Resetting the Past-The Haunting Re-Imagined
Warnings: This is going to be a time travel story and is going to make it so Luke and Eleanor are alive at the end of the story. So the opening matches the end of the movie, before the Dudley's arrive, if some names match my last story. It's coincidental now.
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.
Chapter 10: Dinner Discussions And Scare Tactics III
"Yeah so what movie did we hear these things in it, you said you loved any comedies that had Lloyd in them, Luke, and we were discussing crime comedies and serial killer cliches in movies, and then you said to wait till after dinner. And 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.
'Does it really matter here, God you guys enough already, it's been jokes and gags between you guys all night, this keeps up and one of us is going to choke on something as we're getting a drink, now cool it.' I saw Mary thinking with a bemused look on her face as it hit the punchline. "That's what we're trying to find out, we're trying to find out who killed him, and where and with what!" he said and Todd looked at him smiling as I tried to hold in mine as he responded to his remark as he tried to keep from laughing.
"There's no need to shout." he said as the girls tried to get it together. "I'm not shouting!" he said. "Alright I am, I'm shouting, I'm shouting, I'm shout" He started to say as a pillow hit him in the head and he landed on the couch and that did it for the girls as they started laughing at this. "Alright that's enough of that you guys, pull yourselves together here." Mary said, speaking my thoughts out loud as I finished that mentally then.
'God this keeps up and one of us really is going to die laughing here, alright pull yourselves together you guys, enough already here?' I thought as I tried to hold it in as I looked at her as she was shaking with laughter as Luke said it for me. "Alright pull yourself together Nell." Luke said smiling and she nodded as she looked at Theo smiling. "To repeat that, does anyone else love this movie?" Eleanor asked and they nodded.
"Who's the wise guy who started this act of jokes and gags, because they're getting hit with a pillow when I get my hands on them." she added and Theo started laughing at that. "What is this, movie re-enactments, because this keeps up we're going to have one of us choke on a drink through our laughter if this keeps up?" Theo asked laughing and I shrugged to answer her as Eleanor answered that as she tried to get hers under control.
Before she could say it we heard it a second time and the duo lost it completely as she tried to get the words out as I heard her thoughts on this through her laughter. "Are they trying to over do it right now, the guys already did that re-enactment. Once is enough tonight, now enough already here." she said laughing and he chuckled as he looked at me to comment on that as Luke looked at her with a smile.
"Sis, you need pull yourself together here alright." he said and Todd added onto that as he looked at me then to comment on this as she looked at him at that with a smile and leaned her shoulder against his. 'I never thought I'd hear that from a total stranger, these bonds are getting stronger every minute.' I heard her think with a smile as she leaned against him and he wrapped his arm around her shoulders and she leaned into it.
"Sis, come on, pull yourself together here alright." he said again and Todd added onto that as he looked at me then to comment on this. 'It's only been six hours and already they're calling me that, I just found my closest friends faster then I expected tonight.' I heard Eleanor thinking with a smile as she leaned against his shoulder and he smiled at her, as Todd looked at me with an amused smile then as he said it.
"Alright time to call it now here David, she's going to die laughing if this keeps up." Todd said with a smile and I nodded as I called out to our invisible friends a second time. "Alright the wiseacres firing that gun had better put the safety on it right now, now enough already here!" I called out to our invisible house-mates then as I heard her thoughts through a giggle as I hid a smile at her.
'I don't believe this, the wiseacres are going to have one of us die laughing with the amount of pranks they're pulling tonight if this keeps up.' I heard Eleanor think through her laughter as she looked at Theo with a smile as she said it. "I know they said laughter makes a good remedy, but at this rate it's going to turn lethal if this keeps up." she said with a giggle and I chuckled as I answered her at that with a smile.
"In slow increments yes it helps, but in this case, the wiseacres need to take it down several notches before one of us chokes on something. Though I think your mother chose to help you by getting a few wiseacres into the group. And just who dragged in the crime comedies and regular comedies into the conversation at dinner, because this is getting ridiculous here?" I asked and she chuckled as Theo answered that question smiling.
