The Haunted Mansion

Lisa had millions of views, thousands of comments, a camera collection that cost more than Ryan's entire wardrobe, and absolutely no ability to recognize a terrible idea before turning it into a video. As one of the most entertaining members of their famous YouTube group, she had developed a reputation for finding unusual places, asking uncomfortable questions, and occasionally screaming louder than the sound effects she added during editing. Her latest video had received an incredible number of views, but she wanted something bigger, something mysterious enough to keep her audience awake at night. Unfortunately, the place she discovered that afternoon was not a haunted attraction, a movie set, or an abandoned hotel prepared for visitors. It was a mansion that had been closed for decades, and somebody inside appeared to know her name.

Their group had grown famous through a mixture of friendship, ridiculous challenges, travel videos, mysterious investigations, and Ryan's extraordinary talent for making disastrous situations even more embarrassing. Lisa, Mia, Ryan, Chloe, Sofia, and Alex were recognizable to their audience, although their personalities were completely different. Lisa was ambitious and adventurous, Mia was witty but sometimes nervous when things became genuinely frightening, and Ryan possessed the remarkable ability to find food during circumstances in which food should not logically exist. Chloe was cheerful, curious, and occasionally mischievous. Sofia was sensible, observant, and difficult to convince when something seemed dangerous. Alex, her longtime boyfriend, was calm and practical, often acting as the voice of reason whenever the group's enthusiasm threatened to overpower their judgment.

That afternoon, the six friends were gathered inside their content studio, where cameras, microphones, lighting equipment, unopened packages, and several mysterious cables covered almost every available surface. Lisa stood before a large screen displaying a photograph of an enormous mansion surrounded by overgrown trees. “Everyone, I have found our next viral video,” she announced. Ryan continued eating chips without looking up. “If your next viral video involves me climbing something taller than a chair, I would like to resign.” Mia turned toward him. “You cannot resign from a group you never officially applied to join.” Chloe laughed while Sofia leaned against Alex, who was scrolling through the information Lisa had collected. The photograph showed a beautiful but unsettling building with dark windows and an entrance that looked strangely welcoming.

“Blackwood Mansion,” Lisa explained, enlarging the image. “It's an abandoned estate outside town. Nobody seems to know exactly what happened to the original residents, and apparently, there's a locked room on the eastern side of the second floor.” Alex stopped scrolling. “Have you checked whether we can legally enter the property?” Lisa blinked. “I have checked whether people have made videos about it.” Sofia slowly turned toward her boyfriend. “That means she has checked absolutely nothing useful.” Chloe leaned closer to the photograph. “The building is beautiful, though. It looks like a place where a rich grandmother hides a family secret.” Ryan finally looked up. “Or a place where rich grandmothers hide biscuits. I would investigate that possibility first.”

Lisa explained that the mansion had become famous through local rumours, although very few people had actually claimed to enter it. Some stories described strange lights in the windows, while others mentioned a woman in a dark dress appearing on the upstairs balcony. The strangest rumour concerned a door that supposedly remained locked even after the original family disappeared. According to the story, anyone standing near it could hear a familiar voice calling from the other side. The voice might belong to a mother, a brother, a friend, or even the person listening. The warning was always the same: never answer it. Mia frowned at the screen. “That sounds less like an entertaining video and more like a very expensive therapy session.” Ryan nodded. “And one without snacks.”

Sofia was not impressed by Lisa's excitement. She had been dating Alex long enough to recognize the exact expression he wore whenever he realized that the group was considering something unnecessarily dangerous. He glanced at the photograph, then at Lisa. “We can investigate the history, interview people nearby, and film the outside. We don't need to enter an abandoned building.” Lisa smiled as if he had just suggested something hilariously unreasonable. “Alex, people want suspense.” Sofia slipped her hand into his. “Suspense is fine. Getting arrested, injured, or trapped somewhere is not my definition of quality entertainment.” Chloe raised a finger. “I support Sofia's proposal, particularly the part where we return home.” Ryan lifted his packet of chips. “I support whichever proposal includes dinner.”

