The Mystery of Belle Jardin
By
Elizabeth Decker
SMASHWORDS EDITION
Published By
Elizabeth Decker
The Mystery of Belle Jardin
Copyright © 2010
To Mom and Dad
for all of your love and support
CHAPTER 1
The afternoon sun was hot and the dragonflies flitted over the still pond. In the near distance, the tumbled down mansion sat dowager-like upon the hill. Once, long ago, it had been surrounded by exquisite gardens, gravel paths, and manicured lawns. Now, weeds were the only flowers, the paths were in ruins, and the forest encroached upon the once pristine lawns.
There was an air of melancholy, of waiting, of abused hope, that hung over the structure and the surroundings. The once proud walls were slowly breaking down, and inside, the grand staircase lost a bit of its footing each winter. No fires crackled merrily in the hearth and the crystal chandelier swayed precariously each time the cruel winter wind blew in through the broken windows. Years ago, young boys would come and throw rocks to see who could reach the farthest panes of glass. Now, those same boys were grandfathers and the house was alone and forgotten by everyone.
But the rooms were not silent. Every once in a great while, if you listened deeply, you could hear the ping from the now decrepit grand piano, as the music called a soft hello. Echoes of conversations long since past, drifted down hallways and slight laughter could be heard in the dining room. Sometimes, the music would swell and the house seemed to take a big breath, hold it, waiting, and then a soft, deep sigh could be heard as if it had exhaled its disappointed expectations.
However, it had not always been thus and before we continue in the present, let us stop and pause, for the history of a house is the key to its heart. It must be stated that the house had a name, once in the long forgotten long ago and it was called Belle Jardin. It was so named by a dashing and charming young man called Cyrus Tyler. Cyrus had been on a tour of the world, and whilst in Europe, he had fallen in love, not only with the magnificent architecture, food, and culture of those old and stately countries but also with a beautiful young artist named Mary Saint Clair. Mary was a young American lady studying art in Italy. Her parents were dead and her Uncle Eustace, who was extremely wealthy, could deny her nothing.
When she professed her love for art, she was given lessons by all the best tutors. When she professed her desire to travel to Italy to study with the masters, he organized a trip abroad. And when she came to him and expressed her love and desire to marry young, dashing, Cyrus Tyler he could do naught but bestow his blessings on the union.
So they were wed, in the early summer of 1894, and after a long honeymoon in France and Ireland they came back to the United States to settle down. They were given a large piece of property by her uncle and as Cyrus was very rich, they started to build their home.
Mary’s artist’s eye lovingly created a magnificent garden. She combined the best of what she had seen both abroad and at home and infused it with her gift of imagination. Cyrus meanwhile, harbored dreams of being an architect and so he began constructing a huge mansion that would complement both their creative sides and their station in life. He created a magnificent ballroom, the most modern of kitchens and baths, two elevators, and not only an indoor arbor, but also a marvel to all that saw it, an indoor pool. Of course the heating was astronomical but since Cyrus loved it so very much, Mary said nothing.
This notion of an indoor pool was, of course, very forward thinking and caused a stir among their social set, upon which neither of them spared a second thought.
All seemed complete when in the year 1898 their daughter, Grace was born. There was utter bliss until the early summer of 1906.
It was in the month of July when the tragedy occurred. All that was good and great was dashed away in a single afternoon. And the house and its occupants were never the same. A darkness descended, obscuring the happiness of the house and the land around it.
Years passed and the house and gardens slowly sunk into disrepair.
It was precisely in this ruined and dilapidated condition that our four intrepid explores Francesca, Sally, Amanda, and Tyler stumbled upon the house one sweltering hot July day.
CHAPTER 2
“TYLER!” Francesca yelled across the fields. At 14 she was all arms and legs, as slim and gangly as a young colt. Her dark hair was pulled back into a thick braid which hung halfway down her back and her green eyes flashed with emerald fire. She was hot and sweaty and none too pleased at her missing younger brother. As the oldest child she was very protective of her younger siblings who were twins, and was also used to bossing them around a great deal. She was competent, loyal, and at the moment, completely exasperated.
“Where is he?” She turned to her two companions with a glare.
Sally, Francesca’s best friend and exploring companion shook her blond head. As tall as Francesca and with the same build, her straight blond hair was pulled back in a high ponytail. Her creative mind was always spinning stories and it was her great ambition to be an author. Consequently she had any number of ideas what young Tyler was getting up to. Sally was also the youngest in her family and with four older brothers she was used to their rough and tumble adventures. Her dark brown eyes were amused as they regarded her friend. Her own nature was considerably more relaxed. They were the yin and yang of each other and that’s what made them the best of friends.
“Maybe he was eaten by wild animals,” she said gravely.
“We should be so lucky,” Francesca grumbled.
“Nan, don’t say that. He may just be your brother but he’s my twin,” Amanda waved her slender arms about, “and if he were to get hurt – I would feel it. And then perhaps die,” she fell to the ground in mock convulsions.
Francesca and Sally exchanged looks. Amanda, although only eight, was in possession of such a dramatic disposition that she was surely destined for the theatre. Her blondish hair was getting blonder every day in the heat of the summer. It was cut short in a page boy and swung about her chin. Amanda had no intention of having to fuss with her hair and only wished for a style that was easy to care for. Her slight build was as athletic as her twin brother, the missing Tyler, for they played together frequently. She was about three inches shorter though and this caused her great consternation.
