Off the beaten path to a nearby town, there is an old abandoned cottage; the trail to it is long overgrown with weeds and brambles. It’s nearly completely forgotten by the citizens of said village. The house itself is even more unkempt than the path to it. The wood is old, chipped, and moldy.
Mildew and dust permeates the inside air, so much so it feels like my airways are constricting and struggling to breathe properly. It feels as if the mold and decay take up a solid and daunting presence. The building was deserted by it’s inhabitants some time ago, but it’s recently been reinstated by what people claim to be a tiny man creature.
Sightings of a smallish, gnarled man scuttling the around the area of said house have been reported. No further action has taken place since the man has done no harm, other than some noise complaints and the occasional garbled yells to anyone who passes by. Quite frankly, the city has bigger issues to attend to then some lunatic in the woods. He is said to speak in an odd amalgamation of accents and broken common tongue.
Upon further examination to the cottage, which I did while the supposed “thing” was out, the inside rooms are trashed. Though, the line is blurred between what is the small beings doing and what is just weathering from the elements. Furniture is turned over and broken, most doors have either rotten and/or fallen off their hinges, and huge scratch marks litter various surfaces. A few notable mentions of such marks miraculously appear on the ceiling in what looks to be a crude drawing of many small stick figures around a sphere with nasty teeth. Another sphere sits a ways away from the first drawing and has one imposing eye on it that mimics a cyclops.
The room that is most organized, if you can even call it that, is what appears to be an old study room. The candles look recently burned, and has much less of a chaotic look. The desk, while old and looking near to collapsing, is actually upright, along with a worn, cloth chair and a makeshift booster seat made of books. It appears some ounce of effort has been made in keeping this room habitable.
Speaking of books, this old study has many opened ones on the floorspace to what seems to be random pages, some looking to have pages ripped out violently. Weird scribbles cover the margins on them. There is a great mound of papers in the corner arranged as a nest of sorts. It reminds me of how children build leaf piles during autumn. All the pages in the pile have pictures and words, but that is so far the only link I can distinguish between them.
Ink and loose scraps of paper also litter the area. However, these papers aren’t ripped from books. It seems the small man has found, or obtained by questionable means, some stationary and ink quills. Random things are written down, but a couple words are repeated almost like a mantra or incantation. They’re etched over and over on the papers, walls, and any surface that could be written on. The words are haphazardly scrawled, with some over lapping to the point of being unintelligible.
Most random words have a picture and are only scribbled on paper, not on the floor boards. For instance, one paper I found has “cat” on it with the most deplorable handwriting imaginable. Accompanying the horrid excuse for the common alphabet is a sketch of a feline and a book page with a picture depicting a cat. I believe it was from an old children’s book that teaches basic writing and reading abilities.
For the more… unusual words there no picture beside them. They are written on any and every flat surface. The words are written again and again so many times they overlay, thus creating grooves in the wood. I couldn’t decipher what was being repeated until I took a closer look at the desk.
The words “GNOME”, “FATHER”, and “PUNTY” are written at the top in the best penmanship I’ve seen in this house. It may even rivals that of a cartographer. To what this has to do with the odd state of the house and old man sightings, I have no idea. I’ve never heard of gnome behavior like this.
I’ve had my fill of satisfaction coming here. [Name Redacted], I know you told me not to meddle with the small man’s affairs, but I could not help myself. Nothing happens in this mundane town, and I feel passing up an opportunity for adventure is a waste. I’ve explored and will come back safely. With me, I will bring an entry if my findings and a big, fat “I told you so”.
((This is where the entry ends. Next to it is a letter))
[Name Redacted],
It’s been days since I have been to the deserted shack. The things I saw there still haunt my subconscious. What could they mean? Who is that man creature? What use for writing do they have? What did the ceiling drawings depict?
My dearest sister, these are the questions that keep me up at night. You were right; I should not have pried into business that wasn’t mine. Seeking the answers only lead to more question; questions whose answers I fear. It is with a heavy heart that I must tell you I’m leaving this small village we’ve lived all our lives in.
By the time you received this letter, I will already be a good days trip from here. Please, do not try to contact me. I fear the unknown about this man will lead me to madness. Whatever you do [Name Redacted], leave that ungodly house alone, and run at the first signs of trouble.
I don’t know why or how, but I have a feeling the man knows I was there. I feel like a young child caught stealing an extra sweet. I know I have no reason to fear or suspect it of anything. The creature has done no harm to anyone who has come across it, but it’s just so uncanny that I can’t help but be paranoid of it. I feel eyes on me at all times, even while I am writing this. If that thing is after me now, I don’t want you getting drawn into my mess.
Though we will have miles between us, my dear twin, we will never really be apart.
Forever yours,
[Name Redacted]
(( Meanwhile, Punty is picking his nose with a stick he found and is trying to hit bees out of the air with his projectile boogers. He also tripped into a river bed and almost drowned because he forgot he could stand.))