Welcome To Grave's Manor (A short story)

[Jack Daniels]

She had come here at the request of a family member who had recently passed away. Apparently, this was one of his ancestorÕs favorite manors. Although looking from the outside it almost looked more like a mansion, thought Annie as she drove her blue coupe up the gravel driveway past the immaculate grounds. It looked like someone had literally gone out with a set of nail scissors and trimmed the lawn with them the grass was that neatly edged. Annie glanced at the little LCD clock above her car radio. It read four minutes past four. She stopped the car just in front of the entrance, switching off the engine and the windscreen wipers. It had begun to rain several miles back. Annie looked up at the sky and thought that it wasn't about to let up anytime soon. The clouds hung low and heavy, charcoal in color.

Bracing herself for an onslaught from the elements Annie, stepped out of the car and almost immediately her hair was thrashed by the gusting wind. She hurried over to the entrance doorway where there was temporary respite from the elements. She pressed the modern looking buzzer that clashed with the early 19th century wooden door yet there was no answer. She stayed there for several minutes, which almost felt like an eternity in the driving rain before deciding to head back to her car. As she started to turn back, the door opened slightly allowing a sliver of warm yellow light to escape the house.

She tossed a question around her mind for several moments and made a decision. She slowly began creeping up towards the partially open door. When she reached the door, she pushed it slowly at first until it was completely open. There seemed to be no one around. A grandly decorated hallway was presented to her, with pictures of previous tenants of the house she presumed hung on the wall. Another door, to her far left from the hall was open. Moving silently or as silently as her heels across the polished oak floor allowed, she moved towards the room.

The lights flickered as Annie walked across the room. She felt shivers run down her spine as if ice water were being run down the back of her jumper. Slowly, drip by drip. She could feel it in here. Behind her a soft noise forced her to turn around. On the wall, written by some unknown hand, was one word. Welcome.

She let out a startled noise and tried to move only to find herself within some invisible grasp. Sheer terror entered her soul. Her knees would have given way and she would have fallen upon the floor if she could. She tried to cry for help, only to find her ears could not hear a sound. She watched, in absolute horror, as the word 'Welcome' was joined by some others appearing on the faded wallpaper, as if drawn by some hidden hand. A 't', then and 'o' followed by ; 'g','r','a','v','e','s','m','a','n','o','r'. The part of her mind that was not numb from terror wandered the meaning of the words 'welcome to graves manor'. Though just as she wondered what they meant, she fell into complete, unending and absolute blackness.

When she awoke, she found herself lying on a bed with an ornate and elaborate mahogany head board. Suddenly a vague echo of terror from before she had lost consciousness surfaced and she sat up abruptly and climbed down of the bed. Turn around she surveyed the room. The carpet was a regal blue and gold affair. There was a couple of cabinets and sideboards all made from the same mahogany as the head board. The color of the wood was dark brown and red almost like burnt rosewood. Behind here was a set of windows with white curtains hung off polished gold rails. She tried to open one of them, only to find that there was no way to open them. It was almost as if they were never designed to open. 'Who the hell makes windows not to be opened?' She thought as she turned towards the heavy wooden door.

She grabbed the cold brass handle of the door and expecting it to be locked, tugged hard on it. It was, however, unlocked and the door flung open with a bang and Annie almost fell backwards on to the carpet. She looked carefully out into the brightly lit corridor both ways, picked left and ran full tilt down the hallway. Just as she turned a right, she ran past an old black telephone.

She stopped in her tracks, breathless with the exertion of sprinting, and then picked up the telephone receiver to her ear. A strange buzzing sound then a small pop was all she heard. After that the line went silent. It was dead. She hurled the receiver back onto the phone with such a force that the telephone slid across the polished mahogany and slammed into the wall. She cursed out loud and began sprinting again.

She passed closed doors on both sides but no other tables or ornaments were lining the walls. She turned a right and found herself at an opened door. Slowly she crept towards the opening keep close towards the near wall, and almost jumped into the room. The room sparked recognition in her mind. It was the exact same room she had come to in! She spun around in fury and hollered down the hallway "Who the hell are you! What do you want with me?!" She screamed, a soft echo of her voice reverberating down the hallways.

She pounded her fist on the walls, but nothing was accomplished except a sore fist and some dull thuds. A faint, hollow voice made her stop and stand upright. Almost as soon as it had come, it was gone. Had I heard that? Or was it in my mind? She thought. She spun around her hair billowing behind her. "Who are you? And what do you want?" She asked, aiming the question at no one and everyone. But she got no reply. She moved over to the window with a thought of banging on it, then changed her mind and looked around the room. Picking up a heavy oak chair, she threw it towards the glass window. Nothing happened.

The chair merely rebounded off the glass, and landed on the carpet with a muffled thump. The lights began flickering and a voice, somewhat louder than before yet still indiscernible, spoke for a few moments then disappeared. The lights stopped sputtering and again silence reigned. Annie spun around on her heels intent on leaving that room. Walking into the hall again, she decided to go left this time to see if she could escape what was rapidly turning into a maze. Or a prison.

