As the skies wept their sorrowful tears and the ominous clouds darkened the world, a man, whose face was shadowed by the hood of his trenchcoat, set his eyes on a light in the distance. As the wind attempted to rip away his coat, he tread on persistently. When he got closer, the man could see the outline of a large house. It swayed a back and forth as it battled the storm. The front door banged shut and swung open over and over and a weathervane rotated rapidly atop the roof. The man quickened his step at the thought of getting out of the blasted storm. He took the steps up to the porch two at a time. Sidestepping the door as it swung open, he entered the house.

The man took his hood off and gazed around the lavish interior equipped with a set of grand stairs in front of him, marble floors beneath him, and a crystal chandelier above him. Unsure of the occupancy of the house, he shouted, “HELLO?”, out into the house and was only met with silence. The man decided to check the rest of the house to see if anyone was home. He proceeded up the stairs and as he climbed the last few steps, a long corridor stretched out before him.

While there were many doors to either side, each adorned with ornate, golden handles, one of these doors was different. The first door to the right was ajar and had light spilling out. He walked towards the door and, grasping the handle firmly, opened it slowly. He peeked his head in and saw a dresser on the left left wall, a large 4-poster bed against the right wall, and a lamp on a nightstand. As the man entered the room, the door slammed shut behind him. Startle, the man stumbled and fell on the bed with hands outstretched. Looking around wildly, the man pushed himself and laid eyes on an open window across from the door. The man got up and, with shaking hands, closed the window. He sat back down on the bed with a sigh of relief. As his heart rate slowed down to normal, he looked around the room and saw a book on the nightstand. He picked it up and opened the old, dusty book. As the leather spine cracked he realized that it was a journal. He decided to read the journal while he waited out the storm.

Day 1
It was a rough journey getting to my uncle’s house because of an incessant storm. Luckily the house was just as warm as the welcome. My uncle greeted me with open arms and a buffet of pastries. It was good to see my estranged uncle who I had heard so little about even if I had to travel to the countryside.

Day 2
A strange man showed up today. I heard him yelling at my uncle about safety I think. I plan on exploring the house.

Day 3
My uncle was furious when he found me near the basement. Apparently it’s “off limits” This is going to be a long week…

BANG! The man heard a loud sound downstairs and his heart filled with dread. He kept telling himself that it was just the wind and eventually his  brain believed him as he settled down again.

Day 4
I want to explore the basement. I wonder what has my uncle so spooked. The storm has no sign of  letting up so it looks like I will be stuck inside

BANG! Another loud sound rang out through the house. This time the man didn’t bother to look up and kept reading.

Day 5
There was a lock on the door. I found the keys… but they are around my uncles neck. I shall wait till night and take them in his sleep.

Oddly enough there were no entries left. Puzzled, the man flipped through the rest of the pages. While flopping through, the bedroom door banged open. The man turned and looked at the window, expecting it to be open. It was closed and the sound of heavy breathing entered the room.