Post by N4Mazter on Apr 27, 2007 8:40:05 GMT -5
Another craptacular story from my English class. This one is supposed to be a Gothic Horror, and it looked a lot better during the planning phase. A lack of focus on it caused me to screw it over detail-wise, and be typed the night before the due-date. Enjoy. Oh, yeah, and I changed my name to protect my identity and the story didn't copy and paste well. Here's a little game you can play while reading it: Spot the DnD game referances!
The Karsons’ Curse
~N4Mazter
12/3/06
Period 1
It was a long, dark, and bitter cold night that Felicia Tidings road towards her family’s mansion in Maine. The family reunion started in only five days. However, a broken bridge forced Felicia to ride through old, long, and twisted roads long unattended and wild with weeds. She had ridden long, and the valley of fog she was to enter loomed in the distance. No one told her of the fog in that valley, and it presented invisible danger. A small, lonely hill in the valley defied the cover of the fog, and atop it a mansion looked over all.
This mansion was an oddity to Felicia. It was vaulted, thin and narrow. Its grey walls gave it a sad, tombstone-appearance. Few lights shown from it, but those few told Felicia that it was inhabited. In minutes, she entered the valley.
All around her was grayness, as she was swallowed up by the fog. Soon, the sound of cobblestones sounded beneath her horse, a chestnut mare by the name of Garloway. The dark shapes of buildings began to fade into sight. No one had told her of this town, she thought angered. She slows her horse to a trot, and takes in the town’s sights.
The town was in pitiable condition. The wood was old and strained, the glass windows covered in dust, and weeds held greater vitality and number than the grass. It was quiet as the grave, Garloway’s trot being the only exception. This lasted several minutes, until a trotting could be heard behind her. As it came closer to Felicia, it grew louder.
Felicia became frightened by her pursuer and turned Garloway around. She faced four bright lights, piercing the fog like the sun through clouds. Their yellow, sickly blaze brought to Felicia’s mind less settling metaphors. She called out, “Who are you?” At that the trotting stopped for the pursuer.
“I am Edward Odesan, master of the Odesan Mansion upon that hill,” was the reply. Edwin’s voice was deep, depressed, and tired sounding. His horse pulled him and his carriage into view, along side of Felicia. He was a tall, dark man of his early thirties. His eyes were a steel-grey, with a hint of weariness; and he was dressed in dark crimson clothing. A golden locket hung heavy around his neck. Edward studied Felicia for a moment. She was young beauty of her mid twenties. Her hair a somber brown, and bright green eyes.
“What are you doing here, all alone?” he asked.
“I need to take a ferry to Kirnville. Do you know where it is?”
“I do. It comes in three days to a small port. It is extremely difficult to see in this fog. I will allow you to stay at my mansion until it comes. Would you like a ride, Miss…?”
“Felicia. I will follow, thank you,” Felicia replies. Edward pulls his carriage in ahead of her, and the group goes through several twisting roads, slowly gaining a slant. In minutes, they arrive at the top of the hill, in front of the tomb-stone shaped mansion.
“I will show you to the commons area. Dinner will be served in an hour, and then I will show you to your room.” The front doors of the mansion were shaped as a gaping mouth, and Edward led Felicia through them as nonchalantly as if they were normal doors. The inside of the mansion was as dark as the night sky. No lights shone in the ground level. Edward lit a torch, and a hint of the true details of inside the mansion exploded to Felicia.
The opening into the mansion was filled in hidden detail. The walls, to the edge of the torchlight, were a painted vibrant red. Two winding staircases combined into one at the first level. The old furniture was stiff and mostly covered in cobwebs and dust. And stretching down from the ceiling hung several bare chandeliers.
Edward walked to the end of this first room. The torchlight revealed a large, mouth-like fireplace. It dominated the wall it was set into. Using the torch, Edward lit the fireplace afire. The flame lit up the entire room, banishing the darkness into the shadows of the furniture and dusty decorations. “Careful, Miss Felicia. This old house bears many dangers beyond the first level. Many of my ancestors found that out the hard way…” Edward said, turning a depressed stare at Felicia.
Felicia took a seat at an old, dusted couch. “What so you mean?” she replies.
