The Golds and the Strange Case of the Strand Hotel
Prologue
Click. Click. Clack.
The sound of her footsteps echoed through the long hallway, each thud of her heel betraying loose boards, worn polish, and the general decay of the hardwood floor. The chandeliers that hung above her head were covered in dust, thick cobwebs draping from crystal to chain, allowing for barely any light to reflect from the lamp she carried.
Dozens of photos filled her camera's memory card, and she took even more now as she neared a set of double doors with peeling paint, setting the lamp on a nearby table to allow for a better grip as she adjusted the focus to properly capture the shape of the keyholes beneath each doorknob. The air around her stirred ever so slightly as she stood in front of those doors, not enough to rustle the brown curls that fell around her shoulders, but enough to make the growing chill all too noticeable.
Belle Gold stepped back from the doors, allowing herself to see reason instead of jumping headfirst into the adventure that might await in the next room. This trip was just for reconnaissance, nothing more; she had made a promise to both Rumple and Baelfire that she would wait for one of them before delving too far into the hotel's mysteries. After what had happened the last time she'd wandered off on her own, she really couldn't blame them for worrying so much. So instead of pursuing the intriguing cold spot that could mean any number of delightfully interesting things, she simply marked it on the building plans she carried in her bag and moved on to the next hall.
She stuck to the rooms on the outer edges of the hotel, the ones with doors already standing open and windows so caked with dust the lamp really was necessary to make out details in the wallpaper and furniture. Every possible hint of activity was carefully marked for later review until she'd finally ended up back in the palatial lobby with its opulent furnishings and lavish carpet. Belle stopped at the marble-topped main desk, her curiosity itching to investigate the ledger that lay open there, as if waiting expressly for her arrival. A feeling of foreboding wrapped around her as her hand hovered over the yellowed pages, the sense of icy fingers curling around her heart as the afternoon sun glinted off the stone in her wedding band.
No. She needed to leave, now. She'd made a promise and she would keep it.
It was only when she reached the front doors and found them locked that she realized it was already too late. There was a frantic scratching at the back of her mind as every inch of her screamed to run, get away from this place, and dread filled her lungs like cold water and made it hard to breathe. Too late. Much too late. If only she'd listened…
"Madam? You forgot your key."