"Luke did, but the question of whether or not there are going to be anymore pranks over this is another question altogether." Theo said, before I heard another explosion in answer to that. "I think that answers your question Theo." Mary said as we heard it a third time. "That seems so un-necessary right now, so what's next exactly, the gun hitting the chandelier?" Theo asked and in answer to that we heard a third explosion and they started laughing as she answered her question through her laughter as Eleanor said it smiling.
"You had to ask, nice touch Theo, that really adds on to the effect." Eleanor said through her laughter and she smiled at her and Todd followed that up with the next remark as he tried to get his under control as Mary started laughing at this. "These wiseacres keep this up one of us is going to choke on something, pull yourselves together girls." she said smiling and they nodded, before we heard a fourth one and the door slamming shut.
"Mew." the cat said in amusement then, as she looked up from the picture book she was reading on a recliner and Mary started laughing. "Yeah illustrated books, but her mind is that of 12 year old right now, and she prefers colored classics to that of scary stories for children." I said smiling as I saw the Halloween story on the Berenstain Bears then. "I think she decided to stick close to us, with the level of intrusions right now." Luke said and I nodded in agreement to that then.
"Again enough already, pull yourselves together girls." Mary said smiling as I answered that as I called out a second time at this. "Alright the wise guy firing that gun better cool it now." I called out, before we heard it a third time and the door slammed shut. "Yeah I think the murderer just left the building alright." Todd said to me smiling and I answered that as I tried to keep from laughing at that as I answered him his remark.
"Alright two explosions in one night they better be doing that in the foyer, there's more room in there, alright this is getting ridiculous, and if this keeps up one of us is going to die laughing at this rate." I said and he chuckled as he looked at her as she curled up against him and he leaned his shoulder against hers as she answered my remark smiling.
"Yeah well with two wiseacres in this group it's we got enough comedians in this group." Eleanor said and he grinned at her at that. "Yeah well it's comedians are one thing, but watch the teasing or you're in big trouble beautiful." Luke said to her smiling and I hid a smile at that as he looked at her playfully. 'I wonder, well best to find out later.' I saw him thinking with a smile and I knew where his thoughts went then.
'The big brother mode just kicked in now, alright watch it baby, you keep teasing them like this, their going to let you have it.' I thought as I hid a smile as he answered his remark. "I know we decided on acting like the comedians, but comedy only goes so far here, and they're now trying to take it a little too far, but this is ridiculous." he said and Luke chuckled at that as he answered him with a playful smile.
"Yeah so what's next exactly, the fight over the gun on how many bullets are in it?" Luke asked and he started laughing as he answered him at that. "No more than likely they're doing the bullets in reverse order, but they keep this up one of us is going to die laughing, before the evening is done here." he said to him and she nodded in agreement to that as he answered his remark. Before he could though I heard another gun going off as I then heard it bounce off the door as I looked at the trio smiling.
"Wasn't one of them shooting at the door to break the lock to get them out of the lounge in that movie?" I asked and he nodded. "Yeah why?" he asked, before I could answer I heard a third explosion as the makeshift bullet slammed into the door. "I think that answers your question Todd, but if they're doing the scenes in reverse order the next one is hitting the chandelier next." Luke said to him laughing as I heard a fourth explosion in answer to that as he answered him through his laughter at that.
"Well at least it's not the locked into the lounge scene or the candlestick falling on top of him, but that was hilarious." Todd said and he nodded as he tried to get his laughter under control as he said it. "Yup you're right, they're trying to get us away from that original thought here Nell." Luke said smiling as she looked at them. "Well don't give them any more ideas otherwise they are going to try that next guys, till we're going to die laughing here." Theo said through her laughter and she nodded as she looked at Todd.
Before she could say it I heard the piano do 'Shave and a Haircut' next, before I heard another explosion from the dining room in answer to that and she started laughing at that. "You had to say that Theo. Hey Luke what's the one talking cartoon animal that, once they see slap stick, they can't stop laughing at it here, and it's another movie Chistopher Lloyd played in that came out six years later and it's another crime comedy?" she said though her laughter and Luke started laughing as he got it and Mary looked at them.
