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I wanted to escape reality just...just for a little while. I wanted to escape from the pressure of school and the peering eyes of my friends and family. Thats why I hopped over the school gates as soon as I could and ran into the pine woods behind the school. I mean what better place to hide out until school was over? But I got curious and ashamedly a little bored...so. I ventured farther into the woods. At first, I was just wandering aimlessly. Then I started following deer tracks... after a while thought that also got boring, and then I was back to wandering around aimlessly. After a couple more, at least what felt like a couple minutes later, I stumbled upon this old at least what looked like a building or structure of some sort from far away. It was hard to tell with most of it covered in vines and overshadowed by the trees. That’s when it started to rain, it was light at first, but I could tell in the way the air smelled like wet dog that it’d be raining far harder than it was soon, so I approached the structure. When I got closer, it was in fact a building, more specifically it was a mansion mostly covered in vines except for a couple of pieces of the porch and windows which could be seen loosely.
I walked into the yard past the vine covered metal fence doors which were ajar. I noticed as soon as I got into the yard that there was a stone path that was grown over, I followed it until the middle of the front yard where I stopped noticing the way the overgrown grass and vegetation hid a fountain and its crumbling structure. I imagine it would have been as white as a wedding dress when it was first built, but now it has an off greenish color, meaning it’s most likely dried up and dead algae. It seemed that the statue where the water would come out of used to be some type of animal as its patron. now instead it lies a crumbled mess forgotten about and becoming one with nature.
I continued past the crumbling fountain towards the front porch, which seemed to support the house in some type of way based on the columns. There wasn’t much on the porch except a table and a few chairs. Maybe the past residents enjoyed sunbathing outside? But now the glass on the table had shattered and was astray, the metal that the chairs are made from is rusting and left to decay with the rest of the yard.
I moved past the table and towards the door covered in vines, I reached for the glass door handle, twisted it, and pushed the door inward, there wasn’t any resistance from the door. I stepped into the house.
The front of the house wasn’t open in the normal type of way a house is now a days, there was a short hallway, inside the hallway there was an old coat rack that was holding one of the past residents' coat and hat, both deep gray in color, a matching set. I moved forward the wood moaned under my weight proving just hold old this building must be. I stopped when I noticed the side drawer, it held an old phone one of those ones that you have to spin the ring around to get a number, it’s paint had faded from what was a cherry red to a pink next to it was a phone book, I looked at the old thing and noticed that most of the numbers were out dated, and most of the names under the phone numbers no longer lived most of them now engraved into gray and marble tombstones. I moved deeper into the house, my hands ran along the old stained white wallpaper, I stepped up into the house.
I entered what most would have called an atrium, it has a glass ceiling of which allows the cloudy sunlight form outside to shine through illuminating the room. In the center of the room stands a table that is a light brown in contrast to the white tile floor. Ontop of the table rests a vase, China most likely, it seems that the vase may have broken at some point as there's gold holding it together. Around the vase are the wilted red petals of multiple gardenias it seems that at one point the flowers were well cared for and loved but have died. A look to the left and I notice stairs leading up to the second floor, a look to the right and I notice two arch ways leading to other rooms.
I decided to take the arch way, I enter the kitchen there is no doubt that this room kitchen simply because of the way it’s set up, plus the stove and fridge. I walk further into the kitchen taking notice of the long cabinet that lines the right wall, it’s painted a baby blue color that doesn’t offset the white and grey marble countertops along with the white wallpaper. A little to the left of the cabinet there's a sink with a window above it providing the small amount of light available in the room. Look a little more to the right of the sink and you’ll notice the slightly out of place electric stove that looks like it’s barely been used. On the railing of the oven hangs a bone-dry washcloth that hasn’t been used or touched in at least a couple of years. I continued into the kitchen following along the L- shaped countertop to the next arch way. Before I moved on into the next room I looked to my left, and noticed the countertops that stand on either side of the fridge, which also looks out of place in the kitchen. I laughed slightly at the sigh before moving on.
As I entered the next room, I had to wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness before moving deeper into the room, I moved towards what appeared to be a curtain and tugged it open. Doing so revealed a sliver of a window that helped to illuminate the room a bit better. Looking outside, the storm outside was starting to get worse, the rain starting to get harder now. I turned and looked back into the semi-lit room. The first thing I noticed was the fact that this room is carpeted. The carpet is a light grey color. I then turned my attention to the large dining room table in the center of the room. The dining room table is a deep oak brown same with the ten chairs that crowd around its rectangular form I looked at the table for a couple more seconds imagining how the past residents of the home may have had family dinner, would they have giggled and shared stories about their day? Or would it have been a silent dinner filled with anxiety and fear of what may happen should they speak? I quickly shook my head clearing away the thoughts as I moved to get out of the room.
