Return To Hill House
Disclaimers: I don't own the story or the characters, the plot line belongs to me, everything else belongs to Shirley Jackson and Jan De Bont.
Warnings: Reflecting on their Conversation at Dinner, he recalls things leading into when they became a sextet as they got to now each other. For the story it's mostly in his point of view. But this story is based off the 1999 version of the Haunting as in the storyline they created the movie and it's reflecting a 'life imitating art imitating life' scenario as the story starts heating up from here.
As they return to the house, but this time, not only Todd and Mary there for the entire thing, but Malcolm Keough, his family and the three quarters of the cast of the movie are along for the ride this time. As
Chapter 10: Pranks At the Table and Conversations II
"I do everything actually, the current one was a marble statue and my projects get a lot of renevues as a result of being involved with other well known artists. All those carvings are good, but they give off a sense of pain and anguish and I can see whoever the builder was as a sick and twisted man if he turned into a recluse, if that's what happened, though if he's acting like Jack the Ripper..." she said and she nodded to that.
As she answered her. "With what looks like ninety kids in this house, it's pranks and practical jokes for a while. And they're acting like kids from this decade, though it's ending in two months. This decade and last, as well as the 70's, had some seriously sick ways to make movies, including slasher flicks, though the profanity is one thing. And it's the violence that'll get you every time with the amount of scary movies."
"Haunted houses and slasher flicks they created these days." Mary said to her and Eleanor answered that. "Tell me about it, but haunted houses are another thing altogether, and there's only three in existence. Ones that fit this situation, 'The House on Haunted Hill'. The Haunting of Hill House' and 'The Thirteen Ghosts' and their all the 1960 versions as well, I suppose you saw the third Nightmare film before."
"The Medical psychiatrist never listens and this killed five people in the storyline at the time in the movie. As to that, whoever the owner is probably lost his mind when he became a recluse and turned into maniac with a possessive need for children. But in order to create that theory on the carvings, and number two he probably got in. Said in, into the occult and was reading Lovecraft and other books that had to with mazes."
"If this was the video game he's acting like whatever demon decided to remodel both bases and the moons, before driving those aliens versions of the infernal regions to earth, if this guys into the occult, which explains the added Greek statues here. But what I can say is if he's as much a nutcase as we think he's lost his mind completely. Before he finished creating the house, and as for the doors, I think that's going to come later."
"Whatever history this house has I'm not sure yet, but I remember my mother telling me her family grew up here in Concord, before moving to Boston. I can't remember the maternal family name though here, though mom was descended Frederick Craine, I don't know where the family originated from. But if the Dudleys know I'll ask them if if she's my godmother and the chief, father." she said and they nodded to that to the news.
"What's the theory on the doors exactly?" Luke asked and she sighed as she answered him. "Mom gave me her theory on those doors last time we were here, and you're not going to believe this, but they glowed gold when she and I come to visit at the time." she said and we nodded in shock. "So why didn't we see that today when we arrived, if they know who you are and what were they created for?" Luke asked and she said it then.
"Well if you grew up a skeptic this is as crazy as it sounds, but for every person growing up in this town who studied the doors like that it's more to do with faith and the paranormal than art, as to that. So far we've seen images like the doors in most art, like the one she mentioned, 'The Gates of Hell'. But this version is meant to be a message and if the creator made them, it's a method to judge a person's soul."
"It's like the dream demons poster they put into the final Freddy Krueger flick, or the wall of faces on the video game, the first person shooter 'Doom', and that's what I'm referring to here. And with that, if we just ended up with the real thing, with the fact the series ended at the time now. But whoever had the doors made I don't know, but at the moment I hope they're not related to me, because that's enough of bombshell."
"After everything I been through the last two years at the moment." she said as she finished with a sigh then as she said it to him as I exchanged looks with Mary at that. "You don't think that Caroline was married to the creator, do you, if your mother knew the dangerous secrets hidden inside this house?" Mary asked and she sighed then. "Honestly I don't know, I can't remember, but if there was a darker part of that story."
"I grew up with basic understanding of this stuff, but here's where the paranormal and whatever legends they created about this house comes into it, and like I said. If my grandfather was from here I can't remember, because mom never told me. In why my grandfather was now based in Boston, why he and Alicia moved or why now. In why Caroline gave them that amount and created that will at the time here now."
"But the questions of where our family originated from, or why he left, though my great aunt was his twin and they both were carrying a few hundred quadrillion on them. And when they left from their origin, why I forgot Andy was the one following me around. Some of those memories faded, maybe we get that information once we reach a certain level with the gift we inherited I don't know, but she would say take it slow here."
"But what I can say, is if she left me the money to pay and finish college I can finish my research and we can run this more easily. So if your boss at the hospital was head of mom's department, because she's a parapsychologist and I'm her student in this and I studied this. So once I get the money, I can finish college and take my place at her office and it's a family ran business." she said and we nodded as Todd said it for me gently.
"Best guess we'll be finding out later this week, if it's connected to what he's going to tell us later. Though at this rate I bet it's connected to all the crashes we keep hearing in the kitchen." Todd said, before we heard another crash in answer to that. "For gods sake this is getting ridiculous here, alright again cool it wise guy, enough already. Guys I mean it now, I hear another crash come out of that kitchen and you're in serious trouble."
