The Estate Alexia May P.

Cambaling

One dark, stormy night, a group of Chinese teens gathered at the home of one of their friends who lived in Manchuria. They were discussing haunted houses. I know a really creepy haunted house! said the teen who lived in the house.What? all of them said at the same time. The Yang Estate! he replied. You know the ancestral home of the family of evil! Whats that story about? one of the quieter teens asked. You dont know? asked another as if it is unbelievable that someone doesnt know the story. No, can you tell me?she replied and asked. Hmm, even if you are a girl, I think youre pretty brave. I think you can handle it. What do you think guys? one of the boys said. The others all agreed that the said girl can handle the story. And one began, In the darkest area of Manchuria, lies a secluded estate One of the teens then thought to herself, The darkest area of Manchuria? There is an estate I passed by while on my way here. It fits the description of the Yang Estate and radiates a very strong aura of evil. It has to be a coincidence, it has to be, and todays date, September 7, 2007 -7-7-7, a ghost number. The first continued, It is very ancient, at least thousands of years old, yet-being made from the best building materials-hasnt fallen apart. It is said to be abandoned for hundreds of years. Its owners are around the world, spreading evil. It is said that the most horrible and atrocious Red Guards are members of their clan. As you all know, the name of the clan is Yang-which can be used as a word for evil. During the Cultural Revolution, it has been miraculously spared by the Communists. Over the years there have been rumors on why the Communists were unable to enter the estate. Some say that a few high-ranking officials of the Communist Regime are members of the Yang clan and turned a blind eye which is obvious by the way. He finished. A girl then said, There are also rumors of people entering the mansion only to have their minds played with by spirits and other creatures of the dark. They leave the mansion in a state of delirium and hysteria. Later, when they came to their senses, they were rendered unable to tell the tale as they constantly fear that should they tell the tale, the supernatural forces will come after them. She finished. Have you heard of the young man who told the tale only to die afterwards? asked their friends grandmother, entering the scene. Tell us! the teens shouted at all at once.

He wrote the tale in the form of a letter addressed to his betrothed. He went to the mansion exactly a hundred years ago -7-7-7I have his letter with me and dont ask until I finish. Most of the letter is burned, however The letter: To my beloved, You have since asked what happened when I came to the estate. I am a Taoist follower and being the fool I am, I wanted to see and experience the yang myself. Even as I am only outside the mansion, I can feel the strong aura of evil! When I finally gathered enough courage to enter, I felt thousands of voices playing with my mind, guiding me towards something that I am sure are ominous and frightening. There, inside the mansion, I saw dozens of closed doors all beckoning me to open them. Curiosity got the better of me and I entered one. Almost immediately, I felt my life force being drained out of my body. I stood frozen until I came into my senses. I took a step back and closed the door. Suddenly, I saw a young woman crying in a corner. Thinking perhaps that she s also a victim of the evil that lurks here, I approached her. However, when I did, she suddenly vanished. I knew then that she is one of the dark spirits

tormenting me. I looked around as the great hall seemed to get smaller. When I felt surrounded, I heard voices, shrieking with delight. When I felt like I could no longer breathe, the shrieking stopped as the room got larger. I knew I should have ran out of the mansion- yet I didnt. Due to my curiosity, I decided to go to the attic next. After an almost never ending search, I found it. There, I found ancient scrolls, an ancient mah-jongg set, and hundreds of thousands of books. The books are written in all sorts of ancient and foreign languages which I can surprisingly understand. I then decided to spend a few hours there to read. From those books, I learned of ancient spirits, ferocious monsters, and various creatures of the dark. I also found an ancient diary that speaks of the Yang and Yin clans war with each other being as old as the battle between good and evil itself. I then sensed a presence behind me. Unlike the others however, I am very sure that this one- I think is good. Suddenly, she spoke, Dao not be afraid for I am a friend she said. You have to go at once if you value your sanity. With those words, she vanished. Yet, I did not leave out of sheer curiosity, instead- the rest of the letter is burned the grandmother finished. Grandmother, how did you get this letter? asked the teen who lived in the house. Young people these daysThe young man was engaged to me. He fell in love with me wherein I didnt. A hundred years ago, today, he went to the estate. He came back in a demented state of mind that my parents broke off the engagement. He never stopped loving me and wrote the letter detailing his experience. As the teens prepared for bed, the teen who thought about the estate nearby thought about it again and little does she know that she is right. Her friend does live nearby the yang estate. Meanwhile, the Yang Estates evil aura never cease as the darkness enveloping it continues on...