Dinner passed in tense silence, despite Richard's attempts at lively conversation. Laura, Ethan, and Marty barely ate a bite, staring down at their plates, absorbed in their own thoughts.
The oppressive atmosphere of the mansion had intensified with the fall of night, enveloping the diners in a feeling of discomfort and anticipation .
The dull afternoon thud, that hollow knock that had interrupted the conversation in the living room , continued to echo in Laura's mind. Richard had insisted it was nothing, just a creaking in the old house, but she couldn't shake the feeling it had been something else , something more ... intentional .
After dinner, Richard retired to his chambers , citing fatigue from his journey, leaving them alone in the main hall . Marty , unfazed by the tense atmosphere , settled into an armchair with his camera , reviewing the photographs he had taken during the day .
Ethan, on the other hand, shared Laura 's concern, although he tried to hide it with his usual optimism.
" Do you think it was really the wind?" Laura asked in a whisper, approaching Ethan by the unlit fireplace.
Ethan shrugged , smiling nervously. "I don't know ... it could be. This house is old, you know ... it creaks everywhere." But his gaze avoided Laura's, betraying his own doubt.
"I don't know , Ethan … I didn't like that noise at all," Laura insisted, "It was like … something had fallen , or … someone had hit from below."
Marty looked up from his camera , interrupting their reverie with a sarcastic comment . "Relax, lovebirds. It's just the ghosts of the mansion , waving to us in their own way."
I told you this house is haunted ." He laughed a hollow laugh that echoed strangely in the silence of the living room .
Laura gave him a disapproving look . " Marty , don't be ridiculous . There are no ghosts." Although a part of her, deep down, was beginning to doubt her own words.
" Oh , no? " he replied . Marty , with an enigmatic smile , " Are you sure , Laura? In a place like this, with so much history, so much antiquity ... who knows what secrets may be hidden within these walls." He laughed again , enjoying the atmosphere of mystery that he himself was creating.
Ethan tried to change the subject, suggesting a movie or a card game, but the unease had settled in the air, like an invisible shadow that refused to go away. Laura couldn't concentrate on anything, her nerves frayed, and she constantly felt like something wasn't right.
Finally, they decided to retreat to their rooms, seeking refuge in privacy and darkness. Richard had already gone to sleep, and the mansion was plunged into an even deeper and more oppressive silence.
Laura lay down on the bed next to Ethan, but she couldn't sleep . The darkness in the room seemed to throb , charged with a disturbing energy . The silence was interrupted by inexplicable creaks and groans, coming from the walls, the ceiling, and the floor below. The house seemed to breathe, sigh, and lament in the darkness.
Suddenly, a sharp, metallic sound startled her . A light clinking sound, like the sound of coins, came from somewhere nearby . Laura sat up in bed, her heart pounding . She glanced at Ethan, who was sleeping peacefully beside her, oblivious to the noise . Had she imagined it ?
She lay still again , holding her breath , straining her ears in the darkness. And there it was again. The same metallic clinking , clearer and closer this time, as if coming from the hallway just outside her room .
Laura woke Ethan with a gentle nudge. "Ethan … " Have you heard that?"
Ethan stirred in his sheets , half asleep, his eyes half-closed. " Hear what , Laura ? It's so late … let me sleep ."
"No, seriously, Ethan, listen," Laura insisted , "There's a noise … like … coins … clinking."
Ethan sighed , resigned, and listened with her in the darkness. At first, he heard only the silence of the house, the distant creaks of wood, the whisper of the wind against the windows. But then, he heard it . He did too . A faint but audible metallic clinking came from the hallway.
He sat up in bed, his eyes wider this time. "Yes … I can hear it …" What the hell … ?
Cautiously, they got out of bed and approached the door, listening intently from inside. The clinking grew louder , more insistent , coming ever closer to their room . It seemed to be coming straight toward them.
Laura felt a chill run down her spine. What was happening ? Where was that sound coming from ? And what did it mean?
Slowly, with a trembling hand, she opened the bedroom door , peering into the dark hallway. And there she saw him.
A tiny, grotesque figure, its greenish skin gleaming faintly in the gloom, moved slowly down the corridor, leaving a glittering trail of gold coins in its wake. Greed. The creature of legend. It had emerged from its confinement. And it was coming toward them.
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