Categories > Original > Horror
This Old Mansion...
"You wouldn't believe the night I had..."
Isaac looked up from his studies as his twin brother entered their library. Ishmael took off his coat and sat down on the large sofa. His brother was smiling.
"Well, you seem happy. What happened?" Isaac asked.
Ishmael leaned forward before starting. "I was walking home tonight..."
***
The moonlight illuminated the road as Ishmael made his way home. He did not know why he decided to travel down Coventry Lane, where the old mansion stood. But his feet started walking, passing through familiar buildings. Not much had changed since he last passed through the road... ever since his nervous breakdown years ago.
Ishmael had spent years in solitude, hiding from the world. His brother had finally convinced him to take a short walk. Ishmael was surprised to find that he was enjoying the fresh air.
The old mansion was one of those places that Ishmael and his brother loved to pass through when they were kids. They scared each other telling stories about it being haunted and running away whenever something moved within the house. Ishmael laughed at the memory. How fruitful those stories had been for him, though, ever since he started making his living writing his fiction.
Ishmael stood outside the gate of the old mansion. There was a light on inside the mansion but Ishmael was no longer afraid that it would be specters partying through the night. He knew better. The old childhood fears were gone.
The gate suddenly opened and a woman ran out. The woman frantically ran across the street to where Ishmael stood. He could only stand flabbergasted as the woman reached him. She looked him straight in the eyes and gasped "Help me!"
And, almost as suddenly, the woman disappeared before his eyes.
Ishmael felt goosebumps run up his entire body and he ran. He ran away from the old mansion and away from mysteriously disappearing women. He managed to reach their house before stopping in front of their door to catch his breath.
"Help me!" he heard her voice say again.
"Help me!" He covered his ears to block out the voice, to no avail.
He remembered her piercing eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes.
***
"So what did you do?" his brother asked, fingers steepled in front of him in concentration.
Ishmael shrugged. "I couldn't block out the woman's face and voice. I went back to the mansion..."
***
Knees trembling, Ishmael made his way towards the gate and rang the doorbell. He waited, nervous of what he would find or who would answer the door.
A few minutes later, a voice said from behind the gate, "please wait a minute." The sounds of the gate's locks being opened almost made him run away again. But Ishmael steeled himself and waited.
The gate opened and a woman peered out. "Yes?" she asked.
Ishmael was speechless. In front of him stood the very same woman who had ran into him earlier that night. How could he forget those piercing blue eyes and that voice?
Slowly and with much apologizing, he asked the woman if she remember running towards him earlier that night and asking for his help.
At first, the woman looked confused, but then she laughed and answered no.
Ishmael was bewildered at this turn of events. He came to rescue the woman and satisfy his curiosity. Had he imagined the whole thing? Were his breakdown episodes recurring?
But the sound of the woman's laughter caused his heart to flutter. Such a melodious voice, he thought. The woman's laugh and beauty had smitten him so much that Ishmael asked if he could talk to her longer.
The woman blushed, but agreed. She invited him inside her home. As they walked through the large halls, she introduced herself as Leah and explained how she came to live in the old mansion. She inherited it, she explained, being the last of her clan.
In the parlor, they chatted for an hour or so and Ishmael found himself being more and more smitten by the delightfully charming Leah. He found himself relaxing in her company and almost forgetting about the weird incident that happened earlier that night.
Until he caught something out of the corner of his eye...
Behind Leah was a mirror on the wall, but her reflection was also looking at him.
Shouting and mouthing the words "Help me!"
Ishmael froze and paled at the sight. Leah noticed his gaze and turned, seeing her reflection in the mirror. She turned back to Ishmael and smiled her angelic smile.
***
Isaac gulped. "What happened?"
Ishmael leaned back on the couch, faced his brother and smiled enigmatically. Isaac's blood ran cold as he noticed the mirror on the wall behind the couch and Ishmael.
His brother's reflection was facing him... mouthing the words "Help me!"
