The Secret Room

After several days of searching, Ethan finally found the secret room in the mansion. It was hidden behind a bookcase in the library, and he had discovered it accidentally while looking for a book. The bookcase had swung open, revealing a narrow staircase leading down to the basement.

Ethan descended the stairs cautiously, his heart pounding with excitement and fear. He had always been fascinated by secret rooms and hidden passages, and now he was about to explore one himself.

At the bottom of the stairs, Ethan found himself in a small room with stone walls and a low ceiling. The air was musty and damp, and he could see cobwebs clinging to the corners. In the center of the room was a large wooden chest, covered in dust and cobwebs.

Ethan approached the chest tentatively, wondering what secrets it might contain. As he lifted the lid, a cloud of dust rose up, making him cough and sneeze. When the dust cleared, he saw that the chest was filled with old papers and documents.

Ethan began to sort through the papers, searching for anything that might be of interest. Most of them were old legal documents, deeds, and contracts. But then he found something that made his heart skip a beat – a letter written in a familiar handwriting.

It was from his father.

Ethan's hands shook as he read the letter. In it, his father confessed to a terrible crime – the murder of his business partner, who had discovered that he was embezzling funds from their company. His father had hidden the body in the secret room and covered up the crime, but the guilt had eaten away at him ever since.

Ethan couldn't believe what he was reading. His father, whom he had always thought of as a kind and honorable man, had committed murder. He felt sick to his stomach and didn't know what to do.

As he was about to leave the secret room, Ethan noticed something strange – the walls were covered in strange symbols and markings. They looked like some kind of ancient script, but he couldn't decipher them.

Suddenly, he heard a noise from behind him. He turned around and saw a shadowy figure standing in the doorway.

Ethan froze, unsure of what to do. The figure stepped closer, revealing itself to be a tall man wearing a hooded cloak.

"Who are you?" Ethan demanded, his heart racing.

The man didn't answer, but instead pointed to the papers in Ethan's hand.

"Give those to me," he said in a low voice.

Ethan hesitated, unsure of whether to trust the stranger. But before he could make a decision, the man lunged forward and grabbed the papers from him.

Ethan tried to grab them back, but the man was too quick. He shoved Ethan aside and ran up the stairs, disappearing into the darkness.

Ethan was left alone in the secret room, feeling confused and disoriented. He didn't know who the stranger was or what he wanted, but he knew that he had to find out. He vowed to uncover the secrets of the mansion, no matter what it took.