Wait until morning
From Create Your Own Story
You decide to wait until morning. That'll give you more time to explore the place anyways.
You sleep really well that night. Travel and jetlag will do that.
You wake early next morning, refreshed. Today, you visit castle von Fruchtsam!
You put on your hiking boots, pack a backpack, and you're ready to go.
You walk to Hans' house and knock on the door. He answers with a solemn face. "You still set on going?"
"Yes."
"Alright. I won't say I didn't warn you, though"
You both walk to a shed in back of his house. An old pickup rusts inside it. You get in and he turns the key. Miraculously, the thing rumbles to life.
The drive up the mountain is.... unpleasant at best. The path (beacuse there's no way you could call it a road) is full of potholes and ruts, and the pickup's shocks haven't been replaced in 20 years.
Finally, you arrive. In front of you stands the castle. The forest is pulled back from it allowing you a clear view. It's in better condition than it looked like from the highway. The walls in this section are still intact, and most of the turrets still whole and upright. One of the towers has caved in and knocked down some of the stonework. It's all rather beautiful, but you can almost understand why the villagers are fearful of it. Such ruined beauty could hide anything...
"I'll be back at 3:00" Hans' voice brings you out of your reverie. "I'll wait around for you for a half hour, but no more. That'll be 20 dollars."
"Huh? Oh. Right." You dig in your wallet. Another thought occurs to you. "Did you drive Michael up here?"
"Yes Ma'am. He went in, but he never came back. Are you sure you want to go? It's not too late to turn back."
Oh come on. It's a horror story! Time to do the unwise thing!
