Gemstones | Winners ✮ Anthology

Inheritance by @Romizabooks

Petunia started walking toward the staircase that led to the upper floor. The marble staircase required her to be cautious to prevent slipping. As she ascended the stairs, she began to hear murmurs. Upon reaching the upstairs hallway, she noticed ghosts floating about. Petunia froze in her tracks.

"Petunia!" called a woman.

Turning around, she found herself face to face with the ghost of her late great aunt.

"Aunt Claire," responded Petunia.

"What are you doing in this place?" asked Claire.

"You left the deed of the mansion to me," said Petunia.

"I did no such thing," said Claire.

"The realtor came to my apartment and gave me the deed and the keys to this place," explained Petunia.

"I never wanted anyone else to live in this awful place and go through what I went through," said Claire.

"Someone told me to beware of the 'Crimson Knight'," said Petunia.

"As long as you have the mirrors covered, you don't need to worry," replied Claire.

"I'll leave the place in the morning," said Petunia. "I still have the rented apartment to return to."

"Once you've lived in this house, you are bound to this place forever, even in death," said Claire.

"So I'm trapped?" asked Petunia.

"Yes," said Claire sadly. "Do not look at your reflection after midnight."

Just as Claire finished speaking, screams resounded throughout the mansion. A multitude of ghosts emerged, floating up from downstairs. They were the spirits of all the portraits adorning the walls below.

"He's escaped the portrait!" screamed a female ghost in fear.

Before Petunia could inquire about who had escaped, all the ghosts dispersed in various directions. As she slowly turned around, she came face-to-face with a headless ghost, holding its head in its hand. Petunia attempted to scream, but no sound escaped her lips. She took a few steps backward before turning and sprinting as fast as she could.

Spotting the first door, she dashed toward it and grasped the knob, but it wouldn't budge. Glancing back in the direction she had come from, she saw the headless ghost advancing toward her. Petunia started sprinting once more.

After trying three more knobs, she eventually found a door that opened. Entering the room, she locked the door from the inside. Would the locked door be enough to keep the headless ghost out?

Petunia took her torch and surveyed the room. It was filled with art supplies. Along the back wall, there were several lanterns positioned on a long table. Petunia walked over to them and lit each one with a matchstick from a matchbox she found on the table.

Turning her torch off, she took one lantern and inspected the room once more. In the centre of the room, an easel with paper stood prominently. Beside the easel, a small table held paintbrushes and an array of paint in different colours.

Petunia took the lantern over to the easel and placed it on the small table. Painting something would help her relax. Picking up a brush, she started painting with the different colours of paint provided. She was painting a meadow on a spring day.

Once she finished, she looked at the painting one final time. On one side of the meadow, there was a black blob. She must have smudged the painting while working. Petunia took up the brush to turn the blob into a black sheep. However, upon returning to her painting with the brush, she noticed the blob had grown larger.

Petunia closed her eyes and opened them again, only to find that the blob had grown larger again, now forming arms with sharp claws and a gaping mouth. The blob was transforming into a monstrous creature, advancing toward her. Petunia had no desire to wait and see what would happen next. She sprinted toward the door, quickly unlocking it. Glancing in both directions outside the room, she cautiously made her way into the corridor and shut the door behind her.

A grunting sound echoed in the distance. Petunia looked around, but no one was in sight. She needed to find a place to hide; going downstairs was out of the question, with the headless ghost somewhere along the corridor. Her only viable option was to move forward and locate a secure room.

After encountering two locked doors, she found the third one unlocked. Petunia burst inside, seeking refuge within the safety of the room. Glancing around, she realised she was standing in a library, surrounded by a vast array of books.

Petunia turned on the lantern she had found and approached the nearest bookshelf. Among the numerous books, one stood out of place. The title on the spine read "Lost In The Woods". Intrigued, Petunia pulled the book from the shelf and opened it, only for a lady to suddenly emerge from within.

Petunia stared at the lady. She was imagining her, but she had to know if she was losing her mind.

"Are you real?" asked Petunia.

"I am," said the lady. "I've been trapped in the book for a long time."

"Do you know the way out of this house?" asked Petunia.

"Of course," said the lady. "I can show you."

"There is a headless ghost outside," said Petunia.

"You'll be out of this place before the ghost comes for you," replied the lady.

Both of them had now stepped out of the library. Petunia glanced around but did not see any headless ghost. She was relieved.

"Follow me," said the lady.

Petunia followed the lady down the seemingly endless hall. She wondered how they would escape from the second floor of the mansion. Was there an escape stairway that led outside the house?

They finally reached the very end of the hall. There, at the end, stood a door. Petunia turned the doorknob, but it wouldn't open.

"Move!" commanded the lady.

Petunia moved quickly, but something didn't feel right.

"Go in," said the lady.

Petunia stepped inside, finding an empty room with nothing but an object covered with a sheet.

"We've reached a dead end," said Petunia.

"You wanted a way out," said the lady.

Before Petunia knew it, the sheet had been pulled off the object, revealing it as a mirror. Petunia turned her head and slowly backed away. After a few steps, she found that she couldn't move. Her head was turning towards the mirror, and her legs were carrying her closer. Petunia attempted to close her eyes, but she couldn't. It felt as though she was not in control of her own actions. The lady seemed to be manipulating her every move.

"Don't do this," pleaded Petunia.

"You wanted to leave this place," responded the lady.

Petunia was now facing her own reflection in the mirror.

"Do you want to leave this place?" asked the reflection.

"Yes," responded Petunia.

The reflection extended a hand to Petunia, who grabbed it and was immediately pulled into the mirror. Stepping out from the mirror was a knight.

"It's nice to have you back, my dear husband," said the lady.

"It's nice to be out of the mirror," responded the knight.

The headless ghost floated in.

"Brother, we are all reunited," said the headless ghost.

"We will have revenge for what they did to you," said the knight to the headless ghost.

Petunia banged on the mirror from the other side and yelled, but no sound passed through.

As the lady, knight, and headless ghost exited the room, the lady waved her hand, and the sheet was placed over the mirror.