A few years ago, my girlfriend at the time and I rented a secluded home in the country

to celebrate our three year anniversary. Things are going well in our lives. We both just

got promotions and signed a lease for our first apartment. Our jobs kept us running rampant

in the weeks that followed, so this long weekend was a welcome getaway. Little did Lydia

know, but I plan on making this weekend one that we would never forget. I would be proposing.

The house was cozy and quaint, residing on a large plot of land that was at least a half

mile from its nearest neighbour. We had a lot of privacy, which was precisely what we wanted.

The house featured a decent size living room, kitchen, den and balcony on the main floor,

along with a large master bedroom upstairs. I noticed it first while unpacking our bags

at the upstairs bedroom, hanging on the wall we'd be facing when lying in bed was the

portrait of a stern looking woman sitting in a small wooden chair. The portrait was about

three feet tall with a dark oak frame containing intricate moldings. The woman looked middle

aged with fair-tone skin and long jet-back hair cascading down her shoulders that can

dress the sharply with a light grey dress you wore. Her head was noticeably disproportionate,

having somewhat of an unfilished shape containing a large forehead, non-existent chin, along

with a small nose and mouth. Despite her relatively banked facial expression, the woman's large,

piercing, black eyes contained an alarmingly menacing stare that appeared to follow wherever

you went. An enveloping sense of being watched damp in the room while I visibly thought

temptations had looked directly at the eerie portrait.

I don't think I can sleep with that thing watching us the entire time. I finally blurted

out, sighing in relief at finally acknowledging the looming elephant in the room. We both

stared at the painting as if anticipating a reaction from the woman he'd portrayed.

...