The orphanage stood in eerie silence at the edge of town, shrouded in a thick mist that clung to the walls like the hands of ghosts. It was an old, towering structure, once built for children without homes, but now, its occupants were anything but innocent.

The townspeople whispered about the place, about the strange figures that could be seen through the barred windows, the grown adults who never left, who never seemed to age.

Carter had heard the rumors. He had always dismissed them as urban legends, tales meant to frighten people away from the desolate building. But now, standing at the front gates, he wasn't so sure. The metal gate creaked as he pushed it open, and his footsteps echoed ominously on the cracked stone path leading to the front door.

It had been his sister who had disappeared into the orphanage ten years ago. Ella had only been twenty-three when she vanished, leaving no trace behind.

There were whispers that she had been seen entering the orphanage, but no one had dared go after her. And in all that time, no one had ever seen her again.

Until recently.

A week ago, Carter had received a letter. The handwriting was unmistakable---Ella's delicate script, the one she had used when writing postcards during her travels. The letter had been brief, almost cryptic:

"Come to the orphanage. I need your help. Don't tell anyone."

That was all.

No explanation, no signature, but he knew it was from her. And now, standing before the heavy wooden doors of the orphanage, Carter felt a chill crawl down his spine. He wasn't sure what he would find inside, but he had no choice.

He had to find Ella.

With a deep breath, he knocked.

The door swung open almost immediately, and a woman in her fifties appeared, wearing a faded dress and a vacant expression. Her hair was tied in pigtails, like a child’'s, and there was something unsettling about the way she stared at him, her eyes wide and unblinking.

"Can I help you?" she asked, her voice unnervingly high-pitched, as if she were imitating a young girl.

Carter cleared his throat, trying to keep his voice steady. "I'm looking for my sister. Her name is Ella. She came here years ago."

The woman blinked rapidly, as though trying to process his words, then suddenly smiled, a toothy grin that didn't reach her eyes. "Oh, we have lots of sisters here! Lots of girls to play with! Come in, come in!"

She grabbed his hand, her grip surprisingly strong, and pulled him inside before he could protest. The door slammed shut behind him, and Carter was plunged into darkness.

The air inside was thick, damp, and smelled faintly of mildew. His eyes struggled to adjust to the dim light, but he could hear movement around him---whispers, shuffling footsteps, and the occasional giggle.

"Welcome to our home!" the woman chirped, her voice echoing in the cavernous hallway. "I'm Lucy, and I'll be your new friend!"

Carter swallowed, unease building in his chest. "I'm not here to stay. I just need to find my sister."

Lucy’s smile faltered, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Oh, but everyone stays, silly. Once you’re here, you're part of the family. We all stay."

Her words sent a cold shiver down Carter's spine, but before he could respond, he heard a familiar voice from the shadows.

"Carter?"

He turned sharply, his heart leaping into his throat. There, standing at the end of the hall, was Ella. She looked almost the same as she had ten years ago---her auburn hair tied in loose pigtails, her eyes wide and filled with something Carter couldn't quite place.

But there was something wrong.

Her clothes were childish, a frilly dress that looked like it belonged on a doll, and her expression was distant, almost vacant.

"Ella," Carter whispered, taking a step toward her. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

She didn't move, didn't smile. She just stared at him, her hands clasped tightly in front of her. "You shouldn't have come," she said softly. "It's not safe for you here."

"What are you talking about? I got your letter. I came to help you."

Ella's eyes flicked to Lucy, who was still standing beside Carter, her smile now eerily calm.

"We're all children here," Ella said, her voice flat. "We have to be. Otherwise, it… it won't let us go."

Carter frowned. "What won't let you go? Ella, we can leave together. I can get you out of here."

But Ella shook her head. "No one leaves, Carter. Not really. You don't understand. The orphanage… it's alive. It feeds on us, on our memories, our identities. That's why we act like children. It's the only way to survive."

Carter's mind raced. "This is insane. We can escape. There's no way this place can hold us forever."

"It's not that simple," Ella said, her voice trembling. "Once you step inside, you belong to the orphanage. It changes you. It takes away who you are, piece by piece, until all that’s left is… this." She gestured to her dress, her childish appearance. "We have to act like children. If we don't… it will take us completely."

Lucy giggled beside him, clapping her hands like a child. "Playtime never ends here!"

Carter felt a wave of nausea wash over him. "There has to be a way out. There has to be."

Ella's eyes filled with tears. "I thought the same thing when I first came here. But there's no escape, Carter. The orphanage won't let us go."

Carter refused to believe it. He grabbed Ella's hand, his grip firm. "I'm not leaving without you. We'll find a way."

Ella's hand was cold in his, and for a moment, she looked at him with something like hope. But then, her expression darkened, and she pulled her hand away.

