I
As a father, there is no bond more profound than the one that exists between you and your children. Its tether stretches through calm seas and violent storms, growing ever stronger while maintaining a remarkable elasticity. One does not witness this string with the naked eye, but its presence makes itself known in many ways. It was through this connection that I first felt the sickly grip of foreboding that came to surround my family.
It was early in the winter of 1879 when my wife, Mary, suggested that it would bring some cheerful warmth to our home if we visited her family estate. The joyous anticipation in her eyes provided all the persuasion I needed to pack our belongings and embark for the countryside. You see, Mary’s great aunt had died the year before – leaving behind no heir for the estate would pass down to.
As a point of principle, Mary’s father, Lord Willingsworth, had deemed it all too improper to sell the land of his late sister. He had been quoted in several local publications warning against the perils of putting “God’s green earth” to auction. This grandstanding against the acquisition of properties, as he called them “the currency of parasites,” had made him somewhat of a local celebrity. Little did we know that this celebrity would be short lived and lead to his downfall.
It was on this very estate that I first experienced the terror that bound my family in chains. Perhaps it was the thick fog that poured through the valleys like molasses, or perhaps it was the disrepair that had befallen Mary’s childhood home; but I found myself retreating from my life’s work as a writer to seek refuge in family and hearth. We spent our days in reverent solitude – enjoying the simple pleasures of life that only nature can afford.
It was during these moments of peace when I first caught sight of it – the house at the end of the lane. A skeletal figure that seemed to loom overhung the rolling hills, its shambolic visage warded off even the hardiest of souls. The local townsfolk spoke of this place only in hushed whispers, their eyes darting nervously about them as if they feared the house might overhear them speak.
My children, God bless their young and imaginative minds, were absolutely enamored with the house. They would weave intricate tales of adventure and daring, often venturing perilously close to the derelict structure in their games. I must admit a guilty pleasure in observing their childish revelry but could not help but feel that their fascination was stoked by more than just youthful exuberance. It was as if the house spoke to them in dreams, whispering secrets that were hidden just beyond my earshot.
II
One day, Mary was called back to London on an urgent matter concerning her ailing father. This left me to tend to our brood, a task that I greeted with equal parts trepidation and delight. My heart swelled with each day that we spent exploring the grounds of her family estate. I watched with pride as my eldest son, Edward, mastered his dismount from his beloved stallion, while his younger brother, William, scampered through the forests on hunts for treasure.
It was on such an expedition that I stumbled upon a curious artifact – an old leather-bound journal, half-buried in the undergrowth. In my excitement, I turned back to show it to my sons, but they had already vanished into their next adventure. With excitement bubbling in my veins, I returned home and began to delve into the journal’s contents.
The pages were yellowed and cracked, the ink smudged by time’s cruel effacement. The words danced before me like smoke, revealing a story that chilled me to my very core. The journal belonged to none other than Mary’s great aunt – the very woman whose death had granted us the privilege of residing on this beautiful land.
In her writings, she spoke of a terrible force that was contained within the house at the end of the lane. This force had existed as long as memory itself, growing and festering in the dark recesses of the house like some pox-riddled beast. It was this very same house that my children frolicked so carelessly around.
III
With a father’s conviction, I resolved to shield my children from this abominable evil. I issued a warning to them in no uncertain terms: under no circumstance were they ever to enter the house at the end of the lane. My sweet Edward and William, their eyes wide with wonder, accepted my words without protest.
Despite my grave warning, I soon learned that fate had a wicked sense of humor. It was not two days later that I received an urgent telegram from Mary that our presence was required in London. With a heavy heart, I prepared to leave behind the estate that had become such an intrinsic part of our lives – little realizing it would be a journey from which we would never truly return.
It is now all but impossible for me to recall the events of that fateful night when we returned home from London. The memories are locked within my mind like a puzzle box – seemingly unrelated fragments that refuse to yield their secrets. The only thing I know for certain is that everything changed with what lay inside that house at the end of the lane.
The horror that we found there defies explanation or understanding. No words can adequately describe the twisted, guttural anguish that issued forth from the very walls themselves. I can still hear my sons’ screams echoing in my ears, mingling with the whispers of insanity that tore through my thoughts like a knife.
In a single night, my family was irrevocably shattered, our lives poisoned by the darkness that lurked within that damned house. It is with a heavy heart that I write these words now, desperate to unburden myself of this terrible secret that has haunted me since that fateful winter.
My only solace is the hope that others might read of our tale and heed the warnings that we failed to. Beware the house at the end of the lane, for not every door can be shut once it has been opened. Let my children’s laughter, forever silenced by the darkness, be a lasting testament to the terrible price that was paid for our curiosity.
Author: Opney. Illustrator: Dalli. Publisher: Cyber.
