"I'm not sure about this, Sungjongie," you said, nervously looking at the entrance gate. The gargoyles sitting atop it were watching you, almost as if they were alive. Sungjong smiled at you and took your hand.
"Don't worry, I'll keep you safe," he said reassuringly.

It was Halloween, and Sungjong had wanted to do something fun with you for the occasion. So, the two of you went to a theme park that was holding a Halloween special. One of the attractions was a real mansion, decorated to look as though it were truly haunted. Sungjong let go of your hand to pay for the ticket admission, and the two of you were soon joined with a small group in front of the double doors. Standing in front of the doors was a woman with long black robes and a cauldron that seemed to hold many items. Once everyone was settled, the woman wasted no time in explaining their objective.

Not only was the haunted mansion an attraction, but a labyrinth as well. Finding their way through the mansion was not going to be an easy task, as they also had to uncover the mystery as to who was haunting the mansion, and why. Each visitor was given their mock letter of invitation, a poorly-drawn map, a lantern, a match box, and a small bag of tea-light candles. Considering the mansion itself was enormous, everyone was advised to travel in pairs. Sungjong smiled at you as this was mentioned, and squeezed your hand in anticipation.
Finally, the doors to the mansion opened, and the woman warned everyone of their safety before moving out of the way. She periodically directed small teams inside, making sure not to let everyone go in at once. Once it was time for you and Sungjong to enter, you hesitated.
"What's this? I see someone is wary of their safe-being," the woman teased.
"It'll be okay," reassured Sungjong, "you can do this." he squeezed your hand again, and led you inside.

The doors to the mansion shut after you, and you let out a small cry. Sungjong rubbed your back and asked for your help in setting up the lantern. Once the two of you could see again, he got out the letter of invitation.

Dear Mr./Ms./Mrs. ____________,

     Upon hearing strange noises resonating from the late Gerard Draven's mansion, the villagers of Dravensville have been perpetually disturbed, and demand that there be a solution to this at once! We have heard of your Paranormal Investigations in the past, as you have been well-mentioned across the continent, and that is why we have sent you this letter.
     You see, the villagers of Dravensville have requested with the upmost sincerity that you visit the late Gerard's mansion, in order to put whatever poor soul that may be haunting it to rest. We will be eternally grateful if you do decide to take on this challenge, and we welcome you with open arms.

Sincerely,
Mayor Crandall E. Silhouettes

Sungjong carefully folded the letter and stuck it in his back pocket.
"Well, that explains why we're here," he said, as he took out the map and opened it. He frowned.
"What is it?" you asked, taking a peek. Only the main rooms of the mansion were labeled, such as the kitchen, living room, dining room, and others. However, there were many, many rooms left on the map, and none of them had labels. You groaned, knowing that this would only make things scarier. You secretly hoped that it just meant the rooms were inaccessible. Sungjong gave you the map in exchange for the lantern. He took your hand and led you through the mansion, walking quickly and quietly. The first place he decided to check was between the double-staircase, through the hallway, toward the dining area.
"Which room is to our left?" he asked, stopping in the middle of the hallway. You looked down at the map, and shrugged, as there was no label. "We'll come back to it later, then."
 

As the two of you reached the dining room, you noticed a large fireplace that made the entire room glow. Sungjong blew out the lantern, preserving the candle for later, and proceeded to look around. It was a grand sight to behold. The table in front of you stretched to fit at least twenty people. It was set with tarnished silverware, dying centerpiece bouquets, and it looked as if a feast had already taken place. While you were taking all of this in, Sungjong was busy looking for clues. He eyed every corner and crevice, finally leading you toward what he hoped was the kitchen. You looked at the map, affirming that you two were going in the right direction. Sungjong slowly opened the door, cringing as it gave out a high-pitched creak.
"Hello, I'm coming in now," he called. You squeezed his arm, and he turned to you. "What is it?"
"Do you think something will jump out at us?" you asked.
"I don't know. Possibly," he answered, which didn't reassure you at all. "Don't worry, nothing will get you. You've got me; I won't let anyone touch you." You shivered, holding on to his arm tightly.
The two of you walked hand-in-hand, passing by the tall shelves that held cans and boxes of food. You could see a faint glow coming from behind them, which gave you a little bit of comfort. As long as it wasn't pitch-black, nothing could scare you so easily.

Just as you were starting to feel braver, a loud chopping sound broke the silence. The two of you jumped and you let out a scream. Sungjong halted and motioned for you to stay still as he tried to decipher what the noise was. He gradually made his way to the light, and gasped as he peered around the corner. A plump butcher was sitting on a stool by the fire. In front of him was a table that was covered in raw meat. You clung to Sungjong's back, frightened by the man's appearance. The man looked at both of you with beady eyes and grunted.
A smirk spread across his lips, and he shouted, "What're you two doin' 'ere?"
You whimpered, and Sungjong squeezed your hand. "We're trying to find clues as to who's haunting the mansion," he explained, "Do you know anything?"
The man grunted yet again, and hacked away at the meat, encouraging you to take a few steps back.
"Yeh, I know of sumfin," he answered, "but why should I tell the likes of you? Alls you two're doin' is askin' fer trouble."
"Please," asked Sungjong, "we really need to know." The man looked Sungjong up and down, and you flinched as his eyes moved to you. He chuckled and continued to chop, and the two of you waited in silence. A few seconds passed before the man set his knife down and wiped his hands on his apron.
"Alright," he said, "since you're so pushy, alls I can tell you is... Try goin' to tha library." He pointed toward a small door on the side of the kitchen, "Maybe the missus has got some information for yeh." With this, the man went back to his chopping and ignored the two of you. Sungjong thanked him and took your hand, and the two of you left the kitchen.