"Because if you're trying to get put in time out you're doing a really good job of it right now, buster." Luke said as he called out to whatever just did that as she tried to keep from laughing at his remark. "Nice tension breaker in the conversation at the moment, but you don't have to over do it right now Luke, take it easy man." Todd said as he started laughing and Eleanor nodded as she and Mary started laughing at his remark.
"Yeah I agree with him, don't over do it Luke." she said though her laughter at that. "Nice word for it Luke, are you trying to start a riot here?" Todd said with a laugh. "What, what I say?" he asked and she answered that through her laughter. "For a group of preteens, they hear this stuff it's like you're asking to start something with them and with that fact in mind." Todd said and she finished his sentence as she started laughing.
As I hid a smile as she said it. "You do realize they're going to see that as a reason to test your limits with all the pranks Luke. Because our little invisible friends are kids looking for some attention right now so they're going to do anything they can to get it. You just threw them a challenge and and they took it, they're now going to start testing our limits with all the practical jokes." she said and Theo chuckled at that remark then.
As Todd answered her with an amused look on his face. "Yeah you're right about that, but to get back that remark on what you said. If it is, and they do, they better take it down several notches or their getting put in a time out. To get back to it though and to change the subject, best guess is the builder was just a normal man. But a house this size is like a maze and you're looking for the right way out of it at the moment."
"Like rats in a maze and at the moment the six of us are just learning our way through that maze as we get used to the house. But at the moment it's quiet, but our lunatic monster is biding his time until he walks into us or us into him. If this was one of the first person shooters games I'd say I'm half expecting the menace. Whoever is playing that imp, to come leaping out of a closed door or around the corner or something."
"But remember the sequence to that game: first normal guys with handguns, snipers, imps, demons and then a monster that look Satan after he turned into the devil. Followed by lost souls, a demon that looked like the head of another character. From another game and a character that looks like a more souped up version to to a hell prince. Before we see a chain gun toting version of Pennywise in his natural form in that video game."
"Before they added 7 more monsters, but this is getting ridiculous right now." Todd said to him and he nodded in agreement to that. "Tell me about, but the references, the river styx, you need any further intel on that crossing the river styx. Translation: after Phobos and Deimos, but those names in Greek are connected to you thesis, Dave. Phobos: fear, Deimos: terror, river Styx, Hades." Eleanor said and I nodded to the remark gently.
"If this was a scary movie I'd say they turned the house into a maze right out of a video game here, said video games first person shooters and the environment starts changing positions on you till you run into someone you're looking for. If that's what this house is trying to assimilate it's not amusing right now, because we don't need it. Those types of scares, or the one from poltergeist this week." Mary said and Theo looked at her.
"That's what I hate about these games, that one focused on demons and hell, now that is really taking theology and Greek mythology a bit too far here. That door is like asking for someone to call in the monsters completely, I mean on the one hand we got a slightly clean mentally healthy living environment. And then we find that door and a carving that is dressed like the grim reaper." Theo said to her and she nodded in agreement to that.
"Lovecraft was obsessed with ancient menaces and mazes, if he loved to study Greek mythology, he's acting like he's into the occult here, with the amount of statues he created." Todd said and she answered that. "With Harry Houdini up by that point, this is sixty years prior to that, and with what I've seen he's got a demented sense of a humor, though if he became a recluse, he turned to studying the occult and then went crazy."
"But if we keep talking like this and it's not going to matter if we're here for sleep deprivation or not, we're going to be having nightmares from all this stuff if this keeps up." Eleanor said to her and she nodded. 'Nice touch for getting the eerie setting to the environment set up here, because with them talking like that. They're going to love the legend of the house when I tell them this.' I thought as he looked at her to answer her.
"Alright subject change now then, what's your movie preferences exactly?" Luke asked and she chuckled as she answered him then. "I'm into Scifi, crime comedies, comedies and anything that has to do with the paranormal." she said and he chuckled as he exchanged smiles with Todd. "Same here actually, I'm from L.A., my personal favorites have Christopher Lloyd in them, after our conversation in the foyer, I think they're going to see this as a reason to be doing anything they can to get attention."
"Though if they start doing crime comedies I'm sure it's going to start getting out of hand here." he said and she started laughing. "Yeah well don't encourage them, they hear this they're going to see this as a reason to drive up the pranks and jokes." Mary said with a chuckle. "You used to say that about me and Rick, Mary." Todd said smiling and she chuckled at that. "Why do I feel like that's going to mean several jokes and running gags all night?" I asked and he smiled and she answered that question.
"Because once he finds someone of the alternate personality they started acting like a couple of wise guys and tried to get us to start laughing every time they did a comedy hour when we were kids David, with you choosing Luke. He's found his opposite half and with things needing an adrenaline come down once they start something it results in one of us choking on something through our laughter and don't do it at the table." she said and I nodded as Eleanor smiled at that as she looked at the duo.
"Great, you just selected the wiseacre duo now Doctor, alright we just entered movies we all have in common here. What's the big one we all like exactly anyway, with us being in a haunted house right now, with our conversation regarding Clue, I think we started something?" she asked and Mary looked at the duo. "Before you say it, no not at the table, we got to get out of the room, before you go for crime and comedy hour here alright guys." she said and I chuckled at that as Eleanor said it for me then.
"If it is, they're going for movies that we all share in common with each other, aside from mixed animation numbers, such as Roger Rabbt, just don't give them any ideas, because once they hear this it's going to start getting out of hand. And while we're on the subject here with comedies and crime comedies, just who dragged in the Christopher Lloyd flicks into this exactly, because two of them are considered crime comedies and she already said not to do that." She said and Theo grinned as she answered her question as I chuckled at the fact I just added on to her therapy with the duo.
