Welcome to the home of Morrigaine de’Lovecraft, a deceased Krath Sorceress who was said to collect some of the more...esoteric of objects. Her last years she was said to have become a recluse, never leaving the house. Both buildings on either side have been vacant for as long as she lived there, and the hundred years she’s been dead. Families that have tried to move in have either packed up and left overnight, or have gone missing within forty-eight hours. Everyone you’ve spoken to about this mansion claims the home is haunted, if not cursed. Your goal is to find an old, square puzzle box of immense, if unknown, power. It is said to be in the guts of the house.

You are trapped inside of the mansion due to a barrier that cuts off any means of escape. This barrier creates a telepathic resonance that will grow higher in pitch and strength until it begins by causing your ears to bleed and you will eventually perish. In smaller words: “The force field WILL kill you if you ‘play with it’.” Because it wasn’t there when you entered, it is obviously controlled from the inside. If you want to escape, find a way to shut down this barrier.

Tell your story in a minimum word count of 500 words; there is no maximum word count. The top three entries will be decided in accordance with the current fiction grading rubric. Clusters of Ice will be awarded upon completion of this competition.