Once, I was alone in an old, creaky house. As I walked up the stairs, a cold wind blew through the hallway even though all the windows were closed. I heard a faint whispering. My heart pounded as I realized I was the only one there. I rushed into a room and locked the door. But then, I saw a shadow slowly creeping under the door. I was too terrified to move, just waiting for whatever it was to reach me.
Well, one common element is the sense of being watched. You know, when a person is all by themselves and they feel like there are eyes on them. Also, the element of helplessness. If you're alone, there's no one to help you when something bad happens. And then there's often some sort of strange or unexplainable phenomenon, like objects moving on their own or a cold breeze when there are no open windows or doors.
Alright, here's the second half:
Three lifetimes lucky to meet a good match, three lifetimes lucky to be a couple.
This sentence meant that a person could only love one specific person and marry only once in their life. However, if the other party was truly in love, they could spend a lifetime together.
You're in an abandoned asylum. The smell of decay fills the air. You enter a room filled with old, rusty beds. As you walk further in, you notice the door shutting behind you. There's no handle on this side. Suddenly, you see a figure in the corner. It's hunched over and seems to be muttering to itself. You try to call out, but your voice catches in your throat. The figure slowly turns towards you, its eyes glowing in the dark, and you realize you're trapped with this unknown horror.
One of the earliest known authors to write a horror story was Horace Walpole. His work 'The Castle of Otranto' is often considered the first gothic novel, which contains many elements of horror. It was published in 1764.
I checked into a motel on a desolate road. The room smelled musty. As I lay in bed, I heard scratching at the window. I got up to look, but saw nothing. When I lay back down, I felt something cold touch my foot. I jumped up and turned on the light, but there was no one there. The scratching continued, and I noticed the doorknob slowly turning. I grabbed a chair and barricaded myself in the corner, praying for morning to come.
I walked into the old, creaking house. The air was thick with a musty smell. Every step I took on the warped floorboards seemed to echo like a death knell. As I entered the living room, a cold draft brushed past me. The shadows in the corner seemed to move on their own. I could feel eyes watching me from every dark corner. Suddenly, a loud bang came from upstairs. My heart raced as I slowly made my way up the rickety staircase. I knew I should leave, but something was drawing me deeper into this nightmare.
A key characteristic is the way it blurs the line between the reader and the protagonist. It makes the horror more immersive. For instance, if the story describes 'You open the door to a room filled with blood', you can't help but feel a shiver down your spine as if it's your own discovery. The second person perspective also allows for a more direct attack on the reader's psyche, making the horror more impactful.
Horace Walpole is often considered the first person to write a horror story. His work 'The Castle of Otranto' in 1764 is regarded as one of the earliest examples in the horror genre. It contains elements like the supernatural, gloomy settings, and a sense of dread that are characteristic of horror stories.
You could start by having the narrator question their sanity or sense of reality. Say, 'I thought I was losing my mind when I started hearing strange noises every night.' This creates mystery and unease right from the start.