The Witch's House suddenly appeared once again. It is now time for it to be gone forever.
"Etsuko here. I read some requests of my suggestion box and something caught my attention. It says that there is a house near the woods and it is controlled by a witch that never ages! I find this pretty amusing so I decided to go with some of my companions- Amai, Ruby, Chad and Aloysius. I'm gonna update whatever what's in that house probably in a month or two. This is P. Etsuko, signing off~"
"Aw come on, Etsuko!~" Amai, the petite 14-year old girl, pouted as we walked in the woods. "Can we take a break!? I feel like we're lost here!"
"What? Of course we aren't, right?" Aloysius, the tallest one in our group and also 14, stared at me uncomfortably. I presumed he was trying to check if we really weren't lost in the woods. We've been walking forever and the map, well, seems a bit off."We're almost there!" I shouted as I checked on the map once again. "I guess. . ." I muttered under my breath.
After another long walk, I stopped my steppings. Ruby, my 15-year old twin sister, noticed that I stopped and she spoke, "What's up?"
"We're. . .We're finally here!" We looked at the old, abandoned mansion. It seemed too old for a person- at least someone to live in."I dunno, man." Chad, our 15 year old partner in the paranormalist company, gulped and took a stepback. Well well well. I laughed mentally. Guess who's scared? "It seemed too dangerous." he took a glance at the mansion once more. "Also. . .I don't want the ladies to cry." he smiled and held his hair as if he was some sort of a hot boy in a shoujo manga.
Ruby rolled her eyes and mumbled, "Like hell we're gonna do that." I stared at Chad rudely. "Like hell we will." I said coldly. Chad looked heart-broken by my cold words. I chuckled softly and faced the mansion. "Should we go?" I asked them. They looked nervous and unsure. Well, to be honest, even I felt nervous. My legs were a bit shakey and my spine felt a cold breeze from that place. Everyone took glances from each other and then looked at me then nodded firmly. "Alright." Facing the mansion, I took a deep breath. The doorknob seemed to have ripped off for a long time so I guess that was convenient.
"Oh look!" Amai pointed at a black cat. "It's so cute I wanna own iiiiit~" she added. "Don't touch it, Amai!" I cautiously shouted. "Why?" Amai tilted her head as her eyes started to water up. 'Eeh? I guess she really wants to pet that kitten.' I sighed. "She's right, Amai." Ruby patted my shoulder. "Black cats are prone to danger." "Whaat!? But. . . But!" Before she could continue, she started to sob. "Waaah!" "Oh my- we should calm her down! Anyone got ideas!?" I dropped a sweat. Man. Amai can be a real crybaby. "Amai, chill! We get it! Just stop it! You'll find another cute thing to obsess anyways!" Aloysius, who was quiet for a while, finally spoke. The petite found that offending so she kept hitting his shoulder with her tiny hands. "REPENT! REPENT!" she kept shouting. "Alright! Alright! I'm sorry!" Aloysius stopped her before anything could get worse.
"Aw come on. Let's go inside already!" I touched the door but then, another cold breeze reached my skin. 'Wh-what was that?' I asked myself. It was very cold as if it was a warning of something- something about this house. "What's up, Etsuko? You scared?" Chad smirked. "If you're scared, you're welcome i-" "I don't wanna hear that from someone who easily cries on my shoulder when a fake ghost pops out." Everyone but Chad laughed. "Sh-shut it! It's not like I was scared! I was just acting! Yeah. . " "Acting for the real thing. . . Pffftt- hilarious." I muttered to myself.
Suddenly, the door creaked open by itself. It had a long 'creeeeeeaaaaaak' sound that it made us silent for a couple of minutes. "Just now. . ." Ruby said in a serious tone. "The door. . ." Aloysius continued her sentence. "Opened. . ." Amai continued as well. "By itself. . ." Chad gulped. Without a second thought, I entered the mansion. "Ah! Wait!" Everyone followed me. The black cat continued to stare at us. It looked like it was a spy of some sort but I guess it was just my imagination.