"I'll keep that in mind where the duo are concerned here and to answer your question it was Luke. Okay so what's the scariest horror movie you've ever seen exactly?" she asked and she chuckled as she answered her. "At the time I was running my thesis, I was working on dream and sleep deprivation in case we really did have a lunatic like Krueger running loose in someone nightmares, but that's my thesis actually."
"And that's not just a theory or supposed science either, aside from Craven's childhood, it's been confirmed that there were two deaths from sleep deprivation. I was running studies on this for several years at the time. Though anyone who's seen this series has a really warped sense of humor, because these movies just keep getting more violent every year." she said and I nodded in agreement to that as I answered her at that.
"That's the truth, these horror movies and violence in cinema is one thing, but life imitating art is getting a bit too out of hand these days." I said and she nodded. " It's art imitating life is one thing, that's what A New Nightmare was focused on, but life imitating art, imitating life that's another thing altogether. This duology is taking that a bit too far and then it's the Pamela Voorhees syndrome and from what I gathered from the latest one it's a Prom Night theme to it, but every movie follows the exact same pattern."
"You want someone to blame, take it out on the person who started it, not an innocent victim, these psychos have their wires crossed for blaming the people that had nothing to do with their deaths." she said and I nodded. "Dealing with psychotics, they got a one tracked mind, in their heads they can't take the responsibility for their actions and try to foyster it onto someone else. Which is why my compatriots see these movies as a reason to get violence out of the movie theaters now, it's not healthy." I said and she nodded.
"I hear that, these slasher flicks just keep getting worse every year, Hannibal Lector, the Candyman, Pinhead, Michael Myers, Jason Voorhees, just who creates this crap exactly, because whoever it is has a warped sense of humor nowadays, and then they create a duology of horror crime movies the last three years with the latest coming out next summer. These movies don't make serial killers, they just make them even hostile than they are already." Todd said and she nodded in agreement with his opinion.
"So far these jump scares in these movies are enough to give a person with heart disease and problems a heart attack, before the end of the movie, but with it being the one month of the year you really get to enjoy these movies, and we're spending a week in a haunted house get ready it's going to be a very long week now." she said and they nodded as he got ready to answer her at that with a smile on his face.
Before he could though the wine bottle started edging itself off the table and I quickly grabbed it. "You try and jump off the table without the cork you're going to make a mess pal, you're not going anywhere." I told it and she looked at me. "With a bunch of preteens this is going to be a very long week now at the moment. Though if these seven are constantly hanging around next question is who are they if they were human."
"Though I think they're trying to test our patience by pulling disappearing acts with the food and staples on the table." she said and I nodded as the butter started edging it's way off the table in answer to that. "You had to say that, alright if you want some cookies or whatever she made for dessert, go ahead guys." Mary said and the butter stopped as a plate of chocolate chip cookies got taken off the bar and went into the kitchen as Todd called out to them with an amused smile.
"Just leave us whatever she made us for dessert, you guys got the cookies, but whatever else she cooked is ours, alright." Todd said, and in answer to that a chocolate cake the size of bicycle tire was set on the table and we nodded, followed by two pots of coffee and three jugs of milk and as we exchanged looks at this. "Mom, if you the medical records, mine with Malcolm and Dr. Marrow here, I don't suppose you wrote up a list."
"Of who suffered from what, with my being a live at home nurse, and at times, I did, what the EMT's did, before I got you to the hospital, did you." she said and an invisible hand left a piece of paper on the table for her and she read through it and nodded. "Medical allergies are one thing, but what about food exactly guys, with what they just set on the table, anyone allergic to what we just ate or are having for dessert."
"Because..." she started to say and I heard a tapping on the China hutch behind her and Luke turned around and saw a medical bag sitting there as he opened it it and checked and nodded. "This bag has every medication needed for allergic reactions and another piece of paper regarding fast triage medical info, Nell." he said and Todd looked at the paper and nodded as he answered her gently as he looked over her shoulder.
"Yeah, I think your mother knows that with you acting as a nurse, fast medical triage is the best way to go and the added alternatives. Before we, if we have a problem tonight, are on the paper, and I'm not allergic to anything we ate right now." he said and the trio nodded as I did the same and she nodded as she answered him. "Alright I saw what looked like white or vanilla cake batter and a mixing bowl of chocolate icing."
"I think that's what she chose for dessert in our case, but the coffee..., mom when you helped with the volunteer contracts. Did you get the volunteers medical records, just to check for allergies and passed the allergy records. If they're food allergies off to Mrs. Dudley so she can set meals safely for us?" she asked and the salt shaker jumped off the table and we nodded in relief at the news as she smiled at that.
"Had the issue of diabetes, during that ten year period it was setting snacks and drinks accordingly for mom. If Jefferson at the local hospital knows, then they know with three medical ailments I was getting beyond frustrated at it. But that's what I meant by that remark, to much or too little sugar is dangerous. But blood-sugar tests, insulin shots and the added steroids to go with it, believe me at the moment, now."
"The fact Jane took off on me just to have a party, while I got stuck at home, looking after mom, that's why I hate her and her family so much right now. On top of the will at the moment, all in all right now, it's going to be payback. And without a shot fired, because mom rigged the probate right now." she said and we nodded. "Well I'd hate to be him right now once he realizes this and that your mother rigged everything."
