.:CHAPTER 2:. INSIDE THE MANOR
The climb up to the castle was a severely steep one. Melody hated to think what might happen if she were to topple down the rocky descent.
About three fourths of the way up, she took off her bag and sat down on a large, worn away rock to catch her breath. The icy fall air pierced her lungs as she took it in deep breaths. It seemed a long time had passed, yet the sky was as dark as ever. It had been all she could do to feel and stumble her way this far. She pressed a button on her watch. A bright turquoise light illuminated the miniature numbers. Seven-o-three...hmmm....that was odd. The sun usually would have rose twenty or twenty five minutes ago.
The castle had always seemed more so curtained in dimness than Griffin County, but it had never appeared completely lacking of all light. She tried to look down into her hometown but masses of trees surrounded her, as well as large boulders and jagged rocks. She looked up at the ashen sky, dark-foreboding clouds furled swiftly within each other.
An abrupt roll of booming thunder suddenly lit up the dark clouds, and echoed across the sky. Melody gave a terrible jolt. She had always loved storms. But up here, all alone....it seemed as if demons from hell were terrorizing the sky. Now her rebellious pioneering trip didn't seem so great. She thought of trying to make it back down before the storm came in hard, but it was a much longer way than her destination, and if she were to stumble and fall downward in this billowing darkness, the results could be perilous. Groping at her neck, her hand found the necklace her grandmother Kim had given her as a child. It always gave her a feeling of comfort and love when she found none elsewhere. She held the small dove crafted from mother of pearl that dangled from a delicate silver chain.
A crack of white lightning flashed through the sky, illuminating for a moment the dreary trees and jagged rocks. Why did I ever come to this place? She wondered. An icy wind began to whisper through the trees, and tiny rain droplets began to sprinkle the soil. Judging by the clouds she knew that the rain would turn into a torrent any moment. As much as her will resented it, she would have to wait out the storm in that forlorn fortress. If she hadn't been shivering so violently she might have cried.
Gathering her bag, and ignoring her inner voice, Melody picked her way as carefully as possible upward. She quickened her pace as another bolt of lightning flickered in the darkness. What if I get struck by lightning up here? No one would ever find me. She shook her head. There was no point in scaring herself even more, this idea had already turned to the worst.
After what seemed a short eternity, she found herself before the towering citadel. She could scarcely make out the water stains on the massive stone walls. Why was she so afraid of an abandoned manor? She knew nothing was in there, but whole structure didn't seem welcoming in the least. She tilted her head back, to see as far as possible...a chill of fear suddenly raced down her spine. She had seen something pallid reflected in a window far above.
NO! She had to cease tormenting herself with horrific imaginings. Shaking her nonsense from her head, she sprinted to the heavy wooden doors, soaken and rotting, and heaved one forward, slipping into utter darkness.
.....Silence...utter silence. Exactly what should be expected of a crumbling castle. and total. Melody felt her way along the wall into what was a slightly more illuminated large room...a sort of study room. Dusty, forgotten volumes kept the lofty bookcases. Melody had always loved to read, and was curious as to what she would find in a place this aged. She crossed the musty floor, leaving obvious foot imprints behind her.
A very sudden, and incredibly loud crreeek, brought her to an abrupt halt... it was just the wooden floorboards. But the terrible echoes it made in the untouched room gave an extra sense of caution. Running a tentative hand through her hair, she reached up and dusted the spine of a moth-eaten tome. Eyes squinting, she read the title, The Theories of Reincarnation. Wow, she thought, what kind of abnormality lived here? She scanned the rest of that particular shelf, and noticed that one book was missing.
Finally tearing herself from the olden volumes, Melody opened an adjoining door that lead into one of the most magnificent spectacles she had ever encountered. It was a large dining hall, furnished with a magnificent lion clawed oak table. Taking an educated guess, she estimated it could seat nearly thirty people. But an odd assemetry met her eyes...only two high backed chairs were put in place before the dining table, both of them situated at the end, side by side. How odd...she thought to herself. Romantic visions of a young woman and her courteous, handsome lover, living only among themselves, danced through her thoughts. At seventeen years of age, Melody was often inclined to puerile fantasies of romance.
Her dreamlike state was averted by another magnificent sight. A grand fireplace took up an immense portion of the back wall, with brilliant stone beasts carved among its borders. This room also was dusty and forlorn in appearance. Dust covered the table and floors, and old ashes lay cold and fixed within the rather foreboding black chamber of the immense hearth. She moved through the room to continue her exploration, now desperately hungry to uncover this manor's long lost history.
