The Prahran House

Elara’s heart raced as she clutched the keys to the Victorian house. Today, she was in Prahran. The town’s atmosphere was different; the townspeople’s smiles were now tight-lipped, their gazes penetrating.

This is it, she thought. Today I change everything.

She had the conveyancing solicitors for residential property handle the paperwork at lightning speed the previous day, and now she needed to sleep in the house.

She tried to make her way, but the townspeople seemed intent on delaying her. Mrs Palmer, the baker, blocked her path, thrusting a pie in her hands, while Mr Wilkins, the mailman, insisted on recounting a never-ending story.

She felt the seconds slipping away and with a burst of adrenaline, she broke free from the crowd.

As she approached the house, a chilling wind swept through, making the shadows dance around her. The letter she had received the previous day burned in her pocket.

Elara unlocked the door, her heart pounding in her chest. The air was thick, almost awaiting her arrival.

As the night deepened, she finally laid down on an ancient bed, draped with linens that smelled of memories and yesteryears.

This is for all those who were trapped here, she whispered to the room, clutching the letter close to her heart.

As she drifted off, the whispers of the past surrounded her, thanking her, guiding her.

The next morning, Elara’s eyes opened to the golden light of dawn. She felt it! The loop was broken. She hurried to the window, but something was amiss. The sign at the town entrance now read ‘Welcome to Burwood’.

The loop might be broken for her, but the town was still shifting.

She glanced at the letter in her hands, her resolve hardening.

In this house, I am free. Now it’s time to free the town.

She began exploring her new home, the whispers guiding her. Whatever was causing this, she would put an end to it. There was a conveyancing firm close to Prahran that helped her achieve this, and she was forever grateful. They were just regular people in this cursed down. She would do everything in her power to break the curse and free the citizens of whatever town it turned out to be tomorrow.

For them, and for me.