The House on Haunted Hill

An Adventure

By B.G. Waldram

You shake your head as you march up the creepy hill.

How did you get yourself into this mess? The wind whips up and blows fiercely at you as if trying to keep you away from reaching your destination. You shiver and pull your coat up around your neck, desperately trying to keep the cruel wind out. You tell yourself that the shivers down your spine and the goose bumps that have popped out all over your body is due to the cold but deep down you know it’s because the house is now in sight.

The colossal gates stand guard and the house sits behind them all sinister and spooky. You ask yourself again why you were foolish to take up the dare: ‘Who is brave enough to enter the Midnight Mansion and retrieve the Ruby Heart?’

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You smile to yourself as you recall the moment when you stood up and declared that you were worthy of the challenge.

All the others were amazed at your bravery. Several of them cheered joyfully, happy that they weren’t attempting the foolish challenge. Several girls came and kissed you on the cheek whilst the boys clapped your back heartily. There was no way of backing out now.

Hours later, you had left the warmth of your friends behind and you are now alone, trudging towards the mansion.

You arrive at the gates and push them open; they creak noisily as if crying out to all the ghosts of the night. You stand in front of the massive house, staring at the uninviting front door. Will you try it or do you want to go around the back?

Front door Around the back

The front door is warped slightly due to the years of hard rain lashing down upon it. Huge, rhododendron bushes scale the walls either side of the door framing it with its vigorous growth. A tarnished door knocker shaped like a howling wolf sits in the middle of the door. You scan the rest of the frame and see a doorbell half-hidden by years of dirt to the left.

Do you:

Use the door knocker

Ring the doorbell

You press the doorbell and nothing happens, no sound. You shrug to yourself, what you expected really. The bitter wind whips around the corner and you press the doorbell again. This time you hear a creak and then a low whistle.

Suddenly the floor beneath you gives way and you plummet down a tunnel. Your stomach lurches terribly as you drop like a stone. You glance up and see that there was a trapdoor hidden under the weedy growths surrounding the door.

After a few seconds you slide into a small dark room with a thud. You get up and dust yourself down. With a sickening feeling you search the room for a door, there isn’t one. You try the tunnel you slid down but it is far too slippery. Looks like you are stuck here forever!

You raise the wolf’s head and let the knocker drop, your hand is shaking slightly and you notice that despite the cold, you are sweating.

A moment passes and then the door swings open, creaking and howling like a wolf.

You peer inside the gloomy hallway and decide that you have come this far, time to enter.

The hallway is dim but the bright moonlight offers enough visibility. Thick cobwebs hang everywhere and the house is cold, really cold. You see a door to your right, a large dusty mirror to your left and a large spiral staircase. Do you:

Open the door Climb the stairs Examine the mirror

You warily walk towards the mirror noting as you get closer the sheer size of it. It has to be the largest mirror you’ve ever seen, twice your height and four times your width at least.

The ornate golden frame looks chipped and worn and you wipe the surface with your hand removing dust and cobwebs. Your reflection looks back at you eerily, then smiles.

Your reflection’s hand snakes out and pulls you closer to the mirror. You try to resist but your opposite is much stronger. It pulls you into the frame and you feel a sucking sensation as you are pulled into the mirror itself. A sudden snap cracks and then you are face to face with your reflection once more, only this time you have switched places.

You try to grab the mirror creature but your hand smacks solidly against the glass, you are trapped inside the mirror!

Your reflection smiles, waves and strolls away. You are stuck, forever!

As you open the door, the first thing that hits you is the musty smell. You enter and realise it is due to the damp dripping through the ceiling and the hundreds of moulding books scattered over the floor. There is very little of interest here apart from a large painting above the desk. It looks like an old man with a large grey moustache.

