The Surprise Up in the Attic

Teresa and Steven had just moved into their new house. Down a winding road, a little blue house stands erect behind a small driveway. The blue house appeared to just had a makeover paint job, except for its roof. It's roof, a brick red, appeared old and cracked, as if any measly amount of impact would shake it down. The chimney also looks worn and parts of it were chipped and pieces of bricks were broken off.

On the whole, the neighborhood was a peace, quiet little place, albeit a little too peaceful to the paranoid Teresa. The tree branches sway willingly along with the flow of the autumn breeze. Maple leaves cascade down on the sidewalk as the Hobsons drove up to their new house. Walking down the driveway littered with fresh maple leaves, the couple inspected their new home. The garden needed a little trimming, the floor is filled with fallen leaves, and the fence needs a paint job and some fixing, just some usual normal chores new house owners probably need to do, they thought.

As they entered the door, a smile instantaneously formed on their cheeks. It was beautiful, it was definitely a dream house - their dream house. Large and spacious, the living room looked big enough to fit scores of guests. The dining room appeared neat and clean, befitting the hospitable wife that is Teresa, with the chandelier adding a nice little classy touch to the atmosphere that their home already seem to radiate. The study room wasn't big, yet it appeared capable of storing whatever the Hobsons needed to put in it - two study tables, four shelves, books, a globe and a computer. They explored their new home some more.

Everything was perfect and to their taste. After inspecting every nook and cranny of the building, except one place, Teresa finally said, 'The attic's the last spot!'. In compliance, Steven took out a ladder and laid it under the attic door. Torchlight in hand, and with Teresa steadying the ladder, Steven climbed up the steps and opened the attic door. It was dark and smelled of something pungent. A durian? No, that only grows in Southeast Asia. Sour milk? That's as ridiculous as the durian idea. A rotting corpse? Shit, is that why this building seemed like a steal?

The pungent smell continued to attack Steven's nostrils, which piqued his interest in the source of it even more. He used the torchlight and shone around, and he explored the place, guided by his nose and the torchlight. It wasn't long before he came upon an old wooden chest.

'Did you find anything?' Teresa called out from below.

'Yea, a chest!' replied Steven as he tried to open the chest.

He tugged on the lid. It wouldn't budge. He tried again with more force, and this time, the lid opened easily and he fell back with a thud. What awaited him was a sight to behold.

After moments of silence, Teresa again called out, 'What did you find inside?'

'It seems to be an assortment of items! There's a photo of a young girl, a CD with creepy looking dolls on it, a great red candle, Jack-in-the-box that has been damaged and other weird stuff...'

His eyes suddenly bulged as he caught something in the corner of his eye. He followed the direction in which the figure zoomed to, and he let out a gasp. In front of him was a children's doll, looking animatedly at him. As if noticing his fear, the doll smiled at him in response, revealing bloodied fangs. Without time for reaction, the doll moved closer and closer to Steves as it's large eyes started bleeding. He tried to let out a scre