Twinkle
The Shadow of the Estate
Pale moonlight filtered through the dense pines onto the porch of the old Fairview Manor. The isolated estate had stood vacant for decades before Thomas bought it at a suspiciously low bargain. While the villagers nearby knew the dark history surrounding the property, no one had warned the new family before they moved in.
As a torrential downpour began to rattle the windowpanes, the streetlights outside flickered and died. Guided by the howling wind, an unnatural shadow crept out from the surrounding woods toward the house.
Down in the basement library, Thomas's wife, Sarah, had stumbled upon a dusty reel of film while organizing old shelves. Intrigued, she loaded it into a projector. The film depicted the very house they were standing in, showing a figure creeping around the perimeter. Sarah turned toward the tall bay window, only to see a shadowy silhouette reflecting her exact movements on the glass.
Before she could step back, the projected image glitched. A disfigured, grinning entity crawled out from the light of the projection onto the floorboards. Sarah shrieked, backing toward the hallway, but a sudden flash of lightning illuminated the creature right in front of her. Within seconds, her screams were cut short.
Alerted by his wife’s cries, Thomas rushed downstairs, grabbing his hunting rifle from his study. He froze at the sight of his wife's lifeless body, with the shadowy beast towering over her. He pulled the trigger, but the bullet passed harmlessly through the dark mass, lodging into the wooden paneling behind it.
The shadow turned. From its throat came the echoing voice of Thomas's long-lost daughter, who had perished years ago: "You left me behind, Father..."
Paralyzed by guilt, Thomas dropped to his knees in tears. The entity lunged forward, terminating his life in a single swift motion.
Upstairs, their teenage son, Lucas, had heard the commotion while helping his little sister, Maria, with her homework. Realizing something was horribly wrong, he quickly hid Maria inside a heavy oak wardrobe and instructed her to stay silent with a flashlight.
Tiptoeing down the hallway to investigate, Lucas caught sight of his father's body. Before he could turn to run, the shadow swept through him, ending his life on the stairs.
Minutes later, the door to the bedroom creaked open. Inside the dark wardrobe, little Maria clutched her flashlight tightly, holding her breath as footsteps paced around the room. The footsteps eventually faded out into the hallway, and the door clicked shut.
Relieved, Maria let out a tiny breath. But in the pitch-black corner right beside her inside the wardrobe, a soft voice began to hum:
"Twinkle, twinkle, little star..."
Trembling, Maria clicked on the flashlight. The beam illuminated a pale, scarred face grinning back at her from the dark.
"Shh..." whispered the voice, and the light went out.
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