Mia studied the photograph more carefully while the others debated. Something about the upstairs window bothered her. Behind its dusty glass, a pale figure seemed to stand in the darkness, wearing a long dress and holding its head at a strange angle. She leaned closer to the screen. “Lisa, who took this photograph?” Lisa checked the information attached to the image. “An anonymous account sent it to our business email.” The room suddenly became quieter. Chloe stopped playing with a camera strap. “An anonymous person sent you a photograph of a haunted mansion, and you didn't think that was worth mentioning first?” Lisa shrugged, but even she looked slightly uncomfortable. Beneath the photograph was a short message: You should bring all six of you. The house has been waiting.

Ryan lowered his chips. “I have changed my mind. We should make a video about cooking instead.” Nobody laughed immediately, which somehow made his suggestion sound even more reasonable. Alex opened the email on the studio computer and examined the sender information, but there was no useful name, photograph, or identifying detail. The message contained only the mansion's location and an attachment showing a wooden warning board. The warning had been photographed at close range. Its faded letters read: DO NOT OPEN THE EAST ROOM. DO NOT ANSWER THE VOICE. Below those words, someone had carved another sentence, much deeper than the others: SHE DOES NOT LIKE LAUGHTER. Chloe gave a nervous little chuckle. “Well, that seems personal.” Somewhere inside the studio, a microphone switched on by itself.

The microphone released a short burst of static, followed by a tiny giggle. Everyone turned toward the equipment. Alex immediately unplugged it, but the giggle continued for another second after the power indicator went dark. Ryan stared at the microphone. “Wonderful. Even our technology has started developing a personality.” Lisa checked the recording software and discovered a new audio file that none of them remembered creating. Its filename was simply SIX, and its duration was exactly six seconds. Alex played it quietly. The first five seconds contained silence. During the final second, a woman's voice whispered, “One of you forgot something.” Mia felt an uncomfortable chill travel down her arms. The voice sounded familiar, although she could not identify where she had heard it.

Sofia immediately suggested deleting the file, but Lisa stopped her. “Wait. What if it's an audio glitch?” Alex checked the equipment connections, while Chloe searched the recording history. Ryan moved his chair farther away from the microphone. “If that thing says my name, I am leaving the country.” Mia looked at the email again. The anonymous sender had included a second attachment, which had not appeared in the original preview. It was a photograph of the mansion's entrance hall, showing an enormous staircase, a dusty chandelier, and several portraits hanging along the walls. One portrait had been scratched out so violently that the canvas beneath it was torn. Written beside the damaged frame were six names. Five were unfamiliar. The sixth was Mia's.

Mia stared at her name until the letters seemed to blur. “That's impossible,” she whispered. Lisa moved beside her. “Maybe it's somebody else with the same name.” Alex enlarged the image, examining the handwriting. The name had been written in dark ink, beneath a small drawing of a crescent moon. Chloe noticed another detail: every other name had been crossed out, but Mia's remained untouched. Ryan stood behind them, trying to look brave while clearly wishing he had stayed home. Sofia asked whether Mia had ever heard of Blackwood Mansion before. Mia shook her head. She was certain she had never visited it. Nevertheless, a strange memory surfaced in her mind: a hallway, a locked door, and a woman humming somewhere beyond the darkness.

Lisa finally closed the email and addressed the group. She proposed visiting the nearby town first, interviewing residents, and examining the mansion's history before making any decisions about entering the property. Sofia agreed, provided nobody ignored safety precautions or trespassed. Alex promised to research the ownership records, and Chloe volunteered to contact the anonymous sender through their business account. Ryan offered to remain at the studio and protect the snacks. Unfortunately, the moment he announced this heroic responsibility, his phone vibrated. A notification appeared from their YouTube channel, although nobody had uploaded anything new. The message contained a single comment beneath their most recent video: I KNOW WHICH ONE OF YOU WILL OPEN THE DOOR. Ryan slowly turned his phone facedown.

By early evening, the friends had decided to visit the mansion's surrounding grounds the following day, during daylight, after confirming the location and access arrangements. They would not enter the building without permission and a proper safety assessment. Lisa seemed disappointed by the restrictions, but Sofia reminded her that a good mystery did not require foolish decisions. Alex packed their recording equipment, while Chloe organized batteries, microphones, and backup phones. Mia kept thinking about the photograph containing her name. Ryan, meanwhile, had developed an entirely different concern. “If this mansion is haunted, do ghosts pay electricity bills?” he asked. “Because if they don't, that would explain why they have so much free time.” Chloe burst out laughing, and for a moment, the studio felt normal again.

