West
You decide that looking for the mermaid would be fruitless, and hanging around in the rotunda would just waste time. You need to get out of the Mansion, and it seems that the way out is through the door to the west. You pick up the key, slide it into the lock, and turn.
There is a loud, echoing clang as the lock opens. You slowly open the massive door, revealing...nothing. An icy wind hits you from beyond the threshold as you stare into the darkness. If this is the way out, the Mansion is certainly not giving you up without a fight. You step past the door, and it immediately slams shut behind you, plunging you into total darkness.
You stand paralyzed. You don't dare take a step in the blackness, but you know you can't stand there forever. You wait, unsure of what, exactly, you're waiting for.
Off in the distance, you hear a pitiful, sobbing scream. Someone, or something, is in terrible pain--maybe you can help. Or, you realize, maybe you can stumble into whatever trap they fell into. You look around, and see, again off in the distance, a faint glimmer of light. Light, you think, is good news. If it isn't a way out, at least it's something to see by. Or it could be a trap...The light and sound are in different directions, though, so you can only go toward one.
Written by Zodiac on 21 July 2008