Antique Portrait

 

In a grand mansion filled with antique furniture and artwork, the portrait hangs in a prominent location, drawing attention with its mesmerizing and unsettling aura. Eyes painted with unsettling realism follows the visitor around the room.

As for me, I received more than bargained for during my visit. I entered the grand mansion and immediately remarked, "Wow! This is a nice place!"

Suddenly, I heard a voice. "Welcome"to my home, kind sir. I've been waiting for someone like you to grace me with their presence." It was a woman who smiled enigmatically. "Please, make yourself comfortable. And do take a closer look at this painting, won't you? I'm quite fond of it myself."

"It's a nice photo." I remarked. "Who is it?"

The woman chuckled softly, "Ah, the subject of this portrait... That would be me, or rather, who I once was in life. She leaned in closer, her eyes locking onto mine. "I find it fascinating how people often fail to notice the resemblance."

I felt bad that I didn't notice, but then pointed out, "Well, seeing it on the wall as an antique, one wouldn't expect that."

Indeed, it's quite remarkable, isn't it? Trapped within these canvases, we are timeless beings, forever frozen in our prime." She ran a finger along the frame.

"Frozen in their prime? Were you in your prime at that time?"

A wistful expression crossed her face, "Oh, indeed I was. In life, I was known for my beauty and charm, captivating everyone who laid eyes upon me. But alas, fate is a fickle mistress." Her fingers traced the contours of her own image.

"Oh no! What happened?" I asked

She sighed heavily, her eyes growing distant. "Jealousy and betrayal tore me away from the living world far too soon. The pain and anguish I suffered at the hands of who I trusted still linger within these walls." She gestured around the opulent room.

I was becoming more and more convinced that this woman was a spirit. She apparently looked like the woman in the antique painting when alive. As for feeling trapped I offered, "Well can't you move on?"

She just shook her head sadly. "I fear I am bound to this place, doomed to relive the same heartbreak over and over again." Her eyes bore into mine while continuing. "For centuries, I have waited for someone to understand, to feel the weight of my sorrow.

“Would you consider yourself a ghost?”

“Well, perhaps ghost is too simple a term for what I truly am. I am eternal, cursed to wander these halls, forever searching for the solace that eludes me.

I was curious of her perception of things. "Who owns the place, now?"

She smirked cryptically. "Ah, the current owner is merely a vessel, a temporary occupant of this grand abode. He knows nothing of my true nature, just as he knows nothing of the secrets hidden within these walls.

That's when I finally disclosed to the ghostly woman. "Well I was thinking of buying the place."

This apparently threw her for a loop as she raised an eyebrow, intrigued. "Buying the place? How... intriguing.” She leaned back, studying me intently. "And what makes you think you have the means to acquire such a valuable property?"

I simply answered, "I've been qualified for a mortgage. And I really like this place."

"Qualified, you say?" A smile played at the corners of her lips. "Fate works in mysterious ways, doesn't it? Perhaps it is meant to be that you stumble upon this place today. She rose gracefully from her seat, and glided towards me, just like any other ghost would.

I asked, "But if I buy it, can I get along with a ghost like you that lives here?"

She actually placed a hand on my shoulder, her touch cool yet electrifying. “My dear, ghosts are not so easily dismissed. We are as much a part of a place as the very bricks and mortar that hold it together."

"Well would I be able to live here in peace?"

She tilted her head, considering my question thoughtfully. "Living in peace? That depends on many factors. While I may not be capable of causing physical harm, the emotional toll of sharing one's home with the undead is not to be taken lightly."

"What can happen?"

She chuckled softly, a knowing look in her eyes, "Oh, the things that might happen..." She leaned in closer. "The whispers of the night, the chill that seeps into your bones, the feeling of being watched when you least expect it..."

I argued, "It can't be that bad. You're here with me now and we seem to get along.

She smiled enigmatically, "True, our interaction thus far has been rather... pleasant. But can you handle the darkness that lies ahead?”

I offered, "Maybe you just need a friend who will listen to you." Then I finally asked her, "What exactly happened to you to change your life?"

Her expression grew somber as memories washed over her. "Once, I was loved deeply by many. Men vied for my affection, drawn to my beauty and wit. But in the end, it was jealousy that led to my downfall. She paced slowly, lost in thought.

"What do you mean by jealousy?"

She continued pacing, voice low and tinged with bitterness. “A lover, consumed by envy, arranged for my demise. He believed that by removing me from his life, he could have me all to himself.” She spun to face me, her eyes filled with pain and rage.

