The Haunting Of Blackwoods
by Abeer Dahiya (Admin. No: 7717)
In the winter of 1888, eighteen-year-old Edmund Blackwood arrived at Blackwood Manor after the mysterious death of his uncle. Built in 1819, the ancient manor stood beyond a dead forest, surrounded by fog and feared by the nearby villagers. For forty years, the Blackwood family had whispered about a tall woman in a black mourning dress who appeared before disaster. Her face was always hidden behind a veil. Inside the manor, Edmund noticed that every clock had stopped at exactly 3:17 a.m. Above the staircase hung an old family portrait with a strange empty space where someone had been painted out. That night, Edmund woke to the sound of fabric dragging slowly along the corridor. At its far end stood the Woman in Black. When she vanished, wet footprints remained behind, leading directly into a solid wall.
The next morning, Edmund searched the library and discovered letters belonging to Eleanor Blackwood, daughter of Sir Alistair Blackwood. The family claimed Eleanor had run away in 1847, but her letters revealed the truth. She had discovered that her father had murdered a neighbouring landowner and stolen his property. Eleanor intended to expose him. Her final letter ended with two chilling words: Father knows. Old building plans revealed a secret chamber hidden inside the eastern wall. That night Eleanor appeared again. The candles suddenly died, icy breath brushed Edmund’s ear, and when the flames returned, fresh words had appeared across her letter: HE BURIED ME WHERE THE HOUSE CANNOT FORGET. Edmund broke through the wall and discovered a tiny windowless chamber containing a rusted chain, a black shoe and hundreds of scratches repeating: LET ME OUT. The housekeeper finally revealed that Sir Alistair had imprisoned Eleanor there. Weeks later, when he opened the chamber, her body had disappeared. Only her black mourning dress remained. Soon afterwards, Sir Alistair died in terror after repeatedly writing: SHE SHOWED ME HER FACE.
After Edmund opened the chamber, Eleanor appeared closer every night. On the fifth night, at 2:46 a.m., he woke to find her sitting silently beside his bed. Edmund believed she wanted justice, so he restored her name and prepared to expose Sir Alistair’s crime. Then his uncle’s hidden journal revealed something far worse. Eleanor appeared only to Blackwoods who discovered her chamber. Forty years of darkness had changed her. She could escape only when another Blackwood took her place. On the seventh night, at 3:17, every door in the manor opened. Corridors stretched impossibly and rooms shifted around Edmund. Wherever he ran, Eleanor was already waiting. Finally, she appeared behind him in a mirror and slowly raised her veil. Edmund shut his eyes. Freezing fingers touched his face. When he opened them again, he was trapped inside Eleanor’s hidden chamber. There was no door. Outside, he heard a woman’s footsteps slowly walking away.
Several months later, Blackwood Manor passed to a distant branch of the family. Edmund was never found. But the old family portrait had changed. Eleanor now stood clearly among the Blackwoods, her face perfectly visible. In the darkest corner stood Edmund, his fingernails bloodied, his mouth open and one hand pressed desperately against the inside of the painted frame. That night, at exactly 3:17 a.m., scratching began behind the eastern wall. But the figure walking freely through the corridor was no longer Eleanor. The Woman in Black had finally left the house, and Edmund had discovered the true meaning of the Blackwood curse: the house must always have someone inside the wall.
Published on the Writory Wall.