the haunted house

The sun was setting, and as soon as it  disappeared, the wolves from a nearby forest started howling. The house was on top of a cliff, overlooking the restless ocean, saddened by time and the wind. At the rusted gate stood a lonely man, despair and exhaustion etched on his face. He didn't know whether to enter the house or not, but felt he had no choice. The gate opened with a sinister creak, allowing entrance. With unsure steps, he approached the house.  The ocean breeze grew stronger, bringing a chill from the shore. Pulling his coat closer to his body and slightly shivering, not sure if it had to do with the cold or the strange feeling in his stomach, the man climbed the few stairs leading to the porch. Even though it was pointless, he knocked. There was no answer, so he tried to open the door. It gave way and he entered.

It was quiet inside, the darkness thick. He made out the skeleton of a staircase and decided to head in that direction. While climbing the aged stairs, he thought he heard some children laughing. Stopping, the noises disappeared. "I must be imagining things", and continued his ascend. The first floor was made of a large hallway, with several doors on each side. Trying the doors, they were all locked. "I just need a place to stay for the night" said to no one in particular. While walking down the hall, he found a painting on a wall. It looked ancient, depicting a family portrait : the father was a tall man, stern looking, with dark eyes that held no kindness, firm nose and thin lips; he was wearing a dark suit and was sitting down. Behind him stood his wife. She was pretty, with her hair tied behind her back, blue eyes that seemed restless, a delicate nose and full lips. She was wearing a light colored dress and lace gloves. The children stood next to the parents : a little boy, blond hair and blue eyes, and his sister, dark hair and blue eyes, both wearing sailor suits. The expressions on their faces gave the visitor an unnatural feeling. 

He seemed to notice a chill in the house and once again heard the children laughing. Turning, he found no one. Reaching an open door, he discovered the library. There were many shelves, reaching the ceiling, holding thousands of books. The furniture was covered with white sheets and the curtains swayed slightly, as if a light breeze was moving them. 

After searching other rooms he found a bedroom. There was a giant bed in the middle, and one of the walls was made of glass, overlooking the ocean. He laid down, soon drifting off to sleep and started dreaming. He was in the library, reading a book, when he heard steps. Feeling a chill running down his spine he looked up from his book. In front of him stood the children from the portrait, though he could see through them. So far he never believed in ghosts, but faced with reality he found his thoughts freezing inside his mind. 

"Play with us" said the little girl, reaching out for him. "I don't want to". "Then you will never leave", said the little boy, with a strange light in his eyes. He woke suddenly, sweating and gasping for breath. "It was a bad dream", he tried to comfort himself, but he couldn't relax. The sun has not risen yet and the whole place just made him feel....like he was being watched. Just as he was going back to sleep he heard the laughter again. Opening his eyes, the children from his dream stood by the bed. "Play with us". He panicked. The sight of the ghosts gave him enough strength to move, although his mind seemed to have shut down. He ran from the room, down the hallway and the stairs, out the door, just as it was closing. He did not stop until he reached the open gate, and looking back he found the house slowly disappearing as the sun began to rise. There was just him, on top of the bare cliff, listening to the waves crashing on the shore. Hoping all of this was just a bad dream, he left, towards the forest, towards the city, towards civilization.

The house would appear once again at night, waiting. The children are still there, waiting for someone to play with them. And when they do, they would never leave, becoming one of them.