"Are you out of your mind?" screamed Victoria. "Well, weren't you the one who said that you'd like to see me crying? Well, I'm about to make that wish come true! Shouldn't you be glad?", Lyra replied rather sarcastically from across the distance. "You're crazy!!!", answered Victoria, who was now trembling at the thought that anyone would be foolish enough to actually set foot in that house. "Well, yeah, maybe I am", Lyra mumbled. "Well, if you have nothing to else to say, I'm off!", and with that Lyra set afoot, leaving behind a shaken Victoria.

The abandoned house - it had many rumours surrounding it. It was not the common 'abandoned and haunted' house. No, it was more abnormal, mysterious and eerier than the typical ones one would find in horror books. It was said that an old couple lived in that house. The strange thing about this is that, they have been known to have been there since thousands of years ago, as the people who have settled rather close to the house have claimed of their existence, even the people who came one generation after another generation. Some have claimed to have seen some shady silhouettes around that area and there are some who claim to have heard eerie sounds, sounds that sound as if the old witches of the past had come to live.

The old rundown house was nestled in a region where plenty of the terrain and vegetation had covered the whole house making it rather hard to locate. Not that anyone would like to try to find it. Instead they'd rather try and find ways to avoid it. Only those who were courageous enough, or those were not in their right minds or insane, would go searching for it, like Lyra. She had come on to a camping trip with her classmates as it was the summer vacations. A few hours back, they were playing truth or dare, over roasted marshmallows. She had been dared by Victoria to the current task that she was undertaking. They hadn't been on very friendly terms for a while now, not that it had anything to do with Lyra. Victoria simply didn't like her. And it has made Lyra wonder why? But it was none of her business to be poking at other people's businesses, and she was rather bored.

"Well it's chillier now that I'm nearing the house", said Lyra, who was a few steps away from reaching that big door knob of the old house. She stood at the porch of the house. It seemed as if the house was staring back at her with its empty black windows that seemed to be great big empty black eyes, as black and dark as the night. Yet to Lyra, these things were rather..... comfortable....?

In the distance, the light of day was beginning to fade. Tiny amounts of light escaped through the canopies, scattering around, bringing about the news that it was almost night. With the fading of the day, the atmosphere around the house seemed to change... It was now more... mysterious... and somehow magical...? The previous atmosphere around the house, in addition to the fading lights added a somewhat more eerier charm to the whole thing. Soon it became dark. Stars began to fill the evening sky, little by little. Fireflies began to come out of their spots, greeting the scene with their merry, flickering lights and they added an enchanting and mysterious view to the whole scene. As night fell, one could see the clear night sky, with all the stars and the milky way. The forest too changed, from what was once an ordinary forest filled with trees, undergrowth and such, to now a much more spookier alternative, completely different from what it was in the sunlight. This change felt as if they were trying to warn people of what lay ahead.

Lyra stood there, in front of the house the whole time, from the setting of the sun until now, she was engrossed in the enchanted mysteries that surrounded her. She breathed in the musky smell of the woods. It felt comfortable to be there, standing in the cold breeze of the summer night, surrounded by a whole new atmosphere, feeling as though she had been transported to an entirely new world. Her thoughts began to wander about. She wondered how it would have been like if her classmates had been there with her. They too would be amazed indeed, but none were brave enough to go forth with her. Not even the boys. "Well, it can't be helped. After all, they are all too much indulged in the rumours about this place." thought Lyra to herself. "Rumours? Ahh... Yes! The rumours. What was it now? They say that this place seemed to be inhabited by an old, timeless couple who are believed to have been here since time that is long forgotten..." "Hmm.... I wonder if I would get to meet them. I have so many questions that I would like to have them answered", said Lyra who had now set her hand on the big door knob. It was larger than the normal doorknobs. It was cold and rough to the touch. Anyone could make a rough guess that the patterns were not from the modern generation. They were unique, and seen to come from a time that has not been known to the world. She twisted the knob and...

...click. The door knob twisted open. "Strange, I thought it would be more difficult to open", she whispered under her breath. The door was rather heavy. She pushed it with all her might and swung it open. A chill, ghastly breeze greeted her.

It smelled of old wood inside, it was difficult to see because of how dark it was. Lyra stood at the doorway, vigilant of her surroundings. The chilliness of the house made her hair stand on ends... By the light from the outdoors, she could make out the structures of sofas and tables that lay before her, covered by a cloth. "Looks like this is the living room", she murmured. The scene inside the house felt more ominous compared to the outside that was comparatively more mesmerizing.

She reached for her phone, to turn the flashlight on. "Shucks,what bad luck, out of battery! I could have sworn I had charged it before I came." exclaimed Lyra. "Oh, well, I guess i'll have to do without it". She went in further, to where the furnitures lay. They were covered by dust and spiders had made their homes among them. She made her way through the cobwebs and brushed off the dust that had settled on them. The cloth that was used to cover them was rather... intriguing. It was soft, as soft as silk, or perhaps it was silk.... It was delicate to touch, and she could feel that it was embroidered.

