The Abandoned Mansion

The sun shone brightly, and the children of Perkin’s street were busy frolicking around playfully. Oh! What a jolly weather it was, just the perfect evening that made you want to get up and get going. I strolled across the narrow streets with my friend Sarah as we walked in awkward silence. Sarah’s curly blonde hair was pulled back in a tight ponytail and her deep, vivid blue eyes glanced at me with curiosity. “Do you really think we should do it?” she questioned. I nodded “I want to unveil all the secrets hidden in the mysterious house” I answered. She nodded hesitantly. “then let’s meet at 5”, she said and thus we parted ways and headed home.

The mysterious house was situated next lane and looked nothing less than a haunted house. It was an ash grey and wildflowers and other garden creepers grew on the edges of the walls. The walls had cracks and the garden looked like a destroyed tsunami hit area. Dead plants and surprisingly animals covered the ground. It was all dark and dingy and there seemed to be no fresh thing in the house. The house had been abandoned a long time ago and it has remained isolated since then…

No one ever spoke of the mysterious house and the only thing I knew about this house was that it was guarded by a prophecy. People say the house is filled with treasure and anyone who tried entering the house never returned alive. It was indeed a dangerous adventure and I was up for it

Just then the clock struck five and without much thought I grabbed my flashlight and prepared to leave. “where are you going?”, yelled a loud voice from the kitchen. “nowhere mom! Just going to play with Sarah! I’ll be back before you know it!” I answered and rushed out. And there in front, Sarah stood waiting with a terrified expression.

We sprinted towards the house, knowing that this might not be such a good idea. Soon, we approached the house. Sarah and I exchanged befuddled looks but decided to go in. the old wooden door surprisingly had no lock and was hanging from one of its hinges.      

We slowly opened the door and immediately, a gush of wind began to pull me into the house. However, surprisingly, the wind pushed Sarah with all its force out of the house. Sarah fell to her back and the door shut with a loud thud. I was all alone in this enormous mansion, I tried opening the door, but my efforts were of no use. The wind had stopped and all I could hear was a muffled sound of Sarah screaming out my name.

I walked further into the mansion. There lay a few pieces of old ancient furniture covered with a layer of dust. The mansion was dark except for a streak of light flowing in through a corner window. I lit my flashlight and began exploring. I observed something peculiar, all the doors were left wide open except one, it was locker. “the treasure had to be in that room” I thought. And thus, I began looking for the key. Suddenly an old rug in the hallway began to glow!!! NO, it can’t be the rug, it was something under it. I lifted the rug and to my surprise, it was a Key! Just as I picked it up, and old glass chandelier above me began to shake. I moved away just in time to save myself from the falling chandelier. I rushed up the stairs and unlocked the door. It was an old room with nothing in it. There was just a gigantic wood box. I dusted it to find the name ‘Dr. James Walker’ carved on it. What a coincidence! He had the same surname as mine!!! “This has to be it!”, I thought. I opened the box after quite a lot of struggle to find a path of staircase inside it that led into the darkness. I climbed down the staircase that led me into a hall consisting of over 20 doors. It was a death trap. If I made one wrong decision, it would cost me my life.

I began analysing all the possibilities when the gush of wind reappeared. It pushed me towards one of the doors. I blindly walked in to find myself in the place I had longed to discover. It was the treasure room! I couldn’t explain my happiness. ‘If it was this easy to discover the treasure room, why didn’t anyone try doing it before?” I said to myself. “Many people did but they were unsuccessful”, called out a familiar voice. “Mom” I screamed as I ran and hugged her. “You are the descendant of Dr. James Walker!”, she exclaimed. I looked at her with a bewildered expression.

Dr. James Walker was a famous doctor of his time. He possessed numerous wealth and was admired by all. He was also said to possess another skill, MAGIC. Thus, just a few days before he passed away, he kept all his wealth in this house, guarded and protected by complicated magic. However, only his descendant wouldn’t be affected by this and would have full rights over his wealth. That is what the prophecy states.

Just then, Sarah ran into the room and stood panting beside my mom. We exchanged smiles. “But then” I continued “the magic seemed to give me clues and lead me to the treasure”. “Yes, that’s what proves that you are the descendant of Dr. James Walker. If anyone else attempted to look for the treasure, they would have lost their life. Since Sarah was your friend, she was warned beforehand not to enter the house”, my mom replied “Well, at least I’m glad she’s safe!” Sarah remarked.

“Now what do we do with the treasure?”, I questioned anxiously. “We could keep a portion of it and the rest can be given to charity or the Government”, my Mom replied. I didn’t object and this nodded.

Okay, now it all made sense! The mysterious house wasn’t haunted after all. It was just protected by magic to keep all other people away from access to the treasure, and I, Rachel Walker was the descendent of Dr. James Walker…