When I walked out the arch way it led me back to the atrium. I had already seen most of the room and its tiled floor, so I moved towards the stairs that led to the second floor. The stairs are a white marble made to fit in with the white tiles and elegance of the glass roof that would normally allow in sunlight if it were not raining. I grabbed onto the railing the light brown wood as I walked up stairs. When I reached the top, I was thoroughly impressed that the wood had left not a single splinter in my hand!
The top floor has a hallway going to the left and the right, the second floor is carpeted with that same light grey carpet that can be found in the dining room and wallpaper that is stained like in the first hallway you walk through to get to the atrium. The wall that is across from the stairs holds windows; some are blown out with vines creeping into the hall, while others are still intact.
I stood at the top of the stairs for a little longer before turning left and continuing down the hallway to the first door I encountered. The door is a deep oak color with a bronze-colored door handle. I reached out and opened the door. As I entered the room, I noticed two things: the way the room looked - it had been frozen in time! Two, the incredibly angry barn owls that screeched at me when they noticed me, causing me to back out of the room and shut the door quickly. Before hearing a thud from what I can only theorize is a barn owl hitting the door. I didn’t open the door to check, afraid of getting attacked.
I quickly moved on to the next door at the end of this side of the hall. The door handle and door were a replica of the door up the hall just a bit. I reached out and opened the door slower this time, thankfully no angry barn owls were in this room. In the far corner of the room is where a large bed has found its home. Next to it is a nightstand with a phone. A window was above the nightstand allowing dim sunlight into the room. I continued to look about, not finding many things except for a couple of articles of clothing in the closet before walking out of the room and closing the door softly behind me.
I headed back down the way I came walking to the other side of the hallway. Halfway down the hallway, I noticed a large portrait, its frame intricately made from Ashwood. The portrait seemed to be as tall as a baby giraffe; it depicted two individuals. The first individual was tall, maybe over six feet tall give or take. The man's eyes were painted a light vermillion color. His skin and hair are painted off-white, like snow. The man in the portrait is wearing a deep blue vest suit with dark grey accents. He looks stunning as the vest suit enhances his natural beauty making it easier to see the slightly crooked nose and high cheekbones that give off a sense of power and danger. The woman that the man is standing to is sitting down and seems to be older than him. Potentially his mother? The woman has short curly black hair with a French braid in it intertwined with the French braid is a crimson red ribbon, her eyes are a soft green color which really pop out against her black colored long sleeve tight fitting dress that goes down to her crossed knees. Her heels are the same black color. With a pair of leather black gloves holding a fan the same crimson red color as the ribbon in her hair. Her skin is the color of light brown sand, and a soft smile comforting. She is defiantly his mother; she has that motherly feeling and the man's hand is on her shoulder and seems to touch her with care and a type of softness.
I stand there and stare at the portrait before moving on to the last room at the end of the hallway. The door is the same as the others except its handle is a silver color. I open the door being greeted by hundreds of books with a glass ceiling allowing the sunlight to pour through and give the room life. Most of the books look to be decades old and rare to find if at all. I walk through and look at the variety of books on their shelves. I pulled out my phone and realized what the time was- five minutes before school was out! The storm has passed by now.
I quickly moved out of the room, closing the door behind me in haste before dashing down the stairs and out the front door slamming the front door behind me, moving quickly over the stone path in the overgrown grass in the front yard and past the ajar gate doors. I spotted a beautiful white buck with vermilion eyes on my way out of the woods and nodded my head to him, I don’t know why, I just know I did.
Later in the evening, I found out the stories about that abandoned house. I was not the first to visit the home- not by a long shot. I was the first to visit the home without intent to hunt down the demons that were said to have lived there from the medieval era till the middle of the nineteenth century before they mysteriously vanished from the home. There are theories as to where the past residents have vanished to. Some say they moved to New York to be closer to their mafia business. Others say that they were put down by an exorcist. No one really knows. What they do know is that the Rumpelstiltskin estate still magically stands after being burned down, and then rebuilt and then modified to keep up with modern times, and then bombed before being left to rot and potentially decay in the woods.