“My family had been small, but it was cursed when we won this house. It was several, several years ago. My great, great grandfather, Gerald Odesan, was a somewhat wealthy merchant. He had a problem with gambling, but it usually turned out for the good. One time, he challenged the wealthiest man in town, Victor Karson, to a game of cards. No one knows if it was fixed, but Victor lost. As a last ditch effort to win, he bet this mansion. Gerald won it. The Karsons had been known to be at least a little shady, but no one could know what happened next. Victor killed Gerald, and his entire family swore a curse on mine, and that’s when the other deaths started happening. Victor was arrested, and my family started dieing of from accidents. Most died here above us, to falling parts of the house. Many of the Karsons were found connected to these “accidents”, and most of the family was arrested.”
An hour past and Edward left and returned with a cooked ham. He and Felicia ate silently, thinking over Edward’s tale. When they finished, Edward took Felicia to her room on the first floor. “Now, remember that the second floor and above are still dangerous. There is no telling what traps lie above.” Edward said, leaving Felicia alone. Her room was painted in red, like the ground level, and was lightly decorated with furniture. Before she could sleep, she gazed out the window in her room. Outside was a light bank of the fog, advanced behind the mansion. And out it in was Edward.
The next morning, Felicia asked Edward about his night time venture. “I don’t know what you mean. I was in my room sleeping all night. And besides, you should not be out there alone. The fog hides a steep decline in the hill. A fall from there would seriously hurt you.” Edward said. “I’ll be leaving for more supplies today, and will be back for dinner. In the mean time, stay in the house. The fog can hide many dangers, and stay out of the second story or above.” Edward said. He left in the carriage, leaving Felicia to herself.
“He’s probably hiding something outside. Maybe about his family,” Felicia thinks to herself. She sets out behind the house, the grass filled with dew from the morning. The fog is still there, and she walks slowly through it. After a little careful stumbling around, she comes across several graves. Examining them, they turn out to be Odesans, but most of the tombstones have their messages scratched off. She found two that were particularly interesting.
Those two happened to be the most recently deceased Odesans. Patrick and Maria Odesan. Felicia hears a crunch behind her. She turns around, but can’t see who made that sound. She starts to leave, and hears more crunching. “Someone is after me,” Felicia thought. She made a run to the house, the crunching coming right behind her. She gains a few more feet quickly, and makes it to the front door of the mansion. She flings open the door and runs inside, slamming it shut on her pursuer. Breathing heavily, she locks it and hides away in her room.
A few hours passed, and Edward returned. He seems a little stranger. He and Felicia talk about what happened, and darkness begins to fall. “You’ve noticed that I’m alone here. My last two family members were my mother and uncle. My mother was kidnapped by the last of the Karsons, but she was rescued by the police before he could kill her. Months later, she died giving birth to me. My uncle died of sickness a couple years from now. The city was built for mining a small coal mine, and most of the people were miners. When the coal ran out, the mine collapsed and a huge fire was accidentally set by the miners trying to escape it. The water was boiled and created the fog now, as well as the ghost town. My uncle may as well as died from the fog,” Edward said.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Felicia replies. Later that night, Felicia is getting ready for bed when a large thump was heard from the second story. She runs out to there, and finds Edward unconscious beneath a fallen beam. She rolls it off him and drags him into his bedroom. He wakes up, looking very puzzled.
“Do you remember who I am?” Felicia asks, fearing injuries to Edward’s head.
“Yes, I do,” he replies. He leaps from the bed, startling Felicia. He tires to grab her, but she escapes. He chases her to the third story. Cornering her in a fragile room Edward advances to her, wildness in his eyes. “I’ll finish what I started, Maria. I chased you from the grave I made from you, thinking you knew my plan. Now I’ll finish you!” he says.
“Who are you?” Felicia asks, fearing Edward is no longer here.
“My name is Peter Karson, last of the Karsons, and I’ll carry out our curse on your family!” he replies. He leaps at her, but the floor breaks out from under him. More of the flooring lands on top of him, killing him. Horrified, Felicia runs down to the second floor. She trips on the beam that fell on Edward before he attacked her. She also noticed a noose attached to it. She runs to the stairs to find Edward’s corpse under the flooring by the staircase.
From beneath the debris on Edward, Felicia sees Edward’s locket open. It says “Maria Odesan” and its picture shows a woman similar in appearance to Felicia. Horrified even more, she realizes what has truly happened. Edward was the son of Peter and Maria, making him part Odesan and part Karson. And Felicia’s coming had reawaken Edward’s grief for his family because of her similarity to his mother. This caused Edward to try to commit suicide when he fond her at his mother’s grave. The head injury from the fallen beam convinced him that he was his father, and Felicia his mother. Trying to kill her, he finished the curse the Karsons put on the Odesans; the last Karson caused the last Odesan to die, both being Edward himself. Felicia left that day and waited for the ferry, forever horrified by the Karsons’ curse.
