Our Neighbor's beauty secret // Hive Buzz Halloween contest

Our neighbor's beauty secret

In the sleepy town of Hollow's Reach, everyone is captivated by the beauty of the cryptic old woman who lives on the outskirts of the town.

Her age was a puzzle, though people couldn't help but spread rumors that she was a witch because she was well past eighty-five, yet her skin glowed and looked flawless, and her eyes sparkled with unearthly attraction. Even the youngest women in Hollow's Reach felt cheated whenever they saw her around the street.

Some insist she must be a witch, while others claim she must have a secret lotion or enchanted cream to maintain her youthful facade.

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This Halloween, three nosy siblings—Olivia, Vivian, and Bryan—decided to reveal her secret. Growing up next door to this mysterious old woman, they'd always felt an inexplicable lure toward the woman's home.

This time they plan to put an end to the rumors about the mysterious woman. With the commitment and a little alarmed by the danger that might be ahead, they came up with a plan. Bryan is the bravest and smartest among the three siblings. He came up with a good plan; he would sneak in first to ensure the old woman would be asleep. Then Olivia and Vivian would join him to search for anything suspicious.

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At midnight, as Hollow's Reach celebrated Halloween under a spectral full moon, the three siblings sneaked into the old woman's house. Everything was so quiet, and scents of subtle florals hung in the air. They carefully checked every room in the house, but nothing suspicious was found and they could felt they are in for a trick or treat. To their surprise, the mysterious woman was also nowhere to be found.

The silence was alarming, and out of disappointment, they were about to give up and leave when Vivian's gaze landed on a framed picture hanging on the wall. The other siblings followed her gaze to see a beautiful haunting painting of the mysterious old woman. Her eyes were captivatingly vibrant. Lured to it, Vivian reached out, unable to resist the strange urge of the frame. She barely touched it when it fell from the wall, shattering on the floor. The noise echoed so loudly through the house, sending sheering to the siblings, fear prickling at their skin. With the fear of not getting caught, they immediately try to arrange the room and cover up the mess they have created. Just about doing that, they noticed a small door hidden behind the wall where the frame had fallen from. The door seemed so strange and looked untouched for decades.

Bryan embraced his fear and twisted the round lock on the door; it opened with a loud groan. They looked at each other with a questioning gaze about who went in first.

Vivian and Olivia pushed Bryan. He first took shaky breaths and then entered the dark passageway beyond the door.

The deeper they went, the more tense the atmosphere became. Soft murmurs floated through the air, and distant voices and gentle, hushed tones coming from somewhere below gave them goosebumps. Out of fear they couldn't continue to go further, and they all agreed to turn back, but just immediately after they made the decision, they heard a loud sound as if something heavy was approaching them. Well, to their surprise, a heavy, big stone full of flames was approaching them very fast with heavy speed. They all screamed and ran away.

They ran for a while, praying to be rescued from their dilemma. As if someone were hearing their prayer and wanted to grant them their wish, the loud sound stopped, and they halted in their tracks. They looked behind them and looked at each other; surprisingly, the flaming stone was gone. They became so happy, and just when they thought they could go back home all that happened would be over. Suddenly a heavy stone wall slid into place behind them, sealing off their escape.

Trapped, frustrated, and terrified, they had no other choice than to go in the direction that seemed the only way for them. Just when they thought there might be hope for them to survive from these problems. Olivia noticed the ground was a bit slippery, and before she could utter a word to the others, they all fell to the ground and rolled on each other to an unknown destination. They tried effortlessly to stand up but all in vain until everything went back to normal. The ground was back to its normal state again, but they were too exhausted to stand up.

They look so exhausted and scared to there Borns, but at the same time, they are trying to get information about where they find themselves presently. Suddenly the room became bright, with red candles in every corner of the cave and shelves lined with jars.

Each jar contains something supernatural. A beating heart was found in one jar, and a lock of hair was also found in another jar. But there was a larger jar that caught their attention. This jar is the largest, just in the center of the room. As they approached, the jar suddenly flashed a ray of light, almost blinding their view, but as nosy as they could be, they tried to look further to know the content of the jar.

The content of the jar seemed to take the form of a woman's face, only much younger and somehow frightening. Suddenly her eyes blinked open, staring directly at them and her voice filled the room; she started whispering some strange words that seemed like curses and dark magic.

The three siblings do not need a seer to tell them the secret of their neighbor's beauty.

At this point, they took to their hills to escape, but it was too late for them. Anyone who trespasses into that cave can never make it out, and suddenly, strange hands from different angles of the cave catch them in time, and darkness takes over.

They have now because part of the old woman's portion is to make her more beautiful. They are now trapped in a place where beauty comes out at the highest cost.

Till today no one knows the mystery about the Three missing siblings. And the old woman keeps glowing flawlessly.