The Lodge (Patreon)

Mark Richards and his son Rob drove down a gravel driveway. Rob was currently a college senior and soon wouldn’t have any time with his dad. So Mark thought it would be a great idea for the two of them to have a father-son trip. Neither knew when they’d be able to again. One day Mark had found an advertisement for a rental in the mountains. Perfect for a lonely wilderness getaway. The older man didn’t hesitate to rent it. It wasn’t long before the day arrived and the two of them were on their way. Upon arrival, the two discovered the Lodge was incredible. It was isolated and the building was large and well kept, so was the lawn and outside areas around it. Soon an old man exited the house and walked up to them. “Oh hello. You must be the Richards. I’m Mr.Grimm. I’m the caretaker of the house. I hope the two of you have a great time. Most people who come never want to leave.” The older man laughed, like he knew something they didn’t. However, neither of the Richards thought anything of it, instead laughed with him. “Well here you go. Here’s the key. I’ll be on my way. Enjoy your time.” Soon Mr.Grimm hobbled away and the Richards entered the home. The inside of the lodge was almost as incredible as the outside. The wood work was painstakingly handcrafted and carved. They could tell someone put a lot of effort into it. “Well isn’t this nice? Go on, let’s find our rooms.” The two of them split up and walked through the house. Rob made his way upstairs thinking that’s where he’d find his room. The second floor had many rooms. It felt like the hallways just kept going on. “Maybe this one?” The younger Richards opened up one of the doors and stepped inside. “Woah.” Inside of the room, instead of a bed, Rob discovered there was a very large doll house version of the lodge inside. “This is…creepy.” He stepped forward to look at it more. Inside there were a couple dolls. It was weird, they looked so incredibly detailed and life-like. “Hey!” Rob jumped and turned to see his dad peeking inside. “Oops! Sorry, didn’t mean to scare you. What did you find here?” Rob stepped back and motioned to the doll. “I don’t know. Some sort of…dollhouse? I think? But it’s like a replica. Look.” Mark stepped forward and looked inside. “Oh wow. Creepy.” Rob nodded and pointed at one of the dolls. “And it’s weird. This doll kind of looks like one of my professors.” “Huh.” Mark made a face but shrugged it off. “Maybe it’s a coincidence. Come on, let’s find your room.” With that the two of them left the dollhouse behind. Neither knowing the truth. Later that night, A large storm had kicked in. The wind was pounding at the lodge and the rain pretty much washed out the roads. Rob was trying to get signal on his phone but couldn’t. “UGH! I hate this!” He groaned. The lights flickered and soon they were out. “Really!?” He shouted before standing up. He opened the door and left his room. Maybe his dad had better luck with the signal than he did. Stepping into the hallway he got cold and chilly instantly. With the power out and the wind roaring, it was like the start of a horror film. He hated it. Rob walked down the hall until he reached the door to his dad’s room. The lights were out inside as well. Of course they’d be. He knocked on the door. “Dad? Hey dad you awake?” Without an answer, he slowly opened the door and peeked inside. To his surprise, his dad was nowhere inside. “Where is he?” The sound of a door creaking open caught his attention. He turned and lifted his phone, turning on the flashlight. He pointed in the direction the sound was heard. He saw one of the doors to a room open. “Well…that’s not creepy at all. Dad?” Slowly he crept his way to the room. His instincts told him NOT to go towards it. It was like every horror movie he had seen, but another part of him just couldn’t stop himself. He finally reached the door and looked inside. The doll house. This was the room with the doll house. “Hello? Dad?” He didn’t see Mark in the room, but he never knew. Maybe he was behind something…or…he didn’t know. Either way his feet led him inside. Towards the dollhouse. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary and he was ready to head back to his room but that’s when he saw it. In one of the rooms in the dollhouse, there was a new doll. One he didn’t see the day before. It was a doll that looked EXACTLY like Mark. “Dad?” He went to reach for the doll but a voice stopped him. “I wouldn’t do that.” Rob jumped and turned to the new voice. His light hit the face of Mr.Grimm who was looking at him with a dark expression. “I told you. Most people never want to leave.” With that Rob’s phone died, the light going off. “No! HELP! HELP!” The next day, the storm had cleared and Mr.Grimm picked up. There was supposed to be another rental today and he needed the lodge to be ready. Meanwhile, the dollhouse had two new dolls.