Once in a great while, Tyler and Amanda were allowed to join in Francesca and Sally’s expeditions. Although Amanda would never betray her twin she was secretly upset with him for disappearing so completely. If it ruined their chances for going with the girls again she would be very mad at him indeed.
“Well, if you are so psychically linked then perhaps you can tell us where he is?” Sally asked with an amused glint in her eye.
Tyler came barreling out of the bushes at that very instant.
“GUYS! Wait till you see what I’ve found.”
Tyler was as blond as his sister but that’s where the resemblance ended. He was built as sturdy as a truck and besides the three inches he gained in height, he also weighed a good fifteen pounds more. His grin was as unruly as his hair which stood straight up on his head in the back and was plastered down in the front. His shorts were torn and his knees were covered in dirt. His blue eyes were wide with glee as he looked at the girls.
“Tyler, if you disappear like that again I will hunt you down,” Francesca fumed at him.
“Aw Nan, you sound like mom! Come on and SEE WHAT I FOUND!” He grinned and jumped up and down.
“What is it?” Sally was intrigued.
“This way,” Tyler ran back into the bushes.
The girls dove into the bushes after him. It was slow going for there were brambles and bees and weeds and vines and all sorts of things that seemed determined to trip them and halt their progress. Their legs and arms, bare in their shorts and t-shirts, were soon covered with angry red marks left by the nettles they encountered. However, the group was hardly aware of the scrapes and scratches they suffered for they considered them merit badges. They reveled in the freedom to roam about on these long hot summer days. Of course they had to be careful because their mothers’ thought they were each at the others house – but it was the only way that they could escape from the clutches of adult supervision. All of them realized that there were dangerous people around, but they also all knew that if they stayed, and stood together, they would be safe.
The girls burst out of the brambles and found themselves on a slight hill overlooking the pastures beyond. Breathless they stood amazed at the sight before them.
Spread before them down the hillside, was an overgrown pasture that sloped up another hillside to a tumbled down wall. The land then leveled out. Deep in the overgrown shade of the massive oak trees the outline of a huge crumbling mansion could be seen. It appeared to have been built of stone and was formidable, even its decay. There was a center portion which was three stories high and there were two wings off to each side. Mullioned windows dotted the upper floors and large French doors graced the ground floor. Many of the windows were broken and on the two large turrets some of the stones could be seen crumbled on the ground. The air of mystery was deep and palatable.
Tyler beamed, “Isn’t it neat? Let’s go!”
With a war whoop, the foursome speed down the slope and up the next one.
They stopped in front of the crumbling stone wall and hesitated, trying to catch their breath after the headlong run.
“I don’t know if we should go in there,” suddenly Amanda felt strange, her insides were in turmoil and she was anxious. She rubbed her stomach and looked at the others, “What if there is a ghost or something inside?”
Tyler shook his head, “Girls! There’s nothing in there that will hurt you, come on.”
He bounded over the wall.
Sally went after him, “Come on Francesca, Amanda. This is too cool to miss.”
Francesca looked down at her sister, concern etched on her face.
“I know what you mean Mandy. It’s weird isn’t it? I get the same sort of feeling,” she paused, “come on though, don’t want the others to think that we are sissies do we?”
Amanda looked more troubled. There was something urging her not to go forward.
“I don’t like it Nan. Don’t let’s go in.”
“Don’t worry Amanda, nothing will happen, I’ll be right here,” she pulled her sister’s hand and dragged her over the wall.
Unbeknownst to all of them, four wild pink roses bloomed simultaneously in the crumbling stone wall.
CHAPTER 3
The foursome walked across the jungle of grass. Tyler was in the lead swinging about a big stick he had picked up and he cleared a path for the others, “Who do you think lived here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve never heard anyone mention this place before. Not even my brothers,” Sally said. “and they used to explore all over before they went off to college.”
“Ask them about it later will you?” Francesca asked.
“Sure,” Sally said as she stumbled a bit and looked at the ground. “Look there used to be a path here,” she pointed to the gravel barely visible at her feet.
“This must have been some really rich person’s house. Look at how big it is.”
Tyler stopped and looked up and the others followed suit. In front of them, the house was bigger and older than it had appeared from the distance of the hill. He started forward, but stopped just as suddenly, some instinct making him wary.
“Wait, there’s something here,” he pushed aside some weeds. “Good thing I checked, look it’s a pond or something.
Amanda pushed to the head of the line, “Wow. I wonder if they had any goldfish in there. Imagine what they would look like now if there were?”
The others just grimaced at the thought.
With Tyler once again taking the lead, the group slowly made their way around to the huge patio.
Suddenly overcome by the forbidding ambiance of the house, they silently crept up to the French doors which hung lopsided on their hinges. They looked at each other, now a bit reluctant to go inside.
“Well?” Sally looked at Francesca.
“Well?” Francesca looked at the twins.
“Let’s go!” Tyler’s natural instinct for wild abandon won out, and he reached for the door.
“Wait!” Amanda stood still. The feeling that something was definitely wrong was very strong and suddenly she was certain of one thing, “I think there’s someone in there.”
“What? Are you crazy Amanda? No one is in there,” Tyler scoffed. “What’s a matter, you chicken?”
“I’m not chicken; I just don’t want to go in there.” Amanda crossed her arms and sat down on the ground.
“Okay Mandy, you don’t have to come in. We’ll be just a few minutes.” Francesca was worried when Amanda started acting this way, plus she really wasn’t comfortable leaving her alone outside.