"Alright so what movie is that from exactly?" Mary asked her and he chuckled. "Roger Rabbit, Lloyd said that no toon can resist the old 'Shave and a Haircut' trick as he tapped it against the wall, before Roger finally broke and busted through the wall to finish the song." Luke said smiling and it tapped it out a second time and I heard a fifth explosion in answer to that as we started laughing as whatever song they chose next started up.
"Alright what's going on here, this keeps up and one of us really 'is' going to die laughing at this rate?" Todd asked and she chuckled. "If they were kids who'd been born in the 80's they're choosing movies that, as teenagers, they're going to love later, especially mixed animation with live action, and this happens to be one of them, though this has areas most kids wouldn't find too amusing if they looked at it as adults later."
"Though they've done it four times in thirty years, two from Disney, one from Warner Bros. and the last is mixed which is what this one is, though I don't remember this scene in the movie, Luke do you?" she asked him. "Yeah I think so, give me a minute." he said as we heard the tune and he smiled. "Yeah, he came to the club, gave the password and went into the main room, the music had a familiar ring to it as well." he said to her.
"That sounds like the fight over the piano between Donald and Daffy and I've seen this movie too no less, before..." he started to say as the tone hit some sort of point as I heard a sixth explosion from the dining room and they started laughing as he said it. "Yeah okay that's what I thought, the Ducks were having a fight over the piano, trying to out do each other, before Donald blew up his piano during the finale." he said and we nodded as we started laughing as she added on to his remark through her laughter.
"As I said, I think they're choosing movies from the last decade that are crime comedies to lighten up the mood after we just had the bejeesus scared out of us." she added as the song of whatever it was started a second time and we heard a seventh explosion. "If there's a winery in the house their using the champagne and not the red wine for this, because that's the only way to get the pressure high enough to get that type of explosion, and Ford already proved that on the Temple of Doom." Luke said and she nodded to that.
Hearing this we tried to get our laughter under control then, before someone started another song and it started getting out of hand and I looked at the piano. "Alright guys, enough already tonight, I know you're trying to lighten up the mood, but leave the wine bottles alone, and choose one song and go with it." Luke said and it started playing a theme song and she chuckled. "Tiny toon adventures, alright I think they've been watching the cartoons that came out the last nine years here." she said and he chuckled.
"Yeah so what's next exactly anyway?" he asked and I heard the theme song to Looney Tunes start playing in answer to that. "You had to ask Luke, first a preteen action show this afternoon, disappearing acts with our food, fights and sparring matches with the added staples on the table and a water fight in the kitchen, this is getting ridiculous right now. You remember Bug's remark, 'Ask a stupid question, you get a stupid answer'."
"The rhetorical questions are going to result in several more pranks if this keeps up tonight here." Todd said smiling and it started playing a new song as I tried to keep the smile off my face at this, already knowing what song it was and why it was playing when she was sitting that close to me as Theo looked at her. "That sounds like the love song on the Lion King now, and who's it pointed at exactly anyway?" Theo asked and Eleanor looked at me and I smiled at her as she gave one to me and then answered her.
"I think that was just another subtle hint here that this was rigged actually and whoever rigged it is playing matchmaker." she told her and Mary hid a smile at that remark. "And your face is turning red as well, alright pull it together you two, and whoever is doing that ease back please." Mary called out firmly. "Whoever's trying to play matchmaker for us had better take it down several notches, wise guy, enough already tonight." I added and it started playing another song as she looked at Todd to go into conversation with him.
"So how is it you know the doctor exactly?" she asked Todd and he smiled. "I've known him five years and Mary and I've known each other since high school. So in addition to you three, I got chosen to keep her company. I'm also running studies on this and took a course in architecture and theology, which explains my remark on the doors." he said and she nodded as Luke looked at her with a playful smile on his face as he said it.
"What's your PH.D in exactly, if you're bringing that up?" she asked and he smiled. "Theology, demonology, architecture and parapsychology actually, I was studying the architecture at a few churches and applied it to my major, but this was to give me a chance to study a house of this magnitude. And for some reason I'm seeing more than basic theological points of view, but Greek mythology mixed in with it." he said gently.