We were only in the entranceway but why does my head tingle in pain? The entrance way was a small room with white walls and it had two candle stands on it. On front of us was a large door. "Let's go." I walked towards the door carefully. Slowly, I opened it and much to my surprise; it was just a blank room with one note hanging on the wall and a crimson red puddle in the middle of the room. "Eeek!" Amai squealed in horror when she saw the puddle. "What the-!?" Aloysius went near closer it. "It's. . ." Ruby said calmly. I nodded to Ruby. This was indeed blood. All of a sudden, my heart felt like it was going to stop by the time he touches the blood. "Wait!" I shouted and Aloysious was completely surprised. "D-don't touch it. . ." my voice was stuttering for a minute. There was something really wrong with the blood. It's like a trap. "Look!" Amai pointed a piece of paper on the wall. It was small yet readable. Clearly, the ink was blood.
'COME TO MY ROOM.'
After we all finished reading, the paper burnt into ashes then vanish like dust. "Wh-what just happened?" Ruby got startled. "This. . ." I spoke "is not just any ordinary ghost. . . It's a very vengeful spirit! It's so powerful that. . ." I couldn't continue my sentence because my head throbbed in pain. "uuuuwAAAAAAHH!" I screamed. 'Oh God. Someone make it stop!' My head was really screaming but somehow I couldn't say anything. "Etsuko!" They all shouted. "Etsuko! Get ahold of yourself!" Chad shook me but I wouldn't stop screaming loud. "AAAAAAAAAAAH! I-IT HUR- AAAAAAAAAAAAAHH!" I couldn't make any words. The pain was too strong that I couldn't control my screaming. "This is bad! I feel a really bad presence here!" Ruby held one of the walls and her eyes widened. "I felt something." she said. "It's. . .really powerful. . . I-I can't. . ." Suddenly, a great earthquake occured. "Eeek!" Amai fell down and touched the blood. "Wh-what!?" Amai felt the cold and damp sensation of it. "UUWAAAAAAHHHH! IT'S- AAAAAAAAAAAHHH!" Once again, I couldn't make up the words. 'My head. . .feels like. . . It's tearing apart! H-help!' The walls started to move closer to us. "WHAT THE HELL!?" Chad shouted. "The walls. . . It's trying to close us!" Aloysius took a step back. Ruby was shocked. She don't know how to react in that situation. Sure Ruby and I had been through a lot of stuff like this one, but this time, it had a greater power than all of the spirits combined. Amai started to cry "Uwaaaaah! I'm *sniff* I'm sorry for touching the blood! Uwaaah!". 'M-my voice. . .' I held my neck slowly. I realized that I couldn't scream anymore but I can talk a little bit only. "He-help. . ." I tried to speak. My voice was really dry. "Etsuko!" Chad and Ruby held my hands. The earthquake wouldn't stop. It kept shaking until the walls, ceilings, and floors create cracks and holes. The walls were so near to us already. I couldn't see them anymore since my consciousness slowly slipped away. "A-ah. . ." I reached out for Ruby or at least anyone's hand yet no one seemed to notice it. Before I lost myself, I could hear them screaming in horror. "Everyone. . ." I spoke with the best I could. "I'm sorry. . ."
CONTINUE?
"hnng. . . wh-. . .what?" I slowly opened my eyes and found myself in the entranceway with an unconscious Chad. What happened? I'm sure we were in the room. . . "WHAT THE!?" I turned my head towards the door we just entered but it was gone. It was like it was never there in the first place. "H-how. . .?" "uuuh. . ." Chad started to regain his consciousness. "! Chad!" I approached him as fast as I could. "E-Etsuko. . .?" He sat up and held his head. "Are you alright?" I asked him with teary eyes. God, I am so guilty. If he had a bruise, it will be my fault! "Yeah. . .My head hurts from falling or something but I'm fine." He smiled not in a flirtious way but in a cute way. Is this one of his tricks again? Oh please no. "What about you? Did your head still hurt?" he asked. Since when was he worried about people? "No. . .it's gone now." My voiced lowered down. "That's good. . ."
Silence entered the room. We really don't what to do or what to say. Chad just sat down, trying to think of someone I suppose, while I just kept quiet.
