Unveiling the Past

This morning, I set off for the town of Havenburg, passing through a vast forest. I could see the mist spreading among the trees, almost obscuring the road. Initially, I wasn't sure if this alternate route would truly lead me to Havenburg. Armed only with digital maps on my phone and the words of my friend that there would be signs guiding me in the right direction to Havenburg.

Midway through, tall trees stood on the sides of the road, and the sunlight struggled to penetrate the dense foliage, making the road visible despite the fog. Suddenly, my car stopped even though there was plenty of gas left. This was very strange. I got out of the car, placed my phone in my pocket, and checked if there was a flat tire or any other issues with my car. But there was nothing wrong.

I rubbed my arms and tightened my blazer because the air here was incredibly cold. I looked around, but all I could see were towering trees. I tried to push my car, but it was too heavy to move on my own. Then I tried to start my car, but it stubbornly refused to come to life. I sighed in frustration. I might be late for the conference in Havenburg.

I leaned against the side of my car to think about what to do. I tried to contact anyone, but no one answered. Then, from a distance, I spotted a large, inhabited house. There was a small path that I could take to reach it. It didn't seem far, I thought. I walked in that direction to seek help. In front of the house, I found a man sitting, anxiously checking his phone. I approached him and asked, "Are you the owner of this house?"

He shook his head and looked down in disappointment, "No."

"Okay, can you help me fix my car?" I asked, seeking his assistance.

He immediately replied without hesitation, "Sure."

I turned around and couldn't find the path I had taken to reach the house. The road that had been there moments ago had transformed into a dense thicket of trees. I was bewildered. The man asked, "What's wrong? Did the road disappear?"

"Yes, it's very strange. There was a road there earlier, why has it turned into trees now? So, are you lost here?"

The man shrugged, "As you can see, I stopped here with my four friends up ahead. My friends stayed in the car, and I came in here to use the restroom. But when I turned back, the road was gone. Did you see my friends out there?"

I shook my head, "There was no one on the road when I pulled over my car."

The man's expression grew even more downcast, and it seemed like his hope was slowly fading, "They must have left me."

"How long have you been here?" I asked, feeling a bit sorry for him as I looked at his face.

"It's been about an hour, my phone doesn't work at all. Try checking your phone; maybe we can ask for help."

I reached into the pockets of my blazer and pants, quickly checking my phone. Fortunately, my phone was in the pocket of my blazer. My phone also had no signal. I sighed. He understood what that meant.

"It's not working for you either? What do we do to get out of here? I'm really hungry," the man whined like a big baby. My eyes scanned the trees surrounding the house for a way out.

"What if we try walking back in the direction we came from? Maybe we can find a way out," I thought there might be a chance that we could escape this situation. I was quite optimistic.

"I tried that earlier and it didn't work. But okay."

He nodded in agreement. Next, the man and I walked back in the direction where the road had suddenly turned into trees. We walked with confidence. However, we kept circling and ended up back in front of the large house. I felt very frustrated, as did the man. We both complained and let out long sighs.

The man then looked at my attire and asked, "Why are you dressed so formally? Where were you headed before this?"

I looked at my outfit and confirmed that I was dressed formally. I was wearing a black polka dot blouse with a light blue blazer, black pants, and black wedge shoes. My hair was tied up in a businesslike bun.

"I'm going to a conference in Havenburg. I heard this route was the quickest way to get there compared to the highway," I explained to him. He nodded in response.

"True, I'm also taking this route to get to that town quickly. Not many people know about this route; that's why it's so deserted."

"So, what do we do now? I'm tired of wearing these shoes," I complained again and took off my wedge shoes, allowing my bare feet to touch the damp ground and dry leaves that had fallen from the trees.

"Let's try again," he suggested, attempting to find a way as we had done before. I agreed, nodding in approval. He nodded back, and we began to walk, this time without shoes, feeling the damp ground beneath our feet.

We must have circled multiple times despite taking different routes. In the end, we still ended up in front of this house. A large Victorian-style house with black-painted wood, it looked eerie, and I shivered. Seeing the house sent chills down my spine, and I wanted to leave this place before the sunset, but we hadn't found a way out.

