The House

Your attention was drawn by an unusual advertisement in the Times, outlining a competition, the prize for which was a fine house, set in its own grounds. You quickly unearthed a writing pad and an envelope and sent off the cheque for the necessary five pounds. Some time later a small brown envelope came by post, containing the keys to the house and some directions.

Reflecting upon how trusting the owner must be to hand out numerous sets of keys, not to mention how thoughtful of them it was to have the instructions printed out so neatly, you set out for the location indicated and after a train and a taxi ride arrive at the main entrance to the house. From the outside it looks quite innocuous and you wonder why someone had not won the competition before now. If only you had known what awaited you, then perhaps you would have understood why the house was still on the open market.