|
Post by PamA on Mar 21, 2008 18:27:27 GMT 1
Where There’s a Will
Part One
“I’m really disappointed in you George. I thought you’d have managed to wheedle out of Ronnie what this is all about!” “Believe me, Julia, I tried, but when it comes to legal matters he can be very stubborn. Anyway, we’ll know soon enough. He should be here any minute.” As she spoke, George glanced at her watch, “In fact,” she added, “he’s late.” “I make it a few minutes to six thirty, so he’s not late yet.” Joe said. “I hope whatever it is doesn’t take too long, though. It’s one of those days when I’ll be glad to get home.” “Hear, hear,” Nick added, “I just hope that whatever it is will be worth staying on for. George, are you sure he hasn’t dropped even a tiny hint?” “You heard what she said mate – not even a dicky bird of a hint.” Jimmi laughed, “Honest, you and Julia are like a couple of kids.” “Are you telling me that you’re not a little bit curious?” Michelle asked. “I mean, it’s all a little bit odd, don’t you think? Summoning us to all be here –well, most of us anyway.” “Yes,” Julia said, her voice tinged with curiosity, “ I wonder why it’s not all of us? I wonder why no Archie or Vivien or Melody?” “I think they wondered that too.” Nick laughed as he remembered overhearing Melody and Archie moaning earlier in the day. They hadn’t realised that he was just outside the staffroom as they were airing their views on not being included in the great mystery, whatever it might be. Melody had come to the conclusion that it was probably something quite boring anyway and they were welcome to it. Vivien had not been drawn into the conversation at all, keeping, as she always did, a discreet distance from what she perceived to be nothing but idle gossip. “Anyway,” Nick continued, “I do believe I can hear the great man himself.” Ronnie came into the staff room, carrying a briefcase and a large buff folder that appeared to be stuffed full with legal papers. “Good, you’re all here,” he said, looking around and doing a quick head count. “We can get straight down to business.” Ronnie placed the briefcase and folder on to one of the tables and pulled up a chair. For a little while he sat flicking through the papers in the folder. The Mill staff sat expectantly, waiting to find out just what it was that had brought them to this meeting. “Okay,” Ronnie glanced at the piece of paper he held in his hand and smiled at everyone. “It’s good news, very good news. I’m sure you all remember Gladys Makepeace, and you are, of course, aware of her recent death, well I’m here to tell you that she has left you some money in her will.” A deathly hush came over the room as they all sat, mouths open, taking in this piece of news. Michelle was the first to speak. “How much?” she asked, her voice little more than a whisper. In her head she was thinking of clearing her debts, buying a house, a new car even. “Well, to be precise the money has been left to the Mill and it’s quite a sizeable sum.” Ronnie glanced at the paper he held in his hand. “To be exact it’s £180,000.” “Wow!” Julia exclaimed, “Just think of all the things we could do with it. Ronnie, “she continued, “I am slightly puzzled, I mean if it’s for the Mill why aren’t we all here?” “I was coming to that. There is a proviso in the will, something you have to do in order to get the money.” “What? We’ll do it. We’ll crawl over broken glass, eat worms, you name it we’ll do it.” Nick grinned as he spoke, well aware of the difference this sum would make to the practice budget. “Mrs. Makepeace named you 6 as the ones she had most dealings with here. What she wants you to do is to spend one night in her house. That’s all.” “What’s the catch?” Jimmi asked. “She lived in a very ordinary semi as far as I recall.” “She actually owned more than one property.” Ronnie explained. “The house you are to stay in is on the outskirts of Letherbridge. It’s called `The Hermitage’.” “I know that house. It’s enormous. Are you telling me she owned it?” Julia exclaimed. “Gladys was a very wealthy woman.” Ronnie explained. “She just chose to live a rather frugal lifestyle. The majority of her estate is going to her niece, the rest to various charities and, of course, the sum I’ve mentioned, to the Mill. It’s in recognition of the way you all looked after her.” “Well, we were only doing our job.” Joe pointed out. “It’s what we’re paid to do. I don’t think we gave Mrs. Makepeace any special treatment.” “She obviously thought so.” Ronnie smiled. “So, are you going to take on her challenge? Spend a night at `The Hermitage’?” “There’s got to be a catch.” George looked questioningly at Ronnie. “I can’t believe it’s that simple. And why on earth would she want us to spend a night in some old house for goodness sake?” “There is a kind of a catch, nothing that will bother you lot I’m sure. You see, according to Mrs. Makepeace, the house is haunted.”
To be continued…………………………………………..
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Mar 25, 2008 18:31:20 GMT 1
Part Two
`The Hermitage’ was so far from the town centre, that it almost missed having a Letherbridge address. It was surrounded by a tall brick wall that barely allowed any view of the house. Julia admitted that she had spied it from the top deck of a bus some years ago and had thought, at the time, that it must be owned by some kind of recluse. Enormous iron gates stood guard at the entrance, and it took both Jimmi and Nick all their strength to push them open in order for their cars to access the drive. They had come in two cars – Jimmi, Nick and Joe travelling in one and the three women in the other. As soon as the cars passed the gates, Jimmi and Nick swung them closed and climbed back into Joe’s car. A long and very winding driveway led to the house and, subsequently, the house was some time coming into view. The land that they drove through seemed to be a wilderness of tall grass and overgrown shrubs, mostly rhododendrons, full of purple bloom, and rose bushes, neglected and reverting to their wild form. At last they could see it. A tall rambling building came into view. The house gave the impression of having been added on to at various stages in its existence. It was, as Julia had said, enormous, but how much of this was an illusion given by the strange way in which it had been built was hard to say. The front of the house appeared to be a multitude of small, mullioned windows between which ivy all but covered the façade so that little of the original grey stonework could now be seen. Gargoyles were positioned at various points of the roof edge and numerous extraordinary tall chimneys stood on the brow of the roof, reaching so high that they almost seemed to disappear into the clouds that hovered above the house. The six of them stood taking it all in and finally George broke the silence saying, “It looks like the Adams family meets the Bates Motel”. They all laughed. “Right folks,” she continued, “let’s get inside.” From her capacious handbag George drew out the large iron key to the house, which Ronnie had given to her, but before she could put it in the lock the door swung open and a short, very round woman wearing a floral dress and a white apron appeared. “Good evening. Do please come in.” She stepped to one side and gestured with a sweep of her arm that they should step into the hall. The hall was austere to say the least, wood panelling throughout with no pictures to break up the gloom of the walls, the floor, polished floorboards with no rugs to make it more welcoming. “My name is Rose, Rose Collins. I’m the housekeeper here. Leave your bags here for now and we’ll take them up to your rooms later.” Obediently the six of them placed their overnight bags in a neat pile on the hall floor. “Um, this needs to go in the kitchen. It’s going to be our dinner.” Julia held, in front of her, a small cool bag. “It really needs to go in the oven pretty soon.” “Oh, dear.” Rose looked anxiously at the bag. “Suppers already cooking, I’m afraid. We won’t be wanting that.” She took the bag out of Julia’s hands. “I’ll put it in the fridge, shall I?” Julia nodded, somewhat reluctantly, and handed the bag over. “I wish Ronnie had told us that we were going to be catered for.” Rose smiled sympathetically at her. “That’s men for you isn’t it? He wasn’t to know but my sister, Nettie, comes over every Friday and she always likes to cook up something or other.” Jimmi tried his best to stifle a grin and looking across at George mouthed “Friday – it’s Saturday.” George grinned back. “Maybe,” Rose continued, gesturing at the cool bag, “you could use this for tonight and me and Nettie can eat whatever she’s cooking up.” As she spoke she handed the bag back to Julia. “Sounds like a good idea. It really needs to go in the oven now. The kitchen’s where?” Rose pointed towards a door at the end of the hall. “Nettie’s in there. She’ll show you what’s what. Perhaps the rest of you would like to come into the drawing room and enjoy some refreshment. A nice cup of tea perhaps?” As she spoke she opened a door to the right and ushered them through.
