<s>[INST] This is about the attic in an old house. A strange object turned up late in the summer of 1948. Nobody knows what it was or where it came from, and since then, nothing has been the same. The object looks like a combination of a small, antique, ornate vase and a mannequin's head. There is nothing in particular that draws someone's eye, but it's just the kind of object that you find yourself noticing. 

I'd never seen it before, but my grandfather told me that it turned up in the attic, just like that, in late summer. He said that there were no boxes or bags. No one remembers seeing it in the house before then. Grandpa also said that, since the strange object appeared, strange things have happened. He said that family members have been acting strangely, and some have even disappeared. Grandpa thinks it might be cursed. 

While looking at old family pictures, I noticed that the object has been in the background of the pictures for years, but it looks like it's been Photoshopped in, but of course, that wasn't possible back then. It's not that someone actually Photoshopped it, but it's like the object has been in the background of the family's pictures since the beginning of time, just subtly shifting between each frame. 

In some of the pictures, it's nearly invisible, like it's hiding behind a piece of furniture. But it's always there. And the funny thing is, nobody in the family seems to remember it being in the pictures before. They always remember it appearing in the attic in 1948. It's almost as if their memories are false. 

Now, as I walk through the house, I see the object everywhere, like a ghostly reflection. It's on the walls, on the furniture, in every corner. And I think I'm starting to remember things, too. Fragments of memories that aren't mine, but feel like they are. Memories of people and places I've never seen before. 

I'm starting to feel like I'm being slowly pulled into the object's world. I'm not sure what it wants, but I know it's not good. And I don't know how to stop it. My grandfather warned me, but I didn't listen. Now, it's too late. I'm trapped, and I don't know how to escape.

This is the point where the protagonist can either try to get to the bottom of the mystery, or try to distance themselves from it. At this point, the protagonist is in the midst of the object's influence and is likely to be more confused and disoriented. What's the possible next step for the protagonist?[/INST]