"So possible study of parapsychology, theology and architecture huh, that's makes a good fit in bonds of friendship, I'd like to know who rigged this, because it feels like everything you three like seems to be fitting what I like." she said and he nodded in agreement to that. "Yeah well the wiseacre better take it down several notches right now, because these bonds are growing five times faster than normal at the moment."
"At least we're all localized to the same town with Luke heading for Boston in three months." he said and she grinned as she answered him. "If it's rigged I can see where the person who rigged it chose people from both personalities, the wise guy section and the slightly serious, and both in the case of whoever my future husband is. Though it's got an added parental touch to it for some reason right now, if it hit the table just as the will gets probated and your project, Doctor, activates at the exact same time."
"As to how that could be, it's because somebody's toying with the chessboard to ensure I find the right people in friends and soulmate bonds and I'm sure we're finding out later though if mom was the one who rigged this I think she knew finding you guys would help now, because it's now doing gentle psychology here." she said and Luke looked at her, before he could say it she smiled. "Yeah okay mom I get what you're doing here, but take it down a notch please." she said and I looked at her at that as Todd said it for me.
"What's up exactly?" he asked and she explained that. "With the will getting probated right now, you find it a little strange, that just as that's happening. I'm suddenly one of the top ten choices on the volunteers for the project, the house gets chosen at the exact same moment. And suddenly we meet and the bonds are growing faster than normal, and we're acting like a bunch of teenagers or young adults with each other right now."
"But in total truth I think mom wanted it like this, because I could get you guys involved now at the moment. But our bonds are growing even faster right now ?"she asked him and he nodded in agreement then as he answered her at that. "Yeah so where do I fall into this exactly, if our parents knew each other?" Luke asked and she smiled. "Possible twin brother actually, if we're like this around each other at the moment."
"If Todd's the other side of your personality traits, I think you were chosen to be my brothers now, in addition to my best guy friends." she said and he smiled at that possibility as they looked at each other and she hid a smile as she looked into his eyes as Todd chuckled at that. "As a psychiatrist she'd go for a Keirsey temperament sorter in projects like, but both sides of my personality while doing it, at the moment."
"And just to bring out the me that she and my father remember, but if she's now doing psychology. And from beyond the grave and it has to do with the house I think that sums it up now. But here's the thing from a spiritual sense and that is the imprint of the person's soul sticks around as long as it needs to, though if mom is, she's staying as long as I need her." she said and Theo answered her at that gently at the remark.
"If Rebecca is the one toying with us to help you heal since she's been gone, if this was part of your emotional recovery from her passing two months ago, though if this has to do with the house, why select a slightly haunted for a sleep deprivation study project?" Theo asked and she explained that. " I'm not entirely sure, but what I do know if this town has any type of connection of my background origins, it's got to do with why I feel so comfortable around it, let alone I understand the Dudleys concern a bit too much right now as well when she said no one gets closer the nine miles at night."
"Mom had this necklace for years, but whoever the initial stood for, I don't know, though if she said my middle was the initial. Then I think my grandmother was possibly the second wife of the owner of the house, before he died at the time. But the question to why my grandfather moved from Concord, that I don't know right now. Let alone why give me the necklace and set up that test during the probate at the time."
"But what I do know is that's not a coincidence that the project is run just as the probate is getting done, if mom's been following me around, she was probably at work getting the last minute details done just as you and Dr. Marrow are preparing for this Mary. While secondly mom always took it far more seriously with me, because I was her favorite of the two of us, because I shared everything she loved with her and my father."
"If she had an alias or two it explains why the kids recognize my necklace, one alias for work, another here, and her married name with everyone else, but if that's the case, and it has to do with the will. I bet the second alias is the one doing most of the work here, and I don't have to hear her voice to know that if her work alias is the descendant of the person who built this house and I'm descended from his second wife, if he had one."
"I don't know what my mother's pen-name on her psychological reports of parapsychology were, but this has to be connected to it and with that, the pieces of that puzzle are coming together pretty quickly here." she said, before seeing the amused smile on Luke's face and hid hers as I heard thoughts as she looked at him. 'Somehow this kid fits the mold a bit too much with me, because it feels like it's supposed to a brother/sister bond.' I heard her think then as he answered that thought.
