The Corpse Corpse's Final Riddle

The old, ivy-covered campus of St. Mordecai's College had always been a place of whispered legends and unspoken fears. The Corpse Corpse, a specter said to be the ghost of a student who had met a tragic end, had been the subject of many a hushed conversation among the students. It was said that the Corpse Corpse haunted the campus, leaving behind a trail of riddles that only the most clever could solve.

The latest riddle had appeared on the bulletin board outside the library one chilly October evening. It read:

> "In the heart of the night, where shadows dance,

> A Corpse Corpse waits with a riddle to cast.

> Find the key, break the seal, and hear the tale,

> Of the Corpse Corpse's fate, and the truth you'll reveal."

Word of the riddle spread like wildfire, and soon, the entire student body was abuzz with speculation. Some thought it was a prank, while others believed it was a sign that the Corpse Corpse was reaching out to someone brave enough to confront its legacy.

Among the students who took the challenge was a young woman named Elara, a history major with a penchant for the supernatural. She had always been fascinated by the Corpse Corpse's legend and had spent countless nights reading up on the ghost's history. Elara believed that solving the riddle might bring her closer to understanding the true nature of the Corpse Corpse and perhaps even put to rest the haunting that had plagued the campus for so long.

The riddle led Elara to the old, abandoned chemistry lab, a place where the Corpse Corpse was said to have met its demise. The air was thick with the scent of old chemicals and the echoes of forgotten experiments. Elara approached the lab cautiously, her heart pounding with a mix of fear and excitement.

Inside, the lab was a labyrinth of rusted equipment and broken glassware. The riddle had mentioned a "key," and Elara's eyes scanned the room for anything that might fit the description. Her gaze landed on a peculiar, ancient-looking book that was half-buried in a corner of the lab. She approached it and noticed a small, ornate keyhole on its cover.

Elara inserted the key and turned it, and the book's cover clicked open. Inside, she found a series of cryptic drawings and a single, handwritten note:

> "The Corpse Corpse's riddle is but a start,

> To the truth that lies beyond the heart.

> Seek the seal, the one that binds the past,

> And you shall uncover the Corpse Corpse's last."

Elara realized that the "seal" must be something physical, something that could be found within the campus. She left the chemistry lab and began her search, her mind racing with possibilities.

Her next clue led her to the old administration building, where the Corpse Corpse's legend had originated. Inside, she found a large, ornate seal on the wall, its surface etched with strange symbols and runes. Elara approached the seal and placed her hand on it, feeling a strange energy surge through her.

Suddenly, the seal began to glow, and a hidden door behind it creaked open. Elara stepped through and found herself in a small, dimly lit room. The walls were lined with shelves filled with ancient books and scrolls. In the center of the room stood a pedestal, and on it was a figure wrapped in a shroud.

Elara approached the pedestal and lifted the shroud to reveal the Corpse Corpse, its features preserved in a hauntingly peaceful state. The ghostly figure turned its head toward her, and Elara felt a chill run down her spine.

"I have been waiting for you," the Corpse Corpse's voice echoed in her mind.

Elara took a deep breath and spoke, "Why have you been haunting the campus, Corpse Corpse?"

The Corpse Corpse's voice was a whisper, "I seek justice for the wrongs done to me. I left behind a riddle, a test for those who could understand my plight."

Elara realized that the Corpse Corpse's haunting was not one of malice but of a quest for closure. She knew that she had to help the Corpse Corpse find peace.

"I will help you," Elara vowed.

The Corpse Corpse nodded, and the room began to fade around them. When Elara opened her eyes, she was back in the chemistry lab, the book and the key still in her hands.

Elara returned to the administration building and approached the seal. She placed the key in the keyhole and turned it once more. The seal glowed brightly, and the room around her shimmered with an otherworldly light. When the light faded, the Corpse Corpse was gone, leaving behind a sense of peace that had been missing from the campus for so long.

The Corpse Corpse's haunting had come to an end, and with it, the campus of St. Mordecai's College had found a new sense of tranquility. Elara had not only solved the Corpse Corpse's riddle but had also helped bring closure to a long-forgotten tragedy.

As the story of the Corpse Corpse's final riddle spread across the campus, it served as a reminder that sometimes, the most haunting of legends could be laid to rest with a little courage and a touch of understanding.