The Mansion of Lost Memories

Chapter 2: The Mirror’s Curse

The icy air wrapped around Jacob like a noose, tightening with each passing second. He stood frozen, staring at the figure before him. It wore his grandmother’s face, but there was no warmth in her crimson eyes, no love in the sharp grin that stretched across her face. This wasn’t her. This was something else. Something vile.

“Why do you look so scared, Jacob?” she cooed, stepping closer. Her voice was sweet, but beneath it was a rasp, like nails dragging across glass. “You loved me once. Don’t you still love me?”

Jacob’s instincts screamed at him to run, but his legs refused to obey. His mind spun, torn between the woman who raised him and the predator standing before him now.

“You’re not real,” he said, his voice trembling. “You’re not my grandma. You’re…you’re something else!”

Her smile widened, revealing teeth far too sharp to belong to any human. “Oh, Jacob. I’m very real. And so is this place.”

Suddenly, the room around him began to shift. The walls groaned and twisted, the portraits melting into darkness. The mirror at the center of the room rippled like water, distorting the reflection of the foyer. Jacob felt the ground tremble beneath his feet as cold shadows oozed from the cracks in the floor, slithering toward him like living things.

He turned and bolted for the door, his heart pounding in his chest. But as he reached it, the door slammed shut with a deafening boom.

“You can’t leave, Jacob,” her voice echoed, coming from everywhere and nowhere. “You chose to come here. Now, this is your home.”

---

The Chase

Jacob spun around, his back against the door, his breath coming in ragged gasps. She was gone. The figure that looked like his grandmother had vanished. But the shadows remained, twisting and writhing across the floor like smoke with intent.

“Think, Jacob,” he muttered to himself. “Think!”

He scanned the room, his eyes landing on the staircase. It spiraled upward, disappearing into darkness. It wasn’t much of a plan, but it was the only escape he could see.

Without hesitation, he darted up the stairs, taking them two at a time. The shadows followed, hissing as they slithered after him. The temperature dropped further, and Jacob’s hands began to go numb as he gripped the banister.

“Run all you want,” her voice called, playful and taunting. “But you’ll never get away.”

At the top of the stairs, Jacob found himself in a long, dimly lit hallway. Doors lined the walls, each one slightly ajar. Whispers seeped from the cracks, faint and unintelligible. The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

One door at the end of the hallway stood wide open, a faint golden light spilling out. It called to him, a beacon in the oppressive darkness.

---

The Room of Memories

Jacob sprinted toward the light, the whispers growing louder as he passed the other doors. He didn’t dare look inside them.

Reaching the glowing doorway, he stumbled inside and slammed the door shut behind him. The golden light enveloped him, warm and almost comforting. For a moment, he felt safe.

The room was unlike anything else in the mansion. It was small and cozy, filled with familiar objects from his past: his grandmother’s knitting basket, her favorite armchair, even the old record player that used to fill her house with music.

Jacob’s chest tightened as he stepped further into the room. “This…this is her room,” he whispered.

A soft laugh echoed behind him, and he spun around. She was there, standing in the corner, her crimson eyes gleaming. “Do you like it? I made it just for you.”

Jacob’s fists clenched. “Why are you doing this? What do you want from me?”

Her expression softened, almost sad. “I want what I’ve always wanted, Jacob. To protect you. To keep you safe.” She stepped closer, and Jacob pressed himself against the wall.

“You’re lying,” he said through gritted teeth. “You’re not her. My grandma would never do this!”

Her face twisted, the sadness melting into fury. “I gave you everything, Jacob. And you let me die. You abandoned me!” Her voice roared, shaking the room.

“I didn’t abandon you!” Jacob shouted back, tears streaming down his face. “You left me! I was just a kid! I couldn’t save you!”

Her expression faltered, her features flickering like a dying flame. For a brief moment, Jacob saw her—the real her. His grandmother, the kind woman who had loved him unconditionally. But it was gone in an instant, replaced by the monstrous version of her.

“You don’t understand, Jacob,” she whispered, her voice filled with a chilling tenderness. “This house…it gave me a second chance. And now, I can give you one, too.”

The shadows crept into the room, circling around Jacob. He felt their cold tendrils brush against his skin, pulling at him.

“Join me, Jacob,” she said, holding out her hand. “Stay with me. Forever.”

---

The Escape

Jacob’s mind raced. The warmth of the room was gone, replaced by an oppressive cold that seeped into his bones. He had to think fast.

His eyes landed on the record player. He remembered the stories his grandmother used to tell him—about how music could banish darkness, about how it had the power to heal.

With shaking hands, he darted toward the record player and placed the needle on the vinyl. A soft, crackling melody filled the room—a song his grandmother used to hum as she rocked him to sleep.

The shadows recoiled, hissing like snakes. The figure in front of him screamed, clutching her head as if the music was tearing her apart.

“Jacob!” she shrieked. “Stop!”

But he didn’t stop. He turned the volume higher, the music echoing through the room. The warmth began to return, and the shadows dissolved into nothingness.

The figure of his grandmother crumbled, her crimson eyes fading to black. Before she disappeared completely, her voice softened, and for the first time, it sounded like her again.

“I’m sorry, Jacob,” she whispered. “I didn’t want this. Forgive me.”

And then she was gone.

---

The Aftermath

Jacob collapsed to the floor, the music still playing softly in the background. He felt a strange mix of relief and sorrow. Was she truly gone? Had he saved her, or simply banished whatever monster had taken her form?

As he sat there, the golden light began to fade. The room grew cold and dark once more.

And then, from somewhere deep in the mansion, he heard it.

A whisper.

“You can’t escape, Jacob…not yet.”

To be continued...