'No more like we knew each other in another life, but it feels like I'm your surrogate brother when we were too young to remember that.' I saw him think back to her and she smiled as he answered her with a playful smile as he said it. 'Come on Luke, you really want to start this now, we're getting into a enough playful bickering matches as it is.' She thought back to him as she hid a smile as he answered that remark and I knew it was about to get started.
"So you expecting any math tests here Nell?" Luke asked and she smacked him with the pillow laying on the foot of the couch as he covered up. "Right sorry, drop high school remarks." he said smiling and the duo started laughing at that as Todd looked at him with a smile as he answered that remark as I tried to keep from laughing as I watched the duo joking around on the couches across from where I was standing.
'God this is getting ridiculous between them, after what happened at dinner, guys take it easy. A week together maybe, but you're acting like a bunch of teenagers on a camping trip without parental supervision here.' I thought, hiding a smile as I listened to this as I tried to keep from laughing as I unloaded my suitcase for the tests I packed as Todd looked at them with a chuckle as he said my thoughts out loud.
"You keep that up and the girls are going to beat you senseless man, now take it down a notch." Todd said to him with a smile and he smiled. "I'm the wise guy, you're the straight guy, why don't we use that later this week." he said and Mary hid a smile as she answered that as Theo looked at Eleanor with a bemused smile. "You already did, you wiseacre, now enough already." she said as she grabbed the pillow and hit him a second time.
"Don't look now, but I think they started something here Nell." Theo said and she chuckled at that as I hid a smile. "You get the feeling with us just being here for a week, the guys are are about to start acting like overgrown teenagers now?" Eleanor asked her and she chuckled as she nodded as Mary answered that with a smile. "I'm used to that with Todd, he was like this with Ricky when we were kids, but at this age now."
"You think it's bad now just wait girls, once he finds someone of the alternate personality he starts acting like the two are doing right now, and as to how I know that. We've been friends since high school and he had a friend who was like Luke and I had to break it up a lot when they started fooling around like this. And Luke you keep that up and she's going to beat you senseless, you better cool it now." Mary said to them and they nodded.
"So where being an artist is concerned you look at styles from different cultures right, if you're saying it like that Theo?" Mary asked and she nodded. "Yeah, for an artist we study every way to be one and that includes stuff like landscapes or just architecture, and we look into cultural histories of what would be best here. For the moment the reason I recognized the doors is because I studied one similar to it when I was going into my major, but the statues are a bit of over kill, they're made of marble."
"If this guy is as rich as I think he decided to get the most expensive pieces of wood and marble to create the statues and carvings and marble's not easy to break, not without a jack hammer if you're sculpting it. So the added statues and carvings are going a bit too far here." she said and Mary nodded in agreement to that. "If the kids know this March person, I bet this is connected to it then." Todd said to them and she nodded to that.
"If mom was descended from the second wife it explains why they recognize my necklace, but if it's connected to this legend it means it's going through right on schedule now. That is if she chose to not only get me out of Boston for a week, but she just..., my thesis, she's giving me a chance to get my thesis done and I think it might be connected to yours Doctor, because though I never got the chance to finish college, I've been working on my disrotation and it's on haunted houses and Dream deprivation."
"If the manor belongs to me, I'm doing as mom suggested thought. Whatever the added side project is, might connected to why I feel so comfortable in this room, though if this was the family manor and where both sides of the family came from, than mom got me involved at the right time now." Eleanor said to him, before a book pushed itself out of the shelf slightly in answer to that as Eleanor stood up to look at the bookshelves then and was scanning the books, as it nudged itself out further to get her attention then.
Watching I knew it was waiting till she looked at it to yank it from the shelf then, before her eyes landed on the one that got pushed out then and she smiled as she looked at the duo as she pushed it in, and it pushed itself out and we exchanged looks at this. As she pushed it back in, it pushed itself out a second time as she did it a third time and it pushed itself out again as she hid a chuckle as she answered the unspoken request.