The embroidery felt enigmatic to the touch. It was hard to understand the patterns that were used to make the cloth... A few of these that she could make out were those of cherry blossoms, daisies, and tulips. By the touch, she could make out that it was mostly floral embroidery. They seem to tell a story. She went about carefully trying to dodge the cobwebs, though a few got stuck on her hair, feeling her way to another sofa, this one had the sun, moon and stars embroidered on it. Another one had a full night sky, while another one had mountains, and yet another was filled with ships and decks, indicating that it was of the marine lands. She went further in, and was met with a long, dark, gloomy hallway. She could not see what lay ahead. The hallway seemed to call out to her... "Come, my child. Come in. Come, come... " sinister voices sounded in her head. She was not sure if they were real or just in her imagination... She stood there for a while, dazed, it was as if she had been enchanted by a spell... Her eyes were not clear; they had the look of one who is hypnotized. Suddenly, some crows fluttered outside, bringing her back to her senses. She was confused and felt uneasy. She seemed to have lost control over herself for a moment.

At that moment, an unsettling thought came to her mind, thoughts of her classmates rushed through her head. She knew she could not be gone for long, it would only worry them... Given that her undertaking this adventure was already more than enough to have scared them, staying any longer would surely cause them to panic. "I-i better get back soon or else they'll be worried". Thoughts of how they would panic over her now filled her mind. She now felt the urgency to get back to her campmates as soon as possible. In such a rush she stumbled upon a table, and almost knocked down a vase, had she not grabbed it on time. Her heart began to beat faster snd faster, adrenaline rushed through her body. Her heart beated so loud, it was the only sound that could be heard throughout the entire house. Panic seized her. Her senses began to become disorientated... Perhaps it was because of the panic, or perhaps it was actually the creepiness of the house, but she began to hallucinate... Shadowy figures crept past her, they began surrounding her... They looked familiar and yet so distant... They looked like those people who tried to hurt her in the past... Memories of her harsh life now began to fill her mind... Memories that were unwanted, memories that she wished would vanish forever....

She bent down, and tried to catch her breath. Her eyes began to tear up. She tried to calm herself down by breathing in and out. Her eyes we're now hazy, she could hardly see... The world around her seemed to dissolve in a hazy mist... In that mist, a shadowy figure, came creeping towards her. The figure seemed different from the other shadows. However, now, she could no longer differentiate between reality and illusions. "No, please, please, don't hurt me... I promise i'll be a good girl- please don't hurt me- please, please..." she writhed away trying to cover herself with her hand as if in defense... The figure continued to walk towards her and lent out what seemed like a hand... And that made her withe away further.. But the figure was patient and showed no signs of harming her. She calmed down a little and amidst the unsure and uneasy feelings of the things that were happening to her, she subconsciously stretched her hand out and grabbed it... The figure's presence was the only thing that made her feel safe among the creepy figures that continued to surround her. The figure slowly pulled her out of this haunting delirium, and pulled her into an embrace... 'It' was cold, but it seemed to do the job of bringing her back to her senses.... She felt safe in its embrace. It had a nice and comforting smell on it and in this smell, she slowly drifted away to sleep....

She woke up with a start. There she was all alone in that house, on the cold hard floor. Nothing seemed to have changed. She looked about her to check if she was dreaming or not. Everything seemed to be the same... The furniture lay about unchanged... She pinched herself, it was all the same, except for a few cobwebs that were stuck in her hair, and her clothes that had now been covered in dust. She would have stayed to contemplate on this whole situation, but she left it for later, as she felt that it would be better if she got out for tonight. With that she began walking out of the house...

Outside she was met with the cold night winds, the winds helped her calm down better. She felt that it must have been midnight by now. "I'd better reach the camp as soon as possible", she said, resuming her previous demeanor, now determined and revived with a new sense of bravery that was for a moment lost in that house. "Boy, do they know what I have in store for them", she said rather merrily, trying to push aside all negative thoughts about the things that happened to her in the house. So, she set foot once again, this time setting forth back to her camp...

.................................

Unbeknownst to her, the door of the big house behind her, slowly began to close.....