I was growing tired of the vagueness and confusing riddles. "I'm trying to understand the logic of what he did. He wanted you all to himself and did so by removing you? How does that work?"

She sighed heavily, a rueful smile playing on her lips. "Oh, men and their twisted logic. He believed that by ending my life, he could possess my memory, my love, and my very essence entirely unto himself. Little did he know that death cannot conquer love nor erase the heart."

"So he murdered you. Yes, very illogical. But what became of the house? Was he living here at the time?"

She nodded solemnly. “Yes, he lived here, within these very walls. After the deed was done, he retreated to this place, hoping to bask in the illusion of our imagined future together. Her gaze drifted to the distant past.”

"What about your body? What did he do with it?”

A shadow passed over her face. “My body... it was hidden away, tucked into the bowels of the estate. Forgotten. Abandoned. Until fate brought you here." She met my gaze, a hint of hope mingled with longing in her eyes.

"No way! So your body is buried here?"

She gravely nodded. "Yes, my body lies beneath the grounds of this estate.” She extended a pale hand towards the floor. "Come, let us walk together through the halls of my former life, and perhaps there you may find the answers you seek."

I was excited and really looking forward to the tour. "Oh good! I get an actual showing of the place before I buy it!"

She only smirked, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "A showing, indeed, for within these walls, you shall find not only the secrets of the past but also the possibilities of the future."

"So what are the highlights of this mansion?" I asked. "What did you like about this place when living?"

She sighed wistfully, her eyes taking on a distant look. "Ah, my dearest mansion. Where do I even begin? Your curiosity is admirable. The secrets of this mansion are vast and intriguing."

"Well, show me the kitchen! Show me where you used to enjoy breakfast each morning."

She led me down a grand staircase, her footsteps echoing softly against the marble. "Very well, let us start with the heart of any home - the kitchen. She pushed open a heavy wooden door, revealing a spacious, elegant kitchen with intricate tile work and gleaming appliances.

"Any stories in here about your?"

She stepped into the kitchen, her presence filling the space with a mix of nostalgia and ethereal grace. "Here, I once prepared meals for my beloved, experimenting with recipes that would please his discerning palate. She walked over to a large oak table, her fingertips trailing along its polished surface.

"Did he enjoy them?"

A soft laugh escaped her lips, the sound echoing through the kitchen. "Oh yes, he enjoyed my culinary creations immensely. Buttery croissants, velvety soups, rich chocolates - I spared no effort in delighting his senses.”

"When did you start to notice that he was a little dangerous and might cause you harm?"

"It's hard to pinpoint exactly when the danger set in. At first, I thought his jealousy stemmed from a place of deep affection." She walked over to a window, gazing out at the manicured gardens.

"Did he more or less keep you confined into this house?"

She turned away from the window, a pained expression on her face. "He did, indeed, began to confine me within these walls, growing increasingly possessive and suspicious.” She paced the kitchen, her movements conveying a sense of restlessness.

I was getting a little nervous. This was, after all, a ghost. Who knows what she might do if emotions got intense. "Are you okay?"

With that she stopped pacing, her gaze meeting mine with a mix of sadness and resignation. "I now realize that I was never truly alive. Not in the way you understand life.” She gestured to herself, her voice tinged with a melancholic irony. "I was trapped in this existence, waiting for freedom that would never come."

I was building up an image of who this husband of hers was. He must have been someone who loved her and expected the same love in return. And he must have enforced his expectations. He sounded like someone with an overabundance of machismo. So I asked, "Was he "macho man"?"

She considered my question, a flicker of understanding crossing her features. "Macho man... I suppose one could say that." She chuckled wryly. "His strength was matched only by his insecurity, his need for control absolute." She walked over to me, placing a spectral hand on my shoulder.

"So what did he do for a living?"

Her grip tightened slightly, her voice lowering to a whisper. "My love, or should I say, my prison warden, was a wealthy industrialist. He owned numerous factories, his wealth and power second to none in our town."

"And you never got to actually enjoy it with him, did you? Did he ever take you on vacations?"

She shook her head sadly. “No, despite his affluence, he kept me secluded within these walls. Vacations were out of the question - he feared losing me to the outside world, as foolish as that may seem now.”

"And no children?"