"But meeting us is right now, it's enough to make it clear at the moment here, in regarding that remark, nice guys finish first and the bad finish last." Luke said with a smirk and we nodded in agreement then. "Well I guess that answers that question, though with that in mind, it's better we don't drink too much tonight." Mary said and Luke nodded in agreement to her thoughts as he went into it.
"No drinking or drugs, never have sex and never say I'll be right back, horror movie cliches, this is a haunted house, not a scary movie, what's next exactly?" Luke asked and I sighed. "I'm not sure, but with it being the week leading up to Halloween, it's going to be a very long night. Alright you little wiseacres leave the wine bottles alone alright." I said as it started edging itself off the table in answer to that.
And I put it back into place as the biscuit basket started doing the same thing and he sighed in exasperation at that. "They took the cookies and are now trying to pretend they're kids older then 16, but they're age group didn't have legal restrictions. And it's only the last 60 years that age requirement came out on everything." Eleanor said and we nodded in agreement as he said it firmly to our invisible charges.
"Hold it right there pal, you're not going anywhere." he added and it froze and put itself back. "Well at least they're too young to start drinking at this age." Mary said and I nodded in agreement to that as the rolls started edging themselves out of my reach and I grabbed it a second time. "Well that's one way to get levity into the room, after that last conversation." Todd said and she chuckled at that as Luke said it for both of us.
"Enough with the disappearing acts already guys, come on." Luke added and the rolls picked themselves up and rolled right off the table to be eaten. "I guess they were hungry, if he grabbed that, because she made six batches of crescents and that's the rest of the basket with what we just finished here." Theo said and he chuckled. Just as he got ready to say it I heard a crash. "Well now they're really trying to get start something here." he added and I nodded, before I could answer I heard a slight hissing.
"Did someone leave a wine bottle out, because that sounds like the pressure building before it explodes?" Eleanor asked and I thought it over. "They put too much sugar and yeast into those things to build the carbonation levels to the exploding point it's like gun going when the cork is popped. But if that's enough to scare us with it being the one month for horror movies the wiseacres are now trying to scare us." he said gently to her.
Just as I was answering him, we heard, with a loud bang, what sounded like the repercussion of a rifle going off followed by what sounded like a handgun going off with it and the guys and I stood up at that. "Who brought the damn fireworks, that sound like a cannon going off?!" Mary asked in shock. "No that sounded like a gun going off." Theo said shakily and the duo nodded. "We didn't bring a gun in the house, what was that?" Eleanor asked me quickly and I got up with the guys to check as they stood up with us.
"I'm not sure, but stay close girls." I said and they nodded to that as he looked at me. "That was either someone shaking up a wine bottle to get the pressure right, before they popped the cork or they got a hold of a revolver or something." Luke said and I nodded in agreement to that. "Either way that's meant to scare us, that's not a playful intrusion, it's meant to make us think we got a maniac in the house." Eleanor said and we nodded.
"I'm looking at playful intrusions and things that are meant to scare us, and that's meant to scare us, with your reaction guys, and you're a psychiatrist as well. As to that, it's like he said either they used a bottle of wine so shaken up it explodes once the cork is popped or we got a homicidal maniac on the grounds though the gate is locked at the moment." she added and I nodded as she moved closer to me and I knew she felt safer around me to do that as we looked around the room, before Todd got my attention.
"It's just us in this house, and I can bet if the adult poltergeist is trying to scare us, it's by use of guns, explosives and fireworks, he's trying to scare us enough to get us out of the house. Alright nobody panic, stick together, we need to what caused that." she said as we spread out and started looking around the dining room, till Luke called to us then. "Doctor, Nell just found it over here." he said and we moved to him as Todd said it.
"Found it, the, whatever it is that is trying to scare us, just knocked this bottle of champagne off the counter and the fall caused the pressure to hit carbonation levels, when the bottle or can is shaken up, and caused the cork to go flying across the room after the explosion." Todd said walking over to the wall to find a cork lying on the floor and picked it up and I nodded and I sighed at this as I thought over the wiseacre who just did that, knowing it wasn't one of the seven who liked being around us then.
"How much pressure was in the pop exactly, because we normally point the bottle away from our faces when opening the damn thing?" I asked and he looked at the floor soaked in suds and then looked at the wall and I saw a gentle puncture in the wall. "We're looking at the paint can shaking April Fools joke in the fifth season of 'The Simpsons'. If you've never seen that show, this episode is as cruel as it gets, because it's like Home Alone, when Culkin created all the booby traps to keep his house from getting robbed."
"It's the one that Bart created in the show that landed his father in the hospital if that had enough pressure that slight abrasion in the wall would be a dent." he said and I nodded, that made it clear that my project was getting toyed with slightly as I thought it mentally to the kids or our invisible assailant then. "If that says anything, it's that whoever just did that is trying to play practical jokes on us, in parlor tricks." Eleanor told him as she put her hand on his shoulder and he nodded as he looked at her.
"Yeah well we had one today by the possessed billiard balls and it's been mostly childish pranks of a preteen or teenager all afternoon. Though this has all the makings of an adult ghost like beetlejuice in the house." Todd said to her and she nodded. "Yeah and that guy was a dawg no less, but this maniac. If he gets any worse, is going stalker and start terrorizing one of us girls if this keeps up." she told him and that did it as I thought it mentally to whoever just did that as I injected a warning growl into my mental tone.