“Sure, don’t worry about me, Nan. You go ahead. I’ll wait here in the sun and keep guard. Don’t worry,” suddenly Amanda seemed relaxed and sat next to a crumbling stone bench.
“Okay squirt we’ll be right back.”
The trio opened the decrepit French door and walked inside.
CHAPTER 4
The house was still, no birds flew in the rafters, no squirrels darted out the doors, and even the sound of their footsteps was muted as their sneakers crossed the marble floor. They passed from the large windowed room which fronted the garden and into the main hall.
“Cool,” Sally breathed as Tyler whistled softly.
“Can you imagine living here?” Francesca chimed in. “It must have been beautiful back when it was first built. Look at how high these ceilings are, and the beautiful floor.” Francesca was enthralled with the interior. It no longer seemed forbidding, just sad and that melancholy note struck something in the chambers of her soul.
“Well,” Sally said, “they must have had a lot of money. Imagine what it would have cost to heat this place.” Already her mind was alive with pictures of what it had indeed looked like. She figuratively brushed away the cobwebs and dust and debris and then began to paint an image of its former glory.
Tyler was completely still, an unusual state of being for him, for he was feeling something different than the girls. A practical boy he was surveying the damage but feeling a strange kind of energy. He felt like once they had walked inside the house some force had thrown an unseen switch and something long asleep had started coming awake. It wasn’t an awake like a hideous beast, but a good awake, slowly, like after a long night of hard dreams.
They all stood for a moment, silent with their own thoughts and took in the ruined rooms and melancholy air of the house.
Francesca was pensive as she turned to her two companions. “You know what? It’s starting to get late and we don’t really know where we are. Why don’t we stop today and come back tomorrow? We can pack a big lunch and leave early and then spend the whole day tomorrow exploring. What do you say?”
“Can’t we just do it now?” Tyler pleaded, more than ready to go off exploring. The polar opposite to his twin, he truly now felt like there was something good to be discovered in the house. “I mean we’re here and all. Just a little bit?”
“No, I agree with Francesca,” Sally said as she looked outside to the suddenly lengthening shadows. “If we get home too late our moms will be worried and might make us stay in tomorrow. Let’s get supplies and get up early and come and explore all day.”
“Oh, okay, but you promise we’ll come back tomorrow right?” Tyler looked at the other two with grave concern. Clearly, he was disgruntled at having to abandon his quest so close to the source.
“Oh yeah Tyler, this is too neat to let go. We have to come back and check the place out from top to bottom – right Francesca?”
“Right. And it would be good to have food and maybe some rope and first aid with us just in case,” Francesca replied.
They looked at each other, knowing that neither wild beasts, nor rain, nor sleet, nor earthquakes, would keep them from coming back in the morning. They had never discovered anything like this before and instinctively they all knew there was something more, something intangible happening.
“Okay, then let’s get Mandy and go home because now I’m hungry,” with this announcement Tyler stomped off. Tyler was never one to waste time pondering over decisions already made.
Francesca looked at Sally, the excitement visible on her face. This was their greatest exploration adventure so far. They had already planned to explore the world when they got older.
“It’ll be better if we come back tomorrow with all the supplies, don’t you think?”
“Yeah, you bet. I think you’re right about the food and stuff. We should probably think of other things to bring – like flashlights and water and stuff. We could use our old school knapsacks. What time do you want me to come by in the morning?” Sally replied.
“As soon as you get up,” Francesca said and Sally nodded her agreement.
The two girls walked outside to find Tyler and Amanda already started on their way down the hill. Tyler was clearing a path for them and they could see he was speaking very animatedly with his twin.
“What do you think freaked out Amanda, Francesca?”
“I don’t know. Normally she is the brave one of the two. You would think it would be Tyler but he won’t even go down the basement by himself. So it’s kind of weird. Mandy gets freaky that way sometimes. Last year when we were in Florida she wouldn’t go into this old fort. Just shook her head and said ‘No way’ and sat on the ground. When mom and dad tried to cajole her into going inside, she got practically hysterical. So mom stayed outside with her while dad took Tyler and me on the tour.”
“Wow that is weird. Maybe she’s psychic?”
“I don’t know, maybe.”
The girls shrugged and then ran down the hill to catch up to the other two. As they disappeared into the forest on the other side of the glen, they didn’t see the shadow which passed over the mansion throwing a cold stillness over it.
CHAPTER 5
The next morning dawned clear, hot, and sunny. Francesca and the twins were sitting on the front steps waiting for Sally to arrive. They were eating apples and dressed the same as the day before, in shorts and t-shirts, for it felt like it was going to be even hotter than the previous day. The cicadas were noisy in the trees and the sound of a lawn mower could be heard in the distance. Faintly, the smell of freshly mown grass wafted towards them. Tyler who finished his apple and threw it into the woods turned toward his older sister with a serious look.
“I think we should go over the checklist, Nan.”
“Okay Tyler, that’s a great idea. I have my pad and pencil right here. You and Amanda call out things to me.”
“Let me go first,” Amanda piped up.
Tyler and Francesca were surprised at how happy and relaxed she seemed this morning. Francesca was also relieved for if Amanda had balked at going on the expedition today she didn’t know what they would have done. Amanda was her responsibility and she couldn’t just leave her alone in the house all day.
“Sure you still want to come with us Mandy? You were freaked out by the place yesterday.”
“It’s okay Nan. I had a dream last night and I think everything is going to be okay.”
“Alright, just so you’re not crying to come home.”
“I won’t be. There’s a nice girl that lives there.”
Francesca looked puzzled, “Nobody lives there Amanda. You must know that.”
