Sunlight, weak and diluted, struggled to penetrate the grime-coated windows, rousing Jessica from a fitful sleep. The strange hum that had filled her ears the night before was gone, replaced by an unsettling silence. She sat up, taking in the unfamiliar surroundings of the grand bedroom. Dust motes danced in the pale slivers of light, illuminating the faded grandeur of the room's once opulent furnishings.
Stiffness creaked in her joints as she rose, the lingering exhaustion from her long journey settling in. She decided to explore further before attempting to tackle the monumental task of cleaning and restoring the manor.
Following the faint creak of floorboards, Jessica ventured deeper into the labyrinthine house. Each room she entered was a testament to a bygone era, filled with cobweb-laden furniture and shrouded in shadows. A faint scent of mildew hung heavy in the air, a constant reminder of the neglect the manor had endured.
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Finally, she reached a room at the end of a long corridor. Unlike the others, this one had a heavy drape drawn across the single window, plunging it into near darkness. Curiosity piqued, Jessica reached for the cord and yanked it open.
Sunlight flooded the room, revealing a large ornately framed object covered by a dusty white sheet. Assuming it was a painting, Jessica stepped closer, her hand hovering over the fabric. With a deep breath, she grasped the sheet and pulled it down.
A gasp escaped her lips. It wasn't a painting. It was a mirror, impossibly tall and wide, its surface a cloudy expanse reflecting a distorted image of the room back at her. But something else flickered within its depths, a hint of movement, a glimpse of something unseen.
Jessica frowned, her reflection wavering in the mirror's surface. Then, a flicker of movement in the corner of her vision caught her eye. She spun around, heart pounding, but the room was empty. Was it just her imagination, or had something shifted within the mirror's depths?
As she stared into the enigmatic glass, a sudden gust of wind howled through the mansion, extinguishing the single flickering candle she'd managed to light earlier. The room plunged into darkness, and in the inky blackness, Jessica could have sworn she saw a faint luminescence emanating from the mirror's surface.