The old mansion looked as if it came out of a fairytale — tall, beautiful and majestic. The front yard had black roses planted in the flowerbeds and vines had crawled upwards and wrapped itself completely around the pillars, so much so that they weren’t visible now.

I stepped forward and clutched the old rusty doorknob and twisted it open. The door creaked open and I entered the house, as my eyes widened and jaws dropped down.

It was very dark, messy and gloomy. I wrapped my arms together as I started to feel chilly. There were so many spider webs hanging from the walls, along with a collection of old paintings of almost all sizes. A thick film of dust had covered the furniture. It became hard to breathe and I felt suffocated.

“I don’t want to live here! It’s the worst place ever!” I whined.

“Stop complaining Grace! It’s very generous of Mr Smith to give us this house at such an affordable price,” said mum.

“Yes, it’s true my dear child. Plus, it’s temporary for now. So, let’s get to work. Grace, can you please start dusting?” asked dad.

“Nooo!” I cried.

“Oh Grace, don’t act like that!” growled mum.

Reluctantly I started cleaning up the place with my parents and by the time we finished, the sun had set. We were so exhausted that we went straight to bed.

At midnight, I woke up at the sound of shattering rain tapping my window. My mouth felt like a dry desert, so I headed towards the kitchen to fetch myself a nice cold glass of water. Rubbing my eyes, I had barely stepped inside the kitchen when I saw a blur silhouette lurking inside the kitchen.

Too thirsty to care, I proceeded towards the fridge to get what I had come for. As I sipped down the glass of water, my eyes widen in shock. I felt cold, hard hands pressing on the left side of my shoulder. I slowly turned my head. A horror sight met me.

I stood there dumbfounded in shock, as my heart started to beat faster than ever. It was staring at me with bloodshot eyes and cracked pupils. Her wavy black hair covered the half of her face and a thin pearl necklace dangled from her pale long neck. She was wearing a long lacy white dress that was soaked in blood. The dress seemed old, but the awful smell of blood was fresh. It gave me chills!

As she stared right into my eyes, she slowly stretched her lips very wide and gave a horrifying smile I had ever seen! Her pointy teeth stuck out as a thin stream of blood drooled down her lips and dripped on me, ruining my favourite lilac shirt.

“Aaaaaahhhhhhh!” I let out a blood-curdling scream.

Suddenly, my eyes popped open and I found myself lying on the bed in a pool of sweat. My body trembled with fear as my heart started to beat fast. I swiped the sweat tricking down my forehead and wrapped both my arms around my cold body. The door suddenly flung open, as my parents rushed inside

“Grace! Are you alright dear?” they both shouted with concern. I had never felt so relived in my life.

“There was a creepy lady ... she ….” I stammered.

“It’s okay. It was just a dream sweetie!” mum said calmly.

“Actually, that would be a nightmare,” dad added, giving me a friendly smirk. I got up in relief.

”I really should stop reading these spooky novels,” I sighed.

“Gear up, kido! We need to pack up and leave soon. Don’t want to carry a scarecrow with us,” said dad, giving me smile, while mum giggled.

The next few weeks were busy. Dad got a new job and we had to shift as soon as possible. Every morning I saw dad on the phone as he scurried to and fro, and mum sat on the breakfast table scanning the newspaper like a hawk, as I sat slurping down my cereal.

After a week, dad drove us, brimming with excitement, towards an area far away. The neighbourhood seemed dull as if life had been sucked out of it. The trees hung low and the grass looked worn out.

“Okay so here it is!” Dad exclaimed as he stopped in front of a large house. “I know it’s not the best, but it’s really close to my new office and your new school.”

“Wow! It’s huge!” said mum, surprised, as we walked towards it.

It stood there gracefully, like a sight from an elegant painting. However, there was something very similar about it. I felt like I had been here already.

“That’s odd,” I blurted out.

“What is?” mum inquired.

“Haven’t we been here before?” I asked

“Don’t be silly sweetheart! Go, have a look inside,” mum looked at me smiling as she pushed me forward.

I stood there staring at the old wooden door. I clinched my hand around the doorknob and shoved. The door creaked open as I entered. As I carefully stepped inside, a little mice started to run away. The crystal chandelier hung from the high ceiling, as the walls were filled with portraits covered with spider webs.

“Ewe!” I said, rubbing my palms together. The familiarity I felt was so strong, yet weird. I continued to explore the mansion. Somehow, I already knew where everything was.

I shook my head and turned towards the door to see where my parents were. As I walked, I couldn’t help but notice an old painting hanging at the entrance. Inside an intricately carved wood frame was the portrait of a young lady in a beautiful lacy white dress and a pearl necklace around her neck. Her wavy black hair was tied in a bun, as she had a slight smile on her face, but her eyes did not go with her expression. They were blank and lifeless.

Then it struck me. It was the same lady that I had seen in my nightmare some time ago! The dress, the hair, the eyes, that necklace .... I gasped with horror, as my body froze in shock for a second.

I didn’t how to react or what to say! My head was spinning as I tried to put the pieces of the puzzle together. I ran straight outside as fast as my legs could carry. I desperately looked around for my parents, then I saw them standing at the sidewalk talking to their property dealer.

“So, it’s a deal then, Mr Smith,” said dad shaking hands with him.

I stood there trembling with fear, thinking about the trouble that awaited….

Published in Dawn, Young World, April 3rd, 2021