The Strange Mansion

Chapter 1

It was the beginning of winter, the weather was getting colder as times went on. Father and I ran a clinic in the village. Everyday I came to the forest for herbs. My father always told me to not go too far. I didn't want any trouble, so I listened to him. However, one day...

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"Father, I'm leaving now," I said, putting on my boots.

"Alright," he said, "don't go too far, I'll be waiting."

I had on a dark blue dress with white sleeves, worn over by a red apron, and a cross shoulder bag just in case. The coat was a gift from my father for my tenth birthday. I also wore a moon jade pendant around my waist. My mom gave it to me as a charm before she passed away. I always took care of it.

Mom used to tell me a story of a beautiful girl lived happily with her parents in a big and pretty mansion. But someday her father died while hunting monsters with the men. The happiness soon faded. Not long after, her mother passed away from a cruel illness. The girl then had to continue her life in the loneliness.

Without her parents, she couldn't live all by herself. So, she decided to end her young life by jumping off the well behind her own house. After years, the mansion seemed to be forgotten and it was abandoned by its very owners.

I said goodbye to my father and left to be on my way. I continued walking on the path and down to the dirt road. I walked on the wooden bridge and into the forest.

After picking up some herbs, it started to snow a little, so I covered my head with the hood from my coat. Suddenly, I saw a beautiful scene in front of my face. A beautiful lake with a well-made bridge, leading to a big and pretty mansion.

I was amazed by the beauty, so I opted to stay a little more. There were huge gates in front of the mansion. The gates weren't locked. I could see a big, white water fountain and many flowers through the gates. I slowly opened them.

The mansion looked a little bit old, but it was pretty. I gave a few knocks on the doors, wondering if there were people living in this place. This mansion was out in the middle nowhere. No one would even notice it. After a few moments, the door creaked open.

Inside, beautiful chandeliers quickly appeared in my sight. But, the house was quiet in a strange way. The only sound I could hear was my footsteps.

So quiet... I thought, is no one here?

I saw couches, chairs, candles, and many other things. However, I still didn't see anyone around.

"Ah... a visitor!"