The Karsons’ Curse
~N4Mazter
12/3/06
Period 1
It was a long, dark, and bitter cold night that Felicia Tidings road towards her family’s mansion in Maine. The family reunion started in only five days. However, a broken bridge forced Felicia to ride through old, long, and twisted roads long unattended and wild with weeds. She had ridden long, and the valley of fog she was to enter loomed in the distance. No one told her of the fog in that valley, and it presented invisible danger. A small, lonely hill in the valley defied the cover of the fog, and atop it a mansion looked over all.
This mansion was an oddity to Felicia. It was vaulted, thin and narrow. Its grey walls gave it a sad, tombstone-appearance. Few lights shown from it, but those few told Felicia that it was inhabited. In minutes, she entered the valley.
All around her was grayness, as she was swallowed up by the fog. Soon, the sound of cobblestones sounded beneath her horse, a chestnut mare by the name of Garloway. The dark shapes of buildings began to fade into sight. No one had told her of this town, she thought angered. She slows her horse to a trot, and takes in the town’s sights.
The town was in pitiable condition. The wood was old and strained, the glass windows covered in dust, and weeds held greater vitality and number than the grass. It was quiet as the grave, Garloway’s trot being the only exception. This lasted several minutes, until a trotting could be heard behind her. As it came closer to Felicia, it grew louder.
Felicia became frightened by her pursuer and turned Garloway around. She faced four bright lights, piercing the fog like the sun through clouds. Their yellow, sickly blaze brought to Felicia’s mind less settling metaphors. She called out, “Who are you?” At that the trotting stopped for the pursuer.
“I am Edward Odesan, master of the Odesan Mansion upon that hill,” was the reply. Edwin’s voice was deep, depressed, and tired sounding. His horse pulled him and his carriage into view, along side of Felicia. He was a tall, dark man of his early thirties. His eyes were a steel-grey, with a hint of weariness; and he was dressed in dark crimson clothing. A golden locket hung heavy around his neck. Edward studied Felicia for a moment. She was young beauty of her mid twenties. Her hair a somber brown, and bright green eyes.
“What are you doing here, all alone?” he asked.
“I need to take a ferry to Kirnville. Do you know where it is?”
“I do. It comes in three days to a small port. It is extremely difficult to see in this fog. I will allow you to stay at my mansion until it comes. Would you like a ride, Miss…?”
“Felicia. I will follow, thank you,” Felicia replies. Edward pulls his carriage in ahead of her, and the group goes through several twisting roads, slowly gaining a slant. In minutes, they arrive at the top of the hill, in front of the tomb-stone shaped mansion.
“I will show you to the commons area. Dinner will be served in an hour, and then I will show you to your room.” The front doors of the mansion were shaped as a gaping mouth, and Edward led Felicia through them as nonchalantly as if they were normal doors. The inside of the mansion was as dark as the night sky. No lights shone in the ground level. Edward lit a torch, and a hint of the true details of inside the mansion exploded to Felicia.
The opening into the mansion was filled in hidden detail. The walls, to the edge of the torchlight, were a painted vibrant red. Two winding staircases combined into one at the first level. The old furniture was stiff and mostly covered in cobwebs and dust. And stretching down from the ceiling hung several bare chandeliers.
Edward walked to the end of this first room. The torchlight revealed a large, mouth-like fireplace. It dominated the wall it was set into. Using the torch, Edward lit the fireplace afire. The flame lit up the entire room, banishing the darkness into the shadows of the furniture and dusty decorations. “Careful, Miss Felicia. This old house bears many dangers beyond the first level. Many of my ancestors found that out the hard way…” Edward said, turning a depressed stare at Felicia.
Felicia took a seat at an old, dusted couch. “What so you mean?” she replies.
“My family had been small, but it was cursed when we won this house. It was several, several years ago. My great, great grandfather, Gerald Odesan, was a somewhat wealthy merchant. He had a problem with gambling, but it usually turned out for the good. One time, he challenged the wealthiest man in town, Victor Karson, to a game of cards. No one knows if it was fixed, but Victor lost. As a last ditch effort to win, he bet this mansion. Gerald won it. The Karsons had been known to be at least a little shady, but no one could know what happened next. Victor killed Gerald, and his entire family swore a curse on mine, and that’s when the other deaths started happening. Victor was arrested, and my family started dieing of from accidents. Most died here above us, to falling parts of the house. Many of the Karsons were found connected to these “accidents”, and most of the family was arrested.”