********
Julia walked into the kitchen. It was a big room, larger than any kitchen Julia had ever been in. A large table sat firmly in the very centre and at the table sat a woman whom Julia guessed had to be Nettie. The woman stood. In complete contrast to her sister, she was very tall and very thin. “I’m Nettie,” she said, holding out a hand to Julia. “I’m very pleased to meet you,” Julia said, shaking the proffered hand. “My word, you’re cold! Your hands are like ice!” “It’s a medical condition I have,” Nettie explained. “Something to do with circulation.” Julia glanced around the kitchen. It was pristine. Everything neat and in place, no smell of cooking, in fact no sign of any food preparation at all. “I thought that Rose said you were already cooking supper.” “Did she? Can’t imagine why. I don’t know what she’s talking about.” Nettie sat back down. “I need to put this on to heat through.” Julia took a casserole dish out of the cool bag. “I’ll put it in the oven shall I?” Nettie shrugged her shoulders. “I suppose so,” she said, but made no effort to get up and assist Julia. Julia studied the dials on the enormous range that stood against the far wall and finally decided that she’d figured out which switch turned on the main oven. She put the casserole in and looked at her watch. “Should take about an hour and a bit to finish cooking, I’ll come back then.” Once again, Nettie shrugged. Julia sighed. “Right I’ll get back to the others.” Nettie took no notice as Julia made her way back to the door through which she’d entered and stepped back into the hall. Only it wasn’t the hall. At least it wasn’t the hall that Julia had left the others in. This hall was beautifully decorated with wall paper that looked as if it had cost someone an arm and a leg. Patterned rugs lay on the polished floor and small chandeliers hung at regular distances from the ceiling. “Oh dear,” Julia said to herself, “I must have come out of the wrong door. But I could have sworn I left by the door I went in by.” She turned back to the door she’d come through. “Nettie, I’ve done something really stupid.” She said as she entered the door back into the kitchen. “Left by the wrong door apparently. What the……..?” Julia gazed at the room that lay in front of her which was most certainly not the kitchen.
To be continued…………………..
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 1, 2008 13:14:43 GMT 1
Part Three
“Julia’s taking her time.” Joe looked at his watch as he spoke as if he’d been timing her journey to the kitchen. “Must be chatting with Rose’s sister.” As he spoke, Rose entered the drawing room carrying a huge tray on which sat cups and saucers, milk jug, sugar bowl and teapot, as well as a large plate of biscuits. “Allow me,” Joe took the tray away from her and placed it on the large coffee table that dominated the centre of the room. “We were just saying that Julia, you know the one who brought the food, must be chatting with your sister.” Rose looked at Joe, the expression on her face quite blank. “I’m sorry, sir. Your friend wasn’t in the kitchen when I went to get the tea.” “She must be,” George exclaimed. “Where else would she have gone?” “Could be the house has taken her.” Rose said as she poured tea into each cup. “Hope no-one wanted coffee.” Rose began to hand the cups around. “Taken her? Yes, sure!” Michelle sniggered. “Taken her where? I mean, I’ve never heard of a house taking people.” “Oh this one does, my dear. People get lost very easily in this house.” Rose picked up the sugar bowl. “Sugar anyone?” “Lost? What do you mean lost?” Nick asked. “It is a big house, but it’s not that big!” “It’s the doors,” Rose explained. “too many doors. People get confused and end up where they shouldn’t.” They all glanced around the room and realised that what Rose said was very true. One wall of the drawing room was dominated by huge windows that reached from ceiling to floor. The three other walls each possessed two doors that stood side by side. “So, which door do you think you came in by?” Rose asked a slightly smug smile on her face. “Has to be that one.” Jimmi pointed towards the door that he’d seen Rose enter by. “You’re a smart one, aren’t you? You’re quite right. That’s the door that leads back into the hall. Now you enjoy your teas and I’ll be back soon to show you to your rooms.” Rose exited by the door Jimmi had guessed to be the one they entered by. “Do you think she’s all there?” Michelle asked. “I don’t know about this house being haunted, but she is seriously weird!” “Weirder than you think,” George said as she spat a mouthful of her tea back into the cup. “The tea is cold. It tastes like it was made hours ago!” With a look of distaste, they all replaced their full cups onto the tray. “Maybe she got lost trying to find us.” Jimmi joked. “Perhaps the house led her astray.” “All joking aside,” Joe said, looking at Jimmi sternly, “I could do with a cup of something hot to drink. And I’m a bit concerned about Julia. She’s been gone some time and we know she’s not in the kitchen, so where the hell is she?” “Look I’ll go and get us some fresh tea and see if I can find out anything about Julia. Maybe the sister knows where she went.” As he spoke, Nick picked up the tray and made his way to the door. “Just keep your fingers crossed that I don’t get lost!” “We’ll send out a search party if you’re not back in half an hour.” George laughed as she spoke, “But I don’t seriously think that a man as intelligent as you could possibly be misled by as house!” “Thank you for the vote of confidence.” Nick left the room grinning to himself. He liked his work companions but he had to admit to having a soft spot for George. It wasn’t just that he found her attractive, it was her whole personality that appealed to him and he was, if he was perfectly honest with himself, more than a little jealous of Ronnie and George’s relationship. He sometimes found himself thinking that it was a good job that Ronnie was such a good friend or he might have been tempted to make a move on her. However, this was not his way. Loyalty was an important quality in Nick’s life and he had no wish to compromise his friendship with Ronnie. Nick entered the kitchen. He could smell something cooking. No doubt it was the casserole that Julia had brought with her and that was now warming through in the oven. The woman sitting at the table stood up and walked over to him. She was tall, very tall, taller in fact than Nick and she stooped slightly and looked directly into his eyes. “I’m Nettie,” she said, “and who might you be?” “I’m Nick, Nick West.” He held his hand out towards her and added, “Pleased to meet you Nettie.” Nettie took no notice of the proffered hand but instead studied Nick’s face intently. “You’re a good looking young man, aren’t you?” Nick smiled to cover his embarrassment. He felt uncomfortable in the woman’s presence, particularly with her close scrutiny. For a moment he wondered if she was going to make a pass at him and he stepped back slightly as if to put some distance between them. “I can see things,” Nettie said, “I can see that bad things are going to happen to you.” “Oh thanks, “Nick said with a grin, “Aren’t you meant to tell me I’ll be going on a journey or something nice like that.” “Beware of the dark haired woman.” Nettie continued. “She’ll bring you much unhappiness.” “What Julia, the one who put the food in the oven? I don’t think I have much to worry about as far as Julia is concerned.” “Not her. No, the other one, the one with the floaty clothes – her. I’m telling you, she will ruin your life. You will regret the day you ever met her!”
