Chapter #5 Into the Mansion and Secret Revealed
Sally's point of view
"Garrett please, don't do it. You'll hurt yourself." I begged as Garrett backed away from the gates.
Garrett and I were trapped in the courtyard of the Haunted Mansion. For the last hour Garrett has been trying to open the gates with a trick he told me he uses to open doors. But the gates wouldn't open. It was like they were welded shut by a supernatural force. That doesn't want us to leave.
"Don't worry." Garrett said as he wheeled back. "I've done this before."
He wheeled forward. As he picked up speed. He quickly turned his wheelchair around and rammed into the gates with a loud crash. The force knocked him out of the chair and landed on the ground with a thud.
"Ow!" he moaned as he rubbed his head.
"I told you not to do it." I said as I went to him and helped him into his wheelchair.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah." Garrett said sarcastically.
Once he was in his wheelchair. He said. "If we can't get out that way."
He pointed his thumb at the gates behind him.
"Then how are we going to get out?"
"I guess the only way out is the other side of the mansion."
"How are we going to get there?"
"We go through the mansion." I replied.
Garrett looked at me like I was insane.
"You're crazy right?" he asked "If you said this presence you sensed was here and it's maybe the presence that took your parents and my friends is after you why would we go inside the mansion?"
"Because we have no other choice." I answered. "Unless you have a better idea."
Garrett stared at me and said nothing.
"I thought so." I said as I turned and walked to the queue. Garrett followed silently.
While we were walking down the empty queue, passing the tombstones on the left side and getting close to the mansion. Garrett talked about himself. From how he met his friends and become a ghost buster to his childhood.
"So what about you?" he asked.
"What?"
"Where are you from?"
"I'm from Spirit Isle, Canada." I answered.
"You're a Canadian, huh?" Garrett said.
"What's with the French accent?"
"I'm half French-Canadian." I said, a little annoyed with his question.
"My dad is from Quebec. My mom was from Halifax."
"That so huh?" Garrett asked.
I nodded
" So how old are you?"
"I'm 18." I answered. "What about you?"
"I'm 27." Garrett answered. "What do your parents do?"
"They own a bed and breakfast called the Raspberry House." I replied.
"I see."
Then I frowned. I wanted to tell Garrett what I am so I can use my magic. But I didn't want to scare him off.
"You have to tell him." I thought as we walked to the door to the mansion. Passing the tombstone with a bronze craving of a woman on it.
"I'll get the door." Garrett said.
"Knock first, Garrett." I said sternly.
"Ok, ok." he said as he wheeled to the door.
As Garrett knocked on the door. I went the wall that separates the graveyard from the queue to get a better look at the tombstone with the bronze craving.
It wasn't there the last time I was at the Haunted Mansion when I was five. It was a tan colour granite tombstone with a craving of a woman's head on it. The woman had curly hair with a veil on her head with a stern looking expression on her face. Below the craving were words that read. 'Dear Sweet Leota, Beloved by all, in regions beyond now, but having a ball.'
Then the eyes of the craving opened. Revealing green eyes. I backed away from the wall. It was like the craving was trying to talk to me or something. I tried to walk back some more. But my legs wouldn't move. They were stuck to the pavement. "Helper of Humankind." The craving said.
"Help us before it's too late."
I just stood there. Breathless. Something was wrong. Really wrong.
"Hey Sally? Sally!"
"Eh?" I blinked and noticed Garrett was shaking me.
Snapping me out of my thoughts.
"Sally are you ok?" Garrett asked concerned. "You saw a ghost or something?"
I looked at him then at the tombstone. Which looked like a normal tombstone? I didn't say anything. I didn't know what was going on.
"Garrett." I said. My voice shaking a little. "There's something I think you should know."
I slowly reached up to my neck and undid the scarf.
"What is it?" Garrett asked.
I took off the scarf and turned around. Facing Garrett. I reached up and rubbed the jewel in the middle of the pentacle on my choker. I do that when I want to transform into my sorcery form. I took my hand away from the jewel. I felt a surge of power spread throughout my body. Changing me as it did. I felt like I was lifted into the air and warmer then usual as I glowed a little. When it was over. I landed softly on the ground. When I opened my eyes and saw Garrett was staring at me. Completely shocked. I looked down and saw I was wearing a black leotard with long sleeves with a gold sun on the right and a silver moon on the left and a short blue miniskirt attached around the waist an inch above the hips with a yellow ribbon attached to the helm with a small yin yang symbol on the front. My legs were encased in black fishnet tights and black knee high heel boots. I didn't need a mirror to tell that my hair had blue, black and white highlights in it and is still the same hairstyle. My eyes turned blue and catlike. My glasses turned into a black mask with a whiteout line and my teeth grew into vampire like fangs.
I was in my sorcery form.
"I'm a Witch." I said calmly.
Garrett continued to stare at me in shock.
"You're a what?" He asked nervously as he wheeled back into the door of the mansion.
"I'm a Witch." I said. "A Wiccan. Someone who performs white magic."
Garrett stared at me again. "You can do magic?" he asked.
I nodded. "Yes I can." I answered. "But I'm still in training. You really to go?"
"Depends." Garrett said, crossing his arm across his chest.
"How will I know you won't try anything funny?"
I stared at him confused. "What do you mean?" I asked.
"How will I know you won't try and put a spell on me or my friends?"
I was insulted. But then I remembered the Wiccan Rede.
Do what you will, but harm none.
"I don't put curses on people." I said calmly. "I'm Wiccan. A white witch. I use magic to help people. Protect them from evil. That's all."
Garrett's expression softened. "Oh I'm sorry, Sally."
"Sasha." I said. "When I'm in this form. I go by Sasha Snow. It's my Pagan name. It's not safe to use my given name when I'm in this form. It's for my and family's safety."
"Oookk. Sasha. I'm sorry I was harsh. It's just the last time I met witches. They took our friend and tried to keep us away with a spell."
My eyes widen. Who would be foolish enough to break the Wiccan Rede? If anyone broke the Wiccan Rede. The spell the person casts will come back and haunt them three fold. That's something I don't want to happen.
"I see." I said.
I decided to change the subject.
"So you ready to go inside?"
"I am." Garrett answered.
He turned his chair around. I walked over and opened the door. Revealing a partly dark hallway.
"Well." I said to Garrett "No turning back now." Garrett nodded in agreement as he wheeled passed me and entered the mansion.
"You can say that again." he said as I walked in, the closing the door behind us.