Renee was at the house of her friend, Kari-Lynn, helping get things ready for a party later that evening.
She joked and laughed as she started down toward the basement to look for some extra containers, chairs and whatever else to take up to the front room and kitchen.
She opened the basement and took a step down and paused to admire it. The basement had a couple of big windows and the sun shone in through them onto the floor and few pieces of furniture, all of which were bright colors, and the wallpaper even had wonderful designs and patterns. It looked like a wonderful place for little kids to play, or someone could go to sprawl out on the couch and relax or watch TV. It was not the sort of place that could make one feel stuck in the basement, or so Renee thought...
Until...
She bent her head and raised a hand to get something out of her eye.
Without looking up, she took another step down, but it was lower than she had expected. She hadn't remembered the rest of the steps being so steep after the first one.
Strange sounds started echoing faintly somewhere in the distance. "Bah, neighbor kids," Renee thought, but they sounded a little off.
Kari-Lynn was looking in the cupboard for something. When she opened a cupboard door, there were no shelves, there was no nothing, just darkness. It felt cold, and she thought she could hear wind. That made no sense at all
"Huh?" she said. Her voice echoed into the cupboard. "What the pluck's going on!?" Same echo. "Weird!"
She shut the door. A second later, she opened it again.
This time, all was normal, everything was there as it should be, and there was no cold wind, or strange echo.
Renee took another step down and lifted her head at the same time. "What the pluck!?" Her own voice echoed eerily and repeatedly.
She got up to clear her head, and walked through the kitchen. She noticed something on the floor, and decided to get a broom to sweep it up.
But when she opened the closet, there was nothing there but that dark, cold expanse.
"There it is again." she said into it.
She got an echo back.
Thinking this was sort of cool, she walked right into the closet, and felt nothing under her feet, but she didn't fall. It was like skating, only on air instead of ice.
Wow!" She laughed.
Her echo answered back a few times until it faded away.
Thinking this was fun, Kari-Lynn hooted and hollered some more.
Renee could only just make the outlines of what had been the basement with all its furniture, only now it all seemed to have expanded and the view was fuzzy.
A wail was heard somewhere up front, with the same eerie echoing, just like that of the echoes which are often used to depict thought and especially nightmares or slipping in or out of consciousness in movies and on TV.
The staircase into the basement had been walled on both sides, but now on the left, there wasn't even so much as a railing.
A door slammed violently, or was it a thunder clap? Kari-Lynn couldn't tell. This made her feel a bit disconcerted, so she turned to walk back out of the closet.
But where was the freaking closet door!?
It must've been what shut, and now it was completely dark, and cold, and there was no way Kari-Lynn could find her way out.
Now, at last, Kari-Lynn was genuinely frightened.
Cold wind seemed to blow right through her clothes, and there were strange sounds in the distance as well as close by, and she couldn't see a blessed thing!
Suddenly becoming frantic, Renee turned around to run back up the stairs, but it happened in slow motion. She couldn't seem to move quickly in this strange atmosphere, which had the same effect as being under water, except that she could still breathe, and didn't feel wet.
To her horror, she could barely see the entrance to the stairwell, and she knew she hadn't gone down that many steps! What the heck was wrong with this place?
She could see the light coming in through the window out of the corner of her eye, and the whole atmosphere looked like being under water as well, complete with the scene occasionally rocking, swaying, jiggling as if whatever they were in, was being gently made to move like water in a glass.
It made her feel dizzy and sick as well as freaked out.
Renee tried to scramble for the stairwell entrance, but every step she took, the entrance retreated up and away from her.
Turning back to look down the staircase, she soon regretted that. She could see no end to the staircase. Turning back up toward the entrance, she could no longer see one. It was completely gone!
Sometimes Kari-Lynn felt herself being moved up as if on a lift, and dropped abruptly down. Frightening throbbing base notes similar to modernday train engines were sometimes heard, occasionally very near by.
The strange wails, whimpers, calls, and unintelligible chattering continued getting louder and louder, but there was always some way off in the distance somewhere, and Renee could not see who was making these sounds.
Crashes, creeks, barks, and all manner of other sounds echoed eerily.
Transparent shadows floated around but never really came into view, and now the right handrail had melted away.
