The Mansion on Moonlight Crescent

"I don't get it," Darren said, "why do I have to meet you there?"

"Just trust me. You'll want to see this."

Darren grumbled, but agreed.

He'd pulled up in front of an old Victorian house on Moonlight Crescent. A shiver ran down his spine as he got out of the truck and headed up the driveway.

When he knocked a voice asked, "Who is it?"

Darren looked around for a speaker, but saw nothing. His brow furrowed as he introduced himself, then added, "Ron's friend... he told me to come by."

"Oh, yes. Come on in." The door swung open and he stepped inside. He was alone. His brow furrowed.

Before he could touch the door, it closed.

"Hello?"

"We're up here."

Darren followed the voice as he made his way up the grand staircase. Movement to his left had him glancing over at a portrait of a woman wearing a red silk dress and holding a crystal ball. He met her eyes and she winked at him before returning her gaze to the crystal ball.

"What the hell?"

"Cool, ain't it?" He heard his friend call from the top of the staircase.

"Did you see that?" Darren asked.

"Oh, you ain't seen nothing yet. This whole place is bizarre.

"And you're okay with that?"

A beautiful woman appeared beside his friend. She beamed down at him. She was dazzling.

"This is Ursula."

"It's been in my family for generations." she said, her voice soft and lilting, mesmerizing.

Darren felt himself moving up the stairs. His cares evaporated.

"You'll have to meet my sister, Annabelle."

Darren was enraptured. She was even more beautiful.

When Annabelle reached out to touch him, Darren was lost.

Word count = 281.

Notes ▼

Written for {b-item:"Daily Flash Fiction Challenge"  - January 7, 2025
Prompt: Write a story that includes the line: “I don’t get it.”

Portrait:
https://artincontext.org/famous-paintings-of-women/
John William Waterhouse painted The Crystal Ball in 1902