The Legend of Darklore Manor and Other Tales of Terror by Joseph Vargo, Joseph Iorillo Read Free Book Online

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     "Anna..."
     She sat up and slowly crept out of bed, then began to step as silently as possible toward her window. She peered cautiously through the curtains to survey her yard. The moonlight fell upon the barren trees, casting long shadows that appeared to reach out with bony fingers across the ground, straining to catch the fallen leaves that rustled past. Clouds obscured the moon once again and Anna now noticed a dim glow emanating from the attic window of the abandoned house next to her home. She drew back the curtain and stared into the darkness and as she did, the light went out, as if someone had suddenly extinguished a candle.
     Anna stepped back behind the curtain and continued to watch the house for the next several hours, until the crimson rays of sunlight announced the approaching dawn. Finally, she returned to her bed and fell fast asleep to dream once more of ravens and vampire lords. Late in the afternoon, she awoke to the sound of her stepfather banging on her bedroom door, yelling at her to get out of bed.
     Since it was a Saturday, Anna had no school, leaving her with the entire weekend to investigate the abandoned house. When she asked her mother if someone had moved in next door, she replied "No," without stopping to question her. Anna dropped the subject and didn't mention anything about what she had seen the night before, fearful that her parents would try to thwart her from investigating further. It seemed that they always tried to stop her from doing anything remotely dangerous or fun.
     As her parents became lost in their daily routines, Anna slipped out of her house and made her way next door. She approached the decrepit old house and stood before it, surveying every window for signs of life. The old Colonial-style home didn't look like particularly frightening, yet something about it made her pause before proceeding closer. Hesitantly, she climbed the old wooden porch steps and peered in through the tall window beside the front door.
     The interior of the house was completely devoid of furniture and there were no apparent signs of life to be seen. Weak sunlight filtered in through the window, illuminating thick motes of dust. Anna tested the latch to see if it was locked, and to her surprise the door opened.
     Glancing around to make sure no one was watching, Anna quickly entered the home, thrilled and frightened at the same time. She closed the heavy door behind her and leaned against it. Other than the stale smell that permeated the interior of the house, nothing seemed out of the ordinary. A quick survey of the other rooms led her to the conclusion that the house was empty. Anna began to wonder if she had simply let her wild imagination get the better of her. Just then she became aware of a creaking noise from the floor above her. As silently as possible, she made her way up the attic stairs.
     She lightly placed her fingertips upon the attic door and slowly pushed it open as quietly as possible. The old attic was strewn with cobwebs that hung like tattered drapes from the support beams and cascaded down to cover the walls. With her first step into the room, she could feel that the attic was much colder than the rest of the house, cold enough to make her shiver. At the far side of the attic, an antique rocking chair faced the window overlooking Anna's home. The rocker swayed slightly, as if someone had recently been sitting in it.
     As Anna advanced across the dusty floorboards, she now noticed a half-melted candle resting in a candle holder on the windowsill. She crept toward the old chair to discover a crackled porcelain doll lying in the dust. She picked it up and recognized the doll as one that had belonged to her when she was a child. Her hands began to tremble and the doll slipped from her grasp, dropping to the floor.
     A sudden chill swept over her and she was overtaken with the uneasy feeling that she