Renee was now standing on a never-ending staircase with nothing to keep her from falling off, she was being pushed by the water-like atmosphere so that she lost her footing on the stairs, and no matter how she tried to root herself to one spot, and close her eyes and ears, the place would not let her escape its terrifying grip.
She began to join the chorus of wails with her own cries, hoping someone would hear and help her. No one but her own echo answered.
"Hello! Help!" Kari-Lynn shouted.
Several Kari-Lynns hollered back, right in her ear, sounding ten times louder than her original call had been.
Renee thought someone had landed close enough on the stairs for her to reach out and touch them, but as she did, the figure dissolved and let out a maniacle yell.
Was this it? Was this the end for her? Would no one come for her? Did Renee even exist any more, or had she become just another nameless, faceless phantom, doomed to be here forever, isolated in this vast mad echoing expanse like the others, ignored by all others? She hadn't been able to make out a single communication among all of these voices, everyone sounded as alone and mournful as she felt, and no one was answering them. Why were none of these voices acknowledging each other and answering back? Everyone seemed to be calling out for something, and no one was being answered except by their own eerie repeating echo.
Desperate, she tried something. "Abracadabra!" she yelled.
About five Renees answered her.
Some voice made angry sounds that could've passed for cursing in the distance.
Renee tried something else. She began singing a favorite song of hers.
She had only gotten through the first few lines and had to stop, because at least ten Renees echoed back. It took a long time for the din to die away.
No matter how Kari-Lynn called, stumbled around, tried to will herself back into her own kitchen, nothing worked.
Out of hope at last, she sat down on the stairs and started crying. She couldn't tell if this was madness or hell.
The staircase jiggled and gave way beneath her.
Renee hollered as she started floating down into the strange, liquid-like, haunted abyss. It no longer looked like the basement at all, except for that window, the only source of light.
This ordeal went on and on, and Kari-Lynn realized there was simply no way out, no matter what she tried, and how she wished things were different. No way out. This was a vast expanse of deep, dark, cold, uncaring space that swallowed up anyone it could suck in, and there was no return to where anyone had been before.
No more human contact for either Kari-Lynn or Renee. Nothing but this endless nightmare, with their own echoes reminding them how alone they were and always would be, and other voices echoing without acknowledging them.
She joked and laughed as she started down toward the basement to look for some extra containers, chairs and whatever else to take up to the front room and kitchen.
She opened the basement and took a step down and paused to admire it. The basement had a couple of big windows and the sun shone in through them onto the floor and few pieces of furniture, all of which were bright colors, and the wallpaper even had wonderful designs and patterns. It looked like a wonderful place for little kids to play, or someone could go to sprawl out on the couch and relax or watch TV. It was not the sort of place that could make one feel stuck in the basement, or so Renee thought...
Until...
She bent her head and raised a hand to get something out of her eye.
Without looking up, she took another step down, but it was lower than she had expected. She hadn't remembered the rest of the steps being so steep after the first one.
Strange sounds started echoing faintly somewhere in the distance. "Bah, neighbor kids," Renee thought, but they sounded a little off.
Kari-Lynn was looking in the cupboard for something. When she opened a cupboard door, there were no shelves, there was no nothing, just darkness. It felt cold, and she thought she could hear wind. That made no sense at all
"Huh?" she said. Her voice echoed into the cupboard. "What the pluck's going on!?" Same echo. "Weird!"
She shut the door. A second later, she opened it again.
This time, all was normal, everything was there as it should be, and there was no cold wind, or strange echo.
Renee took another step down and lifted her head at the same time. "What the pluck!?" Her own voice echoed eerily and repeatedly.
She got up to clear her head, and walked through the kitchen. She noticed something on the floor, and decided to get a broom to sweep it up.
But when she opened the closet, there was nothing there but that dark, cold expanse.
"There it is again." she said into it.
She got an echo back.
Thinking this was sort of cool, she walked right into the closet, and felt nothing under her feet, but she didn't fall. It was like skating, only on air instead of ice.
Wow!" She laughed.
Her echo answered back a few times until it faded away.
Thinking this was fun, Kari-Lynn hooted and hollered some more.
Renee could only just make the outlines of what had been the basement with all its furniture, only now it all seemed to have expanded and the view was fuzzy.
A wail was heard somewhere up front, with the same eerie echoing, just like that of the echoes which are often used to depict thought and especially nightmares or slipping in or out of consciousness in movies and on TV.
