THE HAUNTED MANOR

It was a rainy day in Southampton, where the family manor was located. It was just recently that I learned about that manor and where it came from.

A week ago, I received a letter that informed me about a heritage I didn't know about. The letter explained how an aunt, whom I didn't recall, had left a manor for my brother and I. Before we moved to Southampton, we used to live in London City so it’d been a huge change moving to a different city. We travelled by car, it was a long journey. Finally we arrived at our new home, the first glance at the house and we were amazed by its hugeness.

After moving some things into the manor, we started looking around. There were about sixteen rooms and they were all for guests. There were plenty of hallways, even though there weren't that many floors. We thought that was a bit weird, but didn’t think much about it.

The first night at the manor was quiet. Despite the fact of hearing a bunch of odd noises. I was fast asleep when suddenly my brother came into the bedroom I was settled in. He told me that when he was coming he had to walk a really long distance although our rooms were quite close. That meant that he’d walked through various hallways without noticing.

We left my room so we could look around and try to discover where the noises came from. All of a sudden we saw a shining sphere materialising in front of us. The sphere started moving, therefore we chased it until it stopped in front of a door we hadn't seen before, it didn't even look like the others. We cautiously turned the handle and opened the door, the sphere moved inside and turned into a ghostly shape person.

We were too stunned to move or run and all at once the ghost came straight to us and made us disappeared into thin air.

Freedom Door

Yesterday when I went to sleep, everything looked normal. My lonely house is scary for some individuals, especially due to the location, at the top of a groovy hill, not that groovy with stormy weather though. This morning, the kitchen seemed to have an extra door. At first, I thought that I shouldn’t smoke weed in the evenings.

It could be a basement door, as it was an-old fashioned one. My curiosity was stronger than me, so I slowly approached the door. I turned the handle, and while I was pushing the door crack was firghtening. Once I was inside, I felt in a really familiar place; it was my childhood orphanage, where I didn’t have a really good experience. I was in my child body, I didn't reach a meter and a half. I was following the row, as usually being the last one. I had to confront the nuns, which were my childhood and even teenage years nightmare. When I shouted at them, overcoming my fear, with my closed eyes, I appeared in another place.

I was feeling warm, it was the school trip we made to Australia, where I discovered my arachnophobia. Tarantulas all over the hostel, I still remember feeling them while sleeping. An enormous tarantula appeared in front of me from nowhere, and it was really nice to me, we even had tea.

A light appeared, so I thought that it was the end. I appeared at home, but something strange happened. There were two of me, and I felt sorry for my other me. He couldn’t see me, but he looked so empty and lonely… I thought about how good it would be to move to the town.

Suddenly, I woke up, I was lying in my usual bed, doubting whether my dream was real or not. Luckily, I felt like I never had before. Energetic and free. Today I’m moving to the town, having a tarantula as a pet; even though I still don’t really like nuns.

I SHOULD’VE STAYED IN CALIFORNIA

I haven’t seen the door before. It wasn’t there last night. Cautiously, I turned the handle and…

One week earlier…

Before telling my story I’ll put you in situation my dearest reader: I’m James and despite having been brought up and having lived in California all my life, my parents insisted on moving out to Chicago in my last year of highschool. I always thought that that wasn’t a good idea, but what can I do? I’m just a 16 year old against the word of his parents.

After a long hour trip, we arrived at the house where I will spend the rest of my sad, lonely and monotonous life.

Honestly, I was surprised; the house was big and black with a green door and a noisy swing on the front side of it. I don’t know. I had a really bad feeling. That house, all lonely and cold, mysterious and hidden by those tall trees was… terrifying.

After settling in, we spent the first extremely uncomfortable night in that big and dark house. I couldn’t sleep; I’m not sure if it was just me being paranoid or a ghost surrounded the house, but I couldn’t stop hearing voices all over the place.

A new day started. I tried to forget that long night. “It could be a dream” I thought, but I can assure you my lovely friend, that what I heard was more than real.

I swear to God that I made an effort: I tried to stay as far away as I could from that house, but it kept calling me. I couldn’t scape. I didn’t know what was happening but going out was an impossible mission. I was going crazy! I couldn’t sleep or eat, even taking a shower was a challenge. But after all my madness and strange behavior, my parents weren’t worried about me. They didn’t ask a thing. They started their new life and didn’t talk to me meanwhile. That scared me, a lot, especially taking into account that my parents cannot be more protective and careful.

