House of Secrets

~House of Secrets, by Sebastiene Elston. 24-part story. (24 chapters). Ongoing.~

Oakwood House holds a secret that could take everything away from her, including her life.

Gwen and her mother have nowhere to go. So, it sounds like a dream when her mother's old friend, Marvin, suddenly leaves Oakwood House to Gwen. The only way she can claim the house is to find his official will. The problem? Marvin was a hoarder. The will is hidden somewhere inside the huge building, somewhere inside his hoard.

With her mother's health deteriorating, Gwen goes out alone to the remote house. The huge structure is packed. Worse yet, there are strange things that don't make sense.

~Why is Marvin's entire hoard on top of tables, raised slightly above the floor?
~Why are there narrow paths through the piles of objects, set up like a maze?
~Marvin had an obsessive-compulsive need to remain clean and get rid of clutter. So why did he spend years accumulating almost everything he could find?
~Worst of all, how can Gwen possibly find Marvin's will in the overwhelming labyrinth of objects inside his house?

She'll need help, but who can she trust? There is movement in the darkness at night. There are strange sounds no one can explain. The house was abandoned asylum with a well-deserved, ominous reputation. Hidden inside the hoard are treasures, mysteries, and one dangerous, terrible secret Marvin would have protected her from if he could have.

Can Oakwood House be the refuge she so desperately needs, or will Gwen be the next victim of the one thing Marvin never wanted her to find?