The house in the mountains

I was hiking through the mountains when a storm suddenly hit. The sky started pouring cats and dogs and made hiking very difficult as the ground became very slippery. I was scurrying to find shelter and to my relief, I saw a country house lying not so far in the distance. The country house was red and made out of sturdy bricks. I knocked on the door and to my surprise, an old lady dressed in yellow with an orange apron on top answered the door. “ For what pleasure do I owe you, my dear.” said the old lady. “ I was wondering if I could please seek shelter here until the rain subsides.” I replied. “Why of course you may. I’m quite lonely here and having company would be a nice change.” the old lady answered. “Thank you for having me.” I said. “Quickly come inside. I would hate to see such a beautiful and bright young woman like you catch a cold in such unpleasant weather.” added the old lady.  The inside of the house was brown and decked with brightly lit lamps. The house was very majestic, white lilies and lifelike portraits decorated the hallways, it was as if I stepped into a luxurious art museum. However as we walked down the hallway, I can't help but notice that, behind the old lady, shadows too big for her tiny body, seemed to linger behind her. These shadows seem to have a life of their own, they constantly hissed in my direction, clearly not welcoming the visit of an outsider. When I asked the old lady about these mysterious shadows, she replied “ these shadows are the previous inhabitants of this house, all of them fell in love with this place and decided to reside here after they passed on. They are not very fond of visitors as they think they will take over their lovely place, but you need not worry about them as they can cause no harm.”  We walked through the hallway and reached the living room. The living room was decorated with warm candles, antique furniture, and grand velvet chairs, it looked as if it was taken from a medieval fairy tale. The old lady proceeded to hand me some towels to dry up and offered some hot tea to me. As we sipped our tea, the lady told me her life story. Apparently, the old lady was once a renowned painter, and people from all across the country would travel great distances to this obscure mountain, to be drawn by her. However, as time went by, clients of the old lady started to notice the shadows lurking around the house and believed it to be haunted. Rumors of the shadows spread, and fewer and fewer clients were willing to come to the house. Leaving the old lady all alone with only the shadows for company. “Seeing such a charming young lady on the doorstep, was quite a pleasant surprise to me, as no one has visited this place in years.” said the old lady. Hearing the old lady's story made me realize how lonely she must have been for the past few years. Cut off from the rest of the world on these mountains, where not a single soul has visited. I asked the old lady if there was anything I could do for her, and she replied that it would be her greatest delight to paint again. I offered to be her module for her painting as it was the least I could do to repay her generous hospitality. The old lady's face glowed with joy and instantly agreed. She picked up an old and rusty paintbrush and a worn-out canvas from the corner of the living room and started to paint. As she painted, the old lady’s face was reignited with such passion, it was as if she found her long-lost friend. The old lady’s outline was rich in details, with one look you could see why people were willing to travel long distances to be drawn by her. As The old lady painted, I started to feel a bit woozy and lightheaded but paid no attention as I thought it was an aftereffect of drinking the tea. Time went on and the old lady proceeded to add an array of vibrant colors to the painting. With each stroke of the brush, the painting became more and more lifelike, it was as if life seemed to be flowing out of the brush and into the painting.  At long last, the painting was finally finished. The painting was rich in both detail and color, it was like a spitting image of me. Energy seemed to be popping off the canvas, it was as if the painting had a life of its own. I have never seen artwork so beautifully done. I was delighted to see myself painted in such a beautiful light, but when I looked down on myself, my body was no more. In the place of my body was a dark shadow. I turned to the old lady hoping for some explanation but what greeted me was a sinister smile, as if everything was going according to plan. “My dear lady, you were the finest of all my works. So full of life and energy. Now your bright nature could remain eternal in my works. What an honor it is to be forever alive through art.” crackled the old lady. I was stunned by this, the sudden shift like the kind old lady was a surprise, to say the least. I cursed my stupidity for not realizing the old lady’s true intentions earlier. If I had left when I started to feel lightheaded, things might not have turned out this way. As I looked down at my shadow and at the other shadows, our eyes met, and the realization that they were the people featured in the paintings in the hallway hit. All of us met the same grim fate at the hands of the old lady. Overcome with rage I started to lunge at the old lady, but the shadows were telling me to flee.