Chapter 1: Bad memories and worse ideas
'Daddy! Come and play football now!'
Steve Rimbauer looked up from his book to find himself face to face with his eldest son.
'Well, ok than, but only for 15 minutes,' he replied with a fake annoyed voice, because he actually loved playing with his children.
Steve Rimbauer was a handsome man of 35 years old. He married to Ellen Branstone already eight years ago. Since that time, they had lived in a small village, near Seattle, in a villa together with their three children. Jake of eight, Kevin of six, and their youngest daughter Emma of nearly three. Here they lived happily, without worrying about money and many other things. This was, because Steve came from a rich family. However, he had never told Ellen much about his history and family.
'Dinner!' came the voice of Ellen from the house practically an hour later.
Steve walked towards the dining room with Jake and Kevin. All of them were quite dirty of having played football for so long.
'You can't sit eating like that!' Ellen said when they arrived there. 'Wash yourselves and be back in five minutes or your dinners will be cold.'
When they came back again, now all clean, Ellen ruffled the boys' hair and gave her husband a kiss.
'Good boys.'
Steve and Ellen sat in their garden, watching their children in the small swimming pool.
'Steve?' Ellen asked quietly.
'Yes?' Steve replied still looking at his children.
'Could you-Could you tell me something about your history?' Ellen asked frightened of his reaction. She had asked this before and the answer always was a new fight between them. Nevertheless, Ellen was so curious what had happened that still she asked it once in a while to see if she did get an answer at that moment.
Steve now looked around to face his wife. He could see the fear in her blue eyes and sighed. He knew that one day he had to tell her anyway. That day could be today, so he did not started to shout, but started his story in a whisper.
'In 1907, John Rimbauer started to build a house in Seattle. This house is still there, and it is the reason for my bad memories. He married a woman, Ellen, and went on a year's honeymoon. Since they came back, but also before that time, strange things happened in the house that they named Rose Red. Women disappeared and men were murdered. About 10 years ago, a mad scientist, Joyce Reardon, asked a few paranormal people and me to visit Rose Red with her. There 4 of them disappeared or were killed. All because Ellen Rimbauer wanted to break hearts as hers was broken, to hurt as she was hurt. Moreover, my mother was an alcoholic, who only went there to steal some valuable stuff.'
When Steve had finished, all Ellen could do was stare at her husband. Finally, after a few minutes she found back her voice.
'I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked, I …'
'Don't. I must have told it to you anyway. So just don't say anything about it, not now, not ever,' Steve interrupted his wife.
Ellen nodded and knew that this was not going to happen. Her curiosity was too strong and it had even increased now she had heard Steve's bad memories.
A few months had passed since Steve had told Ellen about Rose Red. Neither Ellen, nor Steve had mentioned it again. This however, did not mean that Ellen had forgotten about the issue. She still wanted some of her questions answered, but had to grab the courage to ask Steve. So far, this hadn't happened yet. Nevertheless, Ellen thought that it now time for some action. Therefore, she took her change this evening while both of them were sitting in front of the television, while all of the children were to bed.
'What does Rose Red look like?' Ellen started the conversation.
Steve waited a minute before he turned to look at her.
'Why do you want to know?' he asked, looking as serious as Ellen had never seen before.
'I just like to know,' Ellen replied, quasi innocent.
'I bet you're just being curious again,' was Steve's answer to this.
'Excuse me! I'm not curious, I am just interested!' she said angrily.
'For your information then, it is huge, unsafe, and haunted. Further more, it has a garden at the size of a park with many statues. By the way, it has a beautiful stained glass window in the tower with the picture of a blood red rose,' Steve answered, now with a white face of anger and fear.
'Thank you for your kind reply,' Ellen coldly said.
Then there was a minute of silence.
'I'm sorry.'
'It's not your fault; I just don't feel like talking about it as you know. I'm going to bed.'
'Eh … Goodnight.'
'See you tomorrow.'
When Steve woke up the next morning, Ellen had already gone to her work in Seattle. He wondered what had awoken him, but he soon found out. His son's were already awake and definitely not sleepy anymore. By the sound of it, they were playing something that included running and a lot of screaming. After looking at his alarm clock, he came out of his bed. It was already eight o'clock and the children had to be at school at half past eight.
'Could you please be a bit quieter? Daddy is not yet awake,' he said when he came past his two running sons on the landing.
'Oh, ok dad.'
As soon as he had brought all his three children safely to school, he went to his study and sat down behind his computer. There he got a message of a new e-mail. Wondering what it could be about, he opened it.
Dear Steve (it read),
I'm sorry I upset you last night. I don't know what came over me to ask it in such an unkind way. I hope that you'll forgive me. Nevertheless, we will not be finished on the subject. Today, I'm going to see if I can find that Rose Red of yours and if I can arrange something for us to take a look over there. I won't force you to join me on that trip, but I'd be happy if you were able to leave the past behind and for once do what I like. You'll hear the results tonight. Love, Ellen –xxx-
Steve's mind was oddly blank after he had read this disturbing mail. His memories might be bad, but this idea was even worse. Wasn't she touched about the stories he had told her? He hadn't forgot to mention the deaths and disappearances, so what was she on about. Ellen wouldn't get to the idea to go and live there, or was that her intention after all? Not at all feeling relaxed anymore, Steve turned of his computer. As soon as Ellen came home, he would talk this ridiculous plan out of her head. At least, he would try to.
Chapter 2: The nightmare begins