The Victorian mansion lurked on the hill from above. The brick edifice was rusty red and murky brown. Black mold and mildew decorated some spots; it appeared so thick that a monster could scrap its claws against it and create morbid art. It made the mansion appear more archaic and ageless at the same time. It made the mansion all the more inviting. The spires on the vaulted roof resembled chess pieces. A pawn at the western point of the mansion, a bishop on the eastern point, and a queen in the middle rising above everything. It was the highest point of the mansion. It seemed to be like a beacon, a gothic lighthouse. No light was emitted from the attic windows, but with one flash of lighting, a lost traveler could find their way. The mansion was a midnight monarch ruling the dark, depthless night, overlooked by the silver moon and purple horizon.
An iron fence caged the beauteous monster from the natural world. Protected it from this side of the veil. Whether the fence was there to keep things in or to keep things out, one will ever know. My guess was to keep things in.
That's why I was scared.
The colossal iron gates were open and a heavy uneasiness coated the air like a misty hug.
I stood there, my chin pointed high above my rising chest and stared up at the mansion. It intrigued me in ways I couldn't explain. The willow trees surrounding the mansion seemed to trap me in their wooden, leafy grasp, haunting me with memories of a life long past. I could sense a dreariness in the air. It reminded me of a water-damaged book, the stories, and memories bleeding across the mansion's grounds. Once you walked the threshold of the property, your appearance becomes a new chapter added in its manifest. With one small step, I could be dragged into a never-ending story. I took a step and my chapter began.