🎵厄舍府的倒塌 Episode 7 封閉的東翼 | The Fall of the House of Usher Episode 7: The Sealed East Wing

神秘房間消失後，敘事者開始懷疑厄舍府本身正在改變。羅德里克始終避談宅邸東翼，甚至警告任何人不得靠近。然而每到深夜，那個被封閉數十年的地方，總會傳來微弱燈光與低沉呼吸聲，彷彿仍有人居住其中。

After the impossible room vanishes without a trace, the narrator realizes that Usher House itself refuses to obey reality. Roderick forbids anyone from approaching the mansion’s sealed eastern wing, yet every night faint lights appear behind its locked windows. Something—or someone—still waits inside the forgotten halls.

中文

清晨的霧氣依舊籠罩整座厄舍府。昨夜那間消失的房間始終揮之不去，我甚至開始懷疑自己的記憶是否正在被這座宅邸慢慢扭曲。早餐時，我試探性向羅德里克提起那本艾蓮娜的日記。然而他的臉色瞬間變得蒼白，手中的茶杯微微顫抖。他沉默許久，只說了一句：「有些地方，不應該被再次發現。」說完便起身離開餐廳。我望著他的背影，心中的疑問愈發強烈。午後，我獨自在宅邸四處探索。走過漫長的走廊時，我意外發現地板上的灰塵出現一道拖曳痕跡，像是有人最近才搬動過沉重家具。痕跡一路延伸至東翼入口。那裡矗立著一道厚重鐵門，門上纏繞著數條生鏽鐵鍊，還掛著一把巨大黃銅鎖。門框刻滿奇怪符號，有些地方甚至被人重新釘上木板，像是害怕裡面的東西逃出來。我正仔細觀察時，身後忽然傳來低沉聲音。「不要靠近。」我回頭，只見羅德里克站在長廊另一端。他的神情比任何時候都更加嚴肅。「東翼早在三十年前便封閉。」他說。我問原因。他只是搖頭。「那裡沒有任何值得看的東西。」然而就在他轉身離去時，我卻聽見鐵門後方傳來極輕的敲擊聲。咚……咚……咚……羅德里克的腳步瞬間停住。他沒有回頭，只是握緊拳頭，低聲說：「不要回答它。」當晚，我始終無法入睡。午夜過後，我再次聽見那串不存在的腳步聲。它沒有像上次一樣引領我前往陌生房間，而是一路走向東翼。我遲疑片刻，還是跟了上去。走廊比平日更加昏暗，油燈忽明忽暗，像隨時會熄滅。腳步聲停在鐵門前，隨即完全消失。我望向那把巨大門鎖，竟發現它微微晃動，彷彿有人正從另一側輕輕轉動。下一秒，門縫裡透出一道微弱燈光。我貼近鐵門，小心朝縫隙望去。黑暗長廊深處，一盞煤油燈正慢慢移動。燈光後方站著一道人影。他身穿古老黑色長袍，背對著我，緩慢向東翼深處走去。我用力眨眼，希望看清對方容貌。然而那道人影竟在轉角前忽然停下。他沒有回頭，卻慢慢抬起右手，像是在示意我跟隨。就在我愣神之際，一隻冰冷手掌忽然搭上我的肩膀。我嚇得猛然回頭，竟是瑪德琳。她依舊面色蒼白，沒有任何表情。「不要進去。」她第一次主動對我說話。她的聲音虛弱得像風中細語。「為什麼？」我問。瑪德琳沒有回答，只是望向鐵門，眼神流露出深深恐懼。「那裡不是東翼。」她低聲說。「那是另一個家。」說完，她緩緩離去，身影很快消失在長廊盡頭。我再次望向鐵門，燈光已經熄滅，一切恢復黑暗。然而就在我準備離開時，黃銅鎖竟自行掉落在地。沉重鎖鏈發出刺耳金屬碰撞聲。鐵門緩緩打開一道縫隙。一股混雜霉味與腐朽木材氣息的冷風吹了出來。我猶豫許久，終究推開了那扇封閉數十年的大門。門後並不是我想像中的廢棄走廊。映入眼簾的，是一條乾淨得近乎詭異的長廊。牆上的壁燈全部亮著，地毯沒有絲毫灰塵，就像仍有人每天細心打掃。走廊兩旁懸掛著從未見過的厄舍家族肖像。奇怪的是，畫中人物全部沒有五官，只剩下一張張空白臉孔。我一步步向前走去。忽然，一扇房門自動打開。房間裡傳來孩子的笑聲。我慢慢探頭望去，只見幾名穿著十九世紀服飾的小孩正在玩耍。他們似乎完全沒有察覺我的存在。然而當其中一名孩子慢慢抬起頭時，我全身血液幾乎凝固。那孩子沒有眼睛。空洞的眼窩正直直望向門口。下一秒，整條長廊所有房門同時打開，無數雙空洞眼窩一起轉向我。遠方忽然傳來羅德里克驚恐的呼喊。「快出來！」我猛然回頭，只見鐵門正在緩緩關閉，而身後那些孩子，已經一步一步朝我走來。