Do you:

Examine the painting

Leave and examine the mirror

Leave and go upstairs

Your curiosity is piqued and you walk closer to the painting. The gentleman stands tall and proud, his blue eyes piercing. A chill runs down your back and suddenly the painting speaks:

‘Who are you stranger?’ it bellows in a deep voice. ‘No-one has entered my house for many a year, you must be very brave. Answer me this riddle and you will be rewarded. What goes up a chimney down but not down a chimney up?’

Do you answer:

An umbrella

A kite

A chimney sweep

‘A chimney sweep,’ you answer with confidence.

‘Ha ha ha! Foolish human. The answer is incorrect.’

The door slams behind you with an almighty thud. You run over to it and desperately try to force it open but it has jammed and no amount of pushing or pulling moves it.

‘Looks like you are to spend the rest of your life here with me, young fool. Never mind, there is plenty of time for you to read and improve your mind.’

You drop to the floor, crying and moaning, your adventure is over.

‘A kite,’ you answer with confidence.

‘Ha ha ha! Foolish human. The answer is incorrect.’

The door slams behind you with an almighty thud. You run over to it and desperately try to force it open but it has jammed and no amount of pushing or pulling moves it.

‘Looks like you are to spend the rest of your life here with me, young fool. Never mind, there is plenty of time for you to read and improve your mind.’

You drop to the floor, crying and moaning, your adventure is over.

‘An umbrella,’ you state with confidence.

‘Hmm,’ mutters the painting, ‘looks like you have brains to match your bravery. When given the chance to drink the potion of wolf’s blood, do so for knowledge and power. Now leave.’

Do you:

Leave and climb the stairs

Leave and examine the mirror

You grip the dusty banister and climb the spiral staircase, an open window above you spills light to the stairs and eerie shadows dance all around you. The sooner you can leave, the better you think to yourself.

As you arrive at the top of the stairs, you see two doors. You must choose one.

Do you:

Open the left door

Open the right door

You choose the door on the left and walk into a bathroom. The stench of mould and decay is overpowering and you feel sick almost instantly. Your head starts pounding and you feel nauseous with the pain. You glance towards the sink and see a steady stream of cool, clean water pouring from the tap.

That may just ease the throbbing pain in your head.

Do you:

Drink some water

Stagger from the bathroom and open the right door

You approach the tap and gulp down some cool water, instantly the pain in your head vanishes and the refreshing drink soothes your whole body. You continue drinking, lapping at the cool spring like a thirsty dog.

After a few seconds, you notice yourself getting fuller but you can’t stop yourself from drinking. Your stomach is expanding but still you can’t drag yourself from the enchanting liquid. Water begins to spill out from your mouth, nose and then ears and eyes. Finally, you pull away from the tap and then you see yourself in the dirty mirror, you have turned into a giant drop of water. You attempt to move but wobble towards the bath where you topple in and splash all over it. You begin to trickle down the plughole and you realise your adventure and life is over!

As you open the door on your right, you realise you are entering the master bedroom. A grand four-poster bed sits in the centre of the room. Surprisingly the dust in this room is not as bad as everywhere else and it appears remarkably clean. A faint smell of lavender drifts from the bed and you feel relaxed and sleepy.

In one corner of the room, there is a dressing table full of bottles and books. The smell is getting stronger and you feel even more tired, the bed looks so comfortable, maybe a small rest wouldn’t do any harm.

Do you:

Lay down for a rest

Investigate the dressing table

The second you lay your head on the pillow, you know this was the right idea. You are so sleepy and a few minutes will give you the energy you need.

You close your eyes and instantly drift off to sleep.

Unfortunately, you have entered the master’s bedroom and he fell asleep on this bed never to wake. You too will share the master’s fate as you sink into a deep deep sleep that you will never wake from. Your adventure is over.

The dressing table is full of ornaments, books, bottles and miscellaneous trinkets. You pick up an elegant bottle and read the label, Werewolf’s Blood. You throw it back to the table, disgusting!

Do you ignore your disgust and drink some blood

Go for a lie down as you are feeling sleepy

Leave and try the left-hand door.