To be continued………………………..
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 4, 2008 17:50:26 GMT 1
Part Four
Nick returned to the drawing room, a pot of freshly brewed tea now on the tray. He’d spent the remainder of his time in the kitchen busying himself boiling the kettle and searching the cupboards for tea bags or loose tea, all the while he had done his best to ignore the presence of Nettie, who had sat herself back down at the table and studiously watched Nick as he moved about the kitchen. “Everything alright?” George asked him, noticing a slight air of distraction about Nick. “You haven’t seen a ghost, have you?” George laughed, expecting Nick to come back with some quick retort. “What’s wrong?” She asked when he failed to make any kind of reply. “Oh Lord,” George’s tone changed to a serious note, “it’s not Julia is it? Has something happened to her? Did you find her?” Nick shook his head. “I didn’t see Julia. No, I’ve just had a strange encounter with Nettie. She is weird!” “What’s she do?” Jimmi asked. Nick shrugged his shoulders. “Nothing really, just hinted at my future.” “What’s she tell you?” George asked. “Come on spill the beans. We all want to know what’s in store for you.” “Believe me George,” Nick said emphatically, “you don’t want to know. You really don’t want to know.” George pulled a face at Nick. “I’ll find out what she told you.” She said with a laugh. “There are no secrets between friends.” The laugh that Nick did in reply to her retort was decidedly half-hearted. He didn’t really have much faith in fortune tellers or mediums or whatever they liked to call themselves, but there was something about the way Nettie spoke that put a frisson of fear in his heart. Try, as he might, he couldn’t put her words out of his mind and in an effort to move the conversation on he said, “No sign of Julia then? I don’t understand how she could have got lost in the house. I managed the journey from here to the kitchen and back again without any problems.” “Do you think it’s true? What she said about the house losing people?” Michelle spoke with some concern in her voice. What had caused her to laugh, only a short while ago, was now playing on her mind and making her think that maybe the housekeeper was right in what she said. Jimmi laughed. “I don’t think houses are capable of losing people Michelle. If you ask me Julia’s probably looking round the place and will be here any minute.” “Do you think so?” Michelle sounded doubtful. “Do you really think she’d go off on her own like that?” “Rose is obviously nuts. Houses don’t lose people, oh and by the way, just to put your mind completely at rest, I’d like to add that houses are most definitely not haunted either.” Jimmi replied. As Jimmi finished his sentence, a collective hush fell over them, for a sound suddenly filled the air, a strange sound like a soft moaning. “What the……?” Jimmi said in amazement. “So, houses aren’t haunted?” Michelle glared at him. “Then what’s that?” Michelle’s eyes were practically out on stalks as she looked around the room; the others sat open mouthed, listening intently. At last Joe spoke. “It seems to be coming from the bookcase.” A large floor to ceiling bookcase took pride of place between the two doors that stood opposite the window. As one they stood and tentatively moved over to it, apart from Michelle who stayed exactly where she was. “Yes, it’s definitely coming from this region.” Joe ascertained, placing his ear close to the wall between the bookcase and the door. “Wait a minute,” he moved closer to the bookcase, “it’s coming from here. Yes, it’s definitely coming from here.” “From the bookcase?” George looked puzzled. “You’re saying that noise is actually coming from the bookcase?” “Perhaps there’s a secret passage behind it. Maybe you pull one of the books and it’s like a door and it’ll open up and some mad person will come out from behind it!” Michelle said, all the while looking more and more wide eyed. “And, don’t tell me,” Jimmi retorted, “we’ll unmask it and whoever it is will say `if it wasn’t for you meddling medics’ and we’ll all have a Scooby snack!” “It’s not funny Jimmi!” Michelle pouted, “There’s something or someone making that noise.” “She’s right Jimmi.”Nick said in defence. “Sounds a bit like someone in distress. Maybe we should look in the rooms next door. More likely that’s where the noise is coming from, much more likely than the bookcase.” “Makes sense Nick. Which door first?” Joe pointed to each door in turn. “Will it be that one or that one?” “They could both lead to the same room.” George pointed out, “There not that far apart, so I don’t think it will matter which one we choose.” “Okay. We’ll go through that door but we stick together – right?” Joe said decisively. “Too true we stick together.”Michelle moved from the position she’d adopted when they first heard the noise and joined the rest of the group. Joe opened the door and they all tentatively crept through it. The door led to a dining room. An enormous oak table sat in the centre of the room, surrounded by upholstered chairs. The table was set for dinner, six places, presumably in readiness for their evening meal. An oversized oak side board occupied the whole of one wall and on this were various framed photographs, all old sepia prints in tarnished silver frames. Unlike the drawing room, apart from the door they’d come through, there was only one other door which they guessed would lead into the kitchen. “Okay,” Joe said, “back to the drawing room and we’ll try the other door.” They made their way back but, disappointingly, the other door proved to access nothing more than a storage cupboard that was bare apart from a few battered boxes of board games. “Well at least we won’t get bored this evening,” Jimmi said, examining the boxes, “Anyone for Monopoly?” “I loathe Monopoly,” Nick said. “Can’t stand all that gloating and people saying `go on land on my hotel in Mayfair’ knowing that will take all your money.” “I hate the way someone always has to say `Don’t you wish all this money was real’,” Jimmi added. “It is so annoying.” “Forget Monopoly for a minute,” Joe said, “we still haven’t found the source of that sound. Wait a minute. It’s stopped.” They all went quiet and realised that the moaning had indeed come to a halt and, as one, they breathed a collective sigh of relief. “Alright now, Michelle?” Joe asked her. “Yes, I’m fine thanks Joe. I was being a bit silly wasn’t I?” “Let’s sit down and drink that tea before it goes cold.” Joe suggested and they all laughingly agreed that that was, indeed, a good idea. Joe picked up the teapot. “I’ll be mother.” He said then realised, as he looked up at his friends, that they were all staring open mouthed at something at the end of the room. He turned to see what it was that had attracted their attention. To his astonishment, the bookcase was slowly opening.
