You had never met Uncle Philbert, but you had heard the stories. No one ever visited the house with all the locked doors and the corridors that seemed to lead to nowhere.

Walking up the driveway you could believe the stories your cousins used to tell you on your endless sleepovers. The dark night and the wind and rain didn’t help suppress the shiver that rolled down your spine at the house’s dark visage. Empty windows gaped out at the night, each one hiding the potential gaze of a ghost or ghoul.

The front door resisted your first attempt at entry, momentarily stopping you in your tracks before relenting with a groan. The space beyond was a heavy mixture of dark and lighter shadow, and with a quick look behind you, you stepped inside.

The house didn’t have that empty for months kind of feeling, as you stood with your back against the front door, the silence felt deafening. You felt watched as your fingers fumbled for a light switch, your anxiety making boogeymen of the lumpy shadows of which your rational mind knows are pieces of furniture covered in dust sheets.

Harsh luminescence chases away your mounting fear and a faded but airy reception room is revealed. Your breath catches in your throat as you meet eyes across the room but as you inhale for a almighty scream, you recognise the sight of yourself in the mirror directly in front of you and you choke out a shaky breath. Laughing nervously at yourself you swipe sweaty hands on your jeans and head off deeper into the house.

What feels like hours later, you have satisfied enough of your curiosity for the moment but wish that Uncle Philbert was still around so you could ask him all your questions. Like; where did the door next to the downstairs bathroom lead too and why was there a room decorated like that of a little girl when everyone knew that Uncle Philbert had no children.

You have ended your exploration in a small room near to the master suite, your fears having been unfounded except for the odd layout of the house.

As you settle down for the night under a musty smelling blanket; a door downstairs creaks open and a eerie giggle can be heard from within the darkness beyond.