"Where are the others?" He asked, trying to break the silence. Right! The others! "No clue." I faced Chad this time. "Then, we should look for them!" Chad stood up, looking excited. "Yeah!" I stood up as well and smiled. "Are they outside?" he turned to the entrance door and approached it. He turned the knob but it wouldn't open. "What the hell?" he tried to turn it once again but it wouldn't budge no matter how tried. "So we're stuck here!?" he pounded the door madly. "That means the others are here, right? Let's find them!" I tried to lift our spirits up and not to think worst possible cases. Almond turned back at me quietly and nodded. Guess he's scared. Well, even I'm scared. I scanned the surroundings and realized that the entranceway expanded. The room seemed brighter and decorated with vases of roses on two tables. "Was the room always like this?" he asked. "I don't think so." The room also had two doors on opposite sides. In front of us was the black cat we saw earlier. "That's the cat. . . Amai wanted." Chad stared at the kitten.
"Yo." a voice echoed out of the blue.
"Uhm. . . Chad. . .just now. . .was that you?" I turned to Chad who was also surprised. "What!? Of course not! But what if. . ." Chad kneeled down to examine the cat. "Was it the cat?" he continued.
"Of course it was me." the cat spoke loud and clear.
"Eek!" I squeaked in fear. "Gwaah! what the-!?" The male fell down on his knees and crawled back.
"Decided to follow you guys for laughs. Incidentally, where'd you come from?" the cat licked its paws and rubbed its head.
"This cat. . .freaks me out. . . L-Let's go, Chad." I ignored its question and helped Chad stand up again with my hand. "Al-alright. . . Later, cat." What the hell? He said goodbye to it? Good grief.
"Later indeed." The feline whispered and continued to lick its paws.
We headed to the door to the right and entered it. It was a clock hallway. The clock hallway is a narrow room that leads to 2 rooms. At the end of the hall was a grandfather clock while at the other side was a space in the wall with a vase of roses on a table. We entered the room near the vase of roses. It was a small room with a basket of a teddy bear and it seemed to have a little room for one more bear. On the wall, there was a note and it said:
"BEARS AT THE BASKET."
"Bears? Meaning there should be two of them?" Chad asked. "Then a small teddy bear should do, right? Come on, let's look for one!" He agreed then we left the room.
While walking to the room to the north of the hallway, Chad called out my name "uh. . .Etsuko?" "Hm?" "How long. . .are you gonna hold my hand?" And then I realized that I was holding his hand ever since we left the cat. "WAAH! Sorry!" Immediately, I let it go and blushed like a red tomato. Aah. . .what was I thinking!? Chad couldn't help but laugh at my face. "I guess you can't resist me, huh." I swear I will punch his face next time. "You can hold my hand-" "Whatever. " I stormed away. "Oi, oi! I was just joking!" He followed me while laughing. We finally entered the room. The room was small like the rest. In a corner of the room was full of empty presents and boxes and on another corner was a closet with a paper attached on it. There was a desk with a diary beside the closet so we decided to read it.
'I was sick.
Nobody wanted to play with me.'
Suddenly, my body collapsed. "Etsuko!" Chad panicked a bit and held me. "S-sorry. . . my head suddenly. . ." What happened? We were just reading a diary then. . .something. . .no. . . someone was watching me. It was looking at me as if I was a murderer. Then, it. . . "Can you stand again?" He looked really worried. "I guess so. . ." With his support, I stood up and searched in the presents area. I found a teddy bear that might fit into the basket. "This is it!" I smiled to Chad. He smiled back. Did he just. . .uugh. Chad turned around to the closet. " 'Don't open until the house turns back to normal'. . ?" He read the note out loud. My head suddenly felt heavy again. "Let's . . .not stay here any longer. . ." I hugged the teddy bear and walked towards the door with him.
CLANK!
"AAAH! WH-WHAT WAS THAT?" Chad hid behind me quickly.
"Pfffftt- AHAHAHAHAHAHA! That was hilarious! AHAHAHAHAHAAA!"
"B-but I wasn't joking! There was a noise just now!"
"I know! That was just a box falling on the floor! ahahahahaha!" Why did the box fall? It cannot fall on its own unless. . .
"Can we just go!?" Chad hid his face, held my hand and ran back to the clock hallway and then to the teddy bear room. I couldn't help but smile at his reaction. We reached to the teddy bear room and Chad let go of me. "Pffftt-" I laughed again while he just sat down. "Let's put that aside." I stopped laughing and went closer to the basket. "Huh?" I noticed something. "What's up?" He faced at me, confused. "The teddy bear. . .is too large to fit in." The extra space of the basket was really small so I guess we have to do something about it.
[continued in chapter 2]