"You don't understand," she whispered. "It's already too late. You've been marked. Just like the rest of us."

Carter froze, his mind spinning. "What are you talking about?"

But before Ella could answer, a low rumble shook the walls of the orphanage, and the lights flickered overhead. The air grew colder, and the whispers that had been faint before now grew louder, more insistent.

"They're coming," Ella said, her voice trembling. "The others. They know you're here."

Carter turned toward the darkened hallway, where shadows seemed to move on their own. Figures emerged from the gloom---adults, all of them dressed in strange, childlike clothing, their faces twisted in eerie smiles. They moved slowly, deliberately, their eyes fixed on Carter.

"We have a new friend!" one of them giggled, their voice high and childish. "He's going to stay with us forever!"

Carter's heart pounded in his chest. He had to get out. He had to get Ella out. But the figures were closing in, their footsteps echoing on the cold stone floor. He backed away, pulling Ella with him, but she resisted, her eyes filled with fear.

"I told you," she whispered. "It's too late."

The figures surrounded them, their smiles growing wider, more unnatural. Carter felt a chill run down his spine as their cold hands reached for him, their laughter filling his ears.

And then, the world went black.

***

When Carter opened his eyes, he was sitting on the floor of a dimly lit room, his back against a wall. His head throbbed, and his vision was blurry.

For a moment, he couldn't remember where he was or how he had gotten there. But then, slowly, the memories came flooding back---the orphanage, Ella, the adults pretending to be children.

He blinked, trying to clear his vision, and looked around. The room was small, with faded wallpaper and a single window, barred from the outside. Toys were scattered across the floor, and in the corner, a rocking horse creaked back and forth on its own.

And then he saw her---Ella, sitting in the corner, her knees drawn up to her chest, her eyes vacant.

"Ella?" he whispered, his voice hoarse.

She didn't respond. She just sat there, staring at the wall, as if she were somewhere far away.

Carter struggled to his feet, his body aching. He crossed the room and knelt beside her, gently placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Ella, please. We have to get out of here."

But she didn't move, didn't even blink. It was as if she couldn't hear him, couldn't see him.

Carter felt a rising panic in his chest. He shook her gently. "Ella! Snap out of it!"

But she remained still, unresponsive.

The door to the room creaked open, and Carter looked up to see Lucy standing in the doorway, her smile as wide and unsettling as ever.

"Playtime's over," she said sweetly. "It's time to join the others."

Carter's heart raced. He glanced at Ella, then back at Lucy. "What did you do to her?"

Lucy giggled, her eyes gleaming with something dark. "She's part of the orphanage now. Just like you will be."

Carter stood, his hands clenched into fists. "I'm not staying here. I'm not playing your games."

Lucy's smile never faltered, but there was something menacing in her eyes. "You don't have a choice," she whispered. "Once you've been marked by the orphanage, it decides. And it's already decided you belong here."

Carter took a deep breath, trying to ignore the growing sense of dread. He couldn't let himself be trapped here like the others. He needed to think clearly. There had to be something different about him, something that hadn’t been completely taken yet.

He wasn't like the other adults---they were already lost, playing the part of children, but he could still feel the fear, the anger, the desperation. That meant there was still time.

"I don't belong here," he said, trying to stay calm. "And I'm taking Ella with me."

Lucy's giggle echoed in the small room. "You think you can leave? You'll see. The longer you stay, the harder it gets to remember who you were. You'll become one of us, and once you do, you won't even want to leave."

Ella was still staring vacantly at the wall, and Carter's heart ached seeing her like this. But if Lucy was right, Ella had been trapped in this place for years.

She had given in to the orphanage's will. What had she said before?

"Act like a child or it takes you."

Carter swallowed. He wasn't sure how long he had before the orphanage started taking more from him, but he couldn't waste time.

Carter decided to try a new approach. If pretending to be a child was what kept the others alive, then maybe that was the key to buying some time.

"Alright," he said slowly, forcing himself to meet Lucy's gaze. "I'll play your game."

Lucy's expression shifted, her head tilting as if she didn't believe him. "Playtime isn't a game," she said with a pout. "It's life here. Forever."

Carter knelt down next to Ella again, his voice soft as he spoke to her. "Ella, I'm sorry I didn't come for you sooner. I'm going to play along for now, but I promise, I'll get you out of here."

He doubted she could hear him, but he hoped on some level, his presence would reach her.

"Let's play hide-and-seek," Carter said, standing up and glancing back at Lucy. "Isn't that what kids do? I'll hide, and you try to find me."

Lucy clapped her hands together, delighted by the suggestion. "Oh, goodie! I love hide-and-seek!" She spun around and ran out of the room, giving Carter a few moments alone with Ella.