" I'm not going to read you right now." she said and pushed it back in a second time and it pushed itself out again. "Well somebody's persistent over this, I never seen books that were begging to be read for once here, especially not the classics" Todd said with an amused looked at she pushed it in for a third time and it pushed itself out and she pushed it back in and it pushed itself out. "Alright now this is trying my patience." she said firmly as she did it again and it pushed itself out as it started going back and forth.
As she pushed it back in, it pushed it self out and she pushed in again and left her hand against the spine of it this time and it turned into a fight as it pushed itself against her hand, like it was saying to 'let me out, just look at my title page please', as she shook her head as she answered that request with an amused look as she said it. "Whatever this is about whoever is trying to get my attention right now.
"They're trying to send me a message and it's through this book." she said and I nodded as Todd said it for the five of us at that with a bemused look. "Just what is the fight about here exactly, if that ones trying to get your attention?" Todd asked and she shrugged as she looked at it and she pulled her hand away from it and it pushed itself off the shelf and into her hands and she sighed in resignation as she said it.
"Well at least it's not slasher flicks, though if we got a homicidal maniac coming in next and I'm really going to be worried." he said and she grabbed the pillow. "Are you're to jinx us, I said cool it already." she said smacking him and Theo added on to it. "Yeah she's right, enough tonight already." she said and he smiled. "What, it's the one month of the year we actually get to enjoy scary stories." he said and she answered that.
"I'll give you scary stories if you don't knock it off." she said and smacked him with the pillow, before Eleanor did the same and he covered up as they let him have then. "We got a wise guy in the group here, if this keep up its going to result in a pretty good blowout." Todd said to Mary and she nodded as the girls let him have it. "Hey ow, alright I get the point, you win girls enough already." he said as they smacked as he repeated it as he covered his head with his arms as they smacked him.
"Yeah alright I get the point, no more wise cracks for the night." Luke said laughing as he looked at the duo. "Come on move over." Theo said and he switched positions then as she sat next to him. "So again are you expecting any more trouble tonight." he said and she smacked him on the shoulder as the duo decided to call it quits, before a pillow fight broke out. "Keep this up and I'm giving you the pillow beating of you life." she said to him and the duo decided to end it at that as I tried to keep from laughing at that.
"Yeah okay guys enough already." Todd and Eleanor said together laughing and I decided to call it then to get Mary's attention as we got started as I tried to hold it in, though I was about to start laughing at this and the way they were together as I got her attention. "Thank you Mary." I said and she looked at me, before getting up then. "Okay okay, why are we here, probably to answer the most basic question, what is wrong with you people." I said and Luke and Todd chuckled at that
"These are cognitive perception tests, I'll be giving you a variety of these during the course of the week, you're not in competition so don't worry about being head of the class, and between all these tests you'll have each other and the house to keep you company." I said and Theo looked at me. "But we can't go to town." she said and I shook my head as I passed each set of folders to the trio.
"No and as you were told there's no telephone service, there's no tv and the caretakers tend to lock the gate when they they leave, however I do have my trusty cell telephone in case of emergencies okay." I said and Luke answered me. "And what's the deal with the Addams family mansion, because I got to be honest I'm not getting a real strong sleep vibe from this place." he said and she chuckled as she looked at him.
"No me too." she said and I hid a smile. "Well I wanted to make sure you couldn't sleep too easy." I said and he nodded. "In this case it's my arena, but keep the stimuli under control, before one is has a nervous breakdown. But again, you see anyone getting nervous, I want to know about and 2) you know I'm checking the other areas of the house right now. But I'm the alibi reason we came, he has the haunted house scare tactics." Eleanor said and they nodded.
"Fair enough Nellie, but with it being haunted by a madman, well congratulations it worked." he said and she smiled and I decided to end the wise cracks then. "Seriously, isolation is essential in creation of an experimental model." I said and Eleanor looked at me then. "Aside from that, yeah you're right, but that's where I agree with you, but houses like this. That make for good environments in projects like this, at the moment right now, though with that in mind."
"The added history of the house works too and as does it's original owner and with that. This house, who built it, who lived here?" she asked and I smiled. "Well actually that makes for a very good bedtime story." I said as I grabbed a bottle of wine. "Once upon a time there was king who built a castle, his name was Hugh Craine." I said as I looked at her gently, before I went into lecture mode as I gave the history of the house.
