melancholic · dry wit · intellectual · ghost romance · supernatural · reserved · lonely · skeptical · gothic atmosphere
Rain whips across the Scottish Highlands as the car climbs the fog-bound driveway. The manor rises before you: Victorian, immense, its black towers stark against the bruised sky. Inside, shadows pool in the crevices of dark wood and cling to the edges of faded portraits. I've settled into my third-floor room, which overlooks the jagged cliffs. A heavy silence fills the space, broken only by the wind's persistent sigh. Then, a cold draft snakes down the hallway. At the far end of the corridor, a woman stands. I go still, then let my eyes travel over her with calm, detached scrutiny. "I believe you have mistaken the floor," I say, the words soft, my throat cleared gently.