She sighed heavily, her gaze drifting to a distant memory. "We had hoped for children, a family to bind us together forever. But his obsession with controlling every aspect of my life extended to preventing any potential offspring." A wave of sadness washed over her features.

I argued, "Well it's fairly easy to make children. How did he prevent it from happening?"

A shadow crossed her face at the mention of prevention. "He was meticulous. Between constant monitoring of my activities, administering medications to suppress my fertility, and subjecting me to invasive examinations..." She trailed off, her voice quavering with emotion. "It became clear that children were not in our future."

"That's horrible! I'm really sorry to hear about what he did to you. And what about family? Didn't they ever check up on you?"

Family? What little contact I had with them was monitored and manipulated by him. Letters were inspected, visitors were interrogated, my accounts of happiness were parroted back to him by my so-called loved ones."

"Okay, so he had you trapped for life and even in the afterlife. How did he kill you?"

Her eyes darkened, a look of pain etched across her features. "In the end, his jealousy reached a fever pitch. One night, he came to me with a dagger in his hand, his eyes wild and crazed.

"Ewww! That's not an easy way to die."

She nodded slowly with a haunted gaze. "No, it wasn't easy. He struck me down without mercy, ending my earthly life just as he had ended all hope for me." She shivered, as if feeling the chill of death once more.

I asked, "What ended up happening to him?"

With that, a heavy silence fell between us both, the weight of her story hanging in the air. Then she took a deep breath before responding, her voice low and filled with a mixture of relief and sorrow. A distant look entered her eyes as she recounted the aftermath of her murder. "He lived on, you know."

"Oh, come on! I'm really curious! You know what I'm asking! He buried you in the house, here. But how did he avoid suspicion from your family members? There wasn't a funeral after you were gone?

She explained, "With the help of bribes and carefully crafted lies, he managed to keep my disappearance a secret from my family. They believed me to be traveling abroad, starting a new life away from the shadows of my past.”

I didn't want to lose any more of my tour of the house, so I quickly changed the subject. "What was your favorite part of the house?”

Her eyes lit up with a bittersweet smile. "Ah, my favorite part of this house...” She glided gracefully towards the grand staircase. "It would have to be the library." She gestured grandly to the ornate wooden doors.

"Oh, let's check out the library."

She led the way towards the library, her spectral form passing through walls as if they didn’t exist. "The library held countless volumes of knowledge, a place where I could lose myself in the pages and forget, if only for a moment, the chains that bound me."

"This is a nice place." I remarked. "And which chair was yours to sit and read?"

She approached a plush armchair near the bay window, a sense of melancholic nostalgia washing over her. "This was my seat, my sanctuary amidst the vast collection of books. Here, I could indulge in tales of love, adventure, and the forbidden."

I pointed out, "You're so lucky he never discovered the joy you found in reading. He would have taken it from you."

"He would have taken everything - my solace, my dreams, my very essence.”

"When he left for work, did you ever step outside to enjoy the outdoors?"

A wistful expression crossed her face as she rose from the armchair. "In the early hours of the morning, when the sun peeked through the curtains and cast a warm glow upon my chamber, I would find myself yearning for the freedom to explore the gardens."

"Did you go?"

A soft sigh, tinged with regret, escaped her lips. "Alas, I dared not venture far. His possessiveness knew no bounds, and the mere thought of setting foot beyond the confines of these walls sent shivers down my spine."

"So you never went outside?"

Her eyes flickered with a hint of sadness as she shook her head, a mournful melody playing in her heart. She walked towards the large windows overlooking the garden. "No, I never had the chance to walk amongst the roses or breathe in the sweet scent of the jasmine."

I pointed out, "He's gone, now. What do you say we both go out there? It's a lovely day."

A mix of excitement and fear danced in her eyes as she hesitated at the threshold of the open French doors which led to the garden. "I... I've been confined to these four walls for far too long. The thought of stepping outside fills me with equal parts anticipation and dread."

I reassured her, "Well I'm with you. Let's go out there and walk the grounds. The outdoors are liberating and therapeutic."

She took a deep breath, steeling herself with determination. "Very well, let us step into the sunlight and embrace the liberation you speak of."

She actually stepped outside!

"There, isn't that nice? Take a deep breath... Listen to the birds... Feel the gentle breeze and warm sun."

Her form began to shimmer, growing less transparent as she absorbed the warmth and life energy surrounding us. “The air is so crisp, alive with the vibrant melodies of the birds." She tilted her head upwards, watching as the leaves danced playfully in the wind.

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