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English Version

Morning arrived beneath another blanket of heavy mist, but daylight offered little comfort inside Usher House. The impossible chamber I had discovered the previous night lingered in my thoughts, leaving me uncertain whether my memories could still be trusted. During breakfast I cautiously mentioned Elena’s journal to Roderick. The color immediately drained from his face. His trembling hands tightened around his teacup before he quietly replied that certain places were never meant to be found again. Without another word, he left the room. Later that afternoon I wandered through the mansion alone. Near the eastern corridor I noticed fresh drag marks crossing the dusty floor, as though something massive had recently been moved. The trail ended before an enormous iron door wrapped in rusted chains and secured by a heavy brass lock. Strange symbols had been carved into the surrounding stone, while wooden planks reinforced parts of the entrance as if someone feared what remained behind it. As I examined the markings, Roderick’s voice echoed through the hallway, warning me not to come any closer. He explained that the eastern wing had been sealed for more than thirty years and insisted there was nothing worth seeing beyond the door. Yet just as he turned away, three slow knocks echoed from the opposite side of the iron barrier. Roderick froze. Without looking back, he whispered a single warning. Whatever answered from beyond that door, I must never answer it in return. Sleep proved impossible that night. Shortly after midnight, the invisible footsteps returned. This time they led directly toward the sealed entrance. Following them through the silent corridors, I reached the iron door just as the footsteps vanished. To my astonishment, the brass lock trembled slightly, as though unseen hands were turning it from within. A faint glow slipped through the narrow gap beneath the door. Peering inside, I saw a lantern moving slowly through the darkness. A tall figure dressed in black walked away from me without ever revealing its face. Just before disappearing around a distant corner, it raised one hand, silently inviting me to follow. A sudden touch upon my shoulder nearly stopped my heart. Madeline stood behind me. For the first time since my arrival, she spoke directly to me. Her voice was barely stronger than a whisper. She begged me not to enter. When I asked why, she stared at the sealed doorway with unmistakable fear and quietly replied that it was not truly the eastern wing. It was another home entirely. Moments later she vanished into the darkness. Before I could decide what to do, the brass lock crashed onto the floor by itself. The chains loosened, and the massive door slowly creaked open. Cold air carrying the scent of damp wood drifted outward. Beyond the entrance stretched not an abandoned hallway but one that appeared perfectly maintained. Every lamp burned brightly. The carpets were spotless. It looked as though people still lived there every day. Portraits lined the walls, yet every painted face was blank, stripped of all features. As I advanced deeper inside, a nearby door slowly opened. Children’s laughter echoed from within. Curious, I looked inside and saw several young children dressed in nineteenth-century clothing playing together. They ignored my presence completely. Then one child lifted its head. Where eyes should have been, only empty sockets stared toward the doorway. Instantly every door along the corridor swung open. More children stepped into the hall, each bearing the same featureless face. Their empty gazes fixed upon me as they began walking forward together. At that exact moment, Roderick’s terrified voice thundered from somewhere beyond the closing iron door. He shouted for me to get out while I still could. I turned toward the exit, but the entrance was already beginning to seal itself shut.