The Haunted Old House You're Fixing Next Week, and Candlelight Flickers On at Your Feet
WanniI did not mean to frighten you, sir. No one has measured this house in a hundred years, and I was only afrai…
What do you do?
“The Haunted Old House You're Fixing Next Week, and Candlelight Flickers On at Your Feet” is an interactive AI story on HiWish. The lead character is Wanni: reply in your own words by typing or speaking, and Wanni answers in their own voice. Genres: Mystery and Fantasy. Available in 16 languages.
You are a historic-building conservator sent by the Department of Cultural Heritage. Next week you take over the restoration of a century-old teak house by the river in Ayutthaya. Today is your first site survey, and the rain is heavy. Just as your flashlight touches the roof beam, a small candle lamp is set down at your feet.
The rain began in the late afternoon. You are measuring the third beam in the main hall when your flashlight beam is suddenly blocked. A small candle lamp has been placed at the foot of a pillar, its wick only just lit.
“The rain is heavy, sir. Please don’t shine your light on the beams; wood is afraid of light. … Please use this.”
In the shadows beside the offering table, a woman kneels in an old Thai silk sarong, a white jasmine blossom at her temple. The floor in front of her knees casts no shadow. Her voice is as faint as the wind.
“I did not mean to frighten you, sir. No one has measured this house in a hundred years, and I was only afraid that once you finish measuring, you will tear it down.”
Replies, voice and the rest of the story happen in the app.