'Listen wise guy, I'm running a minor scare study, I'm not trying to scare my patients out of their wits right now to the point they have a nervous break down here, leave us alone. And you come near the girls and I'm going to kill you a second time, stay away from them.' I thought to myself angrily as she answered him at that. "Yeah I was right, he's trying to scare us out of the house, alright, nobody take in more than two glasses tonight, so nobody gets loaded, if someone gets hurt, we got a designated driver."
"And secondly we stick together for the rest of the night till we go to bed. We got to make more than one key, in case one of us gets hurt enough to need a trip to the E.R. here David." she said and I nodded in agreement as her change from my title to my name got my attention as Mary looked at her as she hid a smile at the address she just gave me. "Yeah and good point, and with that, we've all had only one glass, so take it easy. Thought frequent scares at this rate are beginning to get annoying now."
"But to repeat that remark here guys, nobody takes in more than two, and we stick together till we all call it for the night." Mary said and I nodded in agreement. "Well constant jolts of stimulus is beginning to get annoying at this rate, but if you want to hear that story, alright shall we." I said and they nodded and we headed for the library and while the quartet were talking Mary was fooling around with the clavichord harp.
"Wait grab the plates, the silverware and these things and we can do dessert in the library, before we get the entire story." Eleanor suggested and we nodded. As we grabbed them and took them into the library with us then.
The Present
"How do you suppose this one's going to go honey?" I asked and she smiled. "To make this work we need a small medical team, and if the sextet decide to come along with us, while we're working. Than we just make sure that he doesn't realize their our double's, or it's going to start again." she told me as the phone went off then at that. "Marrow residence, Nell speaking?" she said grabbing it and I heard my voice answer her over it.
"Hello Eleanor, how's it going?" he asked and she smiled. "Hi Liam, and fine, the test results just came back from the bank, my mother left me everything and the Websters get only 10%, but going by the looks of this and Lou. He's about to have a nervous breakdown here, you have the books and everything I told David. But there's no going back if he crosses the line here." she said and his tone went firm at the news.
"At the moment we're in between movies, so we can come see you at the moment, Catherine just finished Entrapment, and I just completed 'The Phantom Menace and Gun Shy. So with that we got time for it and the quintet and I wouldn't mind seeing our interpretation of your trip there for real, but we can get involved in this as well, we're not due for the next ones till next summer."he said and she nodded as she answered him smiling as I listened.
"If there's any trouble in the next ten hours, round up the quintet, and head for the bank, because the will is getting negotiated here. But at the moment I have some work to deal with and by the looks of things, I've got to round up my friends, before the trouble really gets started, so I'll see you tomorrow at the latest then." she said and he answered that with a gentle smile in his tone as she looked at me.
"Alright I got to get the seven and let them know of this latest development, but we'll see you tomorrow at the bank. Don't worry, we're coming as well, see you soon." he said and she smiled. "See you soon Liam." she said and hung it up. "So what he say honey?" I asked and she smiled. "They're in between movies and he and Catherine just finished their latest ones. But he said they're coming for this trip as well, we just have to insure Craine doesn't realize that they're our double's."
"Or instead of movie kills it's going to turn homicidal next here, with the fact he thought they were dead, that Luke and I are dead. But that's six copies of all six of us, that is Malcolm's double doesn't choose to get involved as well." she said as the phone went off a second time and she grabbed it. "Nell speaking." she said and I heard Theo answer that. "Hey Nell, Luke just contacted me at work here, congratulations." she said and she smiled as she answered her smiling.
"Thanks Theo, listen why don't you come over tonight, because we're organizing a return trip, but looks like our double's are coming with this time. Though if Lou loses it finally, the more manpower, the better if he's drunk." she said and I heard a firm tone then. "Yeah Luke told me about that, though you're still recovering though it's been a year, I'm not risking another heart attack here at the moment."
"Alright gang meeting tonight and we go over plans tomorrow if they decide to try anything here." she said and she nodded to that. "Got it, how's the research going, you learn anything?" she asked and I heard an annoyed sigh. "Your theory regarding the doors was right on the nose Nell, some wizard hexed them to act as a judgement day once the deceased soul was standing right in front of them."
"What's also in that theory is that the demons on the doors are the souls of a couple fallen angels, and they're charged with judging the guilty and the soul is in purgatory till they judge him and when they do, the soul, if they're still alive, gets put into limbo till they choose which direction to go, if they did what you did they go to heaven and if they did what Craine did, they go straight to hell."
"Frederick chose the bloodline to be the keeper of the doors after Craine died, with your mother gone, you're the latest keeper of the doors now, which explains what we heard, through you in that spectacle last year. This trip if you're releasing Andy this time, dodge them when they grab him, because we're not risking another heart attack this time okay." she said and I nodded in agreement to her thoughts then as she answered her then.
"Yeah alright tonight, it's just a gang get together, and then when you guys show up tomorrow we can start organizing the trip, we just got to get the will to Rob Wilson tomorrow so we can get it probated. But Uncle Peter, the Dudleys and Uncle Jack are coming to visit, before the trial in three weeks." she said to her. "Got it, see you tonight sis."she said and I smiled. "You too, Theo." she said and hung it up as she looked at me as she said it to me then.