As she strode on, she had a sensation of someone or something following, watching her. As she turned around, horror once again filled her. The corridor behind her was shrouded in darkness. It didn't seem to be normal darkness though. It almost seemed to be breathing, pulsating or living. She stared fixated at the strange darkness behind her until it began to move towards her. Broken out of her spell, she ran down the hallway barreling past doorways and tearing around corners. She was so petrified about the black trailing her that she almost didn't notice the open doorway in front of her. Sliding into the room, she slammed the door firmly shut behind her.

Out of breath and more than a little scared she stopped and closed her eyes for a moment, and listened for any strange noises against the door. After a few minutes standing there, she braced herself and holding onto the brass handle, pulled the door open. She expected something other than what was in front of her. Nothing at all was there. There was no darkness, nothing at all that wasn't there before. She scanned the walls, the floor and the ceiling but it had gone. Or was it there at all?

Am I losing my mind, she thought. "Hello?" She said, hoping that somebody was listening. No response. This was getting me nowhere, she thought. Just as she rounded the corner to go down to the hall where the telephone on the table was, an icy cold crept up and down her back. Mist rolled across the carpet of the corridor ahead of her and the lights dimmed. "Who's there?" She called, trying to make out any figures in the fog but failing to see anyone of anything. ÒHello?Ó She called again, but louder this time. The only reply was a soft, muted echo of her voice.

Behind her a door slammed open. She jumped around to see who was there but no one was. She looked into the room. It seemed to be an exact replica of the room she woke up in. With the exact furnishings, everything seemed to be the same. Another door flew open further down the hall, then another and then another. A sudden wind gusted down the hallway turning the mist into a broiling wall moving towards her. As the mist touched her shoes, it disappeared as did the wind.

She looked around but all the doors were shut now. The lights were also back to a normal level. Annie moved over to the door that was closet to her and opened it. It seemed to be a stair, surprised by silently relieved she entered it. She choose to go downstairs to try and find someway to escape. The stairs were covered with a soft plush burgundy carpet and the banisters were highly polished. Step by step, she moved downwards. After what seemed like an eternity she reached a door. She pulled it open by the solid brass handle and walked into another corridor.

It looked identical to the one she had just left. She cursed loudly and pounded the wall with her fist. It was to no avail. Suddenly a door next to her was flung open, and a figure stepped out. It was her! The image of her looked both ways up and down the corridor, then stepped out walking to her right. She walked through the real Annie, and Annie felt a blast of cold wind go almost through her. She spun on her heels and followed her image, intent on getting some answers on why she was here and how she could escape.

The ethereal figure neither turned nor showed any reaction when Annie said "Hello, who are you?" The image of her just kept on walking, fading more and more as she or it, walked. Eventually it had disappeared, and that strange whispered voice echoed down the halls. 'Hello? Who's there?' Then silence. But, that's was my voice, she thought. She rounded one corner then stopped in her tracks. Written on the opposite wall was one word. 'Yes'. It was written in fresh ink she realized as she went closer to study it, but there was no one there who could have written it. Looking down both hallways but thinking nothing there, she turned to the wall to find that the writing had gone. She walked slowly back to the room were this whole thing had started and looked out the window. It seemed to be still raining and the moon was nowhere to be seen.

Realizing that she was trapped she sighed and sat down on the cushioned bed, waiting for someone to get her. Without meaning to, she fell swiftly to sleep. Dreams swirled around her vivid colours embraced her and sounds terrifying beyond description whispered vile curses. She felt she was falling through the bed into some nocturnal haunted pit in the earth where no one is ever able to leave.

She woke with a start. Breathing heavily, she opened her heavy eyes and surveyed the room she was in. She was lying on the floor of the room she had walked into when she had first entered the manor. Picking herself up from the floor she glanced at the embellished watch on her wrist. It read four thirty, less than twenty minutes since she had first stepped foot inside the manor.

Grabbing her purse which had lain beside her, she started for the entrance. She almost ran through the entranceway and into the heavy rain. She pulled her car keys from her coat pocket and opened the door. She dived into the car slamming the door behind her. Without thinking, she started the car and drove quickly away from the manor. The tires of her car crushed wet gravel and sending a cloud of small stones flying behind her.

As she looked back in her rearview mirror, she saw the manor shrouded in black. But it wasnÕt a normal black it seemed almost to be living. Then with one final turn the manor was gone. She never went back.

The End?

[Lightning Rod]

hey Jack

this reminds me of F.Scott Fitzgerald. Kinda Gatsby.

Welcome to Studio Eight.

lrod

[hester_prynne]

Gee whiz Jack, I sure loved reading this story....it was fun.
I don't think it's over yet though is it?
I mean, what was it?
Where was she?
What sort of mission was she on?
whoa, good story though really!
hest