28th August 2018
"I have to ask everyone to wear your identity badges and tracking devices at all times"
"Isn't that a little severe?" one of the elderly women at the back said, struggling to figure out how to activate her tracking device which was now attached to her wrist.
"I know it may seem a little protective but I assure you, the disappearances are still happening and we're trying to insure that no one goes missing by using this technology we hope to stop these unfortunate events" Katie-mai was using her best calming voice trying to reassure the tourists that they would be fine but still a few nervous murmurs went around the room, echoing as they hit the empty hallway.
"Right, well has everyone put on their tracking devices, yes? Well please keep all questions and negative opinions till the end of the tour when we are safely outside" and with that Katie-mai led the last tour of the day through the Manor, reciting the words that she had practice many a time that she could recite them in her sleep. "I'm sure you all know the basics of the legend about Countess Isabella Masen, it has been said that her ghost haunts the Manor, taking a tourist once a week, now I can tell you, I have seen her ghost, there have been moments when I'm passing a mirror and see her standing behind me" A collective gasp from the tourist group makes Katie-mai smile, she has told this experience more than a thousand times and she still gets the same reaction every time. "There is nothing that will scare me more than turning round the first time and seeing that she has disappeared, right we're going to move into the main sitting room, I ask you to keep a wide berth from the armchairs by the fireplace, we've had many a guest receiving serious scratch marks from getting too close to the chairs.
"Bree, Bree where are you?" called a worried mother from the back of the group, she was frantically twisting and turning, straying towards the armchairs in an attempt to see if her child was hiding behind them, Katie-mai and the rest of the group held their breaths as the mother placed a hand on the Count's chair yet, nothing happened.
"Don't worry madam we have procedures for this" reassured Katie-mai as she approached the mother, calmly taking her by the shoulders and guiding her back towards the group, in a hope not to tempt fate. The true was that there were no procedures for this, the Countess had said herself that she could never bring herself to take a child, so Katie-mai had never considered that this might happen.
Somewhere in the manor
"You know, your mother is going to be quite angry at you" Jumping Bree turned around to stare at the beautiful yet sad lady in front of her.
"I'm sorry, Mummy said not to wander off but I saw the picture of the man, he's very beautiful who is he?" she replied, Bree was truly sorry that she had disobeyed her mother but she was just so curious about the painting that she couldn't help herself, her mother had always said that she shouldn't ask so many questions, that one day it would get her into trouble.
"Your mother is a smart person you should listen to her next time" The lady let out a sad sigh as she looked to the portrait hanging on the wall "That's the Count Edward and yes he was very beautiful now come you, let's get you back to your mother" placing a faint hand on the back of the child's neck she steered her towards the door the tour group was about to come through, she turned to Bree "Listen, your mother will be angry at you but that's only because she was scared of losing you, goodbye child"
Katie-mai opened the door slowly and catching sight of the missing child who was staring at straight down the corridor, as Katie-mai caught her first glimpse of the Countess without the aid of a mirror as she disappeared around the corner.
"Mummy I'm sorry, the beautiful woman told me you'd be angry" cried the child as she ran to her mother's open arms.
"What beautiful woman honey?" asked the mother, gripping her child to her, as she was going to disappear again.
"That one" said the little girl, pointing to the door, behind the group, which Bree had just seen the Countess, the group whirled around but were disappointed to find no one there, Bree's mother turned around to stare at her child.
"Honey there's no one there, can you maybe describe what the woman looked like instead?"
"Sure mummy, she looked just like that Lady" The group followed the direction of Bree's pointing finger.
"That's a portrait of the Countess" Katie-mai stated, she rushed through the group to the girl
"She didn't hurt you did she?" Katie-mai knew how ruthless the Countess could be even if she had a weakness for children, though never meeting her personally she'd seen the bodies every week, she was the one who normally found them.
"No, of course not, she was very nice to me, she explained that my mummy would be sad and angry that I'd been separated from her, she even showed me the way back to mummy"
Crisis averted, Katie-mai attempted to capture the tourists' attention again by explaining that they were going to be travelling down the darkest part of the Manor now as there were no windows in the servant's quarters and the lights were in need of being replaced, she explained that everyone had to hold hands and form a line in order to navigate their way safely through the servant's passages which twisted and turned, the group emerged the other end of the corridor to the cries of Jessica Newton.
"Help, my husband is missing, my name is Jessica Newton, he was just behind me, he wanted to find the bathroom, I told him he shouldn't wonder off but he never listens to me, oh god what if the Countess got him?" Jessica Newton became hysterical as one of the tourists points to the table at the end of the hallway which was now adorned with the tracking device of Mike Newton.
Mike Newton
"Ugh where is the god damn bathroom in this place?" Mike Newton was pondering as he walked through the deserted corridors of Masen Manor "I didn't even want to come here, seriously I couldn't even give a fuck about this Countess ghost and the stupid Count Edward" He spit on the wooden floorboards, as he always did when his anger got the best of him "Oh Mike" He started in a nasally high pitched impression of his wife "Oh Mike, we must go to Masen Manor, it's a once in a lifetime thing, and the Count and Countess' story is so romantic, bollocks" as he returned to his gruff voice, the room went cold, the fire that was once lit was now extinguished suddenly, the hairs on the back of Mike's head stood up.
"You shouldn't be here, this isn't on the tour, what are you doing here?" Asked a voice from the shadows beside another portrait of Count Edward, the deathly pale hand of a woman resting on a mantelpiece of the smouldering fire.
"I was looking for the bathroom" Mike Newton puffed out his chest in an attempt to look like a dominant male, there was no mistaking the speed that his heart was racing at.
"That's not good enough!" A vase flew from the mantelpiece across the room, smashing into tiny piece against the wooden panelling at the end of the room."How dare you snoop around my house like a common theft"
"I'm sorry, I didn't know this was your house, I thought it belonged to the tourist board" He stammered "who are you?" he questioned, putting the pieces into place as he realised that Countess Masen could be the only one who was talking to him right now, unfortunately for Mike Newton, he realised too late.
"I am Countess Isabella Masen and you are going to die" She lunged.
29th August 2018 – Forks Forum
MIKE NEWTON FOUND DEAD AT MASEN MANOR – MYSTERY GROWS.
1917 - A few weeks after Edward's death.
"You may wonder why I have called all of you here today, I regret to inform you that I am dismissing you all from your posts, I know Masen Manor may have become your home but you cannot stay any longer"
"Is it because Count Edward died?" Gasps of outrage and shock filled the living room as Anne stepped forward defiant as ever, the staff's heads turned as if to watch a tennis match between Anne and the Countess, watching her every move but the Countess remained as emotionless and detached as she had become over the past weeks.
"I'll remind you of your place Anne, of lack of it" she retorted icily, sitting in her armchair by the fire, eyes glazed in memories, her hand subconsciously reaching out for the Count's matching armchair which joined her at the fire. Anne remarked that The Countess had aged far beyond her years during the past few weeks, whilst making the show of packing all her things, there was one thing she wasn't going to do, that was leaving this human on her own.