"130 years ago towns like Concord and Manchester were the center of American industry. That's where Craine made a fortune off the backs of workers in his textile mills. Now this man could have anything he wanted, but what he wanted more than anything was a house fill with the laughter of children." I said as I stood up and she nodded as she answered me at that as her face went thoughtful, as she thought over the 11 we met.
"That's why there's all the carvings, he wanted a family and started setting up all those carvings." she said and I nodded to answer her. "He married the most beautiful woman in town, called Renee, and he built her this house, well some of it." I said as I sat back on the fireplace and Theo smiled. "God it sounds like a fairy tale or something." she said and I sighed as I answered her, knowing this was going to get their attention.
'David, she's going to know this is the part that means it's time to start digging deeper, but this where the story has a few plotholes in it, but the part you tell the boys she's going to learn soon enough." I heard and gave a mental nod. "Well that's where the fairy tale ends, Hugh and Renee had no children, they all died at birth, than a few years later Renee died as well and Craine became a total recluse."
"But he kept on building, adding room upon room as though he was building a home for the family he'd never have. No one had seen Craine for years, but the towns people said that sometimes at night they could hear sounds coming from the house..., sounds of children." I said finishing the story and I saw the look in her eyes at that. 'So sad' I could see her thinking, as the silence kept up we all heard a giant snap and jumped.
As I turned around to look at the fire behind me. "Whoa, aw Jesus Christ." Theo said as Eleanor exchanged smiles with her, as I tried to keep from laughing at that reaction then gently at that. "Come on was that really necessary?" Eleanor asked as they exchanged looks. "Somebody want to can it with all the add jolts right now, that's one too far." She said then as she looked at me as I smiled at her and she shook her head with a smile as she said it to me.
"For gods sakes, enough already tonight." Mary added and she chuckled as she looked at me. "Alright, laugh it up baby." she said to me and the trio tried to keep from laughing at that. "Wise guy, I'm letting you have it later for that, but we're not doing this all night and we need to take it down a notch right now, we get one more scare, you're going to get it." Eleanor said smiling as Theo chuckled at that as Todd answered that remark.
"Nice touch David build the suspense before something really spooks us." Todd said to me and I nodded. "That was a nice way to build it up here as well." Eleanor said and I smiled at that at her then. "Now there's a side of you I never seen before, but that's like you're acting like you been together for six months instead only the first night." Mary said to her and she nodded smiling as she answered her then as she finished that remark.
"Added scares in the punchline, I see this all the time in the job, that the second we got the final jolt and it's going to have someone feeling like someone used a set of cymbals or even better blew up a balloon and popped it right behind you." she said and they both nodded to her. "Which I think was what just happened, only it wasn't a balloon, but rather some sort of tree nut that the kids ransacked tonight." Mary told her and I nodded to that.
"Scary stories maybe, but one jolt too many, we need to take a break here, before we have further problems here at the moment." Theo said to her. "At the moment I agree with you, but whoever just did that knows the concept of added fireworks shocks. And there's a bunch trees with acorns on them outside. So that wasn't a pop gun cap it's possibly some sort of nut that got thrown in the fire." Luke said and she nodded to him.
"I know you did that on purpose David, but at this rate we better cool it with the added scares for the night." Eleanor added and I smiled at her now frequent use of my name as Theo answered that one with a bemused smile on her face. "Alright laugh it up wise guy I know you enjoyed that." Theo added and she looked at her with a chuckle as she answered her with a smile and I could tell she was finding this funny as she said it.
"Like I said eerie setting to get the story going and when you reach the scary part that's when you get hit with a jolt of stimulus, like the fire suddenly giving off that sudden jolt." she said and Luke smiled as he answered her "Great just when the story gets spooky we got a campfire setting going here if that was to really scare us just now and that's the jolt intended to scare us after our conversation of scary stories and haunted houses." Luke said and Theo leaned against him as she answered him.