Across the dining hall she found a strange shaped, ebony door. It didn't seem to fit. When she turned the brass handle it gave a teeth gritting, rusty screech. With a bit of heavy effort, Melody coaxed the hefty door ajar a bit, but had to hold it in place. The space was just enough so that she could squeeze through. But she stopped. She looked into a complete abyss of raven darkness. It seemed to be a hallway or passage of some sort, as there were no windows to allow any moonlight within. Though she could see nothing, it held an unearthly, eerie air. She turned her head to look up at the elevated gothic windows of the dining hall. The rain was now coming in torrents, and lightning flickered warningly. Well...it's not like I've got anywhere else to go... With that, she slipped inside the entrance and into the darkness.
When she let go of the door, it slammed shut from its own weight. Like a blind child, Melody felt around for the handle...but there was not one on this side. A wave of panic washed over her, and her breathing became irregular. Why must I be such a fool!? She said aloud desperately. Finding no means of return to the other side, she began timidly moving down the long, light-less passage.
Hours later, or so it seemed, she came to an end of the hallway. Putting her hands before her, she delightedly located a knob, which she immediately turned with unexpected ease, and directly after, fell into a small, cluttered room.
Slowly picking herself up, she brushed the dust from her skirt and blouse, and gave a few small coughs. Her eyes began to sensitively adjust to the new source of dim, but visible light. It was a workroom. A small desk sat before her, located in the middle of the study. Many record books and journals lay upon it, with pieces of thin, delicate parchment scattered everywhere. She paced to the front of the desk and ran her hand over a time worn, leather bound journal. The dust smeared away revealing a dulled cover. Maybe I can find answers in here Melody thought excitedly. Heart speeding up a bit, the front cover crackled as she pulled it back. What he found within was not at all what she had expected. She gave a silent gasp as she was met with horrific drawings and small scratchy notes among the pages. Illustrations of mutilated beings and human body fragments littered the parchment. Vexed by these sketches, she felt a need to examine its entirety. And when she finally came to the last page recorded upon, she read, " Only hands left."
She shut the book slowly, and what she saw next startled her. Shredded. Along the back wall of the room were long lines of gray, torn wallpaper, which gave the aspect of a wild beast, gone mad. Questioning her own bravery, she slowly moved towards the marks, and ran her fingers softly across the scratched surface. A sudden burst of pained emotions were transferred into her. She shut her eyes, jerking her hand back. What she had felt in her mind was terrible. Pain, love, death, it was too much to take in all at once. Never had she felt such dread. She stared at the marks on the wall, in terrible confusion. What could cause such horror? Something else caught her eye abruptly. Leaning in a bit, her blue eyes widened. What appeared to be dried, ancient blood lined the abrasions. What happened here? Melody wondered to herself, shivering. The cold feeling of loneliness creeped into her bones and settled. As a reflex, she reached up and touched her necklace. All was deathly silent.
She had to get out of there....but she couldn't go back the other way, down the passage. She had noticed yet another door earlier, so she pulled it open to see what awaited her in the next chamber.
A small dark stairwell. It wound up, and up, and up farther than she could see. She began to get dizzy as she slowly progressed upward. She felt terribly tired, drained to the core.
This must lead to the very top of the manor. It seemed to grow colder the further she climbed. Her lips turned a bluish hue and her entire body quaked from shivering. She couldn't see how going up would help her get out, but she hadn't seen any other way, so up she kept on.
Finally she reached a roughly assembled wooden door, or something similar to one anyway. It was cracked slightly open, and was barely swaying, as if by wind. She could feel a frigid breeze slipping through that touched her pale cheek. There must be an open window, she speculated. She peeked through the opening, and was met by sparkling beauty. Gaping in awe, she pushed the hinged door aside and took in the dazzling spectacle.
Beautiful ice sculptures were jumbled together on one wall of the frostbitten room. The arctic chill was sweeping in through a shattered window on the other side of what appeared to be a wide roomy loft. That side was completely dark and grim to the eye. But the other side was filled with all representations of beauty. The heavenly sculptures were of dancing angels, twirling in gowns, elegant deer prancing in the night, and innocent swans spreading their feathered wings. She was captured in pure wonder, when she heard the sound of movement from the other side.
Melody spun around startled. She had always liked bats, but not when the spooked you so suddenly. She strained to catch a glimpse of it in the darkness, but to no avail. She waited a few moments and was about to turn back around, when she saw it ... pain, love, death....now she knew what could cause such horror.
NOTE FROM AUTHOR: Well I hope you liked the second chapter. If you did, I PROMISE you will absolutely LOVE the next one. So tell me if you have enjoyed this read, if so I will swiftly post the follow up. Happy reading!!!