The Tragic Tale of Teddy Woven

“Stop.” The voice vibrated through the floor, through the very walls of the house. “Please.”

I froze with fear. Every atom in my body was frightened at the voice that seemed to breathe through this very house. My eyes were directed to the chained up door, hearing the metal creak and crash upon the hook as if it wanted to give way.

“Theo,” echoed throughout the room, bouncing off every surface like a torrential wind. I looked above me, noticing that the creaking of the floor had suddenly ceased. Where was Teddy, and why was this voice calling out his name?

“Theo, you are hurting me,” the voice wept, sounding so broken and afraid. The chain over the doorway began to slam louder, the door to the cellars resolved on opening. I stepped back slowly, lowering the knife since I realized I would need more than metal to defeat this demonic being. The house was haunted, I was certain of that now.

The grandfather clock began to ring, but it was far too soon for it to be nine o’clock already. “Theo!” was screamed out at the top of the woman’s lungs. The bell continued to ring, echoing down the hallway to where I stood. The chain was thrashed heavily, for the door was determined to be open all the way.

The drapes whipped around faster even though there was no wind, flickering the hallowed moonbeams that illuminated the kitchen floor. The clock never stopped ringing down the hall, and suddenly I feared that the very sound would make Teddy go insane. I leaned against the countertop, wondering which direction I would take for a quick escape. He could be coming down the steps at any moment, but what could be worse than the thing that was on the other side of the cellar, screaming out his name?

Clang, clang, pierced through the air. The chains were brandishing themselves against the hook, determined to push themselves off the curved metal .

“Please,” cried out from the depth of the floor, a sound that came directly beneath my feet. “I love you,” broke out a cry. “Don’t do this to me.”

I covered my ear once a terrible shrill struck the air, dropping my weapons entirely to block out the sound. It was a harrowing cry, one that you prayed to never hear in your lifetime. I found my knees buckling from fear, and soon I collapsed upon the floor with only my hands on the back of the chair to brace me upwards. The ominous bell continued to ring, it was enough to make me go mad. The chain thrashed itself heavier, and I could hear a banging against the door as if something was desperate to escape.

I stared at the door to the cellar in pure horror, only to let out a breathless scream once hands clasped me from behind. A hand covered my mouth, in which I reacted by squirming in strong arms that were undoubtedly Teddy’s.

“Shhhh,” he hissed into my ears. “Quiet.”

I cried into his mouth while shaking uncontrollably. Everyone was right all along, I should have stayed away from him, but now it was too late. I tried to push him away, but Teddy was so much stronger than me. I felt him dragging me away from the chained up door where the chain continued to clatter against the hook, and only when we reached the main hallway that he removed his hand from my mouth. Teddy violently turned me around to look at him, but with the heavy darkness that eclipsed the hallway it was hard to make him out, only his silhouette could be perceived. I immediately pushed at his chest in anger and tried to run away, heading towards the only route where I knew there was a clear escape.

“Nooo!” Teddy bellowed out in a furious rage, before he ran after me as fast as he could. The staircase to the upper levels swiftly turned to the left, leaving me on a levelled platform where I could only go upwards. The sound of the grandfather clock continued to ring, loud enough to block out the hurried footsteps of Teddy. I sprinted up the last few steps and then found myself in a long hallway without knowing where to go next. There were so many doors, and in the darkness I could not make out which one to choose.

The grandfather suddenly stopped ringing. I turned around, too startled by the silence to realize that Teddy was right behind me. He bumped into me in the darkness, knocking me off balance to the point that I fell upon the floor. I screamed when he grabbed at my leg and immediately used my right foot to jab at his moving hands.

“Stop!” he yelled, but I only kicked him in the top section of his thigh. “Sela!” he screamed out in pain. He clasped at my bare foot and tugged me forward, sending out a blood curdling scream that shook through the house. “Quiet,” he warned in so fierce a tone, that I laid perfectly still. “I’m not going to hurt you,” he said in a breathless voice. “But she will.”

on the floor as I

to lift me off the floor. The banging of a metal chain downstairs

need to get out

“We?”

me to the flight of stairs. We were just about to reach the top landing, when we heard

tugged on his hand in resistance. “Who

it,” he growled in

it?” I repeated.

crashing into his frame. “You need to leave now,” he warned. He stared at me hard, and under the faint lighting of the

I whispered with a

of passion. A hand pressed against the back of my head to keep me there. His lips were firm, determined to kiss me enough to reassure me of his feelings. I

from one of the rooms upstairs broke the

close to my

“Okay.”

insisted, before he tugged at my hand to send me forward. Our feet padded lightly across the staircase. I kept looking back, realizing that the hallway was gradually being illuminated by the moonlight. Seconds ago the entire place was eclipsed in darkness, so why should there suddenly be light now? I stopped in my tracks and tugged at Teddy’s hand, doing my best

the upper hallway that we had just escaped. “There’s light.

he urged with a

I stammered out in pure stupidity.

my hand to bring me down the staircase with him. His name was being called out in the faintest voice, though it grew louder each time. His feet were stumbling down

turning more wicked

down the hallway. “I have the car keys, let’s go,” he urged, once we reached the front

bag and stuffed my sandals in the large opening. Teddy took a hold of his own shoes, not bothering to put them

sound rocked through the air when he tried to yank it open. “What?” I watched him attempt it again, only to find that the door was sealed. “No,” he moaned. “No, this can’t-” The low thump of the deadbolt slamming against the metal lock was enough of a warning that

down the hallway, desperately looking for another means of escape. I watched him run into the music room, ignoring

I demanded, but he simply ignored