To be continued………………………….
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 8, 2008 17:25:55 GMT 1
Part Five
Michelle moved to stand next to Joe. She could barely breathe for fear and Joe, recognising this, put his arm round her shoulder and pulled her into his side. “It’s okay,” he whispered into her ear. “It’s okay.” Nick moved towards the bookcase. “There has to be a perfectly logical explanation,” he said. “And I’m going to find out what it is.” “I’m with you.” Jimmi moved to join him, but before they came anywhere near it, the bookcase suddenly flew back completely, hitting the wall in the process. A figure emerged. Michelle and George both gasped, Michelle holding Joe so tightly in her fear, that he felt the breath being pushed out of his body. It took a few moments before they recognised the figure that now stood in front of them. “Well, thank goodness I’ve finally found you. I was beginning to think that I was going to spend the rest of my life wandering round this house! What’s the matter with you lot; you look like you’ve seen a ghost!” “Julia?” Joe let go of Michelle, gently pushing her away from him, and made his way over to her. “Well of course it’s me!” Julia said, indignantly, “Who else did you think it would be?” She looked at each one of them in turn. “You appeared from a bookcase!” George said, pointing at it as she spoke. Julia turned and looked. “Oh, I see. I didn’t realise. It just looks like a door from the other side. I suppose that must have seemed a bit, erm, creepy.” “So, why the moaning?” Michelle had recovered from her fear and was now feeling both a little silly and a little annoyed. “Why were you moaning? You look alright to me.” “Moaning?” Julia looked puzzled. “I wasn’t moaning. Oh, I see. I really wasn’t moaning Michelle; I think you heard me calling Joe. I could hear his voice and I thought that if I called him he’d lead me to where you all were. I suppose my voice got a bit muffled by the door, so it sounded like moaning. Is there still some tea in that pot? I could really do with a cup.” “Sit down. I was just about to pour it out before the bookcase started to open.” Joe laughed. “For a moment I think we all thought we were going to see a ghost appear!” Julia laughed. “I can imagine. In your position I think I’d have been quaking in my boots!” Joe handed out cups of tea and, for a while, they sat in silence sipping their hot drinks. “What’s the story Julia? About the Makepeaces?” Nick asked. “Didn’t they have any children to leave everything to? Julia placed her cup and saucer back onto the tray. “It’s quite sad, really,” she finally said. “Gladys and her husband, Arthur, desperately wanted a family but they were in their forties before she got pregnant. They had a little girl, Patricia, and they doted on her. Well, you can imagine can’t you, waiting all that time and finally being blessed with a child. Anyway, it turned out that the baby had a serious heart defect that became apparent when she was a couple of months old. She was taken into hospital but there was nothing that could be done for her. I mean, this was the early sixties, nowadays I’m pretty sure she’s have survived – you know there’s been enormous steps in the area of cardiology.” “So, what happened?” George asked. “Did she die?” “Gladys and Arthur brought her back home –to here in fact. Gladys was telling me all about it a few weeks ago, just before she died in fact. Apparently she never left Patricia’s side, would sit by her crib night and day watching her while she slept, praying that the child would wake up again. You know, even after all that time, Gladys still shed a tear or two while she was telling me.” Julia paused, as if remembering the conversation with Gladys, then shook her head as if to bring herself back to the present. “One night the baby had been more fractious than normal. They’d taken turns sitting by the crib, rocking it, trying to calm Patricia down. Finally, in the early hours of the morning the baby fell asleep. Gladys sat rocking and rocking the crib afraid that if she stopped Patricia would wake up. They were terrified that crying would put too much of a strain on the baby’s heart you see. Anyway, the rocking not only kept the child asleep, Gladys felt her eyes growing heavier and heavier and though she continually shook herself awake, inevitably she fell asleep. Arthur woke her in the morning.” Julia paused again, biting her lip, a distant look in her eyes. “The baby was dead. She’d died while Gladys slept. I don’t think she ever quite forgave herself.” “That’s so sad,” George whispered. “I can’t imagine what it would be like to have a child with a life threatening condition. But at least these days, there’s always hope, nearly always a chance for a cure.” “I know what you mean.” Joe agreed. “I think I’d go mad if Emily was ever diagnosed with anything serious. Thank God she seems to be pretty healthy.” The door that connected the drawing room to the dining room opened and Rose appeared. “Will you be wanting to eat soon?” she asked. “Me and Nettie will be wanting to be on our way before long, before it gets dark.” “Do you have far to go?” Nick asked. “One of us could always give you a lift.” “Bless you sir,” Rose laughed, “Nettie’s got her bike with her and, anyway, it’s only a few minutes to my place. Be there in a blink of an eye.” “Why don’t you get off now,” Joe suggested. “We can look after ourselves.” The others nodded in agreement. “Well, if you’re sure, I wouldn’t mind an early finish. I’ll be back first thing to fix your breakfast, of course. Now, if you come to the kitchen I’ll show you where everything is that you’ll need for tonight.” She turned back to the dining room, hesitated waiting for them to follow. “I don’t mind going,” Julia said, “but not on my own!” “I’ll come with you,” Jimmi grinned, “Don’t want you getting lost again, do we?” So Rose, Julia and Jimmi made their way to the kitchen.
To be continued…………………………..
