Old mansion at the end of her street...

As a child, Alice was always fascinated by the old mansion at the end of her street. It was a sprawling, gothic building, with ivy climbing up the sides and blackened windows that seemed to stare out at the world like empty eyes. Alice would often sneak up to the mansion, peering in through the windows and imagining what it must be like to live there.

One day, when Alice was a teenager, she heard rumors that the mansion was haunted. People whispered about strange noises coming from the house at night, and how the mansion had been abandoned for years after a terrible tragedy. Alice didn't believe in ghosts, but her curiosity was piqued.

So one night, Alice gathered her courage and decided to explore the mansion. She snuck up to the back door, which was rusted and creaky, and pushed it open. The house was silent and still, and Alice felt a thrill of excitement as she stepped inside.

But as she made her way through the darkened rooms, Alice began to feel a growing sense of unease. The air was thick with the scent of mold and decay, and strange shadows seemed to dance on the walls. And then she heard a noise coming from upstairs.

Alice froze, listening intently. It was a faint scraping sound, like something dragging across the floor. She crept up the stairs, her heart pounding in her chest, and peered down the hallway.

And then she saw it.

There was a figure at the end of the hallway, hunched over and dragging itself along the floor. Its skin was grey and papery, and its eyes were dark and empty. Alice tried to scream, but no sound came out.

The figure turned its head slowly, fixing its gaze on Alice. And then it started to move towards her, dragging itself along the floor with long, spidery limbs.

Alice turned and ran, her feet pounding on the stairs as she fled down to the front door. She burst out into the night, gasping for air, and looked back at the mansion. But the figure was nowhere to be seen.

From that night on, Alice never went near the old mansion again. But she could feel its presence, looming over her like a dark, haunted memory. And every now and then, when she was alone in her room at night, she could swear that she could hear the faint sound of something dragging itself across the floor.