The House
He found a key. What did it go to? He found it on the ground right outside the house.
His memory of the house was that it had been empty for years. Sources said it had been abandoned after the previous tenants left under mysterious circumstances. Some said that the house was haunted. He didn’t believe any of those rumors. But now, there was the key. Would it allow him to enter the house?
He walked slowly to the front door and would have put the key into the lock, but he noticed that the door was already ajar.
He pushed the door open and stepped inside. The entryway was rather dim and dusty. The sun sank low outside as the inside of the house became dark and dreary.
He pulled out his iPhone and switched on the flashlight to look around. For a house that had been empty, there were touches of cleanliness throughout the first room he entered.
It must have been the den or library. There were books covered in dust on shelves throughout. Some shelves were pristine with books that were missing. There was a comfy chair where one could sit and read by candlelight, should they need to. Next to the chair was a small polished table on which a recently poured glass of wine sat. Now how did that get there?
He looked around, trying to find any other signs of life. A starfish in a bowl on a desk covered with loosely scattered papers. An orchid on the same desk, perfectly arranged, its budding blossom discordant with the rest of the desk.
What was going on here?
He sat in the chair and was tempted to drink the wine but chose not to. He tried to piece together the puzzle he had walked into.
It was then he heard the sound. It was a loud but pure musical note. The front door and the one to his room immediately shut when the note sounded, and his iPhone’s flashlight mysteriously turned off.
He got up quickly. Slivers of light made their way through the curtained windows to the room. As his eyes adjusted to the dark, a figure appeared before him.
Its clothing was not from this time period. The translucent ghost, for that, was what he was sure it was, looked right through him.
A sorrowful voice spoke in whispers as it said, “Did you bring the key?”