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 14, 2008 12:36:58 GMT 1
Part Six
It didn’t take long for Rose to familiarise them with the outlay of the kitchen and the whereabouts of everything they would need for the evening. Nettie sat in total silence, her eyes following them around and, as they left the kitchen, she suddenly stood and grasped Jimmi by the arm. “You know what your deepest desire is? What your heart really wants?” She whispered into his ear. Jimmi pulled away from her, not liking this sudden close contact that she’d forced upon him. “No.” he answered her, “And I’m not sure I want to.” “I’ll tell you anyway,” she persisted, “The thing you want most in the world is….” She paused, as if adding a hint of the dramatics to the moment, “it’s a child of your own.” “A child?” Jimmi laughed. “I can assure you without a shadow of a doubt that’s the last thing I’ll ever want.” “You’ll see.” Nettie moved back to the table and took her customary seat. “You’ll see. One day, you’ll see.” Jimmi took one last look at her. Frowning he turned away and followed the others through to the dining room. “Right,” Rose said, “I’d best show you your rooms before I go off.” They followed Rose back through the drawing room where, with a “Tut!”, she closed the bookcase door firmly before leading them into the hall and up the stairs to the next floor. Two corridors led off from the top of the staircase, each corridor lined with three doors and a further door at the very end. Rose led them to the door immediately on their right as they got to the top of the stairs and opened the door with a flourish, ushering them inside. They found themselves in a fairly large but rather dark bedroom. The darkness was caused by the heavy brocade curtains that were closed across the windows. They could only guess that Rose had shut them earlier but the gloom and the slight smell of mustiness made them shudder slightly. A large double bed with an enormous dark wood headboard took pride of place in the room. It was completely covered by a heavy patchwork quilt, and a few cushions had been strategically placed on it as if to add a touch of style. The rest of the furniture was also of the same heavy dark wood as the bed and comprised of a chest of drawers, a dressing table and a wardrobe. “The rooms are all the same,” Rose explained, “so you can choose amongst yourselves. You’ll have to bring your own bags up I’m afraid. Not as young as I used to be, you know.” Rose laughed at her little joke. “Now I’ll just show you the bathroom then I’ll be off.” She led them to the door at the end of the corridor. “There are two bathrooms. The other ones at the end there.” She pointed towards the opposite corridor. The bathroom was old fashioned and they doubted that it had seen any improvements since the house was originally built. An enormous bath stood in the very centre of the room, big enough George joked, for them all to get in. Nick was the only one who didn’t laugh at her attempt of humour. “Right,” Rose said, “That’s about it. I’ll leave you to get on with your meal and I’ll see you in the morning.” They all made their way back to the dining room and took their places round the table while Julia and Joe went to serve dinner. Nettie had gone; a fact that didn’t displease them as they all agreed that her presence was more than a little unsettling. Julia’s casserole was greeted with murmurs of approval, as was the wine that Joe had so thoughtfully provided. Soon everyone had cleared their plates and drained their glasses and they all agreed that it was `quite the best meal they’d had in a long time’. Jimmi and Nick volunteered to do the washing up while George made some coffee which, when the kitchen was cleared, they took through to the drawing room. “Well, let’s hope that we have a quiet night. No more dramas. No more any of us getting lost.” Nick looked at Julia as he spoke, a broad grin spreading across his face. “Okay Nick. But you might well laugh. It’s like a labyrinth if you go through the wrong door! Although,” Julia hesitated before, looking puzzled, she continued, “I don’t know how it happened. I’m sure I went through the same door that Rose took me in by.” “Easy mistake to make Julia. I have never seen a house with so many doors in each room. Let’s hope the bedrooms only have one door or goodness knows where we’ll end up in the night if we need to spend a penny!” George grinned as she spoke and looked around at her friends who all laughed too at the thought of them wandering aimlessly round trying to find the bathroom. “Are we sleeping on our own?” Michelle asked. “I mean, do you think we’ll be safe?” “Safe?” Jimmi queried. “What do you mean? Safe?” “Well, from, you know,” Michelle paused, trying to think of how to voice her fears. “Safe from anything that’s, erm, not human?” “Not human?” Jimmi spluttered, “Not human? What are you thinking of Michelle, the odd passing lion or maybe an alien from outer space!” “Leave it Jimmi.”Joe interceded. He turned to Michelle, “I don’t think we have anything to fear in this house,” he reassured her, “only our own imagination. You’ll be alright and, anyway, none of us are going to be exactly far from each other.” Michelle smiled in gratitude. “I know you’re right Joe, but I think I’ll sleep with my light on just in case.” For a time they sat drinking their coffee in silence until a noise, a faint scratching sound made them look at each other questioningly. “Mice.” Joe said. “Old houses like these always have mice.” George wrinkled her nose. “Can’t say I’m that fond of sharing the house with Micky, Minnie and their friends.” “They won’t bother you.” Julia reassured them. “They’re more scared of us then we are of them.” “It’s getting louder.” Michelle said. She was right. It was beginning to sound like the noise was in the room with them, and it had changed from the noise of scratching to something reminiscent of footsteps. Suddenly the room went quiet again. “What the hell?” Nick exclaimed and pointed towards the bookcase. Once again the hidden door was slowly swinging open but this time they knew that it wasn’t one of them that were going to appear from behind it.
To be continued………
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 17, 2008 17:17:39 GMT 1
Part Seven
The silence in the room was disturbed by a sharp intake of breath from them all. They looked at each other, terror written in the features of the three women who were almost unable to breathe with fear. Even Jimmi, who’d scoffed at the idea of anything untoward being in the house, found it hard to disguise his unease. Joe half stood as if to go towards the door but hesitated, looking to Nick to see if he would accompany him. Nick recognised Joe’s silent plea and stood to go with him, but before either of them could approach the door, a figure emerged from behind it – a tall, slender figure, wild hair surrounding its face, a figure that appeared to be covered in cobwebs and some kind of dust. It began to wail, softly at first but gradually building to a crescendo. The wailing subsided and was replaced by a noisy sobbing and tears began to roll down the figure’s cheeks, leaving a lighter furrow in the dirt that covered its face. George, Joe, Nick, Julia, Jimmi and Michelle looked on with open mouths and staring eyes and at least two of them would admit afterwards that they could feel their hearts hammering in their chests and could scarcely draw breath for the fear they felt. “Just look at me”, the figure wailed, “just look at the state of me. This suit cost a small fortune and now it’s covered in coal dust!” It was Julia who voiced what by now they all suspected. “Melody? Is that you?” “Who else do you think it is?”Melody replied petulantly. “I’ve had the most awful time and ……” She began to cry again. “What are you doing here?” Julia asked. “How did you know where we were?” Michelle raised a hand. “I told her Julia. I didn’t think it would matter if she knew.” “Well, I don’t suppose it does.” Julia said, “But that doesn’t explain why she’s here. NO!” Julia suddenly exclaimed, “Don’t sit down.” For she’d seen Melody edge towards the sofa on which Nick and Jimmi sat, a sofa covered in a pale green silky material. “For goodness