The whispers grew louder as Emma
ascended the creaky stairs to the
attic, Max trailing close behind her,
The air was thick with dust, but
something about the attic felt
different that night – heavier, as if
holding secrets waiting to be
uncovered.
Buddy’s old collar lay on a wooden
beam, glowing faintly with an
otherworldly light. Max sniffed at it,
his golden eyes wide with curiosity
Emma approached cautiously, her
heart racing.
The glow from the collar cast eerie
patterns on the walls, but something
caught her attention – a flicker of
light reflected on an old trunk tucked away in the corner. She had seen the trunk before but never felt the urge to open it. Tonight, something compelled her.
Emma knelt beside the trunk, her
fingers trembling as she pried it
open. Inside, wrapped in yellowed
cloth, was a photograph. She pulled
it out carefully and gasped.
It was a picture of her grandfather,
standing in front of a grand yet eerie
manor. The gates of the manor were
adorned with rune-like symbols – the
same as those on Buddy’s collar and
now on Max’s.
A shiver ran down Emma’s spine. As
she held the photo, a series of
blurred images flashed in her mind–the manor’s towering spires, the creak of its gates, and the sound of whispers calling her name. It felt….familiar, as if she had lived there before.
“What is this place?” she whispered,
turning the photo over.
On the back was a crudely drawn
map with a route leading to the
manor. Below the map, a message
was scrawled in hurried handwriting.
“Protect the protector. They are
coming.”
Emma’s pulse quickened. She
glanced at Max, who was staring
intently at the collar. Without a
second thought, she grabbed Buddy’s
old collar and slipped it into her bag
along with the photo and the map.
“We have to go,” she murmured to
Max. “We have to find this manor.”
Max wagged his tail, a sign of silent
agreement.
That night, sleep didn’t come easily,
The whispers seemed to follow
Emma even into her dreams. But one thing was clear – the answers she sought lay in that manor. The
following morning, she packed her
bag, secured the map, and prepared
to set out on a journey that would
change her life forever.
As she locked the door behind her,
Max barked softly. Emma knelt down and hugged him, drawing strength from his presence.
“We’ll figure this out together,” she
whispered.
Little did she know, the manor held
secrets far darker than she could
ever imagine. And the journey had
only just begun….