You uncork the bottle and the putrid stench wafts up your nose, the smell is incredibly strong but you pinch your nose and take a swallow. The liquid is thick and drips down your throat slowly.

As the blood enters your body, you start to feel surprisingly warm and quite strong. Your eyes mist over and then clear. When you can see again the bedroom in black and white, you shake your head to clear this strange vision but nothing happens. In the corner you see something you missed before, it shines brightly – gold. You approach the shining object and see that it is a small box with a keyhole.

Do you have a golden key?

Yes No

Unfortunately without the key, the box will not open. You throw it down onto the floor in anger and then decide you have had enough of this infernal house.

You walk back downstairs and leave through the front door. You are happy that you survived the Midnight Mansion but you failed in your challenge. You walk off into the night, looking at everything with your new black and white vision.

You pull the small golden key from your pocket and insert it into the keyhole. You hold your breath and turn the key slightly; a clunk clicks and then whirrs. The catch flips open and you cautiously open the box. As soon as you do, you smile to yourself as the deep red glow of the Ruby Heart shines in your face.

You snatch the heart from the box and stuff it in your pocket.

You walk downstairs and leave the Midnight Mansion forever, happy that you are alive and that you have succeeded in your challenge.

Well done, your adventure is over!

You walk around the back, careful not to step into the stinking puddles that seem to be everywhere. It is darker round the back as the house’s tall spires block out the bright moonlight. You hear a rustle and spin on your heel, nothing.

You walk on but hear the rustling again. This is doing nothing for your nerves. You realise you are trembling before you have even entered the house.

Do you want to investigate the source of the noise

Or

Continue to find a back door

You cautiously walk towards a large, dark bush to see what is causing all of the noise. The rustling is getting louder and then stops.

You strain to hear it when suddenly a powerful dog leaps out from the bush, its ferocious attack surprises you and knocks you to the ground. Its ravenous jaws dribble saliva all over your face and then before you have time to defend yourself it snaps its mouth shut!

Your adventure is over.

You continue to walk around the back squelching through the cold mud and then you see a small door next to an open window.

As you get nearer, the wind blasts through and catches the door, swinging it open. You peer inside and see that it leads down into a dismal and dank cellar. You don’t fancy the idea of descending into such filthy depths.

Do you:

Go down into the cellar

Climb through the window

Ignoring the scary cellar, you climb through the window, careful not to snag your clothes on any of the splinters. You land inside a small room and search around for a door but smile to yourself as you see there isn’t one. Who would build a room with no door? After a few more minutes of searching you decide that it is time to leave this bizarre room. You turn to leave but the window slams shut.

You run to it and try to open it but it is jammed tight. You look around for something to throw but alas, there is nothing. It looks like you are doomed to spend the rest of your life in this tiny, empty room.

Descending the steps is scary and dangerous as they are covered in moss and mould. They are slippery and you have to be careful as you make your way into the cold depths of the house.

Faint slivers of moonlight dance through the small doorway giving you a dim range of visibility. You look around and see a small cupboard, its door hanging off its rusty hinges. A wooden stairway is in one of the corners probably leading up into the house.

Do you climb the stairs and leave the cellar

Open the filthy cupboard

You open the cupboard and peer inside, nothing but dust and large, thick cobwebs. You go to close it and see something glinting in the corner underneath a thick layer of grime.

You reach for it and pull free a small golden key. Happy with your find, you pocket it and climb the stairs to the house.

Climb stairs

At the top of the cellar stairs is a trap door, you open it and climb through into a hall. It is gloomy and just as dusty as the cellar but not as musty.

The hallway is dim but the bright moonlight offers enough visibility. Thick cobwebs hang everywhere and the house is cold, really cold. You see a door to your right, a large dusty mirror to your left and a large spiral staircase. Do you:

Open the door Climb the stairs Examine the mirror