Passage -- A Story14:57 Jan 08 2023
Times Read: 134
The age of this wooden mini-mansion proved an incredible barrier to any young investor. But to Ted, it became the steal of a lifetime. While walking the grounds of this dilapidated structure, Ted explored with the eagerness of a child in a toy store.
An unnatural scene of knee high grass, trash and debris scattered throughout the front yard dissuaded the slighted acknowledgment from any passersby. And the half rotted porch steps commanded their own warning; should you place one foot here, injury or worse would be your prize.
Ted somehow hopped all around it and managed to walk inside. His feet raced him up the wooden spiral staircase as if someone pushed him. The ancient design of steps creaked and moaned its own unheeded warning.
The attic was the prize...something inside it promised a message. Was it riches? Something of immense value to be sold off? Ancient wisdom possibly? Rumour had it that something truly life changing stood restless within its walls, eager to be claimed. No one dared approach because of this mansion's condition.
The lure within that attic held him in indescribable suspense.
Moreover, his low investment with a high probability of a massive payout drove his interests.
The payout proved unclear for many others because "flipping this mansion thing" would involve a small fortune in renovation.
That project alone would take a thousand times his salary to sustain, but he insisted on buying the lien anyway, in spite of what he knew going in. The timing was perfect to secure the lien for five whole dollars in a little known bidding war he attended.
The moment he won, Ted paid for it and signed the paperwork. And the neglected portions of the acquisition process were rendered null. An argument persisted before he could leave. But, he knew this was a completely legal transaction. The seller soon realized the irrevocable nature of the transaction and raised his hands in surrender.
The house was his. All legalities be damned.
This whole effort centered on the promises secretly held within the attic of the property.
After catching his breath at the top of the stairwell, his thoughts settled.
But a nagging question popped up.
Did the owner mention the whereabouts of the hidden door passage on the top floor?
He knew asking the frustrated seller would aggravate matters. So he stood there pondering his choices.
The blackened and eerily shrouded hallway seemed to darken more than it had a moment ago.
This was due to the fact that lighting was not fixed on the top floor. Shadows cast themselves deep in unseen corners, blanketing the hallway length even more.
A shot of fright electrified his fit body and his breathing stopped for what seemed like minutes.
Staring down that darkened, gloomy passage of undiscovered walking space freaked him out. He couldn't describe it any other way.
The contents in the room at the end of this passage were supposed to make up for any struggle he had experienced in his short twenty-nine year life. Aside from two failed marriages and a sputtering law career, he was alive and breathing, looking for the next best thing...if it existed. His dwindling money supply should have made buying a house fall off his list of things to do.
But he was here now, frozen in the moment. Ted forced a deep breath.
What was there to be afraid of, the production of another paranormal activity movie doomed to get the attention of a tired audience?
Well, that thought alone interrupted his mindset.
Ted barreled down the hallway, ignoring the possibility of weak floor boards giving way underneath his pounding feet. In the back of his mind, the disintegration and quick collapse of the walls from proximate vibrations might stop him.
Somehow, that set of worries fell by the wayside as he sprinted the length of the hallway in record time.
His bravery got him there...or maybe it was stupidity, if anyone else had been there to offer an opinion.
Ted felt the walls of this dark corner close in on him. He leaned back to evade them.
He yelled out, falling through the wall behind him.
In that very second he swore nothing would break his fall.
Ted was right.
--End
COMMENTS
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DarkLife
15:26 Jan 08 2023
An intriguing part of a story...
CoolFraming
02:20 Jan 11 2023
Thank you