The Basement Of No Return
The Inheritance
David and Sarah were a young couple who lived in a small apartment in the city. They had two children, Emma and Jake, who shared a bedroom. They worked hard to make ends meet, but they always dreamed of having a bigger and better place to live. One day, their dream came true in the most unexpected way.
David
Honey, can you come here for a minute?
David
I just got a letter from a lawyer. You won’t believe what it says.
David
It says that we have inherited a house from a distant relative.
Sarah
A house? What kind of house?
David
A big mansion in the countryside. It’s worth millions.
Sarah
Millions? Are you kidding me?
David
No, I’m not. Look, here’s a picture of it.
Sarah
Millions? Are you kidding me?
David
No, I’m not. Look, here’s a picture of it.
Sarah
Oh my God. It’s beautiful.
Sarah
But who is this relative? Do we know him or her?
David
No, we don’t. The letter doesn’t say much. Just that he or she died without any heirs, and we are the closest living relatives.
Sarah
That’s weird. How come we never heard of him or her before?
David
I don’t know. Maybe he or she was estranged from the family. Maybe he or she was secretive and reclusive.
Sarah
Well, whatever the reason, I think we should go see the house. Maybe we can find out more about this relative there.
David
Yeah, me too. Let’s pack our bags and go tomorrow.
Sarah
Okay, let’s do it. But what about the kids?
David
They’ll love it. They’ll have plenty of space to play and explore. And they’ll get to see a new place.
Sarah
Alright, then. Let’s tell them the good news.
As they were talking, they heard footsteps and voices coming from the hallway. Their two children, Emma and Jake, had just returned from school and were heading to their room.
Emma
Mom, Dad, what’s going on?
Jake
Yeah, what are you talking about?
David
Kids, we have something to tell you. We have inherited a house from a relative we never met.
Emma
Really? That’s awesome!
Sarah
Yes, it is. And we’re going to see it tomorrow. We’re going to stay there for a while and see if we like it.
Emma
Can we take our stuff with us?
Sarah
Of course, you can. You can take whatever you want.
David
But there’s one thing you need to know. The house has a basement, and there’s a door in the basement that is locked. And we don’t have the key.
Sarah
So we can’t open the door. And we shouldn’t try to open it either.
David
That’s right. The relative who left us the house said so in the letter. He or she said that we should never open the basement door, no matter what.
Emma
Why not? What’s behind it?
Sarah
We don’t know. And we don’t want to know. It could be something dangerous or scary or bad.
David
Or it could be nothing at all. But it doesn’t matter. The point is, we have to respect the relative’s wishes and leave the door alone.
Sarah
Good. Now let’s get ready for our trip. It’ll be fun.
Jake
I can’t wait to see the house.
David and Sarah smile at each other, unaware of the horror that awaits them in the basement of no return. At the children's room, Emma and Jake were lying in their beds, trying to sleep. They were excited about the new house, but they also had some doubts. They wondered why their relative had left them the house, and why he or she had warned them not to open the basement door.
Emma
What do you think about the new house?
Emma
Me too. But don’t you think it’s weird?
Emma
I mean, why did our relative leave us the house? We don’t even know who he or she is.
Jake
I don’t know. Maybe he or she liked us.
Emma
But how? We never met him or her.
Jake
Maybe he or she saw our pictures or something.
Emma
Maybe. But what about the basement door?
Emma
Don’t you want to know what’s behind it?
Emma
How do you know it's scary? And also not a lie?
Jake
Because our relative said so. He or she said we should never open it, no matter what.
Emma
Don’t you think that’s strange? Why would he or she say that? What if there’s something amazing behind it? Like a treasure or a secret room or a portal to another world?
Jake
Or what if there’s something horrible behind it? Like a monster or a trap or a dead body?
Emma
Well, there’s only one way to find out.
Emma
I mean, we should open it.
They argued for a while, until they heard their parents’ footsteps and voices coming from the living room. They quickly pretended to be asleep, but they didn’t stop thinking about the basement door. Emma was determined to open it, and Jake was terrified of it. They didn’t know what was behind it, but they knew it would change their lives forever.
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