As Sophia entered the palace, she could glimpse nothing but complete darkness. The inner of that palace appeared raven black, without any glow.
Creepy feelings began to build up more in her sensitive heart. But as she expanded her wink ahead, she could notice the glow of the flames, showing up from the farther end. It appeared to her as if she was walking in a dungeon.
As she gradually treaded over the path, she noticed a candle stand, every 5-metre. They were standing beside the extended pillars. Above her, there was a beautiful chandelier, meted out of gold, attached to the ceiling. Sophia took away one of the candles from the rack to assist her along the path.
The path now turned greyish black and Sophia could glimpse some of the objects around her. The tiles were made of ceramic with a light grey texture. The windows were long and narrow with grills in a butterfly pattern.
The shadow of Sophia, projecting on the floor, would frighten her. She would move her head to the right and left as if to make sure no one was following her. As she paced further, some strange sounds squeezed her heart a little.
Sophia pressed her hands against her ear. She was slowly strolling over the path when her gaze turned to the narrow windows. Something was pecking on the window, making Sophia drift away from it. The sound was quite irritating and fear-provoking in a haunted Palace, with only Sophia inside.
She tugged on her coat to give her temporary relief. When she crossed the path, surrounding pillars and candles, she noticed a long staircase.
The background switched to calm and optimistic, as if in a palace or royal house. But the paths remained eerie as they echoed with Sophia's steps. The only gleams that supported Sophia were the chandeliers and her candle.
Beside the stairs were two statues of gold and silver. And the stairs were half the length of her shin as they touched her legs. There were about 28 steps to the main threshold above. The threshold was painted with a jade hue, with golden handles topped with a precious shining jewel.
The stairs were made of marble and sandstone. They were as white as a snow. The stairs were wide and were reduced in length with every step. There was a red carpet running in the middle of it. Sophia stepped on the carpet and began to tread slowly, with a beating heart and sweaty face.
"I know someone indeed is inside this palace. I can not convince my mind by pouring any false indication. The truth lies in front of me." murmured Sophia, tears filling in her orbs. The feel of the entire atmosphere and that of the long narrow cloth below her, itself hinted that someone was there, cleaning the palace regularly. The mat was also perfect with no strings pulled out. It appeared shiny and new.
As she reached the tenth step, her feet caught something sticking to her shoe. As she lowered the candle to her feet, she noticed blood. As she stretched her palm to reveal the remaining paths with the flash, the candle from her hand plunged. Something made Sophia scoff and cover her mouth. The remaining steps were covered with blood too. The blood seeped down the stairs like a slow-moving stream.
Sophia became scared and was about to retreat when she heard the sound of the creaking of a door, closing. She had no option other than walking the path. When she reached the last stair, she noticed two doors farther from the middle door. She treaded and entered the room in the rightward direction.
When she opened it, her glimpse went on to four long narrow tables, topped with a table cloth. The plates, spoons and napkins were elegantly arranged and the room was about 20 feet, in length. The paintings of some old personalities were attached to the entire wall with a 10-metre gap between them. The room was cheered up by 8 chandeliers, lending it a golden flash.
Sophia entered the room and was amazed by its glamour. She felt like a princess inside the room when suddenly her nose caught a foul smell. When she couldn't resist this nose-picking odour, she shifted her gaze to the corner end, only to find 20 mutilated bodies, piled up over each other. It was the reason blood was seeping to the stairs.
Sophia's eyes bulged in bewilderment. Her mind became stressed and her lungs failed to catch up with the breaths. She ran out of that hall with a scream. Tears that were packed in her eyes, trickled down.
" I should not have looked at this heart-wrenching sight. Maybe I would have to undergo the same treatment, but my parent's last and only remembrance is inside that pendant. I should get it anyway, I need to tread to the top floor. " saying so, Sophia continued to pace unstoppable to the top floor, her body clogged with anxiety.