What was that? I thought, my heart in my mouth. I slowly turned around. I didn't see anyone, but that didn't mean that there couldn't be someone else in the house with me. It was a large house. I hesitated before I went into the living room. My lantern, my best friend at the moment, showed off ancient paintings of a red-haired man with angular features and a host of antiques. Over a marble fireplace, in the far side of the room, hung a silvery mirror with plump, little cherubs surrounding it.
Crash. I jumped and almost dropped the lantern. My heart stopped as I listened for another sound. The silence throbbed in my ears. I stood at the bottom of the staircase. The sounds had come from upstairs. I swallowed my fears and climbed the stairs.
On the second floor I found a bathroom so obsolete that it didn't even have any running water. Since I didn't have any business to do in there, I left it undisturbed. I found several bedrooms laden with cloth-covered antiques, moth-ridden clothes that might have been beautiful at one time, and tarnished jewellery.
At the end of the second floor, I found yet another stair well. This one was dark and coated with lacy spider webs. It led to what must have been the children's floor at one point. There was a play room that took up most of the space, along with two bedrooms with dainty furniture, and the nurse's room. What I mistook for a closet at first was really a narrow flight of stairs that lead into the attic.
A giant rat scampered across my feet. Its beady eyes glowed red in the flicker in lantern light. It hissed at me. I screamed and dropped my lantern. Suddenly, I was plunged into utter darkness. I took several deep breaths to calm my trembling body and finished my trek up the stairs.
Vivid flashes of lightning illuminated the attic. A vase lay in pieces in front of the broken window. Well, at least I know what caused the crash. I mused to myself. I found an old thread bare cloak. I had intended it used it to cover the broken window, but on my way there, I tripped over a large box.
The trunk wasn't locked, but age had rusted it shut. I gripped the top and pulled with all of my strength. The trunk protest, but finally gave in. Another rat jumped at my ankle. I yelled and lunged forward. I hit something solid inside the trunk. Whatever I had hit, it didn't feel like antiques or clothes. My hand wondered upward and found a large protruding....nose! I turned my head and gasped.
A flash of lightning briefly seared the sky. The harsh light highlighted a wide mouth with vermilion lips, glowing canines, a nose, red curly hair and stern eyebrows. The man's eyes were open and staring at me.
Suddenly, the faint, acrid smell of wood smoke reached my nose. I felt something burning me. I pushed the man away and cried out. Fire felt like it was licking at me. I backed up against the far wall. The flames had already enveloped the man. As a second flash of lighning suddenly blinded me in a flash, I blinked. Opening my eyes quickly to maintain a view of the burning figure, nothing, just a mirror.
There was a sudden explosion when lightning hit the rof above me. I was blown out of the window and into a slimy fountain. The piercing wail of a siren cut through the crackle of the burning house.
A firefighter lifted me out of the fountain. I stared at his neck. Suddenly, I felt a sharp pain in my mouth. I cried out. The firefighter hugged me once then wrapped me in a blanket. I blacked out as I was slipped into a waiting ambulance.
