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"My pictures, my pictures!" Nathaniel cried, his voice cracking with distress
Amelia, always the quick thinker, moved swiftly to Nathaniel's side. She took his shaking hand in hers, gently drawing his focus to her. "Nathaniel, look at me," she urged, shouting over the gale. "Just breathe, okay? We'll breathe together!"
Nathaniel's terrified gaze locked onto Amelia's calm one. Inhaling deeply, she began counting out loud. "One... two... three..."
The room became a whirlwind of fluttering papers, some sticking to the wet floor, while others clung to the furniture. Finn, acting on pure instinct, lunged for an old, heavy dresser nearby, heaving it with all his might to barricade the broken window. The room once more became like a sealed tomb, separated from the calamity outside.
Amelia continued. With each count, Nathaniel's breathing began to synchronize with hers. The rhythmic counting acted as a lifeline, grounding him amid the chaos. The man's tremors slowly started to fade, and the panic in his eyes was gradually replaced by a vulnerable trust..
Breathing heavily, Finn knelt to gather the strewn drawings. The papers were covered with detailed sketches of Huldra House, each line meticulously drawn, showcasing Nathaniel's undeniable talent. But it was a peculiar drawing among the others that caught Finn's attention. It depicted a man, seemingly in a doctor's garb, standing ominously in front of Huldra House. His face was obscured by a shadow, but there was an air of sadness to the drawing that was unsettling.
Amelia, having managed to comfort Nathaniel somewhat, joined Finn and peered over his shoulder. "Who is that?" she whispered, her brow furrowed in confusion.
Finn shook his head, equally puzzled. "I'm not sure.”
Nathaniel, his eyes still filled with tears, looked towards the drawing Finn held. "He was from the island, he died a long time ago," he whispered. "Doctor Freeman. He lived here for a while when I was a child."
Finn, absorbing the new information, felt a strange sensation as if he was uncovering something he was supposed to. “But you've drawn him in a doctor's coat? Surely he wasn't wearing that around here very often? Wouldn't he have been in his normal clothes?”
Nathaniel shrugged. “He did wear the white coat a lot. He worked here. There was a fire, you see. The island used to have a small clinic hospital back then, we had to in case of emergencies, and there was no helicopter to the island. The clinic burned down, and so did several houses. It was terrible. Mother let the doctor and a nurse use parts of Huldra House that were unused as a temporary hospital for a while.”
Finn though things over for a moment, the wind outside, still rattling against the make-shift dresser barricade.
“Were there patients here?” he asked.
“Yes,” said Nathaniel. “Some of the people hurt in the fire. And there was one other patient. He was a young child who needed constant care.”
"Do you remember anything about this kid?" Finn probed gently, cautious not to overwhelm Nathaniel further.
Nathaniel took a deep breath, his pale fingers tightening around the bed sheet "I was young. But I remember... he was a bit older than me, always in bed, always looking out of the window. He had machines with him...beeping ones."
Amelia leaned in, her voice soft. "Did you ever speak to him?"
Nathaniel hesitated, then nodded. "A few times. He said he wished he could go outside, see the cliffs and the sea. But he was too sick."
Finn exhaled, wondering about the relevance of this memory. "Do you remember his name?"
Nathaniel seemed to search his memory, then finally whispered, "Jamie. His name was Jamie McCulloch."
“What happened to him?” Amelia asked.
“I... I don't want to talk about that,” Nathaniel stuttered.
“Why?” Amelia pushed.
“No... Please don't,” Nathaniel sobbed, suddenly his demeanor becoming more erratic once more.
There was a look on Nathaniel's face. A look that