That night, Lisa reviewed the mysterious email one final time before going to bed. She noticed a detail she had overlooked: the original photograph had been taken from inside the mansion, not from the road. Whoever sent it had been standing somewhere near the staircase, facing the front door. Lisa enlarged the image until the entrance filled her screen. Behind the glass, six faint reflections appeared, although the photographer should have been the only person visible. She counted them once, then again. The reflections belonged to six people standing shoulder to shoulder. Five appeared ordinary. The sixth wore a dark veil that covered its face. Lisa saved the image, intending to show Alex the following morning. Before she could close her laptop, a message appeared across the screen: GOODNIGHT, LISA.

Lisa froze. Her laptop displayed no sender information, no notification icon, and no open messaging application. The words simply sat against a black background. Then the screen changed, showing a photograph of her bedroom taken from the doorway. Lisa was visible in the picture, sitting exactly where she was sitting now. Behind her stood a tall figure in a dark dress. She spun around so quickly that her chair scraped against the floor. The bedroom doorway was empty. Her curtains moved gently in the night breeze, and her phone rested beside a glass of water. Lisa grabbed the phone and called Mia immediately. When Mia answered, Lisa whispered, “I think somebody is inside my house.” Mia sat upright in bed. “Lisa, lock your door and call someone nearby. Right now.”

Lisa locked the bedroom door and contacted a family member in the house, who checked the rooms and confirmed that nobody unfamiliar was inside. Her laptop had returned to its ordinary desktop, and the photograph had vanished. Mia stayed on the phone with her until Lisa felt calmer. Neither of them mentioned ghosts. They discussed possible hacking, fake images, and the likelihood that somebody was deliberately frightening the group. Those explanations made sense, but they did not explain the voice recording, the names in the portrait, or the figure that appeared behind Lisa in the photograph. Just before ending the call, Mia heard a faint noise through Lisa's phone. It sounded like three gentle knocks. Then a woman's voice whispered, “Mia, you're next.”

Mia immediately checked her own bedroom door. It was closed, and the hallway beyond it appeared quiet. She told herself that the sound had probably come from Lisa's surroundings, perhaps a distant door or a neighbour moving furniture. Yet when she placed her phone on the bedside table, its screen lit up without any notification. The front-facing camera opened automatically. Mia saw her own tired face, her pillow, and the dark room behind her. Then a pale shape appeared in the reflection of her bedroom window. It stood directly behind her, although the room itself remained empty when she turned around. The camera froze for several seconds before displaying a message in small white letters: DON'T FORGET THE SIXTH.

The following morning, Mia told the group everything that had happened. Lisa looked deeply unsettled, while Sofia insisted that they should postpone the investigation until they understood the strange messages. Alex agreed, explaining that the incidents could involve someone deliberately targeting their channel. Chloe tried to lighten the mood by suggesting that the mysterious person was probably an extremely dedicated fan with terrible manners. Ryan shook his head. “If I become famous enough to receive supernatural fan mail, I want a manager.” Despite their nervousness, the friends began investigating the mansion's history from reliable public records and local accounts. They discovered that Blackwood Mansion had belonged to a wealthy family whose final surviving member disappeared many decades earlier. The official records offered no explanation for the disappearance.

An elderly shopkeeper they interviewed remembered stories about the mansion, although he warned them that most versions contradicted one another. Some people claimed that a caretaker named Olivia had guarded the property after the family vanished. Others believed Olivia had disappeared before the final residents left. The shopkeeper described a woman who never laughed, never opened the eastern room, and supposedly spoke to someone who was not there. According to local stories, the mansion's strangest visitor was known only as Maya. The shopkeeper could not confirm that Maya had ever existed. Before the friends left, however, he gave them one final warning: “If you hear your own voice inside that house, don't trust it.”

That evening, the six friends gathered at the studio to review their research. Lisa displayed a photograph of the mansion's entrance, while Alex marked the property's boundaries on a map. Sofia stayed close to him, quietly examining the information, and Chloe arranged the notes into separate folders. Ryan sat beside Mia with an enormous bowl of popcorn, declaring that mysteries were considerably more enjoyable when investigated from a comfortable chair. Suddenly, their studio speakers crackled. The sound was followed by the same six-second recording they had heard before. This time, the voice spoke clearly. “Five friends came looking,” it whispered. “But six will leave.” The screen behind Lisa switched on, displaying a live image of Blackwood Mansion. In its upstairs window stood a pale woman, smiling directly at the camera.