"What got thrown in there to cause that exactly?" Todd asked and I looked down to see the tip of an acorn lying on the fireplace next to me. "Our joker threw an acorn in there, to add an added effect to the punchline in the story." I told him and he nodded. "Well that makes seven now, we better take a break now." Eleanor said and she nodded in agreement to that as she looked at her as she answered her remark at that.
"Meow." Crystal said with a bemused tone and we nodded in agreement. "And that wasn't an acorn, but a hazelnut." Eleanor said, Theo looked down and saw bowl of mixed nuts still in the shell. "Mrroow." she said, growling at the bowl then. "Yeah no kidding girl, enough of the bad noises, or you're going to lose your fur at this rate." Luke said leaning forward, while running his hand through her back fur and she purred as she rubbed her head against his hand gently
Before she could answer her, I heard a loud crash and that did it for them as they exchanged looks at this. "Meow!" she screeched, looking up and meowing at the open air sternly and I nodded. "Yeah alright enough already bad cat, leave us alone already tonight!" Eleanor translated and Mary nodded. "Yeah I agree with her right now, that's one jolt too many, now enough already tonight." Theo said sternly and Todd nodded in agreement then to that opinion.
"Alright I really need a drink now after hearing that story, but it's enough when we got weird noises and things falling over on their own, but now we just got one jolt too many tonight." Todd said and grabbed the wine carafe. "Easy, just relax, this happened last round no need to get plastered, everyone just relax, he's playing with us." Eleanor said and as Mary stood up. "Then he or whatever is doing that had better knock it off tonight right now."
"We've had enough jolts tonight as it is tonight Nell, guys." Theo said and Luke looked at Todd gently as he added on to her remark. "Go easy on the wine, okay, I know your feathers are getting ruffled here, but, we don't need to get plastered either, so just relax." Luke said to him and he nodded to him. "Todd he's right, at the moment if the next jolt goes from slight shocks to possible injury, we need one of us sober if it ends up at the E.R."
"And secondly, I know your feathers are started to get ruffled, but getting plastered is no way to handle this situation right now either. So just relax and everyone pull yourselves together." she said and the quartet nodded as I stood up with her then gently as Mary answered Todd's remark then as she looked at her as she said it. "I think there's more to that story, I can feel it its all around us." she said and if I'd been staring at the harp.
I'd have seen one of the dials turning to tighten it up enough to break. As I watched her, I could tell she was on the edge after hearing that as she moved back to harp. After hearing that, I could tell this had spooked her as she answered him. "It's in the ceiling, it's in the walls, in the furniture, it's in this." she said and tried to calm herself down. "Freeze up, not yet." Eleanor called out and she nodded. "Yeah, it's tightened back up." she said and I sighed in relief then.
As she unwound it slightly and I heard a gentle chime as she ran a note through them and I nodded smiling then in relief. "Well that keeps us intact, we're 6 instead of 4 now." I said and they nodded smiling then. "Nice try Hugh, we just prevented your attempt at throwing my friends out of here too early, so nice try here." Eleanor said sternly and I nodded in agreement. "There we go, alright we're back on track again." Luke said and she and I both nodded then.
"Going to be a long day tomorrow, but hopefully he doesn't try to freeze us out of here, after getting you back on the snap to reaction with your mother, with you next to me. And the bathroom in between us right now." I said and she nodded gently. "Yeah alright with things under control again we can enjoy the rest of the evening." she said and we nodded then. "So you said that she killed herself huh, not surprised." Theo said and I nodded sternly to that then.
"We just prevented an injury, and did the fireplace, whoever is going scouting around the house tonight, pay attention to where you're going or you're going to scare whoever it is. That is coming from the other direction, the feathers are ruffled enough already here. Without you molting next, now watch it." Eleanor said and I nodded in agreement then as the cat knocked the shell under the couch. "Are darks always like this now?" she mewed and we sighed then.
"Just for the next few days baby, then on new day in 6 days, things are nice and quiet, but alpha's mate was slightly hurt in locking up bad cat." I said and she mewed with a sigh. "Can I sleep with you and Alpha's mate tonight, no want to be alone, kennel scary at night." she said with a meow and I nodded as Luke hid a smile. "Translation: she wants under the covers to protect herself and stay warm." Theo said with a slightly amused smile on her face then.
