me.
“It was nice meeting you,” I replied, as he moved further away and the darkness of his clothes made him quickly disappear into the obscurity of the night. I walked inside, turned on the lights and closed the curtains. I was strangely aware of the fluttering sensation in my stomach, and that my heartbeat was faster than normal. I wondered again, just how long Darius had been watching me. And the fact that I did have a neighbour, but I was a little disturbed by that revelation.
Darius was definitely intriguing. He had been polite, courteous and non-threatening, so what was it that played on my mind? I thought about the way he said my name and it made me shiver, but were those tremors of fear or anticipation? I couldn’t quite decide.
I busied myself around the house for the evening, unable to get the earlier encounter out of my head, and it must have been around eleven o’clock, when I satisfied myself that all the windows and doors were closed or locked. I climbed the stairs to go to bed, excited to be sleeping in the magnificent bedroom for the first time.
I sat down at the dressing table and began to brush my hair, and happened to glance up to the portrait of the girl in the white dress. As I studied the painting, my eyes came back to my reflection in the mirror. Suddenly I realized the recognition -- she really looked a lot like me. Her hair, although arranged in an old fashioned pinned up style, was obviously long and blonde. She had eyes shaped like my own. I wondered whether she was some distant relation, maybe a great aunt or distant cousin. I sat bemused for a while, brushing my hair.
Then all at once I had the strangest feeling that I was not alone. The tiny hairs on
the back of my neck stood on end, and goose bumps rose over my flesh. I shivered, and quickly glanced over my shoulder. But the room was empty. I tried to shake the feeling from me as I undressed, the uneasiness didn’t leave me, but I knew there was no logical reason for these feelings and I climbed into the magnificent bed. But that sensation of not being alone stayed with me and I debated whether or not I should sleep with the light on. I lay for a few moments listening for any unusual noises, but all was quiet and reassured myself that it was normal to feel a bit anxious in such unfamiliar surroundings. I turned the light out, and the sensation disappeared along with my apprehension. The doors were locked, the curtains closed, no-one could possibly be watching me.
Chapter Five - Hallowed Ground
Strangely enough, I slept well. The noise of the mousetraps springing invaded my
dreams , but it had not disturbed my sleep. I allowed myself to luxuriate in bed for several minutes, then reluctantly I got up and threw open the curtains, and sunlight flooded the room. It was already warming up, but the thick stone walls of the house kept the interior comfortable and cool. I went downstairs to the kitchen and discovered that two mouse traps contained bodies.
The pantry door stood wide open, and I shivered despite the warm air. In my mind I knew there was the possibility of an immaterial presence in this house, although that notion did not worry me unnecessarily, it was hard to feel disturbed while standing in a warm sunlit room, and I was not about to be intimidated by that thought.
So what if the pantry door opens by itself?
In reality that wasn’t a menacing force, and there was probably a perfectly good reason.
“Maybe the hinges need tightening or the wood is warped,” I said, more or less convinced of that sensible explanation. In a house this old, was it not usual to have sensations, hear noises and the doors to open
“It was nice meeting you,” I replied, as he moved further away and the darkness of his clothes made him quickly disappear into the obscurity of the night. I walked inside, turned on the lights and closed the curtains. I was strangely aware of the fluttering sensation in my stomach, and that my heartbeat was faster than normal. I wondered again, just how long Darius had been watching me. And the fact that I did have a neighbour, but I was a little disturbed by that revelation.
Darius was definitely intriguing. He had been polite, courteous and non-threatening, so what was it that played on my mind? I thought about the way he said my name and it made me shiver, but were those tremors of fear or anticipation? I couldn’t quite decide.
I busied myself around the house for the evening, unable to get the earlier encounter out of my head, and it must have been around eleven o’clock, when I satisfied myself that all the windows and doors were closed or locked. I climbed the stairs to go to bed, excited to be sleeping in the magnificent bedroom for the first time.
I sat down at the dressing table and began to brush my hair, and happened to glance up to the portrait of the girl in the white dress. As I studied the painting, my eyes came back to my reflection in the mirror. Suddenly I realized the recognition -- she really looked a lot like me. Her hair, although arranged in an old fashioned pinned up style, was obviously long and blonde. She had eyes shaped like my own. I wondered whether she was some distant relation, maybe a great aunt or distant cousin. I sat bemused for a while, brushing my hair.
Then all at once I had the strangest feeling that I was not alone. The tiny hairs on
the back of my neck stood on end, and goose bumps rose over my flesh. I shivered, and quickly glanced over my shoulder. But the room was empty. I tried to shake the feeling from me as I undressed, the uneasiness didn’t leave me, but I knew there was no logical reason for these feelings and I climbed into the magnificent bed. But that sensation of not being alone stayed with me and I debated whether or not I should sleep with the light on. I lay for a few moments listening for any unusual noises, but all was quiet and reassured myself that it was normal to feel a bit anxious in such unfamiliar surroundings. I turned the light out, and the sensation disappeared along with my apprehension. The doors were locked, the curtains closed, no-one could possibly be watching me.
Chapter Five - Hallowed Ground
Strangely enough, I slept well. The noise of the mousetraps springing invaded my
dreams , but it had not disturbed my sleep. I allowed myself to luxuriate in bed for several minutes, then reluctantly I got up and threw open the curtains, and sunlight flooded the room. It was already warming up, but the thick stone walls of the house kept the interior comfortable and cool. I went downstairs to the kitchen and discovered that two mouse traps contained bodies.
The pantry door stood wide open, and I shivered despite the warm air. In my mind I knew there was the possibility of an immaterial presence in this house, although that notion did not worry me unnecessarily, it was hard to feel disturbed while standing in a warm sunlit room, and I was not about to be intimidated by that thought.
So what if the pantry door opens by itself?
In reality that wasn’t a menacing force, and there was probably a perfectly good reason.
“Maybe the hinges need tightening or the wood is warped,” I said, more or less convinced of that sensible explanation. In a house this old, was it not usual to have sensations, hear noises and the doors to open
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