End
"You wouldn't believe the night I had..."
Isaac looked up from his studies as his twin brother entered their library. Ishmael took off his coat and sat down on the large sofa. His brother was smiling.
"Well, you seem happy. What happened?" Isaac asked.
Ishmael leaned forward before starting. "I was walking home tonight..."
***
The moonlight illuminated the road as Ishmael made his way home. He did not know why he decided to travel down Coventry Lane, where the old mansion stood. But his feet started walking, passing through familiar buildings. Not much had changed since he last passed through the road... ever since his nervous breakdown years ago.
Ishmael had spent years in solitude, hiding from the world. His brother had finally convinced him to take a short walk. Ishmael was surprised to find that he was enjoying the fresh air.
The old mansion was one of those places that Ishmael and his brother loved to pass through when they were kids. They scared each other telling stories about it being haunted and running away whenever something moved within the house. Ishmael laughed at the memory. How fruitful those stories had been for him, though, ever since he started making his living writing his fiction.
Ishmael stood outside the gate of the old mansion. There was a light on inside the mansion but Ishmael was no longer afraid that it would be specters partying through the night. He knew better. The old childhood fears were gone.
The gate suddenly opened and a woman ran out. The woman frantically ran across the street to where Ishmael stood. He could only stand flabbergasted as the woman reached him. She looked him straight in the eyes and gasped "Help me!"
And, almost as suddenly, the woman disappeared before his eyes.
Ishmael felt goosebumps run up his entire body and he ran. He ran away from the old mansion and away from mysteriously disappearing women. He managed to reach their house before stopping in front of their door to catch his breath.
"Help me!" he heard her voice say again.
"Help me!" He covered his ears to block out the voice, to no avail.
He remembered her piercing eyes. Those beautiful blue eyes.
***
"So what did you do?" his brother asked, fingers steepled in front of him in concentration.
Ishmael shrugged. "I couldn't block out the woman's face and voice. I went back to the mansion..."
***
Knees trembling, Ishmael made his way towards the gate and rang the doorbell. He waited, nervous of what he would find or who would answer the door.
A few minutes later, a voice said from behind the gate, "please wait a minute." The sounds of the gate's locks being opened almost made him run away again. But Ishmael steeled himself and waited.
The gate opened and a woman peered out. "Yes?" she asked.
Ishmael was speechless. In front of him stood the very same woman who had ran into him earlier that night. How could he forget those piercing blue eyes and that voice?
Slowly and with much apologizing, he asked the woman if she remember running towards him earlier that night and asking for his help.
At first, the woman looked confused, but then she laughed and answered no.
Ishmael was bewildered at this turn of events. He came to rescue the woman and satisfy his curiosity. Had he imagined the whole thing? Were his breakdown episodes recurring?
But the sound of the woman's laughter caused his heart to flutter. Such a melodious voice, he thought. The woman's laugh and beauty had smitten him so much that Ishmael asked if he could talk to her longer.
The woman blushed, but agreed. She invited him inside her home. As they walked through the large halls, she introduced herself as Leah and explained how she came to live in the old mansion. She inherited it, she explained, being the last of her clan.
In the parlor, they chatted for an hour or so and Ishmael found himself being more and more smitten by the delightfully charming Leah. He found himself relaxing in her company and almost forgetting about the weird incident that happened earlier that night.
Until he caught something out of the corner of his eye...
Behind Leah was a mirror on the wall, but her reflection was also looking at him.
Shouting and mouthing the words "Help me!"
Ishmael froze and paled at the sight. Leah noticed his gaze and turned, seeing her reflection in the mirror. She turned back to Ishmael and smiled her angelic smile.
***
Isaac gulped. "What happened?"
Ishmael leaned back on the couch, faced his brother and smiled enigmatically. Isaac's blood ran cold as he noticed the mirror on the wall behind the couch and Ishmael.
His brother's reflection was facing him... mouthing the words "Help me!"
End
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