The haunted mansion

As soon as they stepped inside the old mansion, Sarah felt a chill run down her spine. She looked at her friend, Mark, who was grinning ear to ear. "What's wrong, Sarah? Scared of a little ghost?" he taunted.

"No, I'm not scared," she replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "It's just that this place gives me the creeps."

Mark laughed. "Come on, Sarah. There's no such thing as ghosts."

As they walked through the grand entrance hall, Sarah noticed that the walls were covered in cobwebs and the air was musty. She felt as if someone was watching her every move.

Suddenly, they heard a loud creaking sound. "What was that?" Sarah whispered.

"I don't know," Mark replied, his eyes wide with excitement. "Let's go check it out!"

They followed the sound to a dark room at the end of the hallway. As they pushed the door open, they saw a figure standing in the corner. It was a woman dressed in a flowing white dress. She had long black hair that cascaded down her back.

"Who are you?" Sarah asked, her voice shaking.

The woman turned to face them, but her face was completely blank. It was as if she had no features at all.

"Hello, children," she said in a voice that was barely audible. "I have been waiting for you."

Sarah and Mark took a step back, but the woman continued to approach them.

"What do you want from us?" Mark asked, his voice trembling.

The woman reached out her hand and touched Mark's forehead. Suddenly, he fell to the ground, writhing in pain.

"Mark! What's happening to you?" Sarah cried out.

The woman turned to Sarah and smiled. "Don't worry, my child. He will be fine. But you, on the other hand, I have plans for you."

Sarah tried to run, but she found that she couldn't move. It was as if she was glued to the spot.

"You can't escape me, Sarah," the woman said. "You belong to me now."

As the woman moved closer, Sarah felt a cold breeze blow past her. Suddenly, she woke up in her own bed, drenched in sweat.

It had all been a dream. Or had it?

As Sarah got ready for school, she couldn't shake the feeling that something was off. It was as if someone was watching her every move.

When she arrived at school, she saw Mark waiting for her at the gate. He looked pale and shaken.

"Are you okay?" she asked him.

"I had the strangest dream last night," he replied. "I dreamt that I was in this old mansion, and there was a woman there. She touched my forehead, and then I woke up in a cold sweat."

Sarah's heart sank. "That wasn't just a dream, Mark. I had the same dream."

From that day on, Sarah and Mark were plagued by the ghost of the haunted mansion. They would see her in their dreams and sometimes even when they were awake. But no one else seemed to notice her.

Eventually, they learned that the woman had been the mistress of the man who had built the mansion. He had been a cruel and heartless man who had kept her locked up in the mansion and then abandoned her when she became pregnant. The woman had died in childbirth, and her ghost had haunted the mansion ever since.

Sarah and Mark eventually found a way to lay the ghost to rest, and the mansion was no longer haunted. But they would never forget the terror they had experienced at the hands of the ghost of the haunted mansion.