THE BLACKWOOD CURSE

Characters ∆ Male Lead – Nicholas Blackwood (29) ∆ Female Lead – Noah Vale (25) ∆ Noah’s Best Friend – Ana Morrti (25) --- Noah's POV Today’s my birthday. I had plans with Ana, but this time I wanted something… different. Something wild. Something thrilling. So I picked up my phone and called her. “Ana?” “Hey Noah, darling! What’s up?” she chirped. “I want my birthday to be a little more... intense this year,” I said. “So I planned a visit to the Blackwood Mansion.” There was a pause. Then she screamed through the phone, “NOAH, ARE YOU STUPID?! That mansion belongs to a MAFIA!” I rolled my eyes. “Ana, it's abandoned. No one lives there anymore. Come on... please? I really want to go.” There was a pause. Then Ana said, “Fine. But promise me we’ll be back in an hour!” I rolled my eyes again. “Okay, Ana. Then let’s meet on my birthday.” I hung up and grabbed my laptop. Blackwood Mansion History — I typed it into Google. Dozens of articles popped up. Stories, rumors, urban legends… but one title caught my eye. I clicked on the link, and a single line stared back at me: > “This mansion once belonged to the most dangerous mafia boss in all of Italy.” I stared at the screen, heart thumping. But honestly… I didn’t think too much about it. Because I really wanted to go there. • One Week Later • It’s finally my birthday. My mom woke me up with her usual soft smile and a little gift wrapped in silver paper. I smiled back, but deep inside... I felt empty. I don’t have a dad. Mom always told me he died protecting a mafia boss. That’s why I hate the mafia. Not just hate — I despise them. All I have is my mom… and my younger brother, Ethan. He’s just fifteen. Quiet. Smart. And sometimes too innocent for this world. I got ready for the party my friends were throwing. Smiling, laughing… pretending everything was fine. But my mind? Still stuck on the Blackwood Mansion. As night wore on, my friends slowly started leaving, one by one. The laughter faded. The music stopped. And now… it was time. Time to visit the mansion. Just as I picked up my bag, one of my friends — Ryan — walked up to me. “Noah… I want to come with you. Can I?” he asked, his voice quiet but firm. I paused for a moment, a little surprised. Then I nodded. “Okay. Sure, Ryan.” The three of us — Ana, Ryan, and me — grabbed our backpacks, packed a few flashlights, and headed outside. We got into Ryan’s car. The road ahead was dark. The kind of dark that felt… heavy. And we were driving straight into it. We arrived at the mansion road around 11:30 PM. Since it was late, the streets were empty. Completely silent. No cars. No people. No lights. Just us — Ryan, Ana, and me — walking down the road with flashlights in our hands. We still had to walk a little farther before reaching the mansion itself. The air was cold. The silence? Even colder. By 11:50 PM, we finally stood in front of the mansion’s main gate. It was... massive. Like something out of a gothic nightmare. Tall, black walls. Iron gates. Windows like eyes watching us. But then I noticed something strange. Every time I’d passed this road before, the mansion was always locked. Sealed shut. Rusted chains and old padlocks. But tonight... It was unlocked. No chains. No lock. The gate slightly open — as if someone had been expecting us. It felt… weird. But I didn’t take it seriously. And that was my first mistake. We stepped inside the mansion. To my surprise, the main entrance door — the one to actually enter the house — was also unlocked. It creaked slightly as we pushed it open, like it hadn’t been touched in years. The air inside was cold… like something didn’t want us there. Ana suddenly stopped. “Guys… this feels weird,” she whispered. “The door should’ve been locked. Why is it open? Let’s be real — something’s off. We should just go home.” I laughed lightly, trying to hide the little shiver that ran down my spine. “Come on, Ana,” I said. “Maybe someone else like us came here before. And I didn’t come all this way just to leave now. I want to explore We all stepped deeper into the mansion… And I froze. The living room was huge. I mean, so huge — it was at least twice the size of my entire house. And the weirdest part? It was fully furnished. Not dusty or broken-down like we expected — but clean, beautiful… almost like someone still lived here. We turned on our flashlights and started exploring. Ana was sticking close to me, Ryan checking everything with curious eyes. Suddenly— CRASH! A glass hit the floor and shattered, making all of us jump. Ryan had accidentally knocked over a full glass of wine on the table. We all stared at it. I couldn’t speak. “I think someone’s been here...” Ryan said quietly. I nodded slowly, eyes wide. I was starting to feel... uneasy. Like we weren’t alone anymore. And Ana? She was gripping my hand so tightly now, I could feel her nails digging into my skin. She didn’t have to say a word. Her fear said it all. But we didn’t stop. Because my curiosity? It was on a whole other level now. I slowly climbed the stairs, my flashlight lighting up the dusty hallway. Ryan followed right behind me, quiet but alert. Ana had stayed downstairs — she was in the kitchen, probably too scared to come any further. I stopped in front of one of the doors and slowly turned the knob. Creeeak. The bedroom was massive. Just like the living room — it looked like it once belonged to royalty. But now? Now it was covered in thick layers of dust… and something else. Old photos. Dozens of them, spread across a table and pinned to the walls. Family pictures. Faded. Torn. But still staring back at us. And something about them… felt wrong. “Do you think this is… the mafia family?” Ryan whispered beside me. I didn’t answer. Because just as I took a step toward the photos— A scream ripped through the mansion. Ana. I turned on instinct. My heart nearly stopped.