In the sleepy town of Willow Creek, nestled deep within the sprawling forests of Oregon, stood an abandoned house known only as The Ashworth Place. It was a relic of another era, with peeling white paint, sagging shutters, and a porch that seemed ready to collapse under its own weight. Locals whispered about its cursed history, and few dared to venture near after sunset.
The house had been empty for over 40 years, ever since the Ashworth family mysteriously disappeared one stormy night. Legends told of strange lights flickering in the windows and voices echoing through the halls long after the house was left to rot. Teenagers would occasionally challenge each other to spend a night inside, but none ever lasted until morning.
One autumn evening, a journalist named Claire Sullivan arrived in Willow Creek. She had a penchant for uncovering hidden truths and had heard of The Ashworth Place through an online paranormal forum. Determined to separate fact from fiction, she set out to investigate the house herself.
Armed with a flashlight, a camera, and a notebook, Claire stepped onto the creaking porch. The air felt colder around the house, and an unsettling silence hung heavy in the night. She pushed open the front door, which groaned in protest, revealing a dusty interior frozen in time. A broken chandelier hung precariously above, and faded wallpaper curled away from the walls.
As Claire explored, she found a journal belonging to Margaret Ashworth, the family matriarch. The entries were filled with mundane details of daily life until the last few pages, where Margaret described hearing whispers and seeing shadowy figures in the corners of her vision. The final entry read: “They’re here. We can’t escape.”
Suddenly, Claire heard a faint sound—a child’s laughter, distant yet unnervingly close. She spun around, her flashlight cutting through the darkness, but saw nothing. The laughter grew louder, accompanied by a faint tapping sound, as if someone were walking upstairs.
Against her better judgment, Claire climbed the staircase, each step groaning under her weight. At the top, she saw a door slightly ajar. Pushing it open, she found a nursery filled with decayed toys and a rocking chair that swayed on its own. On the wall, written in faded red letters, were the words: “We never left.”
Panic surged through Claire as the temperature dropped sharply. The shadows seemed to come alive, swirling and coalescing into a dark figure with glowing eyes. It whispered in a voice that echoed in her mind: “You shouldn’t have come.”
Claire fled the house, leaving her equipment behind. She never returned to Willow Creek, and her report about The Ashworth Place remained unpublished. Locals say the house grew quieter after her visit, as if satisfied that its secrets were safe once more. But on certain nights, passersby claim to see a faint light in the upstairs window, and the sound of a rocking chair creaking in the stillness.
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