"Missus?" you asked Sungjong. "Does that mean his wife?"
"Could be, but do you really think someone like him could have a wife?" he joked. The two of you made your way down the hall, with the lantern lit once again. "Where's the library on the map?" he asked you. You peered down and he brought the lantern closer. The library was directly to the right of you, through another set of double doors with stained glass around the outer edges. "Ready?" Sungjong asked, and you nodded. He pushed open the doors, and the two of you entered quietly. There was yet another fireplace in the room, so you blew out the lantern once again.
"I have a feeling this lantern is only for the hallway," you said, as Sungjong quietly shut the doors. The two of you turned around and you screamed. An elderly maid stood directly behind you, practically breathing down your neck. Her face was cross, and she spoke quickly.
"What are you two doing here? Get out, get out!" She shooed. You started crying from the surprise. Sungjong immediately took you in his arms and pulled you back.
"The butcher told us to come here!" he shouted, and the maid's expression froze. She stopped waving the feather duster in your face, and glared at him.
"And why would you listen to someone like him? He's nothing but an old fool, he is."
"We're trying to investigate on who's haunting the mansion. He told us you might have some information."
"Hmph! 'Investigate'..." mocked the woman as she went over to one of the desks to dust. "Investigate is just a fancy way of saying 'snooping around and sticking your nose in things that you shouldn't'. You're a down-right fool to be snooping around here, you are." She continued to dust around the room, not bothering to look at the two of you again. You were still crying and Sungjong turned you around to face him. He brushed the hair out of your face and softly hushed, wiping away your tears and smiling at you.
"Are you okay?" he whispered. You let out a sigh and nodded as the tears stopped. He gave you a hug and took your hand, leading you to the maid again.
"Please help us. We're not asking for much," he told her, "we just need to know if you have any information, so we can help."
The woman stopped dusting and looked Sungjong up and down. She shook her head and let out a sigh.
"Fine. I'll tell you what," she said, "I'll give you information as long as you promise not to let that girl out of your sight." She gave you an apprehensive look, and Sungjong glanced at you.
"I won't let her out of my sight. But why are you telling me this?" he answered.
"Never mind that!" she snapped, "Always keep an eye on her, you hear me? Do you understand?" she shouted, and Sungjong nodded.
"Yes, I do!" he shouted back. You were beginning to feel nervous as the two of them stared furiously at each other. Sungjong did not like being yelled at, and apparently neither did the maid. The tension was too much, so you spoke up.
"It's okay, he takes good care of me," you said. "Now, what is it that we should know?" Sungjong stared at you, surprised that you were brave enough to speak up, and the woman's expression softened.
"It's alright dear, I'm just trying to toughen him up." Sungjong protested, and you held back a smile. The woman seemed nicer when she wasn't shouting, so you felt more comfortable talking to her. She invited the two of you to sit down on one of the old couches, and began to tell you the story of Draven Mansion.

The maid admitted that there had indeed been noises around the mansion that were not normal. Her dialect became less proper as she became less stern. She told the two of you the story of how Gerard Draven was a busy man who not only spent all his days locked up in the study, but he was so caught up in his work, he didn't even have enough time for his daughter, Isabelle.
"Mr. Draven was a widower, you see. His wife passed away one night due to a nasty case of pneumonia. Ain't nothin' the doctors could'a done for her. She was such a delicate thing, she was. An' he was very distraught to have lost her, the poor soul. Because of that, he couldn't bear to look at his daughter, as she looked too much like 'er dear mother. An' she was only a child! Such a shame, it was, not havin' her lovely mother around, an' then her father, he couldn't even give her the time o' day. Goodness knows how lonely she was. Never even left the house, either! Always locked up in 'er room, playin' with her li'l dolls and I says to her, I says, 'Dearie me, don't you have any friends to frolic with outside? You're as pale as a ghost!' but not even that, she had. She took lessons in the house, you see, so there wasn't any opportunity for friends.
"Anyway, one night, during an unusually cold night in October, a man had come to the mansion to negotiate with Mr. Draven about a... Oh, I don't know, a business deal, I'm guessing. I didn't see the looks o' him since I was busy cleanin' an' doin' my job, yeah? But I talked to the butler, an' he told me the man's face was covered in scars, it was. Must o' had a lot of problems in his past. Anyway, that night... Oh, I remember that night clearly. That night, we heard a lot of shoutin' coming from the room. Mr. Draven must o' gone mad or something, as there were books strewn across the room. As the door opened, I heard the man sayin' Mr. Draven was going to regret this, he was. An' then he...he..."

The maid became quiet and looked down at her apron. Sungjong rubbed your arm, unsure of what was happening. Suddenly, the maid started sobbing, and you tried your best to comfort her. "I can't say any more, I can't," she said between sobs. "Just, please... Help her. Help us." she begged, as she took your hand and looked into your eyes.
You teared up as Sungjong gestured for the two of you to go. He had gotten enough information to know what to look for next. You thanked the maid for sharing the information and headed toward the door. Sungjong held it open for you as the maid tried to calm herself down, and the two of you stepped out of the library, shutting the door behind you.