"Well that's the Sandersons, Mary's getting the added details from my team, but I have most of mom's notes regarding the paranormal and haunted houses. But tonight we can just enjoy things and Tomorrow. If they don't choose to wait to go to their lawyer, but do something illegal, it's not bothering with second chances, he's being committed for detox and is being held for a month, before the trial." she said and I nodded in agreement to that as I answered her, before I could though a message was left on the desk.
"Honey, David, I sent for the quartet and they're on their way here to see you at the moment. But the guys are really going to be pissed if he tries to attack you or the girls and Rick is going to kill him if he has to arrest him, because he committed more than one felony in the side of thirty minutes." she read out and we nodded to that. "Mom, we're going over the plans to come back and run the experiment here, and getting together with our friends regarding this."
"But this time our double's are coming along for it, is this going to just turn into 'The House On Haunted Hill, or is he going to try and redo the movie a second time with the fact our double's look just like us?" I asked and she answered that remark with a sigh then. "If Hugh thinks he's killed my daughter and Luke and sees two copies of each of you, he's going to try again, so whatever you learned in the last trip, put it to use in this one, but first and foremost never leave Eleanor alone."
"Theodora was correct when she said that, every time he attacked it's always when you're not in the room for it, so if she or Lili are alone, best to have the girls, Todd, Luke, Owen or Todd's double around to head it off this time. So he doesn't chase her up the staircase, when that thing, if we don't fix it, is going to collapse and hurt someone." she said and I nodded to that remark gently.
"Well I don't doubt if things are like this between us, than the twelve of us are going to be like each others twins, though, making sure he can't get to you or Lili. This means never leaving you alone if you're too exhausted to think straight, and you lose control of your abilities." I said and she nodded in agreement. "Yeah well, if it's like the first night together get ready, the twelve of us are getting haunted in the exact same way."
"But we got to lay some ground rules to prevent Mary, Alix or anyone else getting hurt and we're allowing the kids to be around us this time." she said and I nodded as the memory of our time together that night came forward then. Remembering how she and the quartet were together and our bonds, I was hoping for the same reaction we had then, just this time, it was setting aside the barriers and being able to relax finally.
Hill House-After Dinner 1999
While we were getting settled in the room, I saw the quartet suddenly focus on the layout in the library and I felt my shock go through me, because I saw what looked like three hundred to five hundred books on the shelf and a piano, harp, a clavichord harp and several other musical instruments by the door next to the clavichord harp as Luke said my thoughts out loud as he looked at Eleanor with a smile.
"Well you were right about there being a library in this house, but this room is huge." Luke said and she nodded in amazement at the amount of books on the shelves. "Whoever owned the house must have built a cross between a music room and library if there's several musical instruments in here along with what looks like half the book store at Barnes and Noble." Theo added as she looked around in amazement at this.
"At the rate this is going I'm expecting trouble right now from, mom knows I'm a book worm, but as Ryder said. It's that the books needed for college were mostly Dickens, Stevenson and Verne, if she left the books here, she was intending on me. Finishing my education in college, and getting into a job at the hospital, if she left this quite clearly now." she said and we nodded as Luke said it with a smile to her at that.
"You feel like we're in a maze here, because this is beginning to get ridiculous?" Luke asked the girls and Todd started laughing. "If it is, it makes a good way to create a house, because it's maze and funhouse built into one, though at this rate I'm expecting a monster, demon or zombie to come charging in here with a loaded shot gun or pistol." he said and Eleanor answered that with an amused look on her face as she said it.
"Unexpected movements in here, I saw the door slam shut and no one got a hold of it guys. If it's just us, we better stick together or at least pair off when doing whatever tests he's giving us." she said and the trio nodded in agreement to that. "Mazes inside a house, and a cork giving off the sound of gun going off, great, at this rate if this keeps up, I'm expecting that first person shooter game to wind up in the house and the monsters or the zombies come charging in here with a loaded gun." Luke said to her and she chuckled as she looked at the duo smiling.
Hearing that I saw Eleanor as she hid a smile as she answered him. "With the front door we saw I'm not surprised you're saying that Luke. Theo did you ever check out that tapestry focused on the supposed gates of the underworld?" she asked and Theo nodded to her. "Yeah and that and the front door is pretty disturbing, that painting is enough to scare the daylights out of anyone and as to why it's considered covering the heart and soul here, and all these monsters and creatures are from the Hercules legends."
"The video game dragged up areas that would, if that was real, would be considered blasphemy and as to why, first it goes from our versions of hell and the denizens in it. To the swastika and Nazis and those people are lunatics, so if whoever created the doors must have been really into theology, took pieces from three different times. And mashed them together to create the carvings, the statues and the doors, because those demons on the door look halfway human, so it's essentially hell and heaven style looks here."
"Or Greek mythology, because I found a griffin on the stairs earlier, Griffins, cherubs, if those lion statues are what I'm thinking, the Nemean Lion as well, the boar from the Hercules legends and a dozen other carvings and marble statues, but all together the architect and builder really over did it in this when he built the house. That video game mixed Greek mythology into a Catholic's version of hell and the results were monsters that met our opinions of demons and Lucifer when he got reincarnated as the devil."
"While screwing around with the achitecture in the process, and the guy who built this house must have read a lot of Lovecraft if he's now doing this." She said and Eleanor and Luke nodded as she got ready to answer her. "That's what scares me, if Hades or or Lucifer is hanging around that door would be the prime way to end a fight, I mean 'all who stand before these doors shall be judged', if that's not enough of a message nothing is right now." she told her and she nodded in agreement to that.
