The Autumn Forest

Locked Door

Rickie, Dawn and their parents were on their way to their new house, it wasn't exactly new, it was their grandma's old house for when she was a little girl. It was located in the woods, which was very pretty during autumn, but the woods they're in is nothing but the dull colours, Rickie and Dawn were both watching the scenery from their windows.

"Dad, why are we going to an old house instead of a new one?" Rickie asked, her father looked at his daughter through the review mirror before answering.
"Well, that's because she gave it to us before she passed away, it would be nice to go live in grandma's old memories, find out what it's like to grow up in her kind of environment."
"Does that include hunting, fishing or camping?" Dawn asked.
"I'm afraid not, they did buy food to eat, plus a house to live in, darling, she just lived somewhere more private with no neighbours in sight."
"That's a bit boring father, isn't there like a playground or something?"
"No, sorry dear, but I'm pretty sure grandma has some sort of entertainment in her home."
"What like a typewriter..?" Rickie said sarcastically.
"Or a radio..?" Dawn added to her sister's sarcastic remark.
"Now now girls, don't be so harsh, you never know what you find in there."
"Gosh mum, we're so excited-"

The family finally pulled over and took a look at the house, it was old, a garnet red, clashing with the white. It was rustic and wooden but the parents seem to enjoy the look of the house. The girls just saw nothing entertaining about the house aside from the swing that looks like it can't take anymore weight.
"Come on dad, this place stinks."
"Almost literally."
"Oh come on girls, lighten up a bit, be creative with what you see, you can make anything fun if you set your mind to it."
"Your father is right, try entertain yourselves with what's around you."
"Okay, I know, dad, tell us at least something about grandma, something worth listening to?"
"Well, your grandma use to live here years ago with her parents and older brother, they would strangely have more than four chairs set on the table, there are five bedrooms in the house, the fourth was an office, but the fifth looked like an average girl's bedroom, and they always see unfamiliar toys and pictures in the house, often making them think either there's someone else living with them, or that the house was haunted, but, little did her family knew that your grandma has found a locked door within the house, she had no idea where this key was but she knew that it was for the best it was locked, because who knows what's behind those closed doors..."

Rickie and Dawn her intrigued, this story about grandma triggered their adventurous side of their personality, their mother knew that look in their eyes and looked at them with a stern look.
"Don't you girls go looking for that key, okay? If grandma thought it was best to leave it, then so should you two, is that clear?" Rickie and Dawn looked at their mother in disappointment,
"Yes mum..." they both say.
"Good, now help me unpack your stuff, honey, help unpack our stuff."
"You got it honey."

The family began unpacking their stuff, with the girls finished unpacking their stuff, they decided to explore the unexciting house, pretending to find something entertaining, to only be looking for the key, they were rebellious children, never really learning their lesson.
"Rickie, where would a hidden key be..?"
"I'm not sure, Dawn, maybe we should split up and find it."
"Good idea, Rickie." 

The twins went searching in separate places, Rickie looked upstairs and in the attic while Dawn looked down in the basement and outside. Rickie seems to be going nowhere till Dawn stumbled across a stump outside, tripping over, she saw the top of the stump lift open, scurrying closer to the stump, she found a sparkling key with a strange pattern on it. Smiling with excitement, she runs back to Rickie who was just heading her way.
"Rickie! I found it! The key!"
"Really?! Awesome! Now we just need to find that locked door grandma was so worried about."
"I bet you it ain't even anything to worry about." The girls chuckled and made their way back inside with the key shoved deeply in Dawn's inside pocket of her jacket. During the day, the family were enjoying their meal at the dinner table, the twins spoke to their parents normally to cover up the fact they found something that wasn't suppose to be found.
Cleaning up dishes and any mess from dinner, the parents were worn out for the day and started to head to bed telling the girls not to stay up too late, the girls nodded and said goodnight to them before chuckling under their breaths.

