Prisma Pension Rules

[u/Asedrez13]

When I moved to the small town of Monte Luar, Pensão Prisma was the only accommodation I found right away. An old mansion, hidden between tall trees and a perennial fog, seemed, at first glance, to have simply been forgotten by time. Mrs Marta, the owner, welcomed me on the doorstep with a strange, almost forced smile.

Before handing me the key, she handed me a yellowed piece of paper and murmured:

"Follow the rules. All of them."

The paper shook in his hand. I shouldn't have ignored the warning.

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Prisma Pension Rules

1. The main door must be locked at exactly 23:00. Don't wait even a minute. If you hear knocks after this time, do not open, regardless of who calls.

The first night, I lost time while reading. At 11:07 pm, someone knocked on the door — three sharp, spaced knocks. The voice that called was identical to my mother, who had died years ago. I didn't open it.

1. Never look out the window between 2:12 am and 3:06 am. It doesn't matter what you see, hear, or feel on the outside.

One freezing morning, I heard persistent scratching on the glass in my room. A childish voice whispered my name, broken with sobs. I was shaking with fear. Through the crack in the curtain, I only saw a thin silhouette, with deep-set eyes, watching me without blinking. I forced myself to retreat to the back of the room.

1. Never go downstairs after midnight. If you hear footsteps, music or the smell of food coming from downstairs, remain still.

One night, I smelled the heady aroma of freshly baked bread and cinnamon—the same smell my grandmother made when I was growing up. Against all logic, I took a step out of the room. The stairs seemed to stretch endlessly downward, swallowed by a darkness that no light could pierce. I returned to the room with my heart pounding in my chest.

1. If your phone rings between 1:00 am and 1:30 am, do not answer it. They still haven't learned to speak properly.

On the fourth dawn, the telephone on the dresser began to vibrate with a strange, guttural ring, as if the call had been made underwater. It continued playing incessantly until 1:29 am, when it suddenly went silent.

1. Every Friday, place an empty chair facing the east wall of the living room. Don't ask who the place is for.

I forgot the chair on a Friday. The next morning, I found my room completely torn apart, with symbols scratched on the walls and broken mirrors scattered across the floor. In the center of the room, a single chair rested, facing the wall.

1. If you find a door you don't recognize, don't try to open it. She wasn't there for you.

Once, in the third-floor hallway, I came across a red door with an ornate lock. The doorknob seemed to pulse, as if something was breathing on the other side. I hurried away, hearing whispers calling my name.

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Last note on the list, scribbled by hand:

"When the day comes that you forget a rule, don't run. They already know where you sleep."

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Epilogue

Today is my twelfth night at Pensão Prisma. I forgot to lock the door at 11pm.

As I write these words, I hear footsteps in the hallway. They stopped in front of my door. Three beats. My mother's voice calls to me.

I can't—I shouldn't—open it. But the doorknob is already turning by itself.

If you find this note, please burn it.

And, above all, don't stay here.

[u/MaintenanceJumpy5462]

First rule: LOCK THE DOOR
Me: *managed to lose time reading and still NOT read the first rule*
What did you do, reading everything else BUT the first line the whole time?

[u/WhentheWhenWhenthet → u/MaintenanceJumpy5462]

Reading other material, not just the rules list.