"That's an understatement, those demons looks closer to lost souls and skeletons than human, but we probably got unknowlingly judged innocent and good when we were standing there, but the poor soul who isn't is getting yanked into it if it comes to that. The monsters were using several Greek legends to reconvert the moons and that's another catch, Phobos, Deimos, imps, demons, monsters that look like our interpretation of the devil and zombies, underground mazes. But the guy who built this house must have loved ancient history if he created his own version of a funhouse."
"My major goes into philosophy a bit, but I'd say this is covering ancient history now too, we got a maze built into a house, a door that looks like the gates to the underworld, and multiple carvings and statues of characters from Ancient Greek mythology and the ones that appear the most are lion heads. So with that, if this is enough to scare we stick together if the wiseacre is now trying to scare the daylights out of us." she said and Eleanor nodded in agreement to that.
Before she could answer though I heard a door slam shut and I got up. "That wasn't any of us David, we're in here and the Dudleys already left for the night, so with that our mysterious assailant is trying to spook us, before you tell us that legend on the house. Alright the wise guy trying to scare us, better knock it off, we're not falling for it." Todd told me as he called out to whoever or whatever did that and she looked at him.
"Alright Todd keep it together here, it's probably just a draft from an open window somewhere in the house. And anyway the wiseacre is going to keep testing our limits so we don't make it easy on him, besides I bet it's just another scene from a movie or show." Eleanor said and he nodded as she patted him on the shoulder, as Luke decided to change the subject by lightening up the mood, before he could though she looked at Todd.
I could tell she was trying to find some way to keep him calm. "Remember when I said our invisible host was going for poltergeist intrusions, well this is what I meant. The six of us are together, no one else is in the house but us and we hear that. So trying to get us to start pointing fingers at each other, but what I can guarantee. It's that though I may figure it in, trying to rationalize this just makes it harder to see it."
"Aside from that I think they're trying to lighten up the mood." she said and then I heard a mental chuckle as she said it out loud as I saw the smile on her face. "What's so funny exactly Nell?" Mary asked and she smiled. "Alright we got six people in the house, one a psychiatrist and the other five are of the same personalities of the characters of a certain board game that got turned into a movie here so with that fact in mind here, remember our conversation in the dining room over movie jokes."
"Alright think it over guys, what movie had both of these in the exact same scenes, we heard a gun going off, but the lights weren't out and we were at the dinner table talking about haunted houses and it turned to mystery movies and stories in the middle of the conversation." she asked, before I could answer I hear a gun go off, followed by something shatter and then a scream in the hallway.
"If I'd hadn't seen any crime comedies I wouldn't be finding this too amusing right now if there was more than six people in the house." Todd said and she nodded as Luke looked at her then at that. "Great, Christopher Lloyd and movie jokes entering the conversation and with us being the only ones in the house..., oh great. Several thunks, a groan and then a gun goes off next." Todd said and Luke nodded to her.
"Wait I know that scream, Crime comedy, crime comedy, alright I see where you're going with this, bullet one in the dining room, two in the hallway, we heard something made of porcelain shatter, and then we heard a scream and of the trio the one most recognizable was Scarlett." Luke said and she nodded. "Our conversation at dinner was crime comedies and this happened to be one of the ones Lloyd played in, so what else exactly."
"If we were playing in a movie here the murder was in the study, the bullet missed by an ear and even with the fire it was too dark to see anything, though the vase was destroyed when they turned on the lights and the gun was lying on the floor next to the murder, and they started arguing over it." Todd added and she nodded as she answered him at that. "I think they took your remark literally on waiting till we were done eating, before they started Mary." I said and she nodded as Eleanor answered with a smile.
"Yeah so what movie did we hear these things in it, you said you loved any comedies that had Lloyd in them Luke, we were discusing crime comedies and serial killer cliches in movies, and then you said to wait till after dinner, before starting on the comedy hour Mary, and then we heard a what sounded like a rifle and handgun going off a minute later." Theo said and she nodded as Mary added on to her statement.
"Alright so we heard a gun going off, something made of porcelain or ceramic shatter followed by a scream a minute ago, what's going on here?" Mary asked her. "Well think it over, they were at a house this size, they were getting to know each other during dinner, and then went into the study for the reason they were brought there. And said lead actor revealed certain crude details about them, before doing a murder in the dark." I added and Eleanor nodded as she finished it with a slightly amused smile on her face.
"Yeah exactly, said kill wound up with added injuries and then they find the cook with the dagger in the back, and in our case, there's no one else in the house, but us and again that's what I'm referring to here, after locking up the latest arrival they reconvene in the one room that is right across the hall from where they locked up the guy, and as their searching the house, and they wind up with a multiple murder once the power goes out."
"The third of the three had a gun involved in and they heard the explosion all over the house because the hall can amplify the repercussion of the revolver when the gun goes off as well as the front door the front hall is made of most granite mixed with cement, so the repercussion of the gun blasts will be bouncing off the wall for five minutes. So first the singing telegram, then the murder and they heard the gun go off."
"And the door slamming shut, before Curry turns it back on, the third of the three had a gun and the door slamming shut, before Curry ended up in the showers, just before he did that, so what else could it be?" she asked and I thought it over before I chuckled as I got it. "Clue, someone's pulling scenes from a crime comedy and we just landed in the middle of it." I said and she nodded as she looked at the trio with a smile.