Amanda looked away, sorry she had let that slip. She hadn’t meant to say anything to her sister or brother about the girl. She knew that they wouldn’t understand, although Tyler guessed more about the things she saw than anyone else. She would have to be more careful, so she said as nonchalantly as possible, “Oh yeah, right, well, let’s see I have water and chocolate.”
Francesca said, “Check.”
“Some sandwiches, a couple of juice boxes, and band aids. That’s it for me”
“Okay, Tyler?”
“I have matches,”
“What?” Francesca cut him off mid-sentence and nearly jumped up. “What are you doing with matches? You know you should never play with them.”
“I’m not playing with them am I? What if we get lost and need to build a fire?
“In the middle of summertime?"
“Well you never know.”
“Here, give them to me in my bag.”
“Oh alright.” he grumbled. “Then I have a knife.”
“TYLER!”
“What Francesca? Uncle Dave gave me this knife – look it’s a real Swiss army pocket knife.”
“Wow that is neat. Okay good idea – you never know,” Francesca settled down.
“Can I go on?”
“Yes.”
“Apples, walkie-talkies, gum, more juice boxes and my slingshot, just in case we run into any wild animals.”
“Good job troops.”
“What do you have Nan, in your bag?” Amanda came and sat by her sister. Truth be told Francesca was more jumpy than normal this morning, which was making her overbearing. Amanda was curious about that. Normally their sister wasn’t so hyper.
“Well, I have more water, a blanket, my cell phone, rope, my notebook and pencil, some candy, and sandwiches. I made some ham and cheese, some turkey and some bologna. I know how Tyler needs his food.”
“HEY GUYS!” Sally came running down the hill with her knapsack on her back. Also in shorts and a t-shirt her hair was pulled back into her signature ponytail.
“Hey Sally!” All three jumped up and ran to meet her.
Sally stopped and bent over with her hands on her knees panting a bit. “I ran all the way. Hey, are you coming Mandy?”
“Yes. Will everybody stop asking me about it? Let’s go!”
The foursome set off down the street and disappeared into the woods on the other side of the road. Tyler and Amanda took the lead, talking quietly together. Francesca and Sally walked companionably together, not setting too fast a pace in the heat.
“What time do you have to be back?” Francesca asked Sally.
Sally grinned mischievously, “I don’t! I told my mom that I was spending the night with you! You know how deranged she gets when I’m the least bit late. You think she would be more relaxed after having put up with all the craziness from my brothers, but no.” Sally shook her head dejectedly.
It was a true observation. Sally’s mom was more than a bit protective of her only daughter and this chafed on Sally’s natural spirit of independence.
Francesca sympathized with her friend, but her case was completely different. Her mom was a real estate agent and was frequently gone during the day and sometimes, well into the evening. Her father worked long hours in the city and it was left to Francesca to watch over her brother and sister. She had more responsibilities than most girls her age.
“Good thinking. Mom is showing houses until later tonight – and I told her we would go to your house for dinner and stay the night over there. So we can stay out as long as we want!”
“Great minds, my friend, think alike,” the girls howled.
Amanda and Tyler just shook their heads. The sudden shrieks which came from Sally and Francesca were sometimes startling, most times annoying, and always extremely loud.
Tyler was quiet as he walked alongside his sister. He was hesitant to ask her about her dream but he was also curious about it as well. He knew that his sister saw “more”, that’s how he thought of it, than other people. She didn’t like to talk about it too much though. He swatted a tall gangly weed with great force.
“You okay Tyler? Is something wrong?” Amanda was feeling very excited now that the journey had begun, but she was sensitive to her brothers moods. She knew he acted like a typical eight year old but there was a strong and still core to him and he noticed lots of things.
“Nothing’s wrong. I was just wondering about your dream.” he didn’t look at her just slid his eyes around to gauge her reaction. He was surprised when she smiled even wider.
“Oh, you know, my dreams are weird. I’m just excited to be going today because I think … I think it will be interesting,” Amanda looked at him. She knew what he wanted but she wasn’t able to talk about it yet. Sometimes these things needed to be taken slowly and she wanted to get a better feeling about it once they reached the house. Plus she wasn’t sure about how much of her dream to divulge.
Tyler sighed, she wasn’t going to let him in on what she knew, that was clear. He shrugged to himself, no use getting all worked up about it, he thought silently. She’ll tell me when she’s ready. That subject cleared up in his mind, his mood lifted again with the thought of exploring the big house.
CHAPTER 6
The sun was high in the sky when they finally pushed past the bushes and out onto the hillside clearing which had the view of the house.
“Gee,” Francesca said as she swatted a mosquito away from her flushed face, “it was really hard to find. I thought after yesterday it would be a piece of cake but... .”
Sally pulled out a water bottle and took a big swig, “I know. It was really weird, like we kept getting turned around and around on purpose. Anyway here we are,” she put the bottle away. “Last one to the stone wall is a dirty dog!” She took off at a full run.
“Wait!” The three others screamed and careened after her.
Amanda was the last to arrive at the crumbling stone wall, but instead of stopping she scrambled right over it. “You guys have longer legs so no fair!” She cried as she started off towards the house.
Laughing the other three scrambled over after her. Not one of them noticed as more wild pink roses bloomed to life after their passing.
They all agreed to stop and have something to eat before beginning the big exploration. As Tyler put it, getting fuel for their engines. Everything could be related to cars or trucks with Tyler. His one ambition was to have an enormous truck one day and drive it all over the United States.