sake, Melody, we need to get you cleaned up before you sit anywhere. Come on girls, let’s take Melody upstairs and get her in the bath. You guys can make her a hot drink.” “I don’t need all of you to get me cleaned up.” Melody looked aghast. “And I don’t have any clean clothes with me. I wasn’t intending to stay.” “So what were you intending?” George asked. “If you weren’t intending to stay what were you here for?” “Well,” Melody looked slightly ashamed as she began her confession. “Archie and I thought it be a bit of a laugh to come here and, well, pretend to be ghosts. Just give you a bit of a fright.” “Archie?” Joe interrupted. “You mean Archie’s here too?” He looked around as if expecting Archie to make a sudden appearance. “He’s here somewhere.” Melody replied. “We split up outside. We both took different ways round the house trying to find a way in. Well, I saw this sort of trapdoor and thought `Ah here’s a way in’, so I opened it up and accidentally fell in and it was a coal cellar and I couldn’t get back out. I tried and tried to climb up the pile of coal but I kept sliding down it and I did call Archie but he didn’t hear, then when my eyes got a bit used to the dark I saw a flight of stairs and a door. And I’ve been wandering for what seems like hours and hours through passages, and they were all cobwebby and I was really frightened then I saw a door and opened it and, well, here I am!” “You were frightened!” Michelle said indignantly, “What do you think you did to us? And no doubt we’ll have Archie jumping out on us next!” “I’m sorry” Melody apologies, “It wasn’t meant to be like this. It was just meant to be a bit of fun. I’m really, really sorry.” “Well,” Michelle said reluctantly, “I guess we forgive you, don’t we?” She looked round at the others who all nodded in agreement and smiled at the distraught Melody. “Come on,” Julia said, “Let’s get you upstairs. And by the way, no-one goes anywhere alone in this house. I’ve already been lost in those passages you came through, though I didn’t get in such a mess I’m pleased to say.” “We’ll find you something to wear. Might have to be my nightie!” George laughed. “So, I guess you’re going to have to spend the night here as well.” Melody looked at them anxiously. “But isn’t the place haunted? And don’t ghosts come out at night?” Julia sighed. “So, you were quite prepared to give us a fright but when it comes to staying here yourself, you’re not so keen.” Melody looked suitably chastened at Julia’s words. “I am sorry, Julia, honestly. And I don’t mind spending the night here at all. I don’t really believe in ghosts, not really.” Julia left the room. Followed by George, Michelle and the forlorn, grubby figure of Melody trailed after them. Fortunately there appeared to be plenty of hot water, and much was needed to clean Melody’s hair and body. The water when they’d finished was a strange shade of grey with a film of dust floating on the surface. “I think it might be a good idea to clean out the bath and give you one more rinse,” Julia said, “You’re just sitting in your own dirt as it is.” They searched around the bathroom cupboards looking for something to wipe the bath with, and finally found a bottle of cleaning fluid and a sponge. Melody was washed once again, then tightly wrapped in towels and taken to one of the bedrooms, the bedroom that George had taken possession of. At last Melody was dried, draped in George’s nightdress and cuddled up in Julia’s dressing gown. Her hair hung limply round her face but there was little they could do about drying it. “We’ll light a fire when we go back downstairs. You can dry your hair by that.” Julia decided and Melody laughingly said, “Well I know where there’s plenty of coal.” Back downstairs a tray of tea awaited them and as soon as they entered the room Joe began to pour it out. “Well you look a bit better.” Joe laughed and handed her a cup of tea. “We thought we’d light the fire,” Julia said, “Melody needs to dry her hair.” Julia looked around, suddenly aware that Jimmi was missing. “Where’s Jimmi?” She asked. “He’s gone outside to look for Archie.”Nick said in explanation of Jimmi’s absence. “What?” Julia exclaimed, “You’ve never let him go out there on his own?”
To be continued…………………..
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 21, 2008 16:32:29 GMT 1
Part Eight
“He’ll be fine Julia. He’s just gone outside to look around, if he doesn’t see Archie he’ll be straight back in.” Joe attempted to appease an obviously angry Julia. “We wouldn’t have let him go if we really thought he’d be in any danger.” “Well, I hope for your sakes he is alright. You’ve seen what this house is capable of, Melody and I can attest to that! And I don’t know what you’re finding so funny Nick!” Julia glared at Nick who hung his head, for all the world like a naughty schoolboy caught out in some devilment. “Sorry Julia,” he muttered, trying hard not to look at Melody who was, in turn, trying her hardest not to laugh. There was something so ludicrous about the notion of a house that could do heaven knows what to people. “Maybe I should go out and look for him.” Joe suggested, only for Julia to state firmly, “No! We’ll stay here. No-one else is going off on their own.” “I’ll go with Joe,” Nick offered, but Julia was adamant that they should all stay in the house together and wait for Jimmi to return, with or without Archie. “Well, let’s at least get the fire going.” George suggested. She moved over to the fireplace as she spoke. “The fires laid ready for lighting and there’s a full coal bucket. All we need is a match. Anyone got one.” They all shrugged their shoulders and shook their heads. “There’s probably some in the kitchen.” George made to leave the room but was stopped in her tracks by a vehement “No.” from Julia. “Remember what we said. We don’t go anywhere on our own. Joe you go with George and go via the dining room that seems to be a safer route.” “If it’ll keep you happy,” George beckoned to Joe, “Come on Joe, it’s expedition find the matches time! And I promise we won’t get lost!” George linked her arm in Joe’s and with a grin at Julia they left the room. It didn’t take them long to locate a box of matches and in no time they’d rejoined the others and Joe had a blazing fire going. Melody sat on the floor in front of the hearth in order to get her wet hair as close to the heat as possible. “You know what,” she said, “we really ought to be telling each other ghost stories. You know true ones that have happened to us.” Nick was the first to respond to this suggestion. “I don’t think I know any. Never had any ghostly encounters, at least not to my knowledge.” A general consensus from the others confirmed that none of them had any real life ghost stories to tell. “Oh well,” Melody sighed, “It was just a thought.” “Actually,” Joe said thoughtfully, “I’ve never had any experience of the paranormal but a friend of mine had a strange occurrence some years ago.” “Tell us,” Melody’s voice was tinged with excitement, “Come on Joe, let’s hear all about it.” “It happened when we were at University. There were a group of us hung around together: Charlie Brooks, his girlfriend Lucy, Johnny Bainbridge, his girlfriend Fiona, and, of course, there was me and a girl I was seeing called Hannah. We did everything together, really got on well. Anyway, one New Year’s Eve we were all invited to a party in Yorkshire. A girl on our course lived in some fantastic old house up there, with acres of ground and she was known for throwing just about the best parties ever. As it was, I couldn’t go. Just after Christmas I’d gone down with some bug and was feeling absolutely awful. As you can imagine I was none too pleased to miss out on the fun but Hannah, dear girl, said if I wasn’t going then neither was she. So, she stayed behind to nurse me.” A collective “AH!” went up from Joe’s audience. “That’s so sweet.” Melody said, quickly followed by, “Come on, get on with it.” Joe continued. “They drove up to Yorkshire in Charlie’s old banger of a car. He had this really old Morris that he joked about being a family heirloom. I think it had belonged to some old aunt who’d had it from new and she passed it on to Charlie at some stage. Charlie was a bit of a