“Winterhaven Castle”

Author’s Note: This is a Take Ten to Write story and has not been proofread for errors. If I feel inspired or if there’s interest in the story, I’ll post a revised, edited, and extended version at a later date. Happy reading!

Castle.

There are many secrets in old buildings. Castles, in particular, are full of secrets of all kinds.

Take Winterhaven Castle, for instance. It’s been around for thousands of years, but there are no accounts from anyone who is still alive. However, rumour has it that the castle walls were painted with poison and that the air inside the castle is still toxic.

According to the inhabitants of the closest town to Winterhaven Castle, explorers have gone in but have always come out… different. Strange. Intoxicated.

Insane.

The explorers exit the castle with no recollection of what they saw inside. They would reappear, wide-eyed and pale-faced. Days later, they would go completely insane.

Everyone assumes that it’s the effects of the poison that line the castle walls. That the toxic fumes make the explorers completely lose their minds.

But I know better. There is no poison on the walls of Winterhaven Castle. In fact, there’s no danger inside at all.

Unless… you consider me dangerous…

Final Comments: I’m not sure I love how I ended the story. I feel like I could’ve reworded it to have a greater impact, but I still really like the plot that I had in mind.

Overall Rating: 😈