The Pink House

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Chapter 4 – The Gate That Doesn’t Close

“…now you cannot leave.”

The girl’s voice echoed through the broken mirror hall.

Navya’s grip on my hand tightened painfully.

“Let’s get out of this hell, damn it!” she whispered, her voice shaking.

My heart was pounding so loudly I could barely hear anything else.

The girl didn’t move.

She just stood there at the end of the hallway, her long hair covering her face, her body completely still.

But something felt wrong.

She wasn’t walking toward us…

Yet she was getting closer.

Step by step.

Without moving.

“Don’t look at her,” I whispered to Navya.

We slowly started stepping back.

Behind us, the broken mirrors crunched under our feet.

Then suddenly—

All the pigeons outside started screaming at once.

A loud, chaotic sound filled the palace.

Flap! Flap! Flap!

Navya covered her ears.

“What is happening?!”

Before I could answer, the small pigeon from before flew toward us again.

Its black eyes looked desperate.

“You must go back… now…” it whispered.

“Back where?!” I asked.

“The pink house… it is the gate…” it said quickly.

“The gate doesn’t stay open for long…”

My breath stopped.

“If it closes… you will belong here forever.”

Navya looked at me in panic.

“We’re going NOW,” she said.

We turned and ran.

Through the dark hall.

Past the silent pigeons.

Down a long corridor that seemed longer than before.

The palace began to shake.

Dust fell from the ceiling.

Somewhere behind us—

The girl laughed.

A soft, broken sound.

“You cannot escape…”

We ran faster.

At the end of the corridor—

A faint pink light appeared.

“The house!” Navya shouted.

The pink door stood there… glowing in the darkness.

Half open.

Slowly closing.

“No no no—RUN!” I yelled.

We sprinted toward it.

The gap became smaller.

And smaller.

Just as we were about to reach—

A cold hand grabbed my ankle.

I fell hard onto the floor.

Navya turned back.

“Get up!!”

I looked behind me.

The girl was right there.

Closer than ever before.

Her hair slowly lifted…

And for the first time—

We saw her face.

Not empty.

Not normal.

It looked like it was made of shadows moving inside skin.

Her voice came from everywhere at once:

“If I leave this place… I will take your world.”

Navya grabbed my hand and pulled me with all her strength.

We jumped forward—

Straight through the pink door.

We crashed onto the ground.

Silence.

Fresh air.

The village.

The pink house stood behind us.

Still.

Quiet.

As if nothing ever happened.

Navya was breathing heavily.

“We made it…” she said.

But something felt wrong.

Very wrong.

From inside the house…

A soft sound came.

Zip.

Then another.

Zip.

I slowly turned toward the door.

And froze.

A pigeon walked out of the pink house.

Its eyes—

Completely black.

And behind it…

A shadow moved.

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