The new maid heard weeping beneath the mansion. Opening the heavy basement door, she found the missing wife, starved and chained. As gasps filled the dark room, the wife grabbed her hand, whispering, “Run before he hears you, or he’ll make you my replacement.” Suddenly, footsteps echoed on the stairs…

brass. The air around the frame was freezing, smelling of ancient dust and a sickening, sweet rot.

I knelt, placing my ear against the freezing wood. For a long moment, there was only the sound of my own ragged breathing. And then, a sound that made my soul ache.

A soft, rhythmic weeping.

“Is someone there?” I breathed, my voice barely a wisp of sound.continue reading …