"Oh my gosh, Rickie, we didn't get caught yet!"
"Shush, you're gonna make us get caught if you keep speaking loudly!"
"Sorry-"
"anyways, where would this locked door be..?"
"Maybe outside..?"
"Good thinking Dawn, let's go, we can use dad's flash light to help us see."
"I'll go grab it."
Dawn went to go grab the flash light before following Rickie outside to search for the locked door, it couldn't be far from home since their grandma found it around her house. The twins quietly moved in the dark with their limited light till the bumped into a golden lock with the same strange pattern design on the key, Dawn smiled brightly.
"It's the same design as the key,"
"Well what are you waiting for sis?"
"On it."

Dawn got the key from her inside pocket and reached over to place the key in, turning it to unlocked the locked door. Opening the door wide open, the girls found the much more beautiful side of the forest woods, the pretty autumn that gives the forest life, it welcomes them in as they both step in at the same time, filled with amazement.
"This is beautiful."
"I know right? This is way better than grandma's house."
"You can say that again, Rickie."
Not only was this beautiful, but it was a territory of a tyrant beast of the lands, he was dark, dull, lifeless and full of tar, he was the opposite of the very land he rules. He came hovering over the girls, looking like a black silhouette with beaming white eyes.
"Who dares enter my territory"
"U-uh.. wh-who are you..?"
"Me..? I'm the ruler of this very forest you two stepped upon, much like that young girl from years ago..."
"Y-young girl..?"
"yes, yes, she was pleased to have found this place, till she met me, then her life began to crumble..."
"W-what happened to her..?"
"Why she became one of my lovely trees you see, every single child who wonders within my forest gets transformed into my beautiful yet despaired trees."
The girls couldn't believe what they're hearing, lives of children being transformed into trees?! Is he insane?!

"You're insane!"
"What a rude little child, wondering into my forest, trampling my creation..."
"Wh-what are you gonna do about it?! I don't believe a word you say!"
"Rickie stop! He might be telling the truth-"
"Ah yes, young Dawn is telling you the truth, I'm telling you the truth, you're just in denial... young, Rickie..."
"No, you're lying!!"
"Am I..?"
The beast slammed his hands on the floor and black tar began to flow all around them, turning what once was lovely autumn trees into dark, sorrowful, oak trees that presents a despair face upon it. This freaked the girls out, watching what they came in for gets turned into something they fear. 

"I-it's true..? Th-the children..?"
"Yes, my dear, Dawn... it's all real, these children disobeyed their parents or guardians and entered my territory out from pure rebelliousness..."
Rickie began to step back, grabbing on to her sister's hand, dragging her as she runs for the exit. The opened door went back to being the locked door once again, with the girls trapped within the depressed, forest of the beast.
"You girls are not going anywhere..." The beast began to reach for their bodies, gasping them firmly as they squirmed and squealed.
"It's time to teach you girls a valuable lesson... forever..."

The very next day, the parents woke up well rested with a bright smile upon their faces. Exiting their bedrooms, they see the many bedrooms they do not need. The mother was setting up breakfast for the both of them, staring at empty seats, they began to feel a little fearful.
"Is it just me, or does this place seem to be for more than two people..?"
"Yeah, I thought your mother said this place was for two people..."
"I think it's haunted, quick, lets sell it and move to a local area, somewhere not haunted."
"Great idea honey, we only unpacked some of our stuff, lets grab it and leave."
"On it, honey!"
The parents went into their bedrooms and gathered the stuff they desperately need and began loading the car, not wasting any time before driving off with the house keys to sell.
The memories of their twin daughters were removed from their minds, and the locked doors were back to being locked, with the key hidden in the very same spot for the next rebellious kid to stumble across.

The end.

(This is just a short story I writ for English creative writing task, I really liked it yet I rushed it, I hope some will give it a read some time, I'm improving day by day in my writing. Probably not spelling- but- there's still time. IT WAS RUSHED SO- Pls spare with criticism.)