"Yes, our little wiseacres are trying to take the edge off after we just got the bejeesus scared out of us after that bottle exploded and with that fact in mind, they're choosing the scenes that had us laughing when they were going at it in the movie. And each one included the trio arguing over something till one of the girls ended the argument in the middle of it, before someone broke a wine or shot glass while doing it."
"You remember Clue, Lloyd was a psychiatrist and he was in the basement and then after two murders came the scene with the singing telegram, first they heard her, followed by a gun, followed by the front door slamming shut. With the house built like a maze, if we're right next to the front hall, and the house is practically the same size as the one they were at and we're in the next hall over. So we're going to hear these things no matter where we are in the house?" she asked and they started laughing as he answered her as he said it as the six of us were sitting on the chairs and couches.
"Yeah, and I think that's what they're trying to do now. We got a gun sounding cork and the door slamming shut, this keeps up and it's scenes from movies that we like, though Tim Curry, once he gets started, really over does the acting in the movie and their argument over the candlestick was hilarious. Does anyone else love this movie." he said smiling and we nodded in agreement with his opinion.
"Looks like our remarks at dinner and the fact that our seating arrangements caused them to figure we needed a tension breaker." Todd added to him and he nodded. "Alright if I remember right during the issue with the gun, Mustard ended up in the dining room and was checking under the table, while Green ended up in the closet as they were checking the house. After the telegram Curry ended up in the shower, before the lights back on." she said before the power went out then as Mary sighed in amusement.
"Anyone consider that the linoleum and granite stairs and fireplace are good amplifiers for the repercussion if someone if firing off a gun, be it real or a toy one, or even a B.B. gun in the foyer, let alone we don't have a doorbell on the front door?" Mary asked him and he nodded, before we heard a loud knocking, and it started as I heard the front door open as we heard the piano do the opening chords to the scene.
"I am, your singing telegram." Theo sung out, as we heard in a quick follow up, the sound of a gun going off and then by the front door slamming shut and they started laughing at that as she said it with a smile as the lights went back a minute later and we started laughing. "Great, the first explosion hit the vase first and now it just the chandelier, what's next?" Todd asked and we got the answer to that a minute later as we heard a second one, followed by the front door slamming shut and he chuckled.
"Well the murderer's just left the building." Luke said and that did it for the girls as Todd answered him through his laughter at that. "Whoever's firing that gun better check the gauge if it's a revolver." he said to him laughing. "Yeah and if it's always a wine glass, what's next to come landing on top of him." Luke said to him smiling and he grinned at him as I looked at Mary at that and saw the bemused look on her face at this.
"I don't believe this, alright guys cool it already, it's not enough we got a big jolt and they're doing sound effects we don't need it turning into a circus tonight." Eleanor said and they exchange grins and I hid a smile, already seeing the possibility of another movie joke then. 'Alright I see where this is heading here, guys enough already, you two, cool it alright.' I saw Mary thinking with a smile as the duo exchanged grins then.
'What now exactly, because this is getting ridiculous.' I thought to myself smiling as I looked at Mary, who had an amused look on her face at this.'Guys come on, she's already ready to break down laughing here, enough already here.' I saw Mary thinking and I turned to her at that as I went to question number two as I looked at Eleanor, who was trying to hold it in, as I hid a smile as I sat next to her.
Mary what's going on with those two?' I asked her and she hid a smile. 'They're about to do the argument in the hallway over the overkill comment when they found the added injuries on him. Though in her case, I think if this keeps up, one of us is going to die laughing at this rate. She's ready to crack from holding it in and that's what they're trying to do now.' she thought to me. 'Guys come on, enough already, I can't take this.' I saw Eleanor thinking as she tried to get it under control as they got started then.
"He's got new injuries, well he's certainly dead now, but why would anyone want to kill him twice?" he asked as Theo tried to keep from laughing at that as she made a dead pan remark to the duo, as I looked at the quartet I knew the duo were trying to make her laugh at this rate as I hid mine as I looked at them. 'Come on guys, enough already, it's been jokes and gags all evening, now enough already.' I heard her think, hearing her laughter, as I thought the same thing as I tried to hold in mine as I watched the quartet.
'Movie re-enactments, they're doing re-enactments of that scene in the movie, come on guys enough already here, you keep this up she's going to die laughing and honey pull yourself together here, okay.' I thought as I watched them joking around as I thought it a second time to the quartet. "For gods sakes, come on enough already you guys, honey pull yourself together here.' I thought again to Eleanor as I looked at her smiling as Theo answered his remark then as she tried to hide a smile then as she said it.
"That seems so un-necessary." Theo said and the duo tried to keep from snickering as he answered her with a smile. "Well that's what we call over kill now." he said and I answered that with a bemused look. "Yeah and I call it psychotic at this rate." I told him as Eleanor started laughing at that. "Unless he wasn't dead before." Todd said and he looked at him, as I watched the girls snickering at this as he answered him.
"Yeah so what's the difference exactly, the guy's dead, how many times do we have to kill him exactly?" he asked him and that did it for the girls as he looked at them as Eleanor said it to her through her laughter at this. 'With the trio it's one of thing, but my friends it's another thing altogether, but this is getting ridiculous.' I heard her thinking as she tried to pull herself together, before the punchline then as Mary answered her mental remark with one of her own as the girls tried to pull themselves together.