The Ladies of Horror
Picture-Prompt Writing Challenge!

Open House
by Melissa R. Mendelson

The house was warm and inviting.  A gentle breeze slipped in through the open door and windows, dancing around the people inside.  The walls were light and sunny, carrying memories of loved ones and friends, moments painted with a touch of laughter and a hint of sadness.  Children wearing suits and dresses chased each other around and up the stairs, but as my shadow fell across the stairs, darkness entered the house.

For some reason, I could not move up the stairs.  I could not chase after the children, whose laughter should have warmed my heart.  I shuddered instead.  A hand touched my elbow, but when I looked, no one was there.  Still, it remained, leading me down the hall toward the kitchen, where everyone gathered, but I stopped by the basement door.  And then I headed down the steps and disappeared into the darkness.

The basement seemed ordinary.  The windows were small and dirty.  Furniture was covered with long, ugly white sheets.  The floor was kissed with both dust and mold.  There were no monsters here.  Still, I was pressed further toward the back, and then it was like I became a puppet, clawing at the brick wall before me until the bricks came loose, crashing to the floor.  And I peered into the abyss, discovering a hidden room with weird items such as an ancient, red book and a large, black bottle of liquid, but it was the skull that bothered me.  I burst into tears for that skull was me.

The house was warm and inviting.  A gentle breeze slipped in through the open door and windows, dancing around the people inside.  The walls were light and sunny, carrying memories of loved ones and friends, moments painted with a touch of laughter and a hint of sadness.  Children wearing suits and dresses chased each other around and up the stairs, but as my shadow fell across the stairs, darkness entered the house.

 Fiction © Copyright Melissa R. Mendelson
Image courtesy of Pixabay.com

More from Melissa R. Mendelson:

Please visit the following link for a Chapter 1 Transcript Reading of LIZARDIAN by MELISSA R MENDELSON. Performed by Amaka Umeh.