scatterbrain, hopeless at forward planning, so it was inevitable that they would run out of petrol at some stage in the journey. They were pretty near their destination when it happened. The car came to a grinding halt and they were stranded on the Yorkshire Moors. It was decided that Johnny and Fiona would wait in the car while Charlie and Lucy walked back to a petrol station they’d passed about a mile or two back along the road. It took them longer than they thought to reach the garage only to find it closed. Well, you can imagine the panic that set in. No petrol, stranded on the moor, and a bitterly cold night to contend with. Charlie spotted a light further down the road so they headed for it only to find it was coming from a pub. As they got closer they spotted the pub sign swaying in the breeze that came of the Moor. The pub was called The Bell Inn. The sound of music and laughter was emanating from the building and Charlie and Lucy went inside. There was some kind of fancy dress party going on that appeared to have a Twenties theme – girls in flapper dresses and men in wide legged trousers and stripy blazers. They made their way through the throng and up to the bar. Well, to cut a long story short, the barman directed them towards a small village that wasn’t too far away and where they might be able to get petrol. Off they went, found the village, were able to get a can of petrol, and made their way back to the car and onwards to the party.” “It’s not very frightening so far,” Melody pointed out, disappointment in her voice. Joe ignored her and took up the thread of his story again. “They stayed for a couple of days after the party and began their journey back early one morning. Their first stop was at the garage that had been closed on their previous visit to it. Charlie, and the others, were determined that there would be no repeat of New Year’s Eve; they would definitely have enough petrol to get home. This all happened before the advent of self-service garages, so the garage owner was the one to fill the tank. Charlie chatted to him, told him of how they’d run out of petrol and how the man in the pub had saved the day by directing them to the village where they’d been able to get a can of petrol and get to their party. The man seemed distracted and somewhat disinterested in Charlie’s diatribe until Charlie mentioned the pub. “What pub would that be then?” he asked Charlie and Charlie told him that it was the Bell Inn. The garage owner stopped what he was doing and looked at Charlie in disbelief. “You sure about that?” he queried, “Absolutely sure?” Charlie affirmed that “yes” he was sure. “And where was this pub?” the garage owner continued in his questioning. Charlie pointed down the road. “Just down there, not very far.” The garage owner paled, went white as a sheet according to Charlie, for according to him the Bell Inn had burnt to the ground back in the 1920’s, on New Year’s Eve to be precise. Charlie laughed and said that there had to be a mistake, it must have been another pub and they’d got the name wrong or something. Anyway, they left the garage and a very perplexed owner behind and began the drive back down south. Charlie decided that they would look for the pub on the way, just to prove to himself and the others that he and Lucy weren’t imagining things.” “And,” Julia asked, “Did they find it?” “Not exactly,” Joe replied. “They found the burnt shell of a building in exactly the place they believed they’d visited two nights earlier.” “Could have been a different place,” Nick pointed out. “It was dark and they were in unfamiliar surroundings, it would be very easy to make a mistake.” “True,” Joe agreed, “apart from one thing. You see they got out of the car to examine the ruin. Charlie was convinced that they were in the right place and was hoping to find some evidence to assure him that he wasn’t losing his mind.” “And did they?” George asked. “Oh yes,” Joe said, “They certainly did. You see when they were at the petrol station Lucy discovered that she had lost one of her gloves. She thought she must have left it behind when she packed to come home, but she hadn’t. You see, Fiona spotted something lying deep in the interior of the ruin. Johnny went to see what it was. It was Lucy’s glove.” “She must have dropped it when they were looking round.” Nick said. “She probably had it on her all the time. You know what women are like for losing things.” “I don’t actually, Nick, so perhaps you’d like to explain!” Michelle retaliated, but before Nick could answer Joe intervened. “Now children, let’s not get into a scrap. She had definitely lost the glove and she certainly hadn’t dropped it where it was found. You see, she hadn’t stepped inside the ruin just walked round the outside. In fact, none of them stepped inside till Fiona drew attention to what turned out to be Lucy’s glove. It really shook them all up you know. In fact, apart from telling Hannah and me, they never mentioned it again. I think Charlie just wanted to pretend that the incidence never happened but I’m positive that what they told me was true. I can still see the expression on Charlie’s face when he was telling us. He was totally shocked.” They sat in silence, each one turning Joe’s story over in their minds. George was about to make a comment when there came a sudden hammering at the front door and the sound of Jimmi shouting for help.
To be continued………………………………
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 24, 2008 16:25:37 GMT 1
Part Nine
Without a thought for Julia’s `stay together’ rule they all raced through to the hall, leaving Melody still sitting on the floor by the fire wailing, “Wait for me guys,” as she tried to disentangle herself from Julia’s dressing gown and join the rest of them. Nick arrived first at the front door and threw it open so quickly it bounced back on the wall making an ominous thud and no doubt a dent in the brick work. Jimmi was standing outside supporting a semi-conscious Archie, an Archie whose face appeared to be covered in blood. “Quick,” Jimmi said, “Help me to get him inside.” Nick and Joe took hold of Archie, relieving Jimmi of his burden, and carried him through to the drawing room where Melody had just about got to her feet. “Archie!” she cried, “What’s happened to him?” Archie was laid carefully on the sofa, Julia taking off her cardigan and laying it under his head to prevent blood from staining the delicate fabric. “I’ve got a first aid kit in the car. There’s some antiseptic wipes in it. At least we can get him cleaned up and, no Julia, I don’t need an escort. I’ll leave the doors open if it will keep you happy.” George said quickly before Julia could start panicking about the need to move about in pairs and, without a backward glance, she left the room. Julia sat biting her lip. She really wished that George had taken someone with her but, in what seemed no time at all, George was back and she breathed a sigh of relief and felt her whole body relax. Maybe she was being overanxious but that time wandering in the maze of passages that the house secreted, had really unnerved her. “Right,” Michelle took the wipes from George, “Let’s see what’s going on here.” She began to clean Archie’s face and, even though her actions were as gentle as possible, he winced at every touch. “It looks like scratches to me,” Michelle interrupted her work to tell them. “There’s an awful lot but they’re stopping bleeding. Don’t think it will spoil his good looks – not that he ever had any!” She added with a laugh, then as she finished cleaning his wounds and could see his face more clearly she stated. “He’s got one hell of a bump on his forehead.” “Let me see,” Joe moved Michelle to one side and examined Archie. Archie made a pained expression as Joe tenderly touched the lump that was rapidly forming just above his left eyebrow. “We really should get you to the hospital and get this checked out; it’s quite a nasty bump you’ve got there.” Joe finally said, “And you did seem a bit dazed when we brought you in.” “I’ll be alright. Don’t fuss.” Archie struggled to sit up, finally achieving a semi sitting position. “I was just a bit dazed, that’s all.” “What happened?” Julia asked, “According to Melody you were simply