            “Genessa,” a clear whisper resonated in my head.

            You’re not real!

            “Genessa,”

            Stop it!

            I flicked opened my eyes and whirled around only to stop in my tracks. My stomach churned in fright and chills went down my spine. My heartbeat raced rapidly upon each passing second.

            There she was, floating above the ground, her image flickering like a wisp of smoke, shifting and morphing into different shapes. Her black dress seemed to be diffusing into the surrounding air as it whirled and twirled almost everywhere. Her face was hard make out under the hood; in fact it seemed like a hollow. The more you look at her, the more you are convinced that she has no face at all. Extending her right hand, she fixed a crooked index finger on me as if accusing me of some wrongdoing. That only added to the level of tension building up inside of me. But my panicky mind recognized the strange figure.