mystery of the crimson mansion.

Episode 2: Whispers in the Mansion

📖 Episode 2: Whispers in the Mansion

Planned Structure (to hit 10,000 words)

1. Settling In (2,000 words)

Lilly and Gargi explore their rooms.

Detailed descriptions of the mansion interior: furniture, hallways, echoes, and eerie atmosphere.

First unsettling experiences (cold drafts, strange creaks).

2. Dinner with Uncle (2,000–2,500 words)

A long scene with Uncle Rajesh explaining his vision for the hotel.

Gargi asks more questions about the monster legends.

Rajesh dismisses them, but the caretaker gives cryptic warnings.

3. The First Night (2,000–2,500 words)

Lilly and Gargi prepare for bed, but the atmosphere is heavy.

Strange sounds from the forest: howling, branches breaking, footsteps.

Gargi grows frightened, Lilly tries to stay brave.

4. The Warning (1,500–2,000 words)

Caretaker tells them about hunters and corruption in the area.

Mentions that the villagers refuse to come near the mansion at night.

Foreshadowing of danger.

5. A Shadow in the Woods (2,000 words)

Gargi looks out the window and sees movement in the forest.

A tall, vague figure vanishes into the mist.

Episode ends with both girls realizing something about this place isn’t normal.

---

✨ I’ll start with Part 1 of Episode 2 (Settling In) — about 1,500–2,000 words in a novel-style, highly descriptive, with dialogue and atmosphere.

---

Episode 2 – Whispers in the Mansion

Part 1 – Settling In

The jeep’s tires crunched over gravel as they rolled into the wide courtyard. Up close, the mansion seemed even more massive, its windows like hollow eyes staring out into the mist. The gates creaked closed behind them, and Gargi felt as though the world outside had been shut away.

Lilly hopped down from the jeep with an excited bounce. “Wow… it’s like something from an old mystery novel.” She twirled once, arms open, drinking in the sight of the towering stone walls.

Gargi, on the other hand, clutched her bag tighter. The place had an unsettling weight, as if the air itself was thicker here. The silence pressed against her ears, broken only by the caw of a crow perched on the moss-covered roof.

Uncle Rajesh stretched his arms, pleased. “Imposing, isn’t it? Just wait until you see the inside. Come.”

He led them across the courtyard, their footsteps echoing unnaturally loud against the stones. The front doors groaned as they swung open, revealing a grand hallway that smelled of dust and age.

Gargi hesitated on the threshold. Chandeliers hung from high ceilings, though most were draped in cobwebs. A red carpet, faded with time, stretched across the marble floor. Portraits lined the walls—stern faces of people long gone, their painted eyes seeming to follow the girls as they entered.

Lilly whistled softly. “This place has character.”

“This place has ghosts,” Gargi muttered.

Rajesh chuckled, but his voice echoed oddly in the cavernous space. “Don’t let the gloom fool you. Once I renovate, polish the floors, restore the lighting—guests will be enchanted.”

A man appeared from the shadows near the staircase. He was middle-aged, with streaks of gray in his hair and skin browned by the mountain sun. His clothes were simple but neat, and his hands looked calloused.

“This is Hari,” Rajesh introduced. “The caretaker. He’s been looking after the property since I purchased it.”

Hari gave a polite nod. His eyes, though kind, carried something heavy, like the memory of things he wished he could forget.

“Namaste,” he greeted. His voice was calm, steady, but carried an undertone of warning, like someone who had seen too much.

The girls returned the greeting.

“Show them to their rooms, will you?” Rajesh said. “I’ll have dinner arranged in the main hall shortly.”

Hari nodded again and gestured for the girls to follow. They climbed the sweeping staircase, each step creaking faintly beneath their weight. Dust motes swirled in the air, glittering in the slivers of light from tall windows.

As they walked, Gargi whispered, “I feel like someone’s watching us.”

Lilly whispered back, “Maybe the portraits don’t like outsiders.” She smirked, though her eyes flicked nervously to the rows of painted ancestors staring down at them.

Hari opened two doors side by side. “These rooms are prepared. They connect from inside, if you wish. The rest of the mansion is still under work.”

Lilly stepped inside first. Her room was large, with a canopy bed draped in white sheets, though the wood of the frame was scratched and the curtains smelled faintly of mildew. A tall wardrobe stood against the wall, and an old mirror leaned in the corner, its surface foggy.

“This is amazing!” Lilly exclaimed, dropping her bag onto the bed. “It’s like staying in a castle!”

Gargi entered her room more cautiously. It was nearly identical, but the window overlooked the forest, where mist gathered thickly between the trees. She shivered. “And castles usually come with dungeons.”

Hari lingered in the doorway. “Do not worry, miss. The rooms are safe. But remember—don’t wander the forest after dark.”

“Why?” Gargi asked, her voice sharper than she intended.

Hari hesitated, then simply said, “The forest has dangers.” With that, he inclined his head and left them alone.

The girls exchanged a glance.

Lilly shrugged. “Probably just wolves or something. Don’t overthink it.”

But Gargi kept staring at the window, where the mist swirled thicker, almost like fingers curling around the trees.

---