When You Hear the Knell of a Requiem Bell
BONUS FEATURES!
"Christine's" Story plus some Kim Fox history!
Story History
This untitled story stars the early version of Kim's character, named Christine. I was originally thinking of writing something based off Phantom Manor, I even wrote my own PM backstory. The original story I was formulating had Christine going to a haunted house (basically Phantom Manor), and getting stuck there. She'd get help from someone she meets there, but soon discovers he's a ghost, and not a nice one either. Then I decided that I wanted my main character to be more comical, because writing comedy makes me happier. Also, the character of Christine didn't have much personality. So I morphed her into Kim, keeping her a reporter, but making her slightly ditzy, easily frightened, and lovable. I honestly was considering just taking the original plotline I had formulated and inserting Kim in there, but I watched the trailer to the HM movie, and something clicked. The whole thing about the portrait of Elizabeth that looked exactly like Mrs. Evers told even the dumbest movie preview watcher that there'd be a case of mistaken identity somewhere along the line. So I thought…Hmm…Kim in a mistaken identity situation…Interesting. I also liked the fact that the whole "pretty girl looks like dead guy's long lost love" situation normally called for a typical damsel in distress, weak and waiting for the handsome, rugged hero to rescue her, something Kim is definitely NOT. (BTW: Kim's relationship with Ben is strictly platonic. It did occur to me to put them together, after a friend suggested it, but I've decided against it.) She may not be a brainiac, but Kim's not the kind of character to cower in fear and shoot wide eyed gazes at the romantic male lead. She's actually quite brave and faces her fears, even if she's whining like a baby whil she does it. I read the "official movie backstory" on Doombuggies.com, along with the Ghost Gallery biographies, and put pen to paper and finger to keyboard, and about two weeks later, I had a completed story. Quite frankly, I do think that if I were a Disney writer, and they came to me and said, "Write a script based off the Haunted Mansion ride!" I really think I would've gone for something more Phantom Manor-y. (You know, maybe make the Ghost Host the Bride's father or something…) I wrote this to practice using SAT words, and it's not very proficient in character development. As a matter of fact, Kim will be heading off to Phantom Manor, though the plotline is ENTIRELY different from my original ideas.
The Story
She wandered through the halls, taking in the lavish setting of the building. Richly furnished, and ornately designed, it was nothing short of a palace. The finely carved sculptures and carefully decorated halls presented an aesthetically pleasing picture…or at least it must have, once.
The sculptures and statues were covered in cobwebs, and the walls were covered in layers of dust and mildew. It was as cold as a tomb, and the objects in the mansion looked as if they hadn't been touched in over a hundred years. She felt like the first person to excavate an Egyptian pyramid, the first to see valuable artifacts that had been hidden away for millennia. As she passed through an ornately carved hallway, she noticed it was line with those often-used portraits with supercilious eyes that seemed to follow you wherever you went, a nefarious undertone to their gaze. The frowning subjects stared grimly at her, seeming to ask her what she was doing, upbraiding her for disrupting their peace. Although she knew her fears were silly, she shivered anyway.
She proceeded into the parlor, where carved antediluvian wood furniture stood primly, covered by a century's worth of forgotten memories. Old fashioned black and white photographs featured humorless, well dressed people staring blankly ahead. The room was colored warmly, as the furnishings were in red and gold, and the woodwork in dark brown. However, it was filled with an eerie silence and halcyon, and every noise she made resonated throughout the house.
A window suddenly jerked open, letting a gust of wind soar through the room. Although it startled her, she quickly closed it, and taking a deep breath, continued to examine the room more closely. She picked up a lovely carved box, and as she did, she could have sworn she heard the swirling wind outside utter her name. Although the odd noise frightened her, she knew that she was just being overly tense. She gingerly caressed the lid of the box as she prepared to remove it.
"Don't." A gruff voice growled from behind her.
She jumped, dropping the box and whirling around. Her eyes scanned the room, but there was no one there. It was as eerily calm and vacant as it had been when she entered and, she guessed, it had been for a century. The air was thick and heavy, and it was difficult to breathe, which served to put her more on the edge. For some strange reason, she felt like there was someone else in the room with her, causing her to be nervous. Her breath quickened and her stomach turned as she again looked around the room.
It was then that she felt a hand on her shoulder, as the wind howled and the same harsh voice grunted her name.
"Christine…"
Simultaneously, her face paled, she screamed, and a chill ran down her spine, She tore out of the room, sharply turning into the portrait hallway, where the citizens of paint and oil stared out at her disapprovingly, seeming to mock her messy exit. She nearly knocked over a cold featured statue as she made her way to the door.
The coldness of the mansion had gotten to her, as had the dust caked over the interior. Once she was outside, she collapsed in a wave of coughing, fatigue and horror.
As she walked down the winding path in front of the grandiose old manor, she remembered wondering why it had been deserting and forgotten. After her experience today, she understood why.
Author's End Notes: Whoa, I wrote this BEFORE I wrote the 1st draft of When You Hear the Knell of a Requiem Bell…it was so odd to read it and type it again! I had completely forgotten some of the things about this story, including the phrase "century's worth of forgotten memories". When I read the line "citizens of paint and oil," I said aloud, "Where the hell did I get that from?"
Future Plans: Chapters 1-2 of Kim's new adventure at Phantom Manor have been completed, and I have the story all mapped out and some future scenes written out completely. Now, to put it all together. I'm not quite ready to do a preview for it, so I think I'll keep this story alive by sharing some of the other alternate character focuses I wrote, including one from Emily I think is quite interesting…