The staircase into the basement had been walled on both sides, but now on the left, there wasn't even so much as a railing.
A door slammed violently, or was it a thunder clap? Kari-Lynn couldn't tell. This made her feel a bit disconcerted, so she turned to walk back out of the closet.
But where was the freaking closet door!?
It must've been what shut, and now it was completely dark, and cold, and there was no way Kari-Lynn could find her way out.
Now, at last, Kari-Lynn was genuinely frightened.
Cold wind seemed to blow right through her clothes, and there were strange sounds in the distance as well as close by, and she couldn't see a blessed thing!
Suddenly becoming frantic, Renee turned around to run back up the stairs, but it happened in slow motion. She couldn't seem to move quickly in this strange atmosphere, which had the same effect as being under water, except that she could still breathe, and didn't feel wet.
To her horror, she could barely see the entrance to the stairwell, and she knew she hadn't gone down that many steps! What the heck was wrong with this place?
She could see the light coming in through the window out of the corner of her eye, and the whole atmosphere looked like being under water as well, complete with the scene occasionally rocking, swaying, jiggling as if whatever they were in, was being gently made to move like water in a glass.
It made her feel dizzy and sick as well as freaked out.
Renee tried to scramble for the stairwell entrance, but every step she took, the entrance retreated up and away from her.
Turning back to look down the staircase, she soon regretted that. She could see no end to the staircase. Turning back up toward the entrance, she could no longer see one. It was completely gone!
Sometimes Kari-Lynn felt herself being moved up as if on a lift, and dropped abruptly down. Frightening throbbing base notes similar to modernday train engines were sometimes heard, occasionally very near by.
The strange wails, whimpers, calls, and unintelligible chattering continued getting louder and louder, but there was always some way off in the distance somewhere, and Renee could not see who was making these sounds.
Crashes, creeks, barks, and all manner of other sounds echoed eerily.
Transparent shadows floated around but never really came into view, and now the right handrail had melted away.
Renee was now standing on a never-ending staircase with nothing to keep her from falling off, she was being pushed by the water-like atmosphere so that she lost her footing on the stairs, and no matter how she tried to root herself to one spot, and close her eyes and ears, the place would not let her escape its terrifying grip.
She began to join the chorus of wails with her own cries, hoping someone would hear and help her. No one but her own echo answered.
"Hello! Help!" Kari-Lynn shouted.
Several Kari-Lynns hollered back, right in her ear, sounding ten times louder than her original call had been.
Renee thought someone had landed close enough on the stairs for her to reach out and touch them, but as she did, the figure dissolved and let out a maniacle yell.
Was this it? Was this the end for her? Would no one come for her? Did Renee even exist any more, or had she become just another nameless, faceless phantom, doomed to be here forever, isolated in this vast mad echoing expanse like the others, ignored by all others? She hadn't been able to make out a single communication among all of these voices, everyone sounded as alone and mournful as she felt, and no one was answering them. Why were none of these voices acknowledging each other and answering back? Everyone seemed to be calling out for something, and no one was being answered except by their own eerie repeating echo.
Desperate, she tried something. "Abracadabra!" she yelled.
About five Renees answered her.
Some voice made angry sounds that could've passed for cursing in the distance.
Renee tried something else. She began singing a favorite song of hers.
She had only gotten through the first few lines and had to stop, because at least ten Renees echoed back. It took a long time for the din to die away.
No matter how Kari-Lynn called, stumbled around, tried to will herself back into her own kitchen, nothing worked.
Out of hope at last, she sat down on the stairs and started crying. She couldn't tell if this was madness or hell.
The staircase jiggled and gave way beneath her.
Renee hollered as she started floating down into the strange, liquid-like, haunted abyss. It no longer looked like the basement at all, except for that window, the only source of light.
This ordeal went on and on, and Kari-Lynn realized there was simply no way out, no matter what she tried, and how she wished things were different. No way out. This was a vast expanse of deep, dark, cold, uncaring space that swallowed up anyone it could suck in, and there was no return to where anyone had been before.
No more human contact for either Kari-Lynn or Renee. Nothing but this endless nightmare, with their own echoes reminding them how alone they were and always would be, and other voices echoing without acknowledging them.