I checked my phone, which showed it was 12 noon. I had left at 7:30 in the morning, which meant I had been there for hours. Time passed quickly, and I hadn't noticed. All my belongings were in the car; I had only brought my phone and the car keys in my blazer pocket.

"Hey, what's your name? We should at least introduce ourselves to avoid confusion on how to address each other, I'm Richard by the way," he sat on the small steps of the house's porch.

"I'm Sophia," I replied, joining him and shaking his hand. He smiled in response.

"How about we go inside and look for a flashlight or an oil lamp?" he suggested, turning to look at the door. I hesitated and rubbed my neck, feeling a sense of dread.

"Seriously? The atmosphere here is so scary. You go ahead; I'll wait here," I said, feeling a shiver run down my spine.

"Come on, I think it's better to stick together. If one of us disappears, it will make the situation even worse, we might not be able to get out of here. Thinking about the worst-case scenario is not recommended in a situation like this; it can make your hair stand on end and increase fear," he said, making a valid point.

"Okay, if that's the case, I'll go with you," I agreed, realizing he was right. He nodded and smiled, indicating that my answer matched his desires.

We got up and walked to the front door. Richard turned the dusty doorknob of the old door, and for some reason, my heart raced as the door creaked open slowly. When we saw the first room, which appeared to be a lobby inside the house, we both frowned and exchanged glances. This room looked very well-maintained, unlike the exterior.

An elegant chandelier with golden light hung in the center of the ceiling, and a spiral staircase connected the first and second floors. The house's flooring was made of cream-colored marble, not wood. The walls were adorned with grayish wooden carvings, giving it a Queen Anne aesthetic. All the decorations were tastefully arranged, displaying a sense of art.

I rubbed my eyes; typically, such things were only supernatural illusions but appeared very real. I suddenly remembered that in fiction stories, the man next to me could be a ghost. I looked at him in alarm, and he seemed confused.

"Y-you... you're not a ghost, right?" I asked, trying to steady my increasingly erratic heartbeat. He furrowed his brow and said, 'What?' before bursting into loud laughter, his eyes narrowing and his perfect teeth on full display.

"Are you an avid reader of novels or a horror movie enthusiast?" he continued to laugh, which was starting to annoy me. I couldn't believe he was laughing at my fear. I left him behind and headed toward the large living room, and saw this house's belongings were still covered with white sheets. I decided to search for something in the cabinets and drawers.

As I was seriously looking for a flashlight or anything useful, Richard startled me by patting my shoulder and saying, "Boo!" I stumbled backward and almost fell. My heart felt like it was about to leap out of my chest. I smacked his arm hard, making him wince.

"You scared me so much!" I said, trying to catch my breath. Again, he just laughed and said, "Sorry."

"That's proof that I'm human," he said, trying to justify himself. I rolled my eyes 360 degrees, annoyed. We're like we have known each other for a long time despite the fact that we only knew each other's name hours ago.

"Even ghosts like to startle people," I retorted, still upset with him. Richard just chuckled and stood in front of me, narrowing the distance between us.

"How can I convince you that I'm human like you? F*ck with being careful about touching women; this one is too provoking for me. Come here," he said, reaching for my hand and placing it on his chest so I could feel his heartbeat. His heart was pounding just like mine. I looked into his eyes and then withdrew my hand.

"Do you believe me now? How about this?" He grabbed my hand again and placed my palm on his cheek. His cheek felt warm, as did his hand on the back of mine. I remained silent, trying to process the strange situation, something tingled in my stomach. The tension was so crazy.

"Still don't believe me?" he asked, grinning. Then, he kissed the back of my hand and blew on it. It was dangerous; I couldn't control my irregular heartbeat, and my breath was slightly labored. I quickly moved away and hid the blush on my cheeks. I turned my back on him and lightly patted my cheeks to keep from overreacting.

"Alright, I believe you. Stop fooling around, Richard."

I couldn't let my emotions get the best of me at a time like this. There were still many important things I had to do tomorrow. I continued to search for something useful to get out of here as quickly as possible. I glanced at him; the man was also searching on the other side, rubbing his head several times.