looking for a way into the house.” “I was. I walked all the way round only to find that Melody had disappeared.” He glared in Melody’s direction as he spoke. Melody looked suitably ashamed and explained her tumble into the coal cellar. “When I couldn’t find her, I thought she must have made her way back to the car so I walked down to where she’d parked only to find she wasn’t there. I decided she had to be in the house and I was making my way back up when some mad woman on a bicycle came charging at me. I jumped to the side, landed in some thorn bush and hit my head on a post or something that was hidden by the bush. Then Jimmi appeared and well…. Here I am. No hospital Joe, honest I’ll be okay.” “Well, alright,” Joe conceded, “but you’d best stay over here and no sleeping on your own tonight.” “I’ll share with him!” Melody piped up. “Oh no you won’t! You’re sharing with me. There’s no way I’m spending the night alone in this place.” Michelle stated firmly. Melody sighed and a look of disappointment came over her face. “I’m not sharing,” Jimmi piped up. “I need my own space.” “You can count me out as well,” Nick added. “I’m not sharing with anyone.” “I’ll share with you Archie.” Joe offered, and seeing that Archie was about to say that he didn’t need a nursemaid, added, “You really shouldn’t be on your own when you’ve had a blow to the head. You should know that Archie.” Archie nodded and reluctantly said, “You’re right. Thanks Joe.” Julia turned to George. “To be honest, I’m a bit nervous about being on my own in this place. Would you mind sharing?” George smiled. “That’s fine Julia. I don’t really believe the place is haunted but it is a funny old house and I’ll probably feel better with some company.” The rest of the evening passed peacefully. They sat amiably chatting and enjoying a glass of wine until, by mutual consent they all agreed that it was time they went to bed. Joe banked down the fire and waited for them all to leave the room before turning off the light and following them upstairs. He lent George his pyjamas to sleep in, as Melody was wearing her nightdress and he was quite happy to sleep in his underwear. Soon they were all settled in their rooms. Archie fell asleep in no time and Joe, confident that his patient was in good form, soon followed. Melody and Michelle spent some time chatting but were gradually overtaken by tiredness and after a brief “goodnight” drifted off. Nick, Jimmi, Julia and George were not far behind them. The day had been long and the past few hours had been eventful and soon the house had settled into complete and utter stillness. George woke. “Bracken?” she said sleepily. She turned to Ronnie before she realised that she wasn’t at home and that the sleeping form beside her was not Ronnie but Julia. As her eyes became accustomed to the dark she realised that Julia was also awake. “Did you hear that?” she asked Julia. Julia nodded, looking at George in puzzlement, for what they had both heard was the sound of a child crying.
To be continued………………………
|
|
|
Post by PamA on Apr 28, 2008 17:19:16 GMT 1
Part Ten
For a moment they sat there listening. The sound continued, growing in volume until they felt totally surrounded by it. Julia put her hands over her ears. “I can’t stand this George,” she said, a slight tremor in her voice, “Where’s it coming from?” George shrugged and reached out for Julia’s hand in a gesture of comfort. “I don’t know,” she whispered, “But I intend to find out. That poor child sounds so distressed.” Letting go of Julia’s hand, she made to get out of bed stopping suddenly in her action overcome with an awareness of it being intensely cold. “It’s freezing,” she commented. “Absolutely freezing. It wasn’t this cold when we came to bed was it?” “No, it definitely wasn’t as cold as this,” Julia agreed, “But it’s an old house don’t forget, no double glazing or cavity wall insulation. We should have lit fires in the bedrooms before we came to bed. They’re all laid ready.” George reached to the side of the bed where she’d left the emerald green wrap she’d been wearing the night before and pulled it firmly round her body. It did little to alleviate the cold and, for a moment, she thought of going downstairs to retrieve her coat but decided the wrap would have to do. “It’s a bit late to think of that now.” she said, “and I’m certainly not lighting fires at this time of night.” Julia put her cardigan on over her nightdress. It made little difference and she found herself shivering violently. “We’d best be quick,” she advised George, “My teeth are practically chattering.” “There’s a child somewhere in this house, and it’s in distress. I don’t care how long it takes we have to find it.” George said firmly, “and, if we’re cold, then tough!” “I didn’t mean it the way it sounded, “ Julia reassured her, “Of course we have to find the child, but goodness knows how there’s a child in this place.” They left their bedroom and in the passage outside found Michelle and Melody already on their way to investigate. Michelle was wearing her cardigan over her nightclothes and was visibly shaking with the cold. Melody was warmly encased in Julia’s dressing gown, a fact which didn’t go unnoticed by the dressing gown’s owner who momentarily had thoughts of wresting it off of her. “You heard it then?” Michelle said when she saw them. They nodded. “It seems to be coming from above us.” Michelle pointed in the direction of the ceiling as she spoke. “There’s a staircase over there that must lead to the attic or something.” In the gloom they could see that there was indeed a short flight of stair positioned between what they now saw as `the boy’s corridor’ and the `girl’s corridor’. “Funny,” said Julia, “I don’t remember noticing stairs there before.” “Now you come to mention it, I don’t either.” George said looking puzzled. “Do you think we should wake the others?” she asked, adding, “I’m actually surprised that the noise hasn’t woken them already.” “I’m not,” Julia retorted, “Mac was extremely good at not hearing ours if they cried in the night! Anyway, we’re together, there are four of us and it’s probably nothing anyway. Some trick of the acoustics or some such thing. Come on let’s get up there and see what’s going on.” As she spoke, they were suddenly aware that the crying had stopped and in its place there was a soft, rhythmic thudding sound. “Alright,” Melody uttered, with some relief tingeing the tone of her voice “The crying’s stopped. Let’s get back to bed.” “Melody! We’re not going until we find out what is going on up there. There could be a child hidden away or an animal or something.” Michelle glared at Melody. “We all want to get back to bed, you know, we’re all freezing but I, for one, will not be able to rest until I know what or who is making that noise.” “Well said Michelle,” George smiled at her as she spoke. “We stick together, right?” They all, including a reluctant Melody, agreed. Julia located a light switch nearby that turned on a small light bulb at the top of the narrow flight of stairs they were about to climb. It afforded little in the way of light, just enough for them to be able to see the steps. George took the lead, closely followed by Michelle and Julia. Melody lagged behind a little, looking longingly at the doors of the men’s bedrooms, willing one of them to make an appearance. But when George slowly opened the door at the top of the stairs she hastened to join them, not wanting to be left alone and out of sight of the other women. One by one they entered the room that lay at the top of the stairs. It appeared to be a long disused nursery. Against one wall stood an old fashioned rocking horse, its paint a little worse for wear and its mane practically non-existent. A dolls pram of a former era lay rusting in the corner and the china doll that lay inside it was dressed in moth eaten clothes of an earlier time. Faded wooden blocks and dented tin soldiers lay around the floor, but it was none of these that drew their attention. What their eyes had fixed on was an ornamental cradle that stood in the centre of the room, a cradle that was gently rocking to and fro making the soft thudding noise that had led them to this room.
To be continued………………………….
|
|