The real disaster struck when I scrambled to open the door and escape, only to find the handle wouldn't budge, no matter how hard I pressed.
I assumed it was part of the game's design, so I kept at it, pushing the handle for five solid minutes. Eventually, the NPC playing the ghost couldn't watch any longer. He patted me on the shoulder and said, "Take a breather, I'll call someone to help us out."
Even the staff couldn't get the door open. They ended up having to call a locksmith to change the lock entirely.
While we waited, I huddled in a corner, wrapping my arms around myself.
The truth was, I'd always been afraid of the dark.
When I was little, I once locked myself in a room, and my parents didn't find out until they got home from work. They couldn't pry the door open, but luckily, there was a small window at the top of the old door.
A boy from next door, older than me, broke the window and pulled me out. That was how the whole mess ended.
But when he handed me over, he let go too soon, and I ended up hitting my head on the ground before my dad could catch me.
I heard that the boy cried all night after getting in trouble for it.
My mom always joked that ever since that fall, I hadn't been quite right in the head—she might as well have said I was a little slow.
Later, I worried that if I really did lose my wits, no one would want me. So, once my head healed, I went over to his house and asked him if, in the event that I did go silly, he would still marry me.
I'll never forget what he said: "I'll always take care of you."
I was proposed to as a kid, even if it was me who brought it up first.
As those memories flooded back, I found myself hugging my knees tighter.
"Lily, where are you?" Andrew's voice cut through the darkness.
"Right here!" I shouted, then quickly lowered my hand, realizing he couldn't see me in this pitch-black room.
Following my voice, Andrew settled down next to me, close enough that I could feel the warmth radiating from his body through his coat.
Suddenly, I felt a wave of unease wash over me. I instinctively wanted to shift away from Andrew to create some space between us.
But then, a blood-curdling scream pierced through the air outside, and before I could think, I clung to Andrew, burying my face in the crook of his neck.
His body stiffened, but I didn't notice. All I could think about was escaping, getting out of this place.