Part 1

"Papa, where are we going? Why isn't Mama coming with us?"

Daa'e looked down at his six year old daughter and fought back the urge to cry. He could not find it in his heart to tell her of her mother's passing.

"Papa?" Christine asked again, noticing how sad he had suddenly become.

"Your mother is always with us Christine. You must understand that, even when she is not here, she's standing before you," Daa'e said.

"Oh," was all Christine said. As the coach hit a bump in the road, she had no idea what her father meant.

"As for where we are going, we are going to an old friend of mine, who has been kind enough to let us stay with her."

Christine asked happily, "Is she the lady you and Mama knew at the opera?

"Yes, my dear. Madame Destler has been alone for several years. She doesn't like to be bothered, so do not pester her too much."

"I promise," Christine said.

The coach came to a stop outside a dirty, poorly-kept house, with ivy growing up its side, and a big dead oak tree reaching up to just the tip of the attic window.

Christine shivered as she looked upon her new home. She had heard about haunted houses before but she had never seen one. Daa'e was just as surprised. Why was Madeline's house so filthy? He silently scolded himself on judging the house so quickly.

Christine happened to look up at the attic window just as her father knocked at the door. Suddenly, a small face appeared in the window, looking straight down at her.

Christine gasped and said, "Papa, papa there was someone in the window! A boy right up there! Look!" Christine pointed, but the face was gone.

"Christine, calm down. It was probably just a trick of the light," Daa'e said softly he knocked again at the door. This time, the door opened to reveal a plain redhead in fairly bland garments.

Daa'e took off his hat and said, "Is Madam Destler home?"

The redhead looked behind her and said, "Madeline, your guests are here." For some reason, the young lady sounded sarcastic when she spoke.

"I am truly sorry, sir, if I sound rude, but who are you?"

"Oh," Daa'e said suddenly, "I am an old friend of Madeline's. I am Gustave and this is my daughter Christine."

"Marie," a voice suddenly said from the parlor. "Stop pestering them and let them inside!"

Marie said to them, "Come inside. I was just having some tea with Madeline."

Gustave and Christine entered the parlor with Marie and Gustave proceeded to sit across from a lovely raven haired woman. Marie sat next to Madeline, who was first to notice Christine.

"Hello," Madeline crooned. "Who are you?

"I am Christine," she said, peeking out from her father's shoulder.

"How sweet," Madeline said. "I had a son, Christine. He would have probably been just three years older than you are now."

Marie looked, for some reason, like she wanted to scream into a pillow. She stood and said, "Madeline, may I speak with you in the kitchen?"

When the two had left, Gustave asked, "So Christine, do you like it here?"

Christine said truthfully, "Not really. They're not very nice to each other."