Murder In My House

Back in the 1800s, there was a bright, blue sparkling lake, always filled with the sounds of laughter from people swimming, boating and skating. It was a popular spot for people to go and spend the day. There was a long stretch of beach and forest surrounding the entire lake, with a few lake houses or residential houses here and there. It truly was serene. 

For Madeleine Clarke, it wasn't. 

Madeleine was ill. She was a child born with an unknown disease and because of it, her parents kept her hidden from the world in their mansion. Her father was a wealthy business man, who was able to dress up his house with velvet and silk on every wall, crystal chandeliers in every room and give his daughter anything she asked for.

Mr. Clarke was a practical man and he did things with the best interest of his family in mind. He had special doctors come to look at young Madeleine, but none knew a cure. 

Mrs. Clarke was a vain person. She loved her image and was very displeased when she birthed an ill child. She blamed her husband and hated Madeleine from the beginning of the child's life.

As the years grew by, Madeleine's condition only grew worse, as did her depression. She always looked out her window at the lake and tried to image herself skating out there or swimming, but she knew it was futile.

One weekend, in mid December, Mr and Mrs. Clarke left for the nearby city for a small overnight business trip. They left Madeleine alone with three servants in the massive mansion. 

Late into the night, the young girl of only sixteen was awakened by the sound of creaking stairs. Curious and slightly scared, the girl cracked open her door with a loud creak. 

"Who's in my house?" She called down the empty hallway.

Her question was met with silence. The girl moved to the rope that would ring a bell to call for one of her servants. She tugged on it, but couldn't hear the faint jingle of the bell. 

Her frail heart began to pound in her chest as footsteps approached her room. She looked around nervously and picked up her brass candle holder and pointed it towards the door.

The footsteps stopped outside her door and slowly the door creaked open.

"Who's in my house?!" Madeleine questioned, completely terrified. 

(***)

Mr. and Mrs. Clarke never returned to the house or the estate. They left for the business trip and were never seen again. Madeleine's body was found three days later beneath the ice with multiple stab wounds in her body and a knife sicking out of her chest. 

Back in the house, a man was dead in her bedroom, his skull bashed open by a brass candle stick holder. 

The events puzzled police for years before they decided to bury the dead bodies and board up the house. Not taking anything out or disturbing anything, the Clarke estate was left untouched by human hands.

(***)

"C'mon Laura, don't be such a baby!" 

Six girls tromped through the woods on the edge of a lake to a deserted house. The cool October air forced them to draw their jackets tighter around their bodies. 

The girl, Laura, was a brunette with her long hair tied into pigtails. She jogged lightly to catch up with the group. They approached the abandoned house and removed one of the boards covering a window on the first floor.

Laura looked around, scared. "Guys, I really don't want to do this..." She said. 

The leader of the girls scoffed. "Oh don't chicken out on us now, Laura! Do you want to be in or not?"