The French doors to the house were open and the cool, still, air seeped out onto the flagstone terrace where they were eating.
“Who do you think lived here?” Sally mused as she stretched out her long legs and munched on a sandwich.
“I have no idea. I asked my mom last night if she knew about any houses like this around here and she didn’t remember anything. But she started getting nosy so I had to stop asking questions. She probably would love to sell this old place.”
They all nodded. Their mother was always on the go. Francesca was proud of her mom but also a bit sad, because they spent very little time together.
“Well, the house feels sad to me,” Amanda declared. “But also like it’s waiting. Like it’s quiet and waiting for us to explore it.” Amanda grimaced, shaking her head. Really, she thought, what else would slip out?
Unexpectedly Tyler piped up, “Yeah, Mandy, I know what you mean. It’s like it’s holding its breath waiting for us to discover all sorts of things. Maybe there’s a hidden treasure! What do you think Nan?”
Tyler had seen his sister’s grimace and knew she regretted speaking so he had jumped in. But, the truth was he did feel that way about the house, like yesterday and the feeling of energy he had felt. The house was doing something strange to his way of thinking.
“I don’t know guys, but you should be on that show about haunted places. I can’t believe you think is holding its breath and waiting for us to explore it,” Francesca replied. She was ever practical and if you couldn’t see it, feel it, smell it, or touch it, it didn’t exist for her. Or at least she liked to tell herself all of that. In reality she was a bit more attuned to the mystical nuances in life than she liked to admit.
“Well, you don’t have to believe anything Francesca. Just lead the expedition!”
“Okay Amanda, don’t get all crazy on me. Do you feel anything Sally?”
“What like ghosts? I don’t know, not really but we haven’t properly explored have we? Maybe we will find a treasure and some bones ARGH!” Sally grimaced and stuck her hands out menacingly grabbing for Tyler.
“Are you supposed to be scary?” He demanded.
“Now would I do that to you? Come on. Let’s go play Marco Polo.”
“But we aren’t in the water,” Tyler scoffed.
“Marco Polo was a famous explorer, Tyler. You should read more books,” Francesca added.
“Books are for sissies,” he retorted.
“No, they aren’t, but you’ll have to learn that on your own,” Sally chimed in.
“Yeah, okay, whatever. Let’s get going.” Sometimes being with all girls and especially his big sister and her know-it-all friend was a bit wearying for him.
They packed their knapsacks and put the rubbish in a bag and put a big rock on the it so that they could pick it up on the way out. All four of them stepped up to the doorway and crossed inside. A huge black cloud raced over the house and a sound of thunder pounded in the distance. Inside however, there was nothing but quiet although each of the four shivered unconsciously.
CHAPTER 7
They crossed over the broad marbled expanse of the sun room with the light filtering in through the cracked and broken French doors and then silently entered the great hall.
“Let’s start upstairs,” Francesca whispered.
Sally, Tyler, and Amanda nodded. The cool mustiness of the house caressed their skin after the heat of the sun and the absolute silence inside made them hesitant to speak.
Cautiously they started up the stairway which was lined with rubble and dust, and carefully made their way up to the second floor. Once safely at the top, the three girls let out a sigh.
“Now which way?” Tyler shouted.
His voice was so loud that a couple of birds were startled and flew away which caused Amanda to scream which caused Francesca and Sally to say, “SHUSH!”
“But why, no one is here,” Tyler pointed out, perplexed, although he said it quietly.
“Yeah, you’re right. Let’s talk in normal voices. That way if there are more birds then we’ll scare them before we get to them, okay?” Francesca said. They all nodded, ready for Francesca to take the lead like she always seemed to do.
“Let’s go this way,” she said pointing to the right.
The hallway was long and dimly lit by a large window at the other end. Dust smites hung in the air and danced, caught in the swirling drafts of sunlight. On the walls, the once ornate paper hung in tatters and the light fixtures were askew. A large, delicately carved, wooden chest stood against one wall in the corridor. Sally walked over to it and gingerly dusted off some of the dirt.
“Look at this wood, it’s so pretty,” she said softly. Underneath the thick layer of grime and dust, the outline of mahogany inlaid wood could be seen as she gently brushed aside the debris.
“This is just beautiful. Can you imagine just leaving something like this here? That’s just weird.”
Sally marveled at the obvious workmanship and the satin feel of the wood.
“Think that’s weird, come in here and see this,” Tyler called out from inside an open door way.
The three girls joined him inside. It was a disaster now but obviously the room had once been exquisite. It had been painted a beautiful pale green, and faded yellow silk drapes hung limply in the massive floor length windows. The bed, a four poster behemoth was draped in a now indistinguishable, patterned comforter. There was an armoire in the corner, painted white, with green leaves and flowers gracing the panels. Sally stepped over to it and opened the door. It was empty. She closed it gently. Besides the bed and armoire there was a dresser and although they opened all the drawers there was nothing to be found.
“You know, this is going to sound weird but I thought we might find clothes in the drawers,” Sally mused as she let her eyes wander around the room.
Francesca turned around, startled, and looked at her friend. She didn’t want to admit it but she had felt the exact same way. It was almost as if there should have been clothes in there and to not see them was a disappointment. Strange.
“Well maybe there is stuff in the other rooms. Let’s go see,” Tyler stated as he marched out of the room. There was a great deal to explore and he hoped that they wouldn’t keep stopping like that or they’d never get through the whole house today.
