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Welcome To My Home

There was a sound of pattering feet. Lara spun quickly trying to find the source of the noise but the sound had her surrounded. It was everywhere. High in the rafter, below the thick cold stone. Suddenly out of the corner of her eye she caught a glimpse of blue weaving between pillars but as soon as she looked it disappeared and the noise came from the other side of the hall. A child's giggle suddenly echoed in the grand hall, haunting and chilling to the bone but it stopped as quickly as it had started. All around her was the sound of pattering feet, she was not alone in this dark dusty hall.

Once more the hall was filled with giggling and then a voice filled the hall, sinister, sing song and slow. "Ring o ring of rosies, a pocketful of posies, atischoo, atischoo we all fall DOWN!" The last word was shrieked and Lara jumped in surprise. Lara was scared she wasn't going to spend any more time in an old castle filled with sinister voices. But as she turned to go, something at the top of the grand flight of stairs caught her eye.

A little girl, who could be no older than 6 was standing there hands by her side, completely still, watching Lara. She was a blue silk gown and black ringlets hung down besides her pale face. Lara gulped. "Um, hello," she said rather shakily. The little girl cocked her head to one side and Lara shuddered. The child was pale, almost white as if she lacked blood and her black eyes were so deep they seemed to be drawing her in, making her want to approach the child. She looked away from the girl, and rubbed her eyes.

"What are you doing here?" she asked the little girl turning back to face her. She was slightly unnerved to see that the girl had come down a few steps. It was as if she was closing in on Lara. She giggled. "This is my home!" she said gesturing to the hall, her black eyes never once leaving Lara. She took another step down the stairs. Lara blushed faintly. So Castle Frankenstein wasn't abandoned. She had just entered someone's property uninvited. What sort of people lived in a place like this though? The hall was dark, damp, full of dust, chunks of marble on the floor. The doors were broken. There was no light in the place. Did this girl live alone? If not she would certainly have to apologise to the girls parents, which would be embarrassing enough.

"Where are your parents?" she asked again, her voice falteringly slightly as the little girl continued to come closer to Lara step by step a mad, hungry sort of look in her eyes. Lara tried to tell herself that she shouldn't be frightened of a little girl, but it was definitely not working. There was something sinister and strange about this girl. The child slowly raised one hand and pointed behind Lara.

Lara turned … and jumped. There was man standing exactly2 feet behind her. He seemed to be around 30 years old and he was dressed in vaguely military style clothing. His hair was swept back into a ponytail, but a few loose strands hung down beside his handsome chiselled face. He was obviously of a noble background, holding himself with a certain air. He wore small gold hoops in both ears and like his daughter he had dark, mysterious eyes, which seemed to be drawing her in, telling her to stay where she was, to not move.

He bowed his head slightly and Lara hurried to curtsey back, remembering to be polite to the man who's house she had broken into. "Welcome," he said in a smooth accent, which sounded slightly Romanian. "To Castle Frankenstein. I see you have met my daughter Matana," he said gesturing towards the young girl, who now stood behind Lara. Matana curtsied. He did not offer his own name which was strange but just smiled oddly looking expectantly at Lara. In the back of her mind something urged her to run away to get out of Castle Frankenstein, but she didn't know why so she ignored it.

"Tell me," said the man taking another step towards Lara, his eye boring into hers, "What is your name and why have you come here?" Lara blushed, she knew her reason would sound foolish. She broke eye contact with the man, looking down at her feet, his eyes were unnerving, they seemed to draw her own thoughts out of her head. "My name is Lara Intergern." she said nervously. "I-I came to take shelter form the storm. I didn't realise anyone lived her, I will leave right away." she stuttered making to pass the man.

He stopped her by throwing his arm out to the side so she could not pass. Lara looked up at him fear in her eyes. He smiled his odd smile again. "No, no, no." he tutted, shaking his head. "This will not do! This will not do at all. I'm afraid I cannot let you leave the castle with this horrible storm raging outside!" As soon as he finished saying this there was an enormous clap of thunder and then the entire hall was lit briefly by a flash of lightning, making everything seem eerier.

Lara tried to laugh the man off. "No I will be fine, I'm going to visit a friend in the village, it will not take me long to reach it. If I don't show up then they will get worried." She tried to get past the man but he plastered himself across the door so she could not get through. "I'm sorry Lara, but I insist that you stay here with me until this storm has blown over." Lara slowly backed away from the door and he smirked. "Besides," he said softly, " who knows what dangers are out in that forest. I wouldn't want you to run into any … danger"

The handsome man took her by the arm, his hands were cold on her arm, his presence was giving her goose bumps. He steered her past Matana and up the stairs, and she followed him unwillingly. She didn't want to stay but his eyes told her to. "Let me show you to your room," he said gently before plunging with he into the darkness of a corridor and the unknown.