Chapter 16: The Secret Room
285 Words
The little girl's laughter echoed through Blackwood Manor.
Ariana's heart pounded.
"Did you hear that?"
Damian nodded.
"It came from upstairs."
He pulled a flashlight from his jacket.
"Stay close."
The old wooden staircase groaned beneath their feet.
Every step stirred years of dust into the air.
When they reached the second floor...
The laughter stopped.
A long hallway stretched before them.
Every door was closed.
Except one.
At the end of the corridor.
Its door stood slightly open.
A faint golden light escaped through the crack.
Damian slowly pushed it open.
The room was untouched.
Unlike the rest of the mansion, it looked as though someone had left only yesterday.
A rocking horse gently moved by itself.
Family photographs lined the walls.
One picture caught Ariana's attention.
It showed Damian as a little boy...
Standing beside his parents.
And beside them...
A little girl.
She looked about five years old.
"Who's she?" Ariana asked.
Damian stared at the picture.
"I..."
"I don't know."
His voice was barely a whisper.
"I've never seen her before."
Ariana frowned.
"How could you not remember someone in your own family photo?"
Damian stepped closer.
At the bottom of the frame, someone had written:
'Our two greatest treasures.'
Two?
Damian had always believed he was an only child.
His hands trembled.
"No..."
"This isn't possible."
Just then...
The Silver Key in his pocket began to feel warm.
A strange clicking sound echoed through the room.
The bookshelf beside the fireplace slowly slid open.
Behind it...
A hidden staircase descended into darkness.
Cold air rushed upward.
At the bottom of the stairs...
A single lantern flickered.
And beside it...
Someone whispered.
"Damian..."
"I've been waiting for you for twenty-five years."
- Writer
