As promised, I'm back with another weekly chapter! Also, I've added a bit of comedic touch to this chapter hehe;)
Shoutout to EquestrianIntrovert for being the first to review my chapters. (PS. Joe will appear very soon, I promise), WriterSam for your encouragement and yes I do think a different setting can give a whole new depth, and my other fellow reviewers (tho not many) - Your comments made my day!
Hope you enjoy the chapter!
Chapter 3 (the stalker)
"Hmm…what should I wear today?" Mandie pondered as she rummaged through her wardrobe.
"What about that navy blue dress with the lace trimmings at the sleeves and helm?" Celia suggested as she began unpacking her valise.
After contemplating between the navy blue dress and the baby pink calico, Mandie finally decided on the blue one. Meanwhile, Celia had already changed out of her traveling outfit.
A few minutes later, Mandie called out to Celia from the entrance of their doorway, "You ready?"
"Just a minute, let me tie my hair with a ribbon first," Celia replied, as she tied her hair with a narrow, green ribbon to match her green dress with rosebud embellishments surrounding the helm and neckline.
Soon, both girls were freshened up and in clean clothes. They headed down the stairs where Jonathan and Sallie were patiently waiting.
"Finally you lovely ladies make your grand entrance, after what, two hours? Jonathan teased the girls as he saw them approaching.
"Oh stop exaggerating, Jonathan. We weren't away for that long." Celia calmly defended herself, despite smiling at the boy's display of exaggeration. "Besides, we just want to look neat and proper."
"Yes, yes, of course, my dear Celia." Jonathan theatrically apologized, bowing his head in pretend shame. How dare he tease the one, the amazing, Celia Hamilton!
The girls burst into uncontrollable laughter.
"So, what do you all want to do?" Mandie asked after regaining her composure.
"Let's go for a walk, maybe?" Sallie suggested.
"Sure!" Mandie and Jonathan replied in unison.
After informing Mrs. Shaw, the four of them left the house for a short walk, particularly, in the direction of the tunnel. Along the way, they stopped to smell the flowers and watched a squirrel running in the maze of daisies. However, they didn't know that the very same man, whom Mandie and Celia had encountered not so pleasantly, was spying on them through his binoculars. Spying and thinking, he waited until he had the perfect plan in hand.
"I wonder if we'll find a mystery?" Mandie thought out loud.
"Oh, sure you will, and if you don't, you'll probably make a mystery out of who-knows-what?" Jonathan replied with a laugh.
"I agree, if you don't find any mysteries, the mysteries somehow miraculously find you instead," Celia added teasingly.
"Will you two stop teasing me?" Mandie, with an annoyed look, told Jonathan and Celia.
"Teasing you? We wouldn't dare do that!" Jonathan gasped, eyes wide open as if a stray bullet had struck him. He placed his hand on his heart in mock sincerity. "No, we wouldn't!"
"Yes Mandie, we wouldn't dare." Celia agreed, grasping Mandie's hand in a gesture of eternal friendship.
"You two are honestly the most entertaining people I've ever met." Mandie remarked, "I'm so thankful for friends like you all."
But not for enemies like me heh? The stranger, who was still behind the same bush, stared at Mandie with a menacing gaze. "Well, too bad missy." The man softly laughed, his eyes spelled, 'evil'
After walking for a few minutes, they decided to take a rest on one of the white-washed benches and admire the beautiful scenery.
"God's creation is simply breathtaking," Mandie sighed, as she breathed in the fresh air.
"Hey, did you all hear that?" Sallie's sharp ears had caught the faint rustling of bushes.
"Hear what?" Jonathan asked, "I don't hear anything."
There it was again. This time the sound was more obvious.
"There!" Sallie pointed at a bush ten meters behind them, "It's coming from that bush over there."
"oh, yes, I hear it." Mandie craned her neck and cupped her ears to the direction of the bush Sallie had pointed to. Turning to Celia, with eyes, as wide as flying saucers, she added, "Celia, could it be that strange man we saw at the station this morning?"
"What strange man?" Jonathan asked.
"Earlier in the morning when Mandie and I were at the Depot in Charleston, a man bumped into Mandie and didn't even apologize," Celia explained.
"He was wearing a trench coat like the one Sherlock Holmes wears, and a handkerchief was tied around his neck." Mandie added, "I thought he looked suspicious. I mean, who wears a thick coat in this hot summer?"
"Yea, that is awfully strange." Sallie agreed, "I hope it's not that mysterious man hiding in the bushes."
"What if he's spying on us and listening to our conversation?" Jonathan suddenly asked after the four of them had suddenly gone quiet"
"Oh my, Jonathan! You may be right," Mandie nervously agreed, "maybe we should casually just walk as near as we can to the bush, and surprise him."
"It's awfully scary, Mandie," Celia shuddered, "we can't just approach the bush like that. What if the man suddenly jumps up and tries to kidnap us? Or worse still, kill us."
Jonathan's eyes opened wide in horror. "You're right Celia." He agreed, and with a Broadway-worthy performance, he added, "We have to think of a plan first. Surely, we can't say, 'Hello sir, nice to meet you, but I do believe you are committing a serious offense of trespassing. Would you kindly remove yourself from this property? Thank you very much.'"
The girls laughed at Jonathan's 'natural thespian abilities'. For a moment, they had forgotten about the man hiding behind them.
"You're right Jonathan," Mandie agreed, still amused by his outstanding performance. "Any idea what we should do then?"
"We should probably head back in and think of a plan from there," Sallie suggested, "besides, we've been out here for almost an hour and we don't want your mother to worry."
"And don't forget, it's nearing dinner time, the most wonderful time of the day," Jonathan added, grinning.
So the four of them headed back into Mandie's home freshened themselves after the walk, and met in the parlor to discuss their plans. Little did they know, the strange man was spying on them at the window, through a small gap in the floral curtains. "It's almost time to unleash my most unsuspecting weapon." He thought to himself, laughing softly.