The Haunting Melody of the Dormitory

The old dormitory stood at the edge of the campus, shrouded in the mists of legend. It was said that the building was cursed, its walls whispering tales of the past. The students who dared to venture inside would often come out with unsettling stories of strange laughter echoing through the halls, as if the spirits of the departed were laughing at the living.

One crisp autumn evening, a group of curious freshmen decided to uncover the truth behind the dormitory's eerie reputation. They were led by a senior named Liu, who had heard the tales from his own experiences. The group, numbering five, stood at the entrance, their hearts pounding with a mix of fear and anticipation.

"We shouldn't be doing this," whispered Wang, the shy one among them, his voice barely above a whisper.

"Shh!" Liu hissed back. "The laughter will stop us if we're not careful."

As they stepped inside, the air grew colder, and the laughter grew louder. It was a sound that seemed to come from everywhere at once, a haunting melody that played on their nerves. The group moved cautiously, their flashlights cutting through the shadows.

Suddenly, the laughter stopped, and the silence was deafening. They reached the second floor, where the laughter had originated. Liu pushed open the door to Room 214, the room where the laughter was most frequent.

The room was dimly lit, with dust motes swirling in the beams of light. The beds were made, the desks tidy, but there was an unsettling feeling in the air. Liu approached the window, looking out to the campus below.

"Does anyone else feel this?" he asked, his voice trembling.

"Like we're being watched," replied Zhang, the tallest of the group.

Without warning, the laughter started again, louder and more insistent. The group turned, looking for the source. It was then that they noticed the old gramophone on the desk, its needle stuck on a record.

"Let's turn it off," suggested Li, the tech-savvy one among them.

Li approached the gramophone, but as he reached out, the needle skipped, and the laughter grew even louder. The group exchanged nervous glances.

"Something's not right," said Wang, his voice trembling.

The laughter intensified, and the room seemed to shake. Suddenly, the door to the room slammed shut, and the group was trapped. They could hear the laughter outside, now mingling with their own fear.

"Stay calm," Liu said, trying to keep his voice steady. "We need to figure out a way out."

As they searched the room, they found a hidden compartment behind the desk. Inside, they discovered a small, ornate box. Liu opened it, revealing a photograph of a young woman, her eyes filled with sorrow.

"Who is she?" asked Zhang, picking up the photograph.

Liu's eyes widened. "That's Su Mei, a student who disappeared here ten years ago. The legend says she was driven mad by laughter and died in this room."

The laughter grew louder, and the group felt the walls closing in. They knew they had to find a way out, but the door remained shut, and the laughter seemed to be a physical force pushing against them.

Suddenly, the laughter stopped, and a single, haunting melody played on the gramophone. The group looked at each other, their faces pale.

"It's her," whispered Liu. "She's trying to communicate with us."

The melody played on, and the group felt a strange connection to Su Mei. They realized that the laughter was her way of warning them, a message from beyond the grave.

"Follow me," Liu said, leading the way to the window. They climbed out, and the dormitory seemed to collapse behind them, the laughter fading into the distance.

Once outside, they found themselves surrounded by the other students who had been outside waiting. They had heard the laughter and had been trying to find the group.

"Are you okay?" asked a friend, concern evident in his voice.

"We're fine," Liu replied, his voice still trembling. "But we have to tell everyone about Su Mei."

The group returned to the dormitory, where they found the students gathered, their faces filled with fear. Liu shared their discovery, and the students listened in silence.

As the night wore on, the laughter continued to echo through the halls, but it was no longer a source of fear. It was a reminder of the past, a message from the departed, and a bond that had formed between the living and the dead.

The dormitory's curse had been lifted, but the laughter would forever be a part of its legacy, a haunting melody that had brought a group of strangers together in a moment of shared terror and understanding.