He knelt beside her one last time, gripping her hand. "Ella, if you can hear me, please try to hold on. I'm going to find a way."

As soon as Lucy was out of sight, Carter bolted toward the hallway, ignoring the toys scattered around him. He didn't know the layout of the orphanage, but he had to explore.

There had to be something---some clue as to how this place worked.

He moved through the hallways, pushing open doors to empty rooms filled with more unsettling childlike décor. He reached what appeared to be the main office, an old, dusty room with faded curtains. There was a filing cabinet in the corner, and he hurried to open it, rifling through the papers inside.

Most of the documents were old and crumbling, records of children long gone, some faded photos of the original orphanage staff. But at the back of the drawer, he found something more recent. A letter dated only five years ago, mentioning a "transfer program" for adults who had no family.

The more Carter read, the clearer it became. The orphanage had been deliberately taking in adults under the guise of a rehabilitation program, using their trauma and loneliness to trap them here.

Once inside, the magic of the place erased their memories and identities, reducing them to the state of children. They weren't pretending to be children---they were slowly becoming them, their adult minds eroded away by the orphanage's influence.

Carter clenched his fists. This place was feeding off their lost souls, twisting them into something unrecognizable. And Ella had been trapped here for a decade.

There was one part of the document that stood out: an old journal entry, seemingly written by one of the previous staff members.

It described how the orphanage "marked" its residents but hinted that the curse could be broken by confronting the source---the original warden of the orphanage, who had bound the place with dark magic centuries ago. It said the warden's spirit still lingered, somewhere deep within the building.

If Carter could find the warden’s spirit and destroy whatever was tying it to the orphanage, maybe---just maybe---he could free Ella and the others.

Suddenly, the sound of giggling echoed down the hall. Lucy was searching for him. He stuffed the papers into his pocket and hurried back out into the hallway, moving deeper into the building, searching for anything that could lead him to the warden's resting place.

The further he went, the colder the air became. The walls began to shift, twisting unnaturally as if the orphanage itself was alive, responding to his movements.

Carter's breath fogged in front of him as he descended into what seemed like the basement, a dark, oppressive space filled with old furniture and forgotten toys.

At the end of the room was a door, ancient and rotting. Carter's hand shook as he reached for the handle. He knew whatever was behind this door was the heart of the orphanage’s curse.

He pushed it open and stepped inside.

The room was small, almost claustrophobic, with a single figure standing in the center---a woman dressed in black, her face obscured by a veil. The air around her crackled with dark energy, and Carter knew at once that this was the warden, or what was left of her.

"You shouldn't have come here," the warden's voice rasped, low and filled with malice. "The orphanage belongs to me. All who enter belong to me."

Carter's jaw clenched. "I'm not leaving without my sister. I'm ending this."

The warden laughed, a cold, hollow sound. "You think you can break my hold? You're already mine. You'll forget yourself soon enough, just like the others."

But Carter had come too far to give in. He took a step forward, drawing the papers from his pocket, the journal entry about the warden's curse.

"I know what you are," he said. "And I know how to stop you."

The warden hissed, her form flickering like a shadow. "Foolish boy. You cannot defeat me. I am the orphanage. I am everything here."

But Carter didn't back down. He had to destroy whatever tied her spirit to this place. His eyes darted around the room, and then he saw it---an old, cracked mirror hanging on the wall, reflecting the warden's twisted form. The journal had mentioned something about a mirror, a conduit for her power.

Without hesitation, Carter grabbed the nearest object---a rusted candlestick---and hurled it at the mirror.

The glass shattered with a deafening crash, and the warden screamed, her form dissolving into smoke. The room trembled, the walls groaning as the curse began to unravel.

The darkness that had clung to the orphanage for centuries seemed to lift, and Carter could feel the oppressive weight that had been crushing him suddenly release.

He stumbled back into the hallway, gasping for air. The orphanage was still standing, but the strange, eerie atmosphere had faded.

The building was no longer alive.

Carter hurried back to the room where Ella was, hoping---praying---that she would be free.

When he found her, she was sitting up, blinking in confusion. Her eyes met his, and for the first time in a decade, there was recognition.

"Carter?" she whispered.

He rushed to her, pulling her into a tight embrace. "Ella, it's over. You're free."

She clung to him, tears streaming down her face. "I… I thought I'd never see you again."

"You're safe now," he whispered, holding her close. "We're both safe."

As they left the orphanage behind, Carter knew they would never fully forget what had happened. But for the first time in years, they had a future---one where they were finally free from the orphanage's grip.

And as the sun rose over the town, the old building stood silent and empty, its curse broken at last.

***

2.937 words.