"Hey Vic! Did she really go?", said a frightened Sasha, a close friend of Victoria, who came to bring them back to the camp, but became scared when she didn't see Lyra. "Did she really take up the challenge? How could she?! I thought she would have a bit of sense in her, and actually reject it! But to leave alone like that?! Has she really gone nuts?", Sasha went on blabbering, without waiting for Victoria to answer. The gravity of the situation had overwhelmed her. Victoria sat on the ground, unable to move. She was to shocked of Lyra's bold decision that she sat at that spot for hours - she was rooted to that spot, oblivious of all the other things that were happening around her. The ground was cold, she had been there since the late afternoon. Her thoughts were filled with the memories of the time she had endured at that house

   Ahh, yes, that house, the house where she took shelter as a kid. She had come there once, long ago, when she was a kid and her grandparents used to live close to that place. She had wandered astray one day, despite her parents warnings about it. Being a kid, the excitement of exploring new places got the better of her, and off she went to explore the forest. She was confident that she could find her way back home, "Because, grandpa always takes me out for a walk here", thought young Victoria, who was all but 7 at that time. The trees that grew there, the wild flowers which seemed to bloom at their own will, the birds that flew past her, all amazed her... and in her amazement, she wandered a bit farther than the usual walks that she had with her grandpa.

   She hadn't realised it yet, but she strayed farther and farther, till she stepped on a few dry leaves. The crunch of the dry leaves awoke her from that beautiful dream she was indulged in and made her look around at her surroundings. It seemed unfamiliar now, the broad path that led her home was no longer visible... The trees no longer seemed like trees. They appeared as spooky figures with creepy smiles. Their barks distorted into a ghastly figure. The cold autumn breeze smelled of swamps and musky wood, creating a smell that was both repulsive and comforong in a weird manner. But to young Victoria,thry only added another sense of fear. She became scared. She started remembering the stories her mom would tell her of monsters who would eat up little kids who disobeyed their parents and those made her even more scared. She imagined them, staring at her, waiting for her in the shadows, that were formed by the crooked trees. Perhaps they were sharpening their forks and knives, ready to eat her alive. She began hyperventilating. Tears filled up her eyes and her legs trembled. "M-mommy..? D-daddy..? Grandp-pa..? Grandm-ma..? A-anyone..? Wh-Where a-are y-you all?? Pl-please, s-sa-save m-m-me... ", cried young Victoria in between sobs. But there was no one who could hear her pleas... Perhaps, only the shadows could hear her. She began to cry... She looked about her to see if the monsters were still lurking around. Her tear-filled eyes made it difficult to see. Just then, thunder roared in the distance, making it seem like the monsters of her imagination were screaming... She tried to run away, trying to get away from the monsters that waited for her... That's when she-

..................

"Vic, are you there? Are you alright?", Sasha yelled, shaking Victoria, who seemed to be in a trance. That brought Vic back to her senses. " H-huh? Wh-what h-happened?", said Victoria, still shocked of the entire thing. "What do you mean what happened? I've been calling to you for a while now. You haven't even answered once. You scared me there, you know that?", said Sasha, who seemed to be doing better than Vic. " Oh, I'm sorry, I just... I was just lost in my thoughts there. Sorry to have worried you", said Vic, stabilising herself now. "Forget it, let's go back Vic, the whole atmosphere is so unsettling here. Let's go back to the camp where it warm. We can't do anything about Lyra now, let's just wait for her there. Moreover, the sun's almost set", answered Sasha, helping Victoria up on her feet. " Alright, let's go back", said Victoria who was now able to stand with Sasha's support. And so, they started their way back to the camp.

   "By the way, Sasha, did those guys back at camp do anything to follow Lyra?" "No, those guys are just as scared as us. They didn't have the heart to go after her. Seriously, all our classmates are scaredy cats, with the exception of Lyra. I wonder how she's doing." "Yea, we are.", agreed Victoria. " Say, weren't you on bad terms with her? Why are you worried about her now?", asked Sasha, rather confused of Victoria's actions. "Well, that's true. But I'm not that heartless, you know. I just wanted to scare her. I didn't mean for it to go this far.", replied Victoria, regretting her decisions. " Well, we can't do any thing now...", Sasha replied back.

   "You're finally back! I was so worried. I thought you'd be gone till midnight! Can't you see that the stars have already started to fille the night sky? ", a cheerful voice sounded. Victoria and Sasha turned towards the direction of the voice. It came from Jane, a 15 year old cheerful girl, who was about the same age as Lyra. They were the youngest in their class, and that naturally made them friends. "Wait, where's Lyra? I thought you had gone to bring her back!", said Jane, rather worried now. She had come rather late to the camp, due to some work she had at home, and was unaware of the things that happened at camp. " Tell me, where is she?", Her voice began to tremble as worry and anxiousness filled her heart. "I went to pick them up, but only Vic was there", Sasha answered. "Then, what about Lyra?", asked Jane, now on the verge of panicking. " She went to that house", came the reply from Victoria. "Y-you mean, t-that old a-abandoned house?", said Jane in between sobs. "Yeah", Sasha replied rather gravely. Jane gasped for breath when she heard the answer. Her legs gave her away, and she fell backwards. Her breath became shaky. "We have to get her back. We don't know what might happen to her there." She paused,her eyes wide with fear. "Wh-what if she- what if she... she.." Her voice faded, as bad thoughts filled her head. And she grabbed onto Sasha's jacket for support.

   Just then, they heard a cracking sound near them....