Portrait of A Maiden (spooky Repost).......................................~SpaceCase

Portrait Of A Maiden

Reaching for the rusted handle, Amanda felt the lump rise in her throat again. Beyond the rotting door, mystery awaited the frightened teen and she was having second thoughts. So many of her friends have braved the horrid exterior of this old house and remained unscathed, but something powerful came over Amanda; this time was different, something wasn't right.

She finally grasped the handle, rust crumbling in her hands as she turned the loose knob, still trembling with silent fear. Once Amanda stepped inside, she watched as a candle wick suddenly lit up the whole room. Greyed by time, layers of dust gave the furniture an eerie glow in the flickering candle light. Upon the wall, above the fireplace mantle, hung a portrait of a young woman. Upon closer inspection, Amanda saw that the young maiden was quite striking and that the painting was almost lifelike.

Still alarmed by the welcome, Amanda pulled her flashlight and hand-held recorder from her backpack. Finding an empty chair, she flung her bag down creating a cloud of choking dust. She turned on her flashlight, found and engaged the record button on her recorder and turned down the main hall. Amanda felt as if she were being watched, but as she turned back to look, a sound ahead of her startled her, keeping her from the burning gaze the lady in the portrait expelled.

Amanda wondered where her friends had put the secret treasure and why they chose this spooky old house as the chest. The more she thought about her friends, the less they appealed to her; always finding new games to play, these kids were never up to any good. She asked herself what she was doing here. She had heard many rumors about this house, while growing up in her small parish, but around here, everyone loved a good ghost story, so she wrote the tales off as fiction.

Suddenly, the sound came again, a slight tap, as if someone were trying to seek help. An icy feeling surrounded Amanda as she reached the old wooden staircase. She felt pulled towards the first step and thought she heard someone whisper her name. Chills ran up her neck as she slowly reached for the shaky banister. She willed her lead foot to take the first step towards the second story when she distinctly felt a hand on her shoulder pulling her back. Startled, she turned to find the maiden right behind her.

Frozen, not even a word could fall from her petrified lips. The maiden pulled Amanda back to the den and motioned for her to step closer to the fireplace. A roaring fire blasted from nothingness as the maiden drew up her arms. Amanda stared blankly as she watched the flames take on the forms of the maiden and another man. He was a handsome man, older than the maiden who appeared in the flames dressed in white. It actually looked like the two were in the middle of their wedding. Time stood still as she watched the private ceremony end with a forced kiss.

The man picked up his new bride and headed down the hall and up the staircase. For the first time, Amanda saw the home's true glory. She felt like a spy as she saw the man lay the maiden upon a canopy bed, the finest pale green silk shimmering like a halo above their heads. What Amanda saw next jolted her, within the burning fire, she watched as the man turned to a table opposite the grand bed. From his left sleeve, he revealed a vile, and after removing it's lid, he poured the contents into one of the two wine glasses, filled them both with a red wine, and carried them back to where the maiden was waiting.

Unsuspecting, the maiden tossed back the spiked drink. Her lips were still moist when she fell backwards to her premature death. The man instantly began digging through the chest of drawers and armoires that filled the spacious room. He quickly filled his pockets with beautiful jewels and shining currency.

As quickly as it began, the fire suddenly disappeared and Amanda found herself turning toward's the maiden's glowing apperition. She knew this was always the maiden's home; the mystery of the house unveiled, Amanda had the first sense of calm she had experienced since she wondered onto the porch earlier that day. She knew she had to share her experience with others; she was given the truth.

Turning one more time to face the maiden, she realized she was once again alone. On the dusty couch in front of her lay a red frisbie, the treasure she had come to find in the first place. Knowing it hadn't been there before, she silently thanked the maiden for giving it to her and ran home to share the news with her friends. >SpaceCase<

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