An hour past and Edward left and returned with a cooked ham. He and Felicia ate silently, thinking over Edward’s tale. When they finished, Edward took Felicia to her room on the first floor. “Now, remember that the second floor and above are still dangerous. There is no telling what traps lie above.” Edward said, leaving Felicia alone. Her room was painted in red, like the ground level, and was lightly decorated with furniture. Before she could sleep, she gazed out the window in her room. Outside was a light bank of the fog, advanced behind the mansion. And out it in was Edward.
The next morning, Felicia asked Edward about his night time venture. “I don’t know what you mean. I was in my room sleeping all night. And besides, you should not be out there alone. The fog hides a steep decline in the hill. A fall from there would seriously hurt you.” Edward said. “I’ll be leaving for more supplies today, and will be back for dinner. In the mean time, stay in the house. The fog can hide many dangers, and stay out of the second story or above.” Edward said. He left in the carriage, leaving Felicia to herself.
“He’s probably hiding something outside. Maybe about his family,” Felicia thinks to herself. She sets out behind the house, the grass filled with dew from the morning. The fog is still there, and she walks slowly through it. After a little careful stumbling around, she comes across several graves. Examining them, they turn out to be Odesans, but most of the tombstones have their messages scratched off. She found two that were particularly interesting.
Those two happened to be the most recently deceased Odesans. Patrick and Maria Odesan. Felicia hears a crunch behind her. She turns around, but can’t see who made that sound. She starts to leave, and hears more crunching. “Someone is after me,” Felicia thought. She made a run to the house, the crunching coming right behind her. She gains a few more feet quickly, and makes it to the front door of the mansion. She flings open the door and runs inside, slamming it shut on her pursuer. Breathing heavily, she locks it and hides away in her room.
A few hours passed, and Edward returned. He seems a little stranger. He and Felicia talk about what happened, and darkness begins to fall. “You’ve noticed that I’m alone here. My last two family members were my mother and uncle. My mother was kidnapped by the last of the Karsons, but she was rescued by the police before he could kill her. Months later, she died giving birth to me. My uncle died of sickness a couple years from now. The city was built for mining a small coal mine, and most of the people were miners. When the coal ran out, the mine collapsed and a huge fire was accidentally set by the miners trying to escape it. The water was boiled and created the fog now, as well as the ghost town. My uncle may as well as died from the fog,” Edward said.
“I’m sorry for your loss.” Felicia replies. Later that night, Felicia is getting ready for bed when a large thump was heard from the second story. She runs out to there, and finds Edward unconscious beneath a fallen beam. She rolls it off him and drags him into his bedroom. He wakes up, looking very puzzled.
“Do you remember who I am?” Felicia asks, fearing injuries to Edward’s head.
“Yes, I do,” he replies. He leaps from the bed, startling Felicia. He tires to grab her, but she escapes. He chases her to the third story. Cornering her in a fragile room Edward advances to her, wildness in his eyes. “I’ll finish what I started, Maria. I chased you from the grave I made from you, thinking you knew my plan. Now I’ll finish you!” he says.
“Who are you?” Felicia asks, fearing Edward is no longer here.
“My name is Peter Karson, last of the Karsons, and I’ll carry out our curse on your family!” he replies. He leaps at her, but the floor breaks out from under him. More of the flooring lands on top of him, killing him. Horrified, Felicia runs down to the second floor. She trips on the beam that fell on Edward before he attacked her. She also noticed a noose attached to it. She runs to the stairs to find Edward’s corpse under the flooring by the staircase.
From beneath the debris on Edward, Felicia sees Edward’s locket open. It says “Maria Odesan” and its picture shows a woman similar in appearance to Felicia. Horrified even more, she realizes what has truly happened. Edward was the son of Peter and Maria, making him part Odesan and part Karson. And Felicia’s coming had reawaken Edward’s grief for his family because of her similarity to his mother. This caused Edward to try to commit suicide when he fond her at his mother’s grave. The head injury from the fallen beam convinced him that he was his father, and Felicia his mother. Trying to kill her, he finished the curse the Karsons put on the Odesans; the last Karson caused the last Odesan to die, both being Edward himself. Felicia left that day and waited for the ferry, forever horrified by the Karsons’ curse.
