Enter the house, Nim

The intro to a possible future project, a collection of short horror stories set inside of a strange mansion. Basically if I were to try write your classic haunted house story.

ENTER THE HOUSE, NIM

There was nothing really that extraordinary about Nim, all except for the unfortunate fact that she was such a cowardly girl. Since she was eight years old, nearly every day she would arrive to school trembling. One day it would be about the mannequins watching her from through the store windows, on another it was the giant eldritch hands out to grab her from under the disguise of the big park tree's roots. And, as true as she says her feelings were, everyone who knew her found them just as annoying. It was as if the first thing that Nim would encounter upon entering her every morning class was walking into a sea of whispers and venomously curious looks, all eager to know what it was that brought her to stiffly shuffling her way to her seat. Even her teachers, whom she found to be the select few that she ever trusted at school, delivered such harsh comments about her attitude. From this point on, it wouldn't be long until the dreaded daily conversation with her table-mates, today's being a boy named Nicholas asking, "What is it this time?"

Nim would pause for a moment until her conscience returned to reality. "The mannequins…" she stuttered.

"Hmph, again?" Nicholas laughed, "Just get over it and grow up. Sheesh, I can't believe people have to actually deal with you every day."

Now, just then was a near perfect example of an ordinary school morning for Nim. From the walk to school to her first conversation of the day, it was all the same. However, today was different. Nim lied. It wasn't the mannequins that scared her every day, nor was it the roots of the park trees that she always walked past. It was something, to her, that was far worse than anything that she ever imagined. Far worse than the eerie depths of the ocean, far worse than the chilling presence of a ghost, and, dare I say, far worse than the agonising screams of her loved ones. But this was something she would not think to share with anyone. Not her parents or her closest friend if she had one (but, perhaps a therapist or a counsellor whom she still has yet to see)... The world should never know Nim's greatest fear of all… Drains. Every dirty drain in all the old sinks of the world. Nim had a horrible encounter with one earlier that morning. For the first time in years she was invited by her old aunt to stay over the night before. When she went to brush her teeth, the guests' bathroom just so happened to be occupied by her father taking his morning shower, and she was forced to use the unkept bathroom of the master bedroom. That alone was enough to paint her cold - not even the long abandoned mansion on the other side of the street was so fear-inducing enough for Nim to remember at the moment she laid her eyes on the sink's dreaded drain.

What a stupid thing to be scared about, Nim thought to herself. Thousands of times, she'd be reminded that it's just far too impossible for the world to cater to her comfort zone. She knew this fact already; she's confident she's not that dumb. But one thing she couldn't put her finger on was whether or not everyone else thought she was. Of course she knew she couldn't expect the world to be perfect, as well as that it was inevitable for her to eventually end up alone in her adult years. But what if she'll still be as cowardly as she is now? Nim thought about it for a while. And then it hit her. She was sick of it. When nobody thought anything would make her the slightest bit angry, there was no way Nim would allow her cowardice to continue. The dreaded thought of never being able to leave behind the protective wings of her parents would haunt her forever if she never did anything. But, how? Therapy and counselling came to mind first. And then finally being honest about her fears to her parents. These solutions she's thought of too many times before, however there was one problem: she could never cooperate with anyone but herself. She pondered for a minute more… The abandoned mansion?

Nim thought she was crazy. She tried to bring her mind to something else, but the only thing that was there was the mansion. The one that stood across the road from her old aunt's, the one with the countless rumours and stories to its legacy… The house Nim was going to enter. Today. She had no way of knowing how her parents would feel, but she figured they wouldn't mind too much since they so desperately wanted her to go out on her own for once. Despite everything, it was decided. All Nim had to do now was wait for the school day to be over and then make her way to her destination.

***

With patience, Nim finally arrived at the end of the school day. It didn't take too long for her to exit the school grounds. Everyone was surprised at her sudden eagerness to leave. Knowing her way back to her old aunt's house, it was not so difficult for Nim to trace back her steps until the old mansion was visible on the other side of the road. Her determination to face her fears felt unreal and farther than what eveeryone felt was true - ask one of her loved ones and they would question whether or not you're speaking of the same person as they are. Entering the mansion was all that was on Nim's mind. Nothing scared her during her walk. Nothing around her existed. All she knew was her destination and, finally, she reached her old aunt's house. She crossed the road. And there it was. There was the old mansion which, to Nim, no longer stared at her from the other side of the street, but now stood before her, dwarfing the world that she once knew. An intense sense of dread crept along her body from head to toe. Was she really going to enter? Only her heart could determine the truth.

"Come."

The house whispered to her.

"Come inside, Nim."

The air chilled. To Nim, the world froze. And then she entered.