The Mystery

Ineed one review for this chapter and one for the previous at least (come on guys, pleeeeeeese) before you're getting any more! Mwahahhahhaah!

The memory continued…

Gravel crunched beneath its wheels as the people carrier pulled into the driveway of Schloss Unterholz. Up ahead, the massive bulk of the white limestone castle loomed, surrounded by tall trees and beautiful gardens. Outside the perimeter walls were more trees; a small forest in fact, concealing the building from the outside world. Off to one side there was a small fountain which spurted water out from the gaping maws of stone daemons.

Doors slammed as Laura and the four Sonnenkinder got out and began to walk up the wide path to the Schloss. Apart from thee noise of the fountain and the gravel underfoot, there was no noise at all. The place was almost unnaturally quiet. The castle seemed deserted.

The front door was a large one, carved from oak and inlayed with strips of metal mapping out a picture of some sort of creature with seven heads. Laura shivered. It seemed to be looking at her. The door swung open at a slight push from Franz, no sound being made by the well-oiled hinges. Somehow this made it even more menacing, as though it had been opened from the inside by some supernatural force.

Inside there was a large hall with bare stone walls and a pattern of black and white marble tiles on the floor. The only thing that showed that this castle was the home of Nazis was a carving of an eagle over the stairs. Each of its feathers was edged with gold leaf and its eyes were small rubies. In its talons it clutched a swastika in an olive wreath. Laura's eyes were dragged away from it by the sound of Karl shouting.

"Vater! Vater! Are you home?"

There was silence.

"That's odd," Franz said. "I'd have thought he'd be here."

Karl shrugged.

The five of them began to climb the stairs, Laura being pushed ahead. At the top was a landing with the same deep reddish carpet, several doors, and suits of armour in niches along it. Two large Nazi flags were draped at either side of the staircase. Just the sight of them caused a chill of fear to run through her. Tomas and Erich went to each of the doors and checked them in turn, but each time they shook their heads. Franz was frowning. Obviously he hadn't been expecting the place to be deserted. Laura wondered if she ought to be worried about this.

The door at the end of the corridor took them to another staircase, smaller this time, with ticking clocks lining the walls as they climbed up. The steps underfoot were polished oak, but sometimes it seemed as if there were small splashes of red marring its sheen. There was another landing like the first at the top. There was no-one here either. They continued to climb up through the floors, but there was still no sign of anyone.

Eventually the five of them came to an attic, cobwebs clustering in the corners. There was a strong smell of decay in the air, and dust hung in the air, shown up occasionally by the thin beams of light shining through gaps in the roof.

"Look!" Franz exclaimed suddenly, pointing downwards. In the dust before him was a definite trail, leading off into the darkness.

"It's still new," Karl said, kneeling to examine it better. "The dust hasn't had time to re-cover it yet. And I recognise these prints. They're Vater's jackboots!"

"Why would he be up here though?" Franz mused, "There's nothing up here, unless you count those old bricks with the mural on them…"

"Well, let's go find out then," Erich said impatiently.

They set off into the cramped space that was the attic.

Soon the party came to a wall which blocked their advance. Franz went up to it and gave it a thump with his fist.

"That wasn't there before," Tomas said, "I would remember it."

Franz looked at him curiously. "Why is that, Tomas?" he asked.

Tomas looked embarrassed. "I used to come up here a lot to hide from Ilsa after I had played a trick on her."

Karl laughed. "You shouldn't play tricks on your aunt you know," he said.

Tomas ignored him. "I wonder…this was where those bricks were piled up. It used to be pretty difficult to get past them. Do you think that maybe they were put up again to make this wall?"

"I think you're right," Franz replied, nodding, "I think we should try to get around the other side of it. I want to see if there's anything there."

"How, exactly? There's no other way up."

"We might have to knock it down…Karl; do you think you could climb up under the gable from one of the windows below?"

Karl gave Franz a look that bordered on disbelief. "No chance! That's a fifty foot drop! Besides, there's no way to get through the beams under the overhang."

"In that case we'll just have to knock it down."

"That's been put up for a reason! I don't think Vater would bee too pleased if you destroyed something he had worked to construct!"

"We can always rebuild it if we have to," Franz replied calmly.

"Fine!" said Karl, "I'll go and get the sledgehammer."

Franz stayed up in the attic to keep an eye on Laura whilst the others went to find some heavy duty tools, mainly because he was the most responsible. Periodically he ran his hand over the cold bricks, or tapped out melodies on them. Sometimes the floorboards squeaked as he stepped on them. He didn't say anything, but Laura found herself more comfortable with him than with any of the other Sonnenkinder.

It wasn't long before the others came back. Karl had a large sledgehammer over his shoulder, as did Tomas, while Erich hefted two pickaxes. He handed one to Franz, and they set to the job. Freshly dried mortar rose in clouds from between the bricks as they began to be knocked inwards, making them cough. Laura watched in silence, knowing she couldn't run. It was hard to see in the half-light, but sometimes she thought she could see specks of dusky red on the tools. She shuddered. Everything in this house seemed to be tainted with blood.

Suddenly there was a final crash and the rest of the bricks fell. The dark tunnel of the attic stretched away behind it, and it was impossible to make out how far it went on for. Franz picked up one of the fallen bricks and took a closer look at it. He could see that it had paint on the other side of it. It seemed that the wall had been constructed with the mural on the inside. He wondered how that had been done. Maybe someone was still inside or, more likely, there was another exit that none of them knew about. It wouldn't be hard; the castle was a maze once you got past the landings.

He beckoned for the others to follow him, and they set of once more. Unbeknownst to any of them, in the deep dark to either side of the fallen wall, someone was standing and watching.

Who is it, who is it! Aren't you aching to find out! Review and I'll tell allllllllll!