In the heart of the lonely English countryside sat Coldridge Manor, a grand yet eerie mansion that had stood untouched for decades. The locals spoke of it only in whispers, sharing tales of ghostly apparitions and mysterious sounds that echoed through its halls. Coldridge was a place where shadows seemed to dance of their own accord, and where time itself appeared frozen, trapping the memories of its dark past.

Young and eager, Emily Wright had just graduated with a degree in architecture. She had heard of Coldridge from her university mentor, who suggested it could be the perfect project for her budding career. Restoring such a historic building would certainly be challenging, but she found the idea irresistible.

Arriving at the manor on a crisp autumn morning, Emily found the air thick with the scent of damp leaves and decay. The skies were overcast, casting an oppressively grey light over the landscape. She stood at the wrought iron gates, hesitating for a moment as she felt a shiver race down her spine.

“Pull yourself together, Emily,” she muttered, pushing the old gates open with a creak and stepping inside.

The manor loomed over her, its stone façade darkened by years of neglect. Vines clung to the walls like skeletal fingers, and broken windows gaped like empty eyes. Emily couldn’t help but feel like an intruder in someone else’s world.

After surveying the outside, she stepped through the grand wooden door, its hinges groaning with a sound that echoed through the vast emptiness. Dust floated like tiny spectres in the air as she walked down the central corridor. The silence inside was heavy; every creak of floorboards and rustle of leaves felt amplified.

She stopped in front of a large portrait in the drawing-room. It depicted a stern-looking man with piercing eyes. “Lord Hargrove,” she read beneath the painting. He was the last owner of the manor and, according to legend, a notorious miser who met a mysterious end.

As she turned away, Emily thought she heard a whisper, just the wind, she told herself. She shook off the unease creeping over her and moved upstairs. The second floor was in worse condition. The wallpaper was peeling, and the floorboards were worn. She had begun to make notes when something caught her eye. Down the hallway, a door stood ajar, though Emily was certain everything had been closed.

Curiosity piqued, she approached, her footsteps echoing. The room beyond was a library, shelves filled with dusty tomes and the air tinged with the musty scent of old paper. Suddenly, there was a loud thud behind her; she spun around, heart racing, only to find a single book had fallen off the shelf.

“Only the wind,” Emily assured herself again, yet uneasiness gnawed at her resolve. When she placed the book back, she noticed a peculiar thing, the wall behind it was different. Upon closer inspection, she found an outline of a door hidden seamlessly amongst the shelving.

Her pulse quickened; a secret passageway? Intrigued, she pushed against it, and with a reluctant groan, the hidden door swung open. Cold air rushed out, carrying the scent of earth and something metallic. The narrow staircase beyond spiralled down into darkness.

Armed with only her phone’s torch, she ventured into the unknown. Each step echoed ominously, resonating with a history that she could almost feel. She stepped cautiously, her nerves fraying with each creak.

Reaching the bottom, she found a cellar, ancient and cluttered with forgotten relics. In the centre was an old wooden chest, its lock broken and the lid slightly ajar. A wave of cold air seemed to seep from it, making the hairs on her arms stand.

Inside, Emily found nothing but a dusty bundle of letters bound with a ribbon. Her trembling fingers untied it, revealing the last writings of Lord Hargrove himself. They spoke of guilt and madness, of betrayal by a close friend, and a forbidden ritual meant to preserve his legacy at any cost. His final words were a plea, to anyone who found the letters, to end the curse that bound him to the manor.

As she read, the temperature dropped sharply, and she sensed a presence around her. A gust of wind blew through the cellar, extinguishing her light. In the pitch black, she heard the whisper again, clearer this time, a name, her name.

Fighting panic, Emily backed towards the stairs, clutching the letters. She had seen enough. As she stumbled back into the light of the manor, she could hear an echoing chorus of whispers fading behind her.

Fleeing Coldridge Manor, Emily understood the burden she now carried. The manor stood as a testament to Lord Hargrove’s folly, untouched and haunted by the past. And she, its unwitting discoverer, now had the chance to break its curse, or become another whisper in its halls.

---

Vocabulary Notes

Eerie
Definition: Strange and frightening.
Example: “In the heart of the lonely English countryside sat Coldridge Manor, a grand yet eerie mansion…”
Similar Words: Creepy, spooky, unsettling.

Neglect
Definition: Failure to care for something properly.
Example: “The manor loomed over her, its stone façade darkened by years of neglect.”
Similar Words: Abandonment, disrepair, deterioration.

Apparition
Definition: A ghost or ghost-like image of a person.
Example: “The locals spoke of it only in whispers, sharing tales of ghostly apparitions and mysterious sounds…”
Similar Words: Phantom, spectre, spirit.

Façade
Definition: The front of a building, especially an imposing or decorative one.
Example: “The manor loomed over her, its stone façade darkened by years of neglect.”
Similar Words: Front, exterior, frontage.

Intrigued
Definition: Very interested in something because it seems strange or mysterious.
Example: “Her pulse quickened; a secret passageway? Intrigued, she pushed against it…”
Similar Words: Curious, interested, fascinated.

Echo
Definition: A sound that is reflected off a surface and heard again.
Example: “Her footsteps echoing down the hallway.”
Similar Words: Reverberate, resound, ring.

Decade
Definition: A period of ten years.
Example: “…a grand yet eerie mansion that had stood untouched for decades.”
Similar Words: Ten years, decennium.

Piqued
Definition: Stimulated interest or curiosity.
Example: “Curiosity piqued, she approached, her footsteps echoing.”
Similar Words: Raised, aroused, awakened.

Fraying
Definition: To gradually become weak or impaired.
Example: “…her nerves fraying with each creak.”
Similar Words: Unravelling, wearing, weakening.

Reluctant
Definition: Unwilling and hesitant.
Example: “…the hidden door swung open with a reluctant groan.”
Similar Words: Hesitant, unwilling, resistant.

Story written by Google Gemini 2.0 AI

Image created by DALLE 3 AI

Hello this is Steve. If you enjoyed the story, please would you take the time to leave a meaningful comment and click on the like icon. If you want to know when the next story has been uploaded, please click on the notify bell icon to be notified. If you haven’t already, please subscribe to my channel and tell your English learning friends, so they can benefit too. Thank you.

CC Music: Drifting at 432 Hz – Unicorn Heads

#british short stories #learning english #english speaking #english speaking practice #english reading #english reading practice #reading english #ielts listening #english listening practice #short story #story time #english reading