The next room they came upon had once been painted a deep rose color. The curtains that graced the windows had long ago been white but now they were nothing more than gray ghosts. There was a small four poster bed without an awning. The dresser and armoire were also painted white and there wild pink roses intertwined with ivy on the panels of both. In the corner stood a small white rocking chair and in the seat sat a large brown teddy bear, which happened to be missing an eye.
“This is the girl’s room,” Amanda said solemnly, “see her bear over there?”
Francesca shot Sally a worried glance but Sally just shrugged. Tyler shook his head.
“Let’s keep exploring,” he said.
Amanda was the last to leave the room. She had been getting a mental image of the little girl who had lived in the house. She could feel the girl’s hope reaching out to her. Amanda had always been blessed, or cursed, depending on how you looked at it, with the ability to see things which had been or might be. It was the strongest when she was looking at the past like now. She could almost feel the ghosts around her. This didn’t bother her so much for it was a part of her life like eating or sleeping and these spirits seemed nice enough. Sometimes there were bad things and then she pushed them out of her mind, just like she wouldn’t eat some foods. When she was younger she had talked about the things she had seen but lately she had learned to keep rather quiet about her communion with spirits. She had discovered most people looked at her strangely when she recounted some experience or other.
They explored the whole second floor. There were numerous bedrooms and a few bathrooms and they were all sparsely but beautifully furnished. There was one small hiccup. When they entered a spacious white room hung with blue and white silk drapes, Amanda suddenly gave a little yelp. They turned to look at her as she stood in the doorway.
“What’s up Mandy? You’re white as a ghost,” Sally asked.
“Nothing, nothing, you explore this one without me,” she turned and ran out of the room.
OH NO! She was shouting inside herself, that was a really bad one. GO AWAY. She almost shouted out loud but she pressed her hands to her ears and hummed a little tune to get herself under control.
Francesca shrugged, sometimes her sister acted like that but it usually passed. Tyler was a bit more perturbed but since he could see no difference in this room compared to all the others, he shrugged it off. Sally however was another matter. She wasn’t used to Amanda’s behavior and she found it very unsettling. Could Amanda really see things that weren’t there? Or did she feel them? How often did this happen? The other two didn’t seem fazed by it so it must happen with some regularity. Hum, how strange I’ve never noticed it before she thought. Maybe I can work it into one of my stories. I’ll have to do some research on the Internet when I get home about this. Sally continued musing to herself as she followed the others out of the room.
CHAPTER 8
They entered the last room on the floor and came upon a huge master bedroom. The walls were the blue of the sky and a monstrous king sized four-poster bed faced a long row of French doors. They opened out onto a large balcony which in turn looked out over the pond and what once had been the vast fields below. More windows and a comfortable window seat lined one of the walls.
There was a large bathroom joined to the master bedroom and this two had large windows and contained a huge claw footed bathtub.
“This must have been the master bedroom.”
“You’re right Sally, look at this,” Francesca pointed to two pairs of shoes, one petite and white and clearly feminine and another of burnished dark leather, large and masculine.
“Our first clue, well second, besides the teddy bear,” Amanda whispered.
“Our first clue to what?” Tyler queried.
“Our clue to what happened here,” Amanda replied. Really, she thought, I can’t be expected to keep quiet about everything.
“What do you thing happened here Mandy?” Francesca was curious, finally ready to accept that her sister was seeing what they could not.
“I’m not entirely sure, but bits and pieces are coming to me.”
“O-k-a-y Mandy. Um, how about checking out the third floor?” Sally said.
“Let’s do it!” Amanda skipped out of the room. Tyler followed.
Sally grabbed Francesca’s arm and stopped her from moving forward, “What do you think she is talking about? It’s starting to freak me out.”
“It’s okay Sally. Really. She gets this way sometimes. Obviously she is seeing something we aren’t. As long as it isn’t a bad thing then I’m okay but if she gets white again like in the white and blue room then, well…” Francesca’s voice trailed off.
“She was freaking but she didn’t want us to notice too much,” Sally mused. “I think she knows a lot more than she’s letting on. But you’re right, if she isn’t freaked then well, I suppose I shouldn’t be.”
“Right. Now let’s go find my brother and sister before they fall through a floor or something.” Francesca hurried out of the room
Sally stood still for a second, “I wonder what happened here so long ago?” She whispered out loud. At that moment a breath of wind blew forcefully and opened the French doors. Sally jumped.
“WAIT FOR ME!” She shouted and she ran out of the room.
CHAPTER 9
She found Francesca in front of an opened closet and inside the closet the twins were examining an opening in the wall.
“But what is it Nan?” Tyler demanded. He pushed a button on the wall and nothing happened.
“Holy smokes, that’s called a dumb waiter.” Francesca looked in awe at the opening in the wall.
“A dumb waiter?” Amanda queried
“Yes, people used to send food and drinks up and down in these things. The kitchen must be in the basement. And so if you wanted something up here you would just send in up in that and then one of the servants would bring it to your room,” Francesca said
“We should get one of them, it would make life easier,” Tyler added.
“I agree. It would be really cool. Okay, let’s go to the third floor,” Sally joined in and headed away from the door.
At the far end of the hallway was a stairway going up. The group hesitated, but only for a second. The banister had dust on it but other than that, there was nothing to dissuade them from venturing forth. Sunlight streamed onto the top landing, creating a golden glow on the wood and making it seem pleasant upstairs.
Up the creaking stairs they went. At the top, a long hallway stretched out before them, with doors on either side. They all walked into the first room.