I found a brown photo album. Out of curiosity, I opened it. Inside were many black and white photos, each with a date and a description. The first photo showed a family of six standing side by side. The description listed them as father, mother, grandmother, Jacob, and Josephine. They were all wearing clothes from the 1930s.

Richard approached me and sat beside me, saying, "Looks like there's something interesting here."

"I found this. It turns out this house is very old, but why does it look so well-maintained?" I looked at him, and he shook his head, not understanding. It was very strange; even the items were still clean and in good condition, not decayed or worn out.

Richard turned to look out the window and said, "We should stay here for the night. It's too dangerous to go out at night. There are probably many wild animals out there."

I looked out the window; the sky was starting to darken from here. "But tomorrow I really have to go, I can't agree with you to stay in this house for a while, we have to go this evening."

"How, Sophia? After we're looping at that forest, do you still think that we can leave? If we try to leave in this situation, we might get even more lost. I'll try to use my survival skills here. Don't worry; I'll take care of you," he said, patting my shoulder. "I'll look for matches and figure out how to light the lamps."

I remained silent, nodded finally. I shouldn't be stubborn at a time like this; it would only make the situation worse and make us dislike each other. Richard headed to the kitchen and turned on all the lights. The room, which had been dark, became very bright. The paintings on the walls were now clear. I was amazed at the room's decor; everything looked so harmonious. The house's owner must have had a reason for leaving it.

"Sophia! Come here!"

Richard called me, and I immediately placed the photo album back in its place and went to him. I left my shoes in the living room because they were hurting my heels. I walked to the kitchen and found him.

"Look, I found food here," he said with excitement. I furrowed my brow.

Richard opened the heavy safe, and I could see what was inside. He was right; there was a lot of food in there. I approached him and took a cereal package, checking its expiration date. It could be old food, considering when the house was last inhabited. However, this was the same packaging I saw in supermarkets nowadays. It was very strange.

"This is strange. Maybe this house is inhabited after all?" I raised my eyebrows, looking at Richard. He also seemed confused, checking the expiration dates of other food items.

"It could be, Soph. I'm afraid the owner of this house will come and accuse us of trespassing." I couldn't help but picture an angry homeowner chasing us for trespassing, and it was quite terrifying.

"Is it better if we just leave?" I suggested. He shook his head quickly, putting on a serious expression.

"No, no. What if we try to find out if there's actually someone here? We could ask for permission to stay the night. It would be better," he proposed, which I thought was a bit extreme. It made me imagine the homeowner being angry and chasing us. It was very frightening.

"That... doesn't sound good and is very risky. But, I guess there's no other option. Since it's your idea, you'll be responsible if anything happens."

"Okay, then I'll take the lead," he said confidently. We closed the safe and started searching again.

He moved on to search other rooms, and I followed behind. We arrived in the study, and all the furniture here was made of wood, from the cabinets and desks to the chairs. The wood was a creamy color and appeared to be well-maintained, with no signs of termite damage. The large bookcase by the window caught my eye, and I approached it.

I ran my hand over the covers of the thick books on the shelf, reading their titles one by one. Meanwhile, Richard seemed busy looking for something in the desk drawers. We were both occupied with searching for something without really knowing what we were looking for. Richard decided to go to another room without telling me. As a result, I was alone in this room.

For some reason, I felt a shiver and a sense of unease in the unfamiliar place. I left the study and entered the adjacent room, which turned out to be a bedroom. I stepped into the bedroom, and Richard was nowhere to be found. I hesitated and felt my shoulders trembling. My eyes caught an envelope in brown on the nightstand next to the bed.

I approached the envelope cautiously, picked it up, and sat on the bed, which was still covered with a large white sheet. I opened the envelope and read what was inside. The opening sentence sent shivers down my spine, and I read the letter with a serious expression, covering my mouth in disbelief.

"Dear you, Sophia.

I'm thrilled to feel your presence here. You and Richard are the key. I know that you can find everything that's missing in this house. I'm sure you can get through it all. If you encounter my family, please hide immediately because they don't like other people in this house.

Search for everything about me. If you succeed, you'll find the path you're looking for."