I walked around the house, in search of a key. The house looked old, but sturdy. It appeared to have two floors and maybe an attic. It was shedding a greenish coat of paint, revealing an older maroon one beneath it. The house cast an imposing shadow over the browned grass.
A breeze ruffled my hair. I looked around at the clearing in the forest, trees looming over me. The sky was grey and cloudy.
As my eyes scanned the ground, I carelessly put my hands in my pockets. I felt something that hadn’t been there before. I pulled it out. To my astonishment, there was a newish brass key, with a letter “S” on it. I had never seen this key in my life, to my recollection. I ambled back over to the house, and stood on the doorstep. I stared at the door. It was a strong wooden door, and looked much newer than the rest of the house. It was painted with a dark color, hard to tell it the fading light of the forest glade, but probably a dark grey.
I felt a drop of water fall on my shoulder. It began to drizzle. A chill rippled through my body. I shakily reached for the gleaming metal padlock that was holding the door shut, and inserted the key into it. I slowly turned the key in the lock. There was a click and the lock fell away. It began to precipitate harder. I took a deep breath and walked inside.
The house looked aged on the inside too, except strangely, all the doors looked new. The first floor contained three rooms, all empty. I wandered around, the floorboards creaking. There was an overabundance of dust and cobwebs. It looked like nobody had been here for years. There was a rickety staircase leading to another floor. I ascended the stairs. There was only one windowless room on the second floor, which was also empty. I went back downstairs, making footprints in the layer of dust covering the floor, and thought for a moment. This house was abandoned, and empty. I looked down at the floor, and noticed something I hadn’t noticed before. A rusty metal handle protruded from a board in the floor. Cautiously, I bent down and pulled on the handle. It hinged outward, revealing a decrepit, unstable looking helical staircase descending into the ground. Nervously, I stepped down onto the staircase. It didn’t collapse, so I took another step. Slowly, I spiraled down, my hand gripping a rusty banister, which winded around with the stairs.
I saw a faint light glimmering below me, and as I descended further, it grew brighter. Finally, the stairs ended in a chamber lit by several flickering candles. It was a room carved out of the earth, like the shaft that the stars went down. There was an eerie silence. The chamber had a wooden chest along one wall. Silence. I slowly walked over to the chest and opened it shakily. The hinges of the lid creaked. Inside the chest was a yellow envelope. I reached down and took it out of the chest. I opened the envelope. Inside was a picture of a human face. But – no, it wasn’t possible – but it was, the picture was of my face. A cold chill ran through my body. Scrawled across the photo were the words “Swallowed by Darkness”. My heart thudded in my chest. Suddenly, the candles went out. The smell of smoke and wax filled the air. It was pitch black. I fumbled for the banister of the stairs. But there was nothing there. The aromas subsided, leaving an unscented void. I shivered, and clutched the photograph to my chest. I listened, but there was only silence. I looked, but there was only darkness. I stumbled and stared into the deep abyss surrounding me. There was only darkness, cold darkness. Darkness that could last for an eternity.