Arthur's POV

I was so worried about Sophia's strange behavior this evening, but I started to think that maybe it wasn't a good idea to stop her at the ceremony. She was so locked in her self. I sighed, when a scent of smoke came to my nostrils. I only then remembered about the pies in the oven, I should have taken out 15 minutes ago. I raced down the stairs to the bake house, trying to ignore the mixed stench of smoke, burnt pies and sewer water.

I don't know why, but every time I was down here, this place gave me shivers. Like something horrible had happened here. I

pulled out the plate of pies, when my eye caught a weird shadow on the wall. I couldn't tell what the heck that was, but I couldn't help myself, but to go closer. I felt the plate slowly burning my fingers, but I was too busy finding the shadow's owner.

I was about to give up, when I saw it and dropped the plate in horror.

It was a corpse.

I couldn't believe that I found a rotting corpse in the bake house. I noticed the left form it still had and figured that it was a woman.

She was covered in gore and some old clothes that looked more like a potato sack to me. She had some hair left so I knew what colored hair she had, but it was hard to tell, because it was dirty, covered in blood and dirt. I couldn't really tell if she was either a blonde or a light brunette. I shivered and grabbed the plate, forgetting the dropped pies of the floor.

I was about to reach the stairs, when I heard a creaking noise and a light falling sound of metal. I turned around and saw a razor on the floor. I picked it up and recognized it.

It was Sophia's razor.

I looked around, when I heard a quiet call from above:,, Arthur? What are you doing there? Oh, you got my razor, could you bring it up to me?''

I looked up and saw a chute, that lead to someplace up, where Sophia was standing at the edge, looking down.

,, Sophia? What are you doing there? What is this thing?'' I was a bit confused.

She opened her mouth to answer when the chute closed.

After a moment the chute opened again and she said:,, Well you have to see this at my shop. It's the chair… It…''

The chute closed again.

I sighed and ran upstairs. I went up the stairs, where I found Sophia; sitting on the floor, examining the chair's mechanism.

,, Sophia?'' I raised an eyebrow, startling her.

,, Oh, Arthur. Okay, I dropped my razor by accident and I reached for it, when I stepped on the pedal thing and the floor opened, revealing a chute, while the chair tilted backwards, like this. Stand back…'' She stood up and stepped on the pedal.

The chair clicked and the chute opened with the chair's tilting with a perfect timing. Then they both got their old positions again.

,, Amazing.'' I whispered. ,, Who made this?''

She turned to me and she was serious:,, I… I don't know. How about I ask my…'' She frowned, drifting in her flashbacks again.

I hugged her and whispered:,, It's okay. I'm sorry I brought it up.''

She nodded and hid her face in my chest.

,, Maybe my mum knows about this?'' I started.

She looked up with teary eyes and nodded, weakly smiling.

I felt so sorry for her loss; I lightly kissed her, wiping her tears with my thumbs. She wrapped her hands around my neck and pulled me closer to her, which was a little surprising. One moment she was okay, the next she was crying all over the place, and now she was acting like nothing happened. I didn't say anything, but I picked her up bridal style and carried her down to her bed.

,, Arthur?'' She weakly said as I was about to close the door.

,, Yes, Sophia?'' I smiled a little.

,, Could you stay with me until I fall asleep? I feel, that there's going to be a nightmare haunting me.'' She shyly looked at the ground.

I knew the bed wasn't big enough, so I sighed and picked her up, carrying her to my room.

,, Arthur, where are you taking me?'' She quietly asked.

,, Bed. To get some rest and I can guard your sleep.'' I explained, lightly kicking the door open.

I laid her in the bed carefully. She crawled under the covers and took a look around the room. I took off my shirt and crawled next to her. She was a little uncomfortable with this, but then she felt safer and she snuggled closer to me, while I put my arm around her shoulder.

,, Goodnight, Sophia.'' I kissed her forehead.

