Ghost of Rose Manor Chapter One=-Part Two

If someone could actually live there then wouldn’t that mean I was simply insane and nothing really happened that night? Why did that thought seem so appealing? I got back in my car and started home. Part of me was giddy with relief while the other worried that I had truly gone crazy for no reason. I saw what I saw. Now I would just have to come to terms with the fact… it wasn’t real. By the time I arrived home, I had thoroughly convinced myself that I had been insane in my early teenage years.

I piled the groceries on the counter and explained to mother what I had seen and she smiled weakly at me. Pity, I just loved it. I had to get used to it too. “Yes...” My mother said. “And why haven’t you said anything about this?” I asked, irritated. “Well, to be honest, your father and I felt it would be best not to mention it with your past issues, Anna.” She said giving me a look.  “Did you have any luck…?” She asked next, changing the subject.

“No, I think I asked every single place in town and they were all full. I was going to check the paper and if I can’t find something there I don’t know what I am going to do… start stripping on webcam I guess…” I muttered. “Anna!” My mother cried but laughed. I started sifting through the paper as my mother put the groceries away and started dinner. It was looking grim already… aside from the local high school softball team was doing well… yay for them.

Then I found it, a ‘Looking for Assistant’ advertisement. I sat up so fast in the chair I nearly knocked the coffee off my mother had just set down on the table for us. “My God, Anna, what is it?” She asked holding a hand to her chest. “A job! Right here… ‘Looking for an assistant to deal with random tasks. Does not require previous experience.’ Wow, they must be desperate. Perfect!” I cried, clutching the paper. My mother was strangely silent as she sat opposite me and sipped her coffee.

“Well, aren’t you glad? I’m going to give them a… oh, there is no phone number. That’s weird.” I muttered as I perused the advertisement. “There is only an address… oh shit.” I said reading on. It was at the Mir house. Perfect. Really this was just my luck. “I was going to warn you but…” My mother began but then stopped and sipped at her coffee. “So, you who had moved in there?” I asked and watched my mother’s reaction.

“Well… I didn’t want to bring anything up about that place. I wasn’t sure if you were… over it, yet.” She ventured. I couldn’t blame her, I had night terrors she had to get up and deal with when I was a kid. “I’m over it, trust me. So, who moved in?” I asked again. “One of the Mirs, Samuel Mir, he just appeared one day and started renovating the house. It was the talk of the town, especially since no one has ever actually seen him outside of the house. He did an interview in the local paper but other than that no one has heard from him…” My mother trailed off taking another drink of her coffee.

“And?” I urged. “Well, I heard he has been through three assistants already. Apparently he is rather impossible to deal with. Gabby’s daughter from down the road, she said she tried and he asked for the weirdest things. I heard the Mirs were odd but… anyway, Gabby’s daughter said she couldn’t stand more than one day and then left.” My mother said. I raised a brow. Maybe… it wasn’t just him. No. No. that’s crazy Anna talking! “So… what did he ask her to do?” I asked.

“Apparently he asked her to get his paper when it was no more than five feet outside the door while he stood there. She said she felt like a dog, like he was testing her! She said she thinks he is one of those people who can’t leave their house. You know... what do you call them…?” She muttered. “Agoraphobic?” I answered. “Yes! That’s it. She said she thought perhaps he suffered from that because he absolutely refuses to leave the house.” My mother said.

This odd little story got my wheels turning. I recalled when I was there that I had this overwhelming sensation of wanting to remain there. When I looked up at the statue, there was something about it that made me want to stay. What if this man was suffering from the same thing? What if… he was trapped by the terrible entity in the house? Suddenly I felt like this opportunity was more than chance, perhaps I had to face my fears and help this poor old man in the process.

“Anna? Are you alright?” My mother asked and I nodded. “Yeah, and I think I’ll stop by the house tomorrow and inquire about that job.” I said confidently. “Are you sure... I mean with the problems you had…” She began but I raised my hand and stopped her. “I’ve grown up and I’m not afraid of a silly house anymore. I’m going to check out this job.” I said.

It wasn’t long after that that my father arrived home and we went through the hellos, hugs and general how are yous. I decided not to tell him about the job but I pondered on it all night. This was truly a mile stone for me as that damn house ruled my life for several years. Tomorrow I would drive down there and face it. After all this time, I would finally be free.  After dinner we talked and watched some TV then I announced I was going to bed. I was tired and needed sleep to face the day ahead.

Settling into my old room was a little hard as the memories of those old sleepless nights haunted me. I remembered staying awake all night, swearing up and down that there was this thing watching me from my window. As I looked at it now, I could almost see the outline of it. I tried to push it out of my mind but memories had a way of forcing their way through. I finally turned out the light and laid down, turning away from the window.  I felt so open like this but I had to force those silly fears away or I would never be free of them.

I closed my eyes and, only because I was so damn tired from the drive up, did I actually fall asleep. It wasn’t long lived however. I woke up suddenly, my heart racing as if something startled me awake. I looked around the dark room, the leaves from the tree outside left blue hued shadows on the walls and danced in a particularly disturbing way. I swore they looked like claws. I got up and pulled on a sweater I didn’t recall leaving on the end of the bed and decided I would double check every lock in the house!

The hallway seemed longer than normally with this eerie blue light flooding it. The oddest part was that there were no windows to cast such a light in the hallway. I started to realize that this was not my parent’s hallway. It looked frighteningly similar the style of the manor house. I kept walking, my palms wet with sweat despite the cold. One puff of breath I swore I saw in clouds before my eyes. Being November I wasn’t surprised but it seemed unearthly cold.

Suddenly a figure appeared at the end of the hallway. It was a solid black and it simply stood with arms folded behind its back waiting for me. I froze where I was, too terrified to move. I watched it through squinted eyes and to my horror it began to morph into a different shape. It shrunk, growing a long barbed tail and horns then began to run up the walls and down again. It never progress, it stayed right where it was as if it were trapped somehow.

I moved forward until I was only about five feet from the creature which still was a solid black.  “Who are you? What do you want from me?” I asked hearing the tremble in my voice. The creature stopped its manic racing and grew well above six feet right in front of me, though retained its horned monstrous visage. It leaned forward as the blackness melted away from it and I couldn’t help recognizing that face. “Come to me…” It said in the most frightening voice I had ever heard.