It was rather large but furnished plainly. There was a single bed against the wall and a desk and dresser. By the window was a large comfortable chair and table. On the floor was a simple rug with a flower pattern. It was feminine even in its austerity.
“Who do you think lived in here?” Tyler asked.
“Probably the head servant of the household,” said Francesca. “Let’s go see what’s in the other rooms.”
They visited all the rest of the rooms on the floor. Some had two beds and a dresser in them and some just one bed in them. They were all sparingly furnished but with good decent pieces.
“Did they have people living all the time with them?” Amanda asked.
“Yes, Mandy,” replied Sally. “At that time, really rich people had servants and they had to have a place for them to stay. So they usually lived up in the attic.”
“I wouldn’t have liked that at all,” said Tyler.
“Well sometimes working for and living with a wealthy family was the best that you could hope for, or was better than living in really poor conditions at home,” Francesca lectured. “You had a roof over your head, clothes, food, and you were getting paid.”
“But you didn’t see your mom and dad,” Amanda said sadly.
“No, but you wouldn’t be living here unless you were much older and able to be on your own. And, you would have had Sunday off when you could go home to visit your mom and dad,” Sally added.
“Yeah, but still,” Amanda looked around, “I would miss Nan and Tyler, even though he can be a real pain. Let’s go eat something. I’m hungry!” Amanda looked at the others, “Aren’t you?”
“I’m starving!” Tyler announced. “Let’s go and have some food outside on the porch.”
“Yes, maybe we can get Charles to serve us,” Francesca said in a fake English accent and she looked around. “I don’t know where that man has gotten too! My, my.”
“You’re funny Nan. Beat you downstairs!” Amanda shot out of the room, followed by Tyler who shouted, “Charles, Charles, we’re coming for lunch!”
Amanda was laughing as she sang out, “Dear me, I don’t think that you are dressed for the occasion Tyler dear.”
“I do hope that Cook has prepared something delicious, I am feeling a bit puckish now darling, how about you?” Sally inquired of Francesca in another fake accent. “Come let us go after those hooligans before they give Cook a fright, what?”
Francesca started down the stairs, “Those two are giving me headache. Would you like to take them home with you this evening, my dear?”
“Oh,” replied Sally, “I’m afraid that I cannot. Alas. The poor little dears. My dear husband cannot abide your hooligans.”
“What? What? No taste that husband of yours!” Francesca replied and the girls dissolved into laughter as they then raced down the stairs.
All four, without realizing it, now felt completely comfortable in the old house. It seemed to reach out to them and envelope them in its spirit of warmth. It was almost like they had always known about it.
CHAPTER 10
They ate outside in the glorious sunshine, with the cool breeze fanning their hot cheeks. They spread the blanket out and distributed sandwiches and juice boxes.
“Let’s explore the downstairs next and then go around to the front of the house,” Tyler said with his mouth full of food.
“That sounds like a plan. These sandwiches taste good, I sure was hungry,” replied Sally.
“Me too!” Amanda said happily.
“You seem pretty happy, Mandy. Not scared like yesterday,” Francesca said softly as she looked at her sister. It was a good, that was for sure, but it was still a bit strange since it was a 180 degree change.
“Yep, well, so do you,” Amanda replied with a smile.
“This is really neat. The story for this house has got to be something interesting. It is almost like the house that time forgot. Some rooms with furniture, some not…” Francesca mused.
“Yeah,” Tyler joined in. “like it’s weird that no one knows that it’s here. And it was so hard to find. I thought it would be easy after yesterday. I did leave some marks to show the way, but they seemed to disappear. It was almost as if someone had wiped them away so that we wouldn’t find the house again. And another thing, if no one lives here anymore – why haven’t they torn it down?”
“Maybe we’ll find more clues about the owners in the downstairs. There should be a study or office like you see in those the old movies when people lived in these huge mansions,” Sally said as she jumped up and walked around. “They must have left in hurry not to take all of the furniture. But that’s weird too isn’t it? Why not take it all or why not just leave everything? It’s almost like some things are here to remind us that someone did live in the house and it isn’t totally deserted.”
“Sally, that’s a freaky thought. But who knows? Let’s go exploring again!” Francesca jumped up. All of this was getting a bit strange and she would feel better when she was moving.
“Sally’s right, though Nan. Everything is a clue or a memory, like the teddy bear to remind us of the girl and the shoes to remind us of the mom and dad who did live here. There are other things I’m pretty sure, we just have to remember, is all,” Amanda was brushing off crumbs as she stood up and said this. It was all so obvious to her that sometimes she forget no one else saw the things she did.
“What do we have to remember Mandy?” Francesca turned to her sister, “What is it that you see?”
“Yeah, come on Amanda, you get all weird and turn white and you don’t want to come and then you do and you’re talking about this girl. What’s the deal?” Sally said.
Amanda looked at them all and took a deep breath; this was always the hard part. They would ask her, she would tell them what she saw, and then they would look at her like she was crazy.
“I know that you guys don’t believe me.”
“I do Mandy!” This came, once again from the unexpected source of Tyler. “I know that you are seeing stuff, they may not believe you,” he glared and pointed to the two older girls, “but I do! You should believe her. She knows what she is talking about.”
“Calm down,” Francesca held her hands up in a placating gesture. “Just tell us about what you keep hinting about because it is driving us crazy. You keep dropping little hints and getting all spooky and wacky. Tell us what you know.”
“Okay, sit down a second and I’ll tell you what I know now.” They all gathered around Amanda and sat down.
