101 Nottingham Lane

The lazy sun moved slowly over the mountains as it had done for eons. In a quaint town nestled against the rolling hills, plush with many varieties of Evergreens and inhabited with deer, rabbits, and groundhogs, there was a girl named Bethany. Bethany wasn't like the other girls in her school. Her hair was a wild pattern of colors, each strand seemingly pulled from a box of forgotten crayons once belonging to another dreamer from times now forgotten. Her eyes, a piercing shade of amber, danced with curiosity and mischief. Her clothes, a mismatch of thrift store finds and eccentric patterns, were a silent declaration of her refusal to conform. She was the kind of girl who found magic in the most mundane of places, and she often shared her peculiar findings with anyone who'd listen.

Bethany lived in a small, crooked house with her grandmother, who was equally peculiar. Her grandmother, a woman of few words, had a penchant for collecting antiques and oddities that filled their home to the brim. It was said she knew the history of every trinket, but she rarely spoke of them. Among the many treasures in her collection was an ancient mirror, its frame ornate with carvings that whispered secrets of the past. It stood in the corner of Bethany's room, gathering dust and forgotten, a silent sentinel to the passage of time.

One balmy afternoon, Bethany stumbled upon a flier at the local library. It was for a yard sale at the mansion on Nottingham Lane, a place rumored to be haunted. Her eyes lit up at the prospect of new treasures to uncover. She begged her grandmother to let her go, promising to bring home something special. With a knowing smile, her grandmother agreed, handing Bethany a few crumpled bills and reminding her to be home before dinner.

Bethany's heart raced as she approached rushed over to kiss her grandmother's cheek and run out of the kitchen door letting it slam together as she'd done numerous times before.

"How many times have I told you not to let the screen door slam like that," called out her grandmother as she pushed the screen door open far enough to see Bethany disappear around the end of the street corner leading to Nottingham Lane and the grand estate.