The Case of the Haunted House--Part One
by HA

Shirley Holmes found herself walking around in total darkness. At first, she could not make out her surroundings. Thanks to the glow growing around her, she could make them out now. It was no different that it was without the light enveloping her; she was walking around in emptiness.

"You're not afraid of the dark," a soft monotone voice said in front of her.

Shirley looked ahead and saw the strange girl in the white long-sleeved blouse and checkered skirt. She had pale skin and light blue eyes that seemed to penetrate one's soul. The feature that caught Shirley's attentive eye the most was the girl's hair; it was silver and styled into pigtails. Standing behind her was a man dressed in black and white. Wearing a black bowler and black bowtie, the man's face was composed solely of a black question mark.

Shirley glared at the silver-haired girl and the question mark man. She could not hold back her frustration anymore. "You keep saying that! What are you talking about?"

"I mean what I say," the silver-haired girl answered. "You're not afraid of the dark."

Shirley found herself standing alone in an empty field with the silver-haired girl and the question mark man. The sun was out, the sky was blue, and birds were about chirping and flying without a care in the world. Shirley examined her attire. She was wearing a cape over her clothes and a deerstalker cap on her head. The glow was gone.

"Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"

Shirley turned around to face the silver-haired girl. "What?"

The silver-haired girl repeated the question. "Do you know what you've gotten yourself into?"

"What do you mean?" Shirley asked.

"You're not afraid of the dark," the silver-haired girl stated, gazing at Shirley. "But do you truly understand it?" She stepped closer to Shirley. "You may not be afraid of the dark now, but will that change after you understand it?"

"Nothing scares me," Shirley declared, meeting the gaze of the silver-haired girl.

"That is true," the silver-haired girl said with a nod. "You have managed to master your fears to a point. You still have fear, but you can control it."

Shirley stared at the silver-haired girl. "Who are you?"

"A friend." The silver-haired girl turned to leave. "It doesn't matter to them whether or not you're afraid. They'll kill you if you aren't ready."

"Who are they?" Shirley demanded, but she knew the answer.

"You know who they are," the silver-haired girl said. "The problem is, they know who you are."

"What are you talking about?" Shirley asked. "Who are you? Who are you?"

"Farewell, Shirley. We will meet sooner than you think." The silver-haired girl and the question mark man walked away. "Watch out for that snake at your feet. Its bite is venomous."

Shirley looked down and saw a golden snake with three spikes on its back. She jumped back in time to avoid getting bitten by its long fangs. The snake hissed at her for a while, then slithered off.

Shirley looked around for the silver-haired girl and her companion, but they were gone. "Who are you?" she shouted. "Who are you?"

* * * * *

"Who are you? Who are you? Who are you...?"

"Shirley? Shirley?"

Shirley shot her head off her pillow to face her mother, Dr. Joanna Holmes. She blinked her eyes. "Mom?" She looked at the foot of her bed and saw Watson, her pet basset hound, still sleeping. She looked at herself; instead of the garb of her famous ancestor, she was wearing her pajamas.

"Wake up, sleepyhead. You've got school today, remember?"

Shirley looked at her alarm clock. Her mother was right; school would start in about twenty-five minutes. She realized that she missed the paperboy again. She knew that downstairs, her father was enjoying an intact newspaper for the fifth time this week. Once again, she would have to do her clipping later if she could get the newspaper.

"Well, you'd better get ready. I'll drop you off at school on my way to work." After returning to Redington from Rwanda, Dr. Holmes was hired by the Redington Infectious Diseases Laboratory. Being a virologist, Dr. Holmes was well-suited for the job. After being separated from her daughter for years, Dr. Holmes was glad to be able to do anything normal with Shirley, like dropping her off at school.

Shirley rubbed her eyes. "Mom, I'll be fine. I'll ride my bike to school."

"Shirley, you've nearly been late to school for the past few days," Dr. Holmes pointed out. "You've also been nearly falling asleep in some of your classes. You really should stop being on-line late at night."

"Mom, I did," Shirley said, getting out of bed. She had stopped the late night cybersurfing because what she was looking for was not available on the Net.

"Shirley, is something bothering you?" Dr. Holmes asked with concern.

For a moment, Shirley wanted to tell her mother about her dreams and the silver-haired girl, but she dismissed the notion. She felt that her mother would not understand; after all, her friends did not understand what her dream meant after she told them.

"No, Mom," Shirley lied, forcing a smile. "I'm okay. Really."

"Well, then, you'd better get ready quickly. I'll wait for you downstairs, honey." Dr. Holmes left the room so that Shirley could get ready for school.

Shirley stretched her arms, wondering why she kept having these dreams of the silver-haired girl. As she got ready to take a quick shower, she noted all the constant elements in her dreams: being dressed like Sherlock Holmes, walking in total darkness, glowing in the dark, an empty green field on a beautiful sunny day, golden snakes with spiked backs, a man with a question mark for a face, and most importantly, the silver-haired girl.

"Watson, what do you think it all means?" Shirley asked her pet dog.

Watson just laid on the bed without making a sound. Shirley shook her head with an amused smile and dashed off to the bathroom.

* * * * *

In another house in Redington, a girl woke up. After yawning and stretching, she made her bed, then went to the closet to get her clothes. When they were laid on the bed, she grabbed a bathrobe and went to the bathroom to take a quick shower. She was going out in about a half-hour, and she was in a hurry. She returned to her room wearing the bathrobe and a towel was wrapped around her head. She sat down at her desk and looked into the mirror, focusing on her own blue eyes.

"It begins," she said softly without any emotion.

With that, she removed the towel from her head, releasing her long silver hair and letting it fall to her shoulders.

END OF PART ONE