Lucy Beatson 11A 10/05/2007
Story
I’d been walking for miles then, exhausted and panting for breath I stood for a moment and gazed in disbelief at the sinister scene that lay around me. The hazy fog covered the sky like a thick sheet of dust. It was cold. My body was draped in sodden clothing and I shivered all over, not only from the frost but also from the immense fear that lingered in the atmosphere around me. In the distance I could just about make it out, the house. It loomed over the vast mass of eerie leaf-less winter trees that surrounded its four decrepit walls. It seemed to be calling out to me urging me like a spell towards it. I fought through the ghastly unkempt gardens as it pulled me in. Branches reached out and clawed my clothes like wild tigers. Roots and weeds tugged menacingly at my feet. I forced my way along the uneven winding path until I eventually reached the great door of the mansion and starred up at it. This would be my shelter for the night.
Praying for the doorway to be open to enable my entrance to be swift, I clambered up the slippery steps and pushed forward on the door. It opened. I entered cautiously. The house was obviously uninhabited and had clearly been deserted for many years yet somehow I didn’t feel alone. Perhaps it was just the mice that scurried down the seemingly endless labyrinth of corridors, but I was unsure. Warily, I rummaged through my bag until I came across my torch; I needed to be reassured that I was unaccompanied. Hesitantly I flicked at the switch; light flooded the room. There were no people, just old books, toys and furniture. A rocking horse stood in the corner, dormant under a thick blanket of untouched dust. I tiptoed down the corridor holding my torch close to me for support. My breath was visible in the air and my footsteps echoed around the house like those of a giant. Gently, I pushed open another door and leaped with horror. Through increasing fear I just about managed to squeak out, “Wh-who are you?”
