The Hollow Girl’s New Skin: A True Haunting at Blackvale Orphanage

Season 2

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PROLOGUE: THE TRANSFER

Blackvale Orphanage - December 21, 1986

The children's choir should have stopped when the screaming began.

But the orphans kept singing as Mr. Alistair's spine arched backward over the attic railing, his tendons snapping like violin strings. Mrs. Voss watched through the keyhole, counting each pop as his joints dislocated in perfect sequence.

"Lila, Lila, let us in," the children chanted, their small hands pressed against wallpaper that had begun peeling upward.

When the door finally opened, it wasn't Mr. Alistair who emerged.

The thing wearing his skin crawled out on all fours, its jaw unhinged like a snake's, a high-pitched giggle bubbling through the gaps between its newly sharpened teeth.

The orphans smiled.

The foundation added another gold plaque to their donor wall.

And the Hollow Girl got a fresh set of bones to play with.

CHAPTER 1: THE ARCHIVIST

June 15, 2023 - 9:14 AM

The contract specified $50,000 for three months of "historical documentation."

Eli Myers should have questioned why a defunct orphanage needed its moldy records digitized. He should have questioned the non-disclosure agreement that threatened "neurological consequences" for violations. Most of all, he should have questioned why his pre-employment physical included a spinal tap.

But the money would cover his sister's medical bills.

And the syringe mark on his neck? Probably just routine vaccinations.

First Signs:

The Uber driver refuses to enter Blackvale's gates, muttering "They don't like witnesses"

His key melts slightly in the lock, dripping brass onto his shoes

The foyer mirror reflects him before he moves

Mrs. Voss greets him with tea that tastes like formaldehyde and a smile that doesn't reach her solid black eyes.

"Rule number one," she says, pressing a rusted key into his palm. "The attic is strictly off-limits after dark."

Eli doesn't notice the key's teeth are human molars until she's already gone.

CHAPTER 2: THE WHISPERING WALLS

June 16, 2023 - 3:17 AM

The landline rings precisely at 3:17 AM.

Eli stumbles downstairs to find the phone's cord severed, the receiver floating six inches above the table. A child's voice whispers:

"Check the medicine cabinet."

Inside: Twelve baby teeth arranged in a Fibonacci spiral. His dental records later confirm they're his, except for the three extra molars that never existed in any X-ray.

The mirror fogs up. Words appear in the condensation:

YOUR SKIN FITS BETTER THAN THE OTHERS

When Eli turns, his shadow remains facing the mirror.

CHAPTER 3: THE SLEEPWALKER

June 17, 2023 - Missing Time

Eli wakes with:

Mud between his toes (the orphanage has no garden)

A second heartbeat thudding beneath his ribs

All his digital photos now show a blurred figure with stitched lips standing behind him

Security footage reveals the truth:

Each night at 2:34 AM, his body rises in perfect unison with something emerging from the attic. They move like marionettes controlled by the same strings. By dawn, his fingernails are clogged with a substance the lab will later identify as 40-year-old embalming fluid.

Mrs. Voss leaves a new note:

"Rule 7: When your reflection starts singing, don't listen to the words."

CHAPTER 4: THE ATTIC'S SECRET

June 18, 2023 - Violation of Protocol

The attic smells of spoiled milk and chemotherapy drugs.

Inside, Eli finds:

A life-sized dollhouse where tiny figures reenact his childhood memories

VHS tapes labeled "HOST PREPARATION" showing Mrs. Voss performing soul displacement exercises on previous caretakers

His own elementary school report card stamped "TERMINAL TRANSFER APPROVED"

The walls begin weeping a thick, sweet-smelling fluid.

Lila's voice comes from inside his skull:

"You've always been here, Eli. You just keep forgetting."

CHAPTER 5: THE TRANSFORMATION

June 21, 2023 - The Summer Solstice

The full moon reveals the truth through:

Police reports placing 8 year old Eli at Blackvale during the 1992 "fire"

Foundation emails discussing "optimal guilt compatibility in hosts"

Lila's drawings of a man with Eli's face captioned "Daddy's home!"

The possession accelerates:

His jaw cracks open as Lila's stitches burst through his gums

The orphanage digests him alive, floorboards fusing to his knees

Time loops: The "new caretaker" arriving at dawn is Eli from Chapter 1

Mrs. Voss watches through the keyhole, counting each pop of his spine realigning.

The orphans begin to sing.

EPILOGUE: THE NEW ARCHIVIST

September 21, 2023 - 9:14 AM

A fresh contract awaits on the porch.

The new hire doesn't question the syringe mark on his neck.

Or why the attic key feels warm in his pocket.

Or why his shadow waves back at him before he does.

Somewhere in the walls, something with Eli's face and Lila's smile whispers:

"Let's play a new game."

The landline rings...

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This story is based on real reports from Blackvale Orphanage. Want more terrifying horror? Follow Tales That Breathe At Night for weekly nightmares

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