the haunted mansion | completed

drabble

Taehyung, a renowned architect, wanting a change of environment decides to shift to the century old mansion he had inherited from his family. As a 20 year old, he had never been interested in the mansion which was situated miles away from the hustle of the city, deep in the dark forest. But now as a 30 year old, maybe that was the change he needed to finally find himself again.

What he didn't know was that the doors of the mansion would open a pile of hidden secrets, unspoken truths and… a forbidden love story.

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The journey to the mansion had been tiring. Situated deep within the forest, the whole region was completely isolated except for a few local villages. As Taehyung drove through the only broken path, that could barely be called a road, that lead to the mansion he couldn't help this eerie feeling from settling in his mind and it only got worse when he entered the rusted gates and stopped right in front of the huge mansion that stood tall, despite its burnt walls and broken roof.

"Maybe the restoration is going to be harder that i thought," he sighed.

He looked around for the caretaker but seeing no signs of him he walked towards the mansion and pushed the door open. It opened with a loud creak and a strong gust of cold wind hit Taehyung with so much force that he couldnt help but stumble back a little.

Soon enough rushed footsteps were heard and the caretaker walked in with a candle in his hand, "Young master! I was getting worried that you got lost. You must be tired from your journey, i have prepared the room for you…." and he went on about how electricity was a rare luxury and how he was busy lighting the candles which explained his absense at the door.

But Taehyung wasnt paying much attention as he let his eyes roam around the tall walls of the room that had been burnt badly and looked as if they had witnessed something that no one else knew of.

He took slow, small steps inside and looked around, getting this foreign but familiar feeling as if he had finally returned to where he belonged, to his home.

The caretaker must have recognised the curiousity and questions in his eyes because he continued, "Many centuries ago, this mansion used to be the home of your forefathers. But a terrible fire had destroyed everything. After that, they all moved far away from here claiming that this land was cursed and ever since no one has ever lived here. A few years back, your grandfather was kind enough to restore the place enough for it to be habitable."

"How long have you lived here?" Taehyung asked, suddenly curious about the history of the mansion.

"All my life, master. My family has been taking care of the mansion since decades, we live in the village situated at an hour in the north from here."

"Hmm… please dont call me 'master'. Taehyung would be fine.

The caretaker fumbled at that but in the end obliged to his request. Soon fatigue took over him and he decided it was time to call it a day. As he lay his body on the soft mattress, covered in a thick duvet, he couldnt help but embrace the coldness in the room around his heart.

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The very next day he got to work. The mansion needed a lot of repairs but no matter how much he wanted to, he couldn't bring his heart to make any major repairs. The house was filled with men working on the walls, the furniture…