,, Goodnight, Arthur.'' She sighed, smiling a little.

She fell asleep, while I couldn't fall asleep at all. I watched her as she lightly breathed, looking peaceful. I was about to fall asleep, when she flinched in my arms. I shot my eyes open and looked at her. She wasn't sleeping peacefully anymore; she was looking worried, sad, mumbling something under her breath. She flinched again, but stronger this time and she started to whimper one in a while, and that's when I understood she had to wake up.

,, Sophia? Sophia, wake up. Do you hear me?'' I lightly shook her.

She shot her eyes open and gasped for air, hugging me tightly, while sobbing in my chest:,, I saw him again, Arthur. I can't go back to sleep. I just can't.'' She buried her face in her dark locks and sniffed.

I lightly rubbed her back and said:,, You have to get some rest, so we can get to the bottom of this chair and the corpse mystery…''

She looked up at me:,, What corpse? What are you talking about, Arthur?''

I sighed:,, Well, while I was down in the bake house, I saw a shadow on the wall, that was interestingly scary. I looked for the owner, when I found a woman's corpse. It looked like it's been sown there for quite a time… Like… almost 14 or 16 years… I don't precisely know, because it was hard to tell in the light and she was decayed a lot.''

She looked at me with interest, but slight horror:,, Would you show me?'' She quietly said.

I raised an eyebrow:,, You sure?''

She nodded and slowly moved aside so we can get out of bed. She followed me to the bake house, when I felt her taking my hand in hers, squeezing it a little.

I looked back at her and whispered:,, You really sure, you want to do this?''

She nodded. I sighed and we slowly went down the stairs. I unlocked the heavy metal door and we walked in. The room was dark and spooky, because the oven was out.

I swallowed hard and released her hand, quietly saying:,, Stay here. I'll light up this place…''

She nodded and I couldn't feel her hand anymore.

I slowly walked towards the oven, trying to picture this place lit. I turned my head to the corpse's direction and shivered, remembering it. I finally reached the oven. I tried to find the wood and matches.

After few seconds the room slowly filled with the light. I turned around and saw Sophia at the door, looking scared to death. I noticed the direction she was looking in and looked at it too. I stopped my sight at the corpse. She saw it even better as she slowly came closer.

,, This the one?'' She quietly asked, not taking her eyes off it.

I nodded and said:,, Yes. Maybe we should get to bed?''

She didn't listen, but slowly came closer to the corpse almost like hypnotized. When she was a few feet from it she covered her mouth with the rag, because the awful rotting stench. She looked at it for a while from different sides and mumbled something in the rag.

She froze up for a while and then turned to me, coming back at the oven:,, I know who she is…''

She looked scared and yet excited to crack the mystery.

,, Who?'' I asked.

,, Let's go upstairs and I'll tell you, okay?''

I nodded. We went back the stairs and we both fell in the bed exhausted from the horror and stair climbing.

,, So who she exactly was?'' I raised an eyebrow, looking at her.

,, Well I think that she is the lady from the picture…'' She started.

,, What picture?''

,, Well, you see my dad has a picture frame in a bookshelf and there were two pictures; one had a blond woman holding a baby girl and the other one was the same only it had a man in it, that looked like dad a little. I think she is the lady in those pictures, Arthur. Maybe she was his sister? Or cousin? Or… wife?'' She frowned a little.

I shrugged and sighed, pulling her close to me:,, Well I don't know that, but let's get some rest and we'll ask my mum, maybe she knows her.''

She nodded and fell asleep with out any nightmares bugging her.

To be continued...

Wow, scary, but interesting, isn't it? ;) So the chair works like it needs to... And for those, who didn't get the idea, like sometimes I don't, the corpse was Lucy, who was forgotten many, many, many years ago... And I promise you the next chapter will have some happy events and some sad ones and some very unexpected and sad. So stay tuned for chapter 8 and all reviews will be welcomed! ^_^