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It was a lovely evening. As they rode in the park on their bicycles, they laughed and enjoyed
watching the sun as it disappeared the more the minutes passed by. They saw the fireflies
surrounding them and they heard the faint noise of crickets playing in the grass. A gentle gust
of wind blew through the trees, caressing them gently.
Dottie drew in a deep breath of the cool evening air, filling her lungs with freshness and a
softness from the air. Pee-wee just smiled at her as he took a turn to the left, pedaling a little
faster. A chuckle escaped from his throat as he felt the world around him passing by, quicker
and quicker, until suddenly…
The crash echoed through the quiet forest and a splash was heard. Sputtering and coughing,
Pee-wee got back on his feet, shivering with cold after falling into the ditch. He shuddered as
he looked around. Dottie was nowhere to be seen and he had no idea where he was. Maybe
closer to the woods? A sharp tinge of fear jolted through him at the thought of being all alone
in the middle of wherever he was but he kept telling himself that he might not be too far
away. He'd find the way back sooner or later.
A ghastly wind blew through the trees, sending a shiver down his spine. He looked around
frantically when he heard a snap from one of the twigs but saw nothing. Nothing at all. It was just him and the ever-present silence that accompanied him. Beads of sweat began to form of his forehead and he felt his heart pounding hard inside his chest but he reminded himself that he was in the forest. He was safe. For now at least. His eyes scanned the area one more time before he gave up, shrugging his shoulders yet the uncomfortable silence hung heavily in the air.
“Probably a squirrel,” he thought to himself. Suddenly he saw something in the distance.
Something dark yet mysterious at the same time. Taking a few steps further he noticed it was
a house. A very run-down one. The walls were covered with mold, the roof looked like it
could fall apart any moment and the stairs were covered with a strange liquid coming from
inside.
Despite every instinct kept telling him to stay away, to run and hide, Pee-wee couldn't help
but let curiosity take its grip on him and he soon found himself within the walls of the
mysterious building…
The old grandfather clock was ticking. Tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, in a slow yet steady
rhythm. A tiny gust of wind whined outside. Pee-wee swallowed hard as he took another
shaky step forward, his heartbeat quickening by every second that passed. The wooden floor
underneath him creaked and whined under his feet, no matter how quiet he tried to be, it gave
him away as though it was intentional. The room was filled with cobwebs. The chairs were
covered with a thick layer of dust and the table, once a fine one, was dulled by the darkness,
also covered in dust and dirt.
The mirror on the wall had a deep crack in it, making his reflection look deranged and
unhinged; as if it twisted his appearance by magic or if someone was doing it... Pee-wee
turned his head to the left when he heard a faint noise coming from the bookshelf.
Swallowing a hard lump in his throat, he grabbed a small mop to use as a weapon, but his
grip was loose and his hands were slick with sweat and his body trembled even though he
tried to look brave.
The noise stopped and it became quiet. Too quiet. In the silence Pee-wee could almost hear
his own heartbeat, and he held his breath when he felt something breathing down his neck.He slowly turned around and saw... nothing. It was just him in the room and the occasional
flies.
A rat squeaked and he nearly jumped out of his skin. He flailed with the mop and threw it
away. It landed on the floor with a sickeningly hard thump, the sound echoing through the
whole building once more. "Uh oh, that wasn't very good, was it? Way to go, Pee-wee!" Peewee thought to himself, cursing under his breath for his foolishness.
Something ran across the floor right behind him and he swiftly turned around to see what it
was, only to find a rat running into the hole in the wall near an old drawer.
A huge black spider with long, hair legs swiftly ran across the table, startling Pee-wee. He
gasped when he saw it running across the table before falling to the floor, its small feet
making a pit-pat sound as it ran into the other room. Then, there was silence again. Dead
silence. With eyes darting from here and there, the young man continued on his path,
stepping out of the room and into the corridor.
There were many more doors, and one could never know what was hidden behind them.
Despite his better judgment, Pee-wee let his curiosity get the better out of him, and he already
found himself grabbing the doorknob to the furthest room in the building.
The doorknob was rusty from age and misuse, and he turned it gently and the door flew open,
swiftly and harshly. Another gasp escaped from the young man. He hadn't used any force but
it appeared that someone tugged the handle from within the room.
Every instinct in his body screamed at him to run, and this time he did so. He bolted away,
not daring to look back. Behind him he could hear someone, or something, running after him,
panting as it came even closer and closer…
Pee-wee urged himself to run faster, but his strength and speed already began to fail him and
just as he was a few meters away from the front door that led outside, he tripped on the bag
that laid there. With a hard thud, he fell to the ground. The sound echoing through the
building.
Not wanting to waste any time, he slowly but steadily got up and grabbed the doorknob. He
turned his head to see if he was still being followed and he immediately regretted that
thought.
Behind him stood a creature; with red eyes fixed on him, teeth sharp enough to crush stones
and claws so long they almost looked like knives.
With a scream Pee-wee ran out from the building as fast as he could, the creature breathing
down his neck. He ran through the woods until he came to the park, but he slipped on the
moss and he tumbled down into a ditch.
A few moments later when he woke up, he saw a woman looking at him. It was Dottie.
With tears in his eyes, Pee-wee smiled. Oh, how relieved he was to see a friendly face again.“Are you alright, Pee-wee?” her tone was soft and filled with concern. “You're freezing
cold.”
She held out her hand and helped him up to his feet. Once he stood up, he looked at her, as if
he wanted to make sure it was really her.
“Is it after me?” he asked, his voice trembling.
Dottie raised an eyebrow in confusion.
“Pee-wee, you've been laying there for a few minutes after you fell off your bike.” she said
gently, though the worry hung heavily in her tone. “No one's been here but me.”
Pee-wee couldn't believe his ears.
“But, but,” he stammered, his eyes filled with disbelief. “But it was something that chased
me after I went into that building. I know what I saw. Honest.”
Dottie gave him a look that spoke of concern and disbelief, but she sighed and decided that
the argument could wait for later. He might not listen to her right now anyway.
“If you say so,” she said softly with a wink. “But we better go home now. I have an early
shift tomorrow.”
Pee-wee was about to say something but decided against it. Instead he just nodded and
picked up his bike and soon they both rode home, unaware that the house Pee-wee had
escaped from, the door was slightly opened and a clawed hand held its handle…