The Eternal Welcome

Another horror story I have made :) edited

The mansion was rotting.

Vines wrapped its walls, roots cracked its stone, and the garden was too overgrown. I paused at the gate, holding the rusted metal as the house loomed over me, silent, decaying, watching.

They said it was cursed. That something inside watched from the windows.

I didn’t believe them.
Not until I saw it.

There, at the second-floor window, a pale shape, still and silent, staring back. It didn’t blink. It didn’t move. But it saw me. I felt its gaze cut through the air like cold wire.

I should’ve run.
Instead, I moved forward.

The floorboards creaked beneath my feet as I crossed the room. Dust glided in the air like wind. A grandfather clock ticked somewhere near, deafening.

I found the window. Empty.
But I wasn’t alone.

The whisper came before the figure.

“Welcome.”

Not spoken aloud, inside me. A cold breeze that curled into my skull, burrowing deep.

Then I saw it.
The face.

Human, almost. But wrong. No nose. Skin pulled tight like bone, as if someone had started to smile and never stopped. Its lips didn’t move, but the smile widened, ripping the flesh at the corners.

"Welcome... welcome... welcome..."

I staggered back, heartbeat thumping in my ears. It disappeared, but its words echoed on.

I climbed the stairs.

Each step felt heavier, like the house itself resisted me. The portraits lining the wall were wrong, mouths twisted wide, eyes shifting to follow me, their painted gazes full of secrets. As I passed, I saw myself reflected in them.
And something else.

The smile.
Always the smile.

It was in every painting, every mirror, waiting.

At the end of the hall, I turned.
There it was.

Behind me.
Closer now.

Its face hovered in the mirror. My face. Gray skin. Coal-black eyes. That terrible smile. I reached up, trembling, and touched my nose.

There was nothing there.

I screamed.

But no sound came. Just breath. Just silence.

Outside, through the glass, I saw someone at the gate. Frozen. Watching. Staring up at me.

It was me.

The truth hit like ice water: I wasn’t visiting the house.

I was the house.

The watcher.
The thing at the window.

"Welcome," I whispered, lips unmoving.

"Welcome… welcome… welcome…"

And I smiled.

© 2025 RatsAlongTheWalls

Author's Note

What do you think of it? Just wanting more feedback!

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Reviews

Joss Jeffrey

Your work is absolutely remarkable, and I will love to help to bring it to life through story art and animation and also i can help you to reach a broader audience. Do you have any other social media account when we can connect? you can find me on this Telegram: @Yaroslava_6ixyes or discord: @yaroslava70