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And now, here I am. About to enter.
I take another deep breath and look again closely at the front of the castle. There’s a huge, fortified stone wall built around the perimeter of the estate and a tower at the front gate. To make this visitation more authentic, I’ve brought nothing high tech with me but my tablet. Hence, the flaming torch, with actual fire and smoke, in my right hand. The bag over my shoulder contains a pack of food, drink and a blanket. I dressed sensibly, in workwear clothes that I don’t mind getting dirty. A loose, blue tunic top that skims over my stomach and wide hips, dark stretchy pants and sensible shoes. Nothing fancy. And a light jacket because it might get chilly.
The smokey torch sputters in my hand. I have a job to do. I’m going to prove there are no ghosts here. I’ve never believed in ghosts. I’m only nervous because it’s weird being somewhere so dark and devoid of life. I’m a city girl, so it’s strange not having the ability to illuminate a whole series of exterior and interior lights with a single voice command. My visibility stems from the moonglow or the circle of light from my torch. It’s very, very old-fashioned and mysterious.
And of course I’m getting no service on my tablet out here. Ugh. It worked back at the gate, but here at the actual castle, it’s a dead zone. Great, this means I’ll also need pay for the installation of power and net infrastructure for this castle if I ever plan on turning it into a destination hotel. That’s gonna be expensive.
I straighten my back and step up to the entrance.
The torch lights allow me a better look at the dusty cobwebs and rotted wood on the huge front door. The wind picks up and a predator howls somewhere in the distance. My mouth suddenly goes dry, and an empty feeling settles in the pit of my stomach. An open shutter bangs against the stone and the biggest spider I’ve ever seen scales the wall next to me.
A scream flies out of my mouth and I scramble back, tripping over a few steps and finally righting myself. I stand there, panting, trying to calm my breaths and racing heart. Whew. I might not care about ghosts, but I’m deathly afraid of spiders.
Now I’m undecided about going in because that hairy spider is taunting me. I bite my lip and watch as it slowly climbs further up the wall and finally disappears into a gutter. I’m even more indecisive, standing on the threshold, with the flickering torch barely casting enough light to pierce the utter darkness around me.
There’s a spider in there! And probably more where that came from.
And then it starts to rain.
Oh hell. At first it’s a light sprinkle, which quickly morphs into a sudden downpour. Shoot. Well, the decision is made for me. Looks like the spiders are about to have company. I clench my jaw and forge ahead, praying the huge spider stays out of my way.
The ornate doorknob turns easily in my hand, and I breathe a sigh of relief. What would I have done if it was locked? I was only given the key to the front gate, and nothing else. The heavy door creaks open and I step inside. A gust of wind and rain blows in with me and then back out and suddenly I’m swept inside with the rush of air, and the door sucks shut behind me with a loud boom. I let out a squeak of surprise as I jump out of the way. And then I stand straight with the torch still faithfully flickering in my hand.
That was weird. Well, at least I’m inside now, where it’s dry. The roof appears to be working just fine. That’s a good thing.
I shift my backpack on my shoulder, determined to carry on despite the weather. I checked out an old floor plan of this castle ahead of time and I know I’m standing in the great hall. I lift my torch. Light bounces off the walls and edges and up to the high ceilings. Busts of illustrious Gravians, dusty oil paintings, and a few pieces of heavy antique furniture are barely visible. There’s also a stone fireplace big enough for me to step inside.
And there are cobwebs. Lots and lots of cobwebs.
I’m rooted in my spot for a moment, gripping my torch with white knuckles. And then I shake my head and blow out a breath. I’m just going to ignore this whole first floor. No freaking way am I going anywhere tonight other than straight into the first tower bedroom, and then directly back out tomorrow morning. That’s it. I’m not searching this huge castle in the dark, all by myself, during a storm. What if I tripped and fell? What if I walked into a dense spider web? It’s just not a good idea considering I’m all alone and my tablet doesn’t even get reception.
I take a deep breath though, surprised at how good this place smells. It’s not musty and damp, instead this place smells like a best-selling scent for a domicile, tailored for a male.
Hmm.
The main staircase isn’t far from me. I make my way over and grab onto the ornate banister and slowly walk up the stone steps. I can’t help but look down as I progress, for signs of dried blood on the steps. Luckily, I see none, so I keep going. I told everyone out front that I was sleeping in the top bedroom in the tallest tower. They all expect to see my light in that specific window, and I don’t want to disappoint them. Apparently, this room is considered the epicenter of ghostly sightings.
Whatever. I just hope I don’t run into spiders.
I reach the landing at the top of the stairs and turn right. Okay, it’s very spooky up here in the second-floor hallway. The wind and rain outside continue unabated. The bubble of torch light reveals only the space directly around me, but beyond that is inky darkness. My footsteps echo heavily in the hall.
I think I hear a sound. A footfall?
I whip around and raise the torch higher trying to see behind me. “Is anyone there?” I question with a quivering voice.
No answer. And I see nothing but more cobwebs.
“I…I know the Red Soldier isn’t real. If someone managed to sneak in here just to scare me, well…it’s not going to work.”
The dark hall is silent. All I hear is the distant patter of rain on the roof.
I shake my head.Get it together, girl.It was probably that spider! There’s nothing here but creatures of the night who are probably as scared of me as I am of them.
I blow out a breath and turn back to keep going down the hall. I force myself to climb another set of narrow stairs to go up one more flight to get to the room at the top. These stairs are rather steep, and they curve around the outer wall of the tower. On my right is the rough-hewn stone wall and to my left, beyond the banister, is the darkness down below.
I catch my breath at the top landing. Whew, that was a workout. There’s only one door on this level, which I assume is the master bedroom. This would be where all the former owners of Firebrook Castle slept.
I reach out, turn the knob to creak open the door and hold the torch in front of me as I carefully enter the dark room. I sweep the light around and when I’m satisfied that this does appear to be the bedroom I was looking for, I close the door behind me wanting to shut out the darkness from the hall and stairway.