“Something happened in this house. I keep seeing a girl, about Tyler and my age. Sometimes she’s happy, other times it is like she is trying to tell me something. That is why I decided to come back. I dreamed about her last night and she said that I had to come to the house today, that today was special and she was so glad to see me and us and that she thought we could help. I don’t know what happened but…” her voice trailed off as she looked thoughtful.
“What happened to you when you walked into that white and blue room?” Francesca asked.
“I don’t know … I just felt really frightened. Like there was something, or someone there that was really, really bad and I had to get out,” Amanda jumped to her feet. “I don’t really want to think about it or see too much.” Her face fell and tears came into her eyes. “But I can’t help it and I can’t leave that little girl all on her own.”
“It's okay Mandy,” Francesca rushed to her sister, “we’ll search some more and find out what we can. And if we don’t see anything today we’ll just come back tomorrow. Right guys?” She turned to Tyler and Sally. They both nodded solemnly. “So come on, have another piece of chocolate, it’s your favorite. Then we’ll go and explore the rest of this floor.”
Amanda nodded and reached up and hugged her sister. “Thanks Nan, I feel better. The chocolate helps,” she smiled as she munched a piece.
Francesca smiled back, “That’s the spirit. Let’s get a move on!”
“Aye, aye captain,” Tyler and Sally stood to attention and saluted them both. Then they packed away their snack things. At that moment a large dark cloud scuttled overhead obliterating the sun and a cold breeze swept in. Suddenly the house seemed sinister.
Tyler knew that the girls were a bit scared. They would never admit it of course, but he could tell by the way that they were hesitating. There was so much more to see and if they didn’t get going they wouldn’t have enough time. Plus, it would kind of neat to run into a ghost or two. Got to get them moving he thought as he turned and walked to the door.
“COME ON,” he shouted.
The girls jumped at the sound of his voice.
“Hey Tyler, dude, chill,” Sally tried to say casually. “We’re coming.”
Sally, Francesca, and Amanda shouldered their packs and started after him. They couldn’t very well let him think they were afraid. The sun peaked back out at that moment and chased the cloud away. Tyler heaved a sigh of relief and smiled to himself as he continued into the house.
CHAPTER 11
The rays from the late afternoon sun were shining in through the windows and in the distance they could hear the trill of a cardinal. It seemed a strange and unusual sound to hear and they were startled. They all felt a chill go through them but nobody wanted to be the first to turn back.
Surprisingly it was Amanda who spoke up.
“This way,” she said starting out at a trot. Got to keep us moving or we’ll be too afraid to continue, she thought. The house really wants us to explore, I can feel it’s very welcoming, almost drawing us in. But, on the other hand there is something really bad that happened here, caused by someone really bad and who doesn’t want us to explore.
They crossed through the now familiar great hall and turned left.
They walked down a short darkened hallway and then stopped. In front of them were two huge, wooden doors and although they were closed firmly, a bit of light still escaped from the top and the bottom. As their eyes adjusted to the dim light, they could see that the doors were ornately carved with birds, trees, forest animals, the sun, and the moon. It was a marvel of craftsmanship and the four were dutifully impressed.
“That is just beautiful, but do you think the doors are locked?” Sally asked then answered her own question by grasping the handle and pulling at one of the doors. It slid silently and easily opened.
“Wow. I thought it would be really heavy and difficult to open but actually it’s really light. Take a look guys,” she stepped aside to show them how it moved so lightly for a door that was at least 15 high and 6 feet across.
“Look at the sides here, there seems to be a kind of mechanism,” Tyler exclaimed. “And on the bottom there looks like some wheels,” he said as he lay prostate on the floor looking at the door. “What a neat engineering feat. I wonder who designed all this and carved it? I wish I could do that with my knife.”
“Maybe sometime in the future Tyler. Take a look in here,” Sally said as she stepped completely into the room.
The room was huge, with massive windows on all of the three outside walls. They could tell that there was a large terrace beyond the windows because the vegetation was sparse just outside and then grew profusely along the surrounding balustrade of the terrace. The floor itself was inlaid with four different woods, moving from dark to light which created an intersecting pattern that was both soothing and mesmerizing at the same time. It was also obviously the work of a master craftsman and his team. There was a bounce to the floor, a lightness that wasn’t to be found on the other floors of the house.
Sally opened her arms and spun around, “What a beautiful ballroom.”
Tyler looked at her critically, “What do you mean ball room? Did they play basketball in here? I don’t see any hoops. Did they even play stuff like that back then?”
Sally grinned at him, “No, silly, this was the place where big dances were held. Back in the olden times people would give big dances called balls and their friends would come from all around. It was very social and glamorous. The women all wore beautiful gowns and the men all wore tuxedos.”
“How do you know all of this stuff?” Tyler demanded. Although they could be a pain in the neck his sister and Sally did seem to know lots of interesting stuff.
“I read books little man, and watch old movies,” Sally replied.
Amanda walked gingerly across the floor, “It feels so bouncy, like my ballet studio. It must have been great to dance across a floor like this, all dressed up and swirling around. The music and the lights, the food… .”
A blank look came across her face and she stopped where she was in the middle of the room. Slowly she closed her eyes and then started twirling across the floor with her arms spread wide. “Truly it was a beautiful sight to see,” she said but her voice was different in its cadence.
Francesca and Sally stood to the side watching Amanda with shocked expressions. Francesca whispered to Sally, mimicking Amanda’s voice, “Truly it was a beautiful sight to see? Where did that come from? She sounds like she’s from the turn of the century and what happened to her voice?”