It was Saturday. As usual, I stayed awake all night, waiting, waiting for something horrendous to happen.

I went out. I walked all over the city trying to distract myself, but it was useless.

When I returned home it was late at night. I couldn’t see anything so I used my phone to light the way home. I opened the door, went upstairs and felt surprised with what I saw: After living in that house for a whole week and checking every single room, the tiniest detail, there was a big green door, just like the one in the front of the house. I can assure you that that wasn't part of my imagination. I hadn’t seen that door before. It wasn’t there last light. Cautiously, I turned the handle and a huge room was just in front of me, full of king’s portraits and a round table in the center of it.

I saw a glass. A small glass with some red liquid. I stepped forwards, curious. Before I knew I was in front of the glass, just staring, when a shadow appeared. I jumped in terror, It seemed like my mum, but I know it wasn’t her; her body was just a v¡centimetre form mine. Her eyes were totally white and she couldn’t stop smiling. It was a terrifying smile. All her teeth were shone and they all were as white as the snow.

Suddenly, I felt a hand in the stomach, my father’s hand. He looked just like my mum: smiley. He pushed me hard against the floor. I tried to escape. I didn’t know what was happening and before I knew both of my parents were holding me against the wall and forcing me to drink that mysterious red liquid. I refused but they were really strong. I didn’t know what that was but after swallowing it my dad took a big, huge, enormous knife! He pointed at me with it and…

I woke up in a clinic. The doctors had told me that my paranoid thoughts were too strong. They told me that I finally felt unconscious and that was the reason why I had to stay there. But… Paranoid? It was all real! My parents tried to sacrifice me, or kill me, or… I don’t know, but the only thing I’m sure about is that what I saw was real. I asked for help. They say I’m totally mad. I’M NOT! You have to help me, reader. I can’t escape from this place, but you can finally solve the mystery! You know I’m right. Please, take me away from here and we’ll save my parents from the house, well, if the house does not end with them or me first.

The Enchanted Door

The weirdest Monday of my life. My alarm, all of a sudden, went off at 8 a.m. I prepared myself and got ready for class. When I suddenly look at where the stairs were supposed to be there was a door, a black door that didn’t match the rest of my bedroom. I hadn’t seen the door before. It wasn’t there last night. Cautiously, I turned the handle to try and open the door but it was impossible. I tried, I tried and I tried with all of my strength but I couldn't open it.

– Help! Help! HELP! – I shouted.

I banged on the door, I shouted on the top of my lungs and nobody could hear me. No sooner had I tried all of those things when I hear the sound of some bells inside of the room and didn´t see where it came from. Suddenly, what it came as a surprise for me, an angelical kind of bright angel came into my bedroom through a magical portal.

– Who are you? – I asked her, afraid.

– I’m your past fairy and I come here to get you through your past.

And she took my hand, taking me to the portal and we arrived at my past. I saw myself when I was a kid suffering child abuse from my parents, who shouted and used to hit me. But then I had to put on a smiley face and made like nothing happened. The most disturbing part is that tables turned at school and I became the bad guy with the rest of the girls due to their “poverty” and “ugliness”. Basically, I became my parents. After realizing all of that, I didn’t feel good.

– I want to go back to my room.

– Are you sure?

– Yes please.

After we arrived, she banished and make me thought that it was all an illusion. So, I had to accept that I couldn’t open the door and I tried to calm down not to have more illusions. After that, I laid back down on bed and have a nap. Eventhough, I heard the sound of the bells again, which woke me up and allowed me to see the entrance of another angel, which was a little bit darker, not as bright as the first one.

– Hello darling, I’m here to help you through your present.

– Are you another spiritual angel of those?

– Yes, I am. Come on, we don’t want to miss anything. And we arrived to my high school. Everyone was walking towards different directions. and it was the first time that I saw a lot of the students that came to the same high school as me and didn’t even know their names. I looked around, and I saw myself, wearing the same clothes that I was planning to wear on that exact same day, talking to my best friend Eleanor. Suddenly, I reached some girls and start insulting them.

– I could accept little 10 year old girls wearing Minnie T-shirts, but now that I see it in 16 year old teenagers, it’s kinda hurting my eyes – I saw myself telling it out loud to a group of girls.

– You know what, I’m sick and tired of your bullying, Emma. You can’t insult people just because you’re bored and have no rights to do so.

I saw the next move in slow motion, I slapped her, whose name I don’t even know. The flight was enormous and gathered everyone around with phones recording and shouting. Until the principal arrived and separate us both. Never would I ever thought to hit somebody.

– That was what you were going to do, if you have gotten out of your bedroom.

– What have I become?

And we blurred and I appeared in my bedroom, in front of a dark angel.

– I’ve come here to warn you and go through your future,

– No, I don’t want to! I have seen enough. I swear I’m going to change and become a better person, but I don’t want to see it.

– If you promise it, you have to do it to don’t suffer. Then the enchantment is off.

I closed my eyes, due to the brightest light that appeared out of nowhere and I saw my bedroom as it was before, no enchanted fairies and doors. And ever since that day I made a change in my life that brought me to the well known happy ending.

The Scary Trip

Last year I went to London with my class on a trip. We were told that we would visit the city and learn about the history of London, but something strange happened…

When we arrived the first day, we went to the youth hostel and we left all our luggage. All of us had the same sensation when we entered: the rooms were scary and so cold. Another thing to take into account was that there weren’t any other people in the building and we were so scared.

The teachers told us that the next morning we would have to take the bus to the centre of the city, so that we could begin our trip visiting London and seeing all the important monuments such as the Big Ben, The London Eye or the Bridge Tower.

The next morning, we took the bus like the teacher explained. But instead of going to the city centre, we went to a big wood. None of us knew where we were until we arrived there, and of course, nobody understood anything about it.

A boy who was there told us that we had to spend the night in a house made of wood, he had a huge knife in his hand, so we accepted because everyone was terrified.

We entered the bedrooms and we looked around. Everything was made of wood and everything was so old. Each bedroom had only one door, and we decided to sleep in the same bedroom because we didn’t know what was going to happen.

The night came and all of us were crying because the signal of our phones didn’t work and we couldn’t call the police or our parents. Some of my friends fell asleep and by 3.00 o’clock everyone was sleeping. An hour before I drank a cup of coffee so I couldn't sleep, but I was so scared that I preferred being looking around and I didn’t feel like being relaxed.

Suddenly, another door appeared in the bedroom, but I didn't know how. Cautiously, I turned the handle and something terrible happened: the boy who was waiting for us when we arrived there appeared and near him, there were all of our teachers. They each had a weapon and they entered the bedroom. I managed to jump from the window but all of my roommates were sleeping and I couldn’t do anything.

I began to run away from that house and I heard a lot of noises from the weapons. I don’t know what happened exactly but I haven’t seen them since that day.

WAS IT FAITH?

I was doing my morning walk with my dog Stan, and I smiled at this unknown man as our dogs smell each other. “I like your sweater” he said, “thank you, I actually found it this morning in my closet”. We both laughed awkwardly, and we kept walking our own separate ways, even though our dogs weren't done licking each other.

I arrived home and as I was taking my keys out of my pocket, I noticed something strange with my hand. What I got weren’t just my keys, but a piece of paper with something written on it. It was advertising a concert and welcoming everyone to go watch their show tonight at 9. I didn’t know how that ended in there but I didn’t care much as I got in my house.

When I walked in my cozy home, I saw something I hadn’t seen before, it wasn’t there last night. There was a door on one side of the wall, cautiously, I turned the handle. I immediately appeared in what I recognized as my childhood home. My memories came to my head and they hit right in my sentinel point. I tried to ignore them though, because there was something more important getting my attention, my mum who died when I was 9 was in the middle of the living room sewing a sweater that looked extremely familiar. I realized that it was the exact same one that I was wearing at that moment. “But that makes no sense”, I thought, “I just found this sweater this morning in my closet”. My mum didn’t see me, but I approached her, as I cried quietly. She looked at me and smiled when a single tear dropped off her eye. I missed her so much.

At that moment everything disappeared and I was back in my own living room, without the strange room that was there before. I looked at the clock, it was almost 9 so I checked Stan was peacefully sleeping on the couch and I headed to the only place that I thought made sense for me to be right now.

The concert had already started by the time I arrived. I heard the main singer sing a song that I knew perfectly, word by word. The song my mother used to sing to me when I was younger, the years before she died.

I smiled, but I cried. Too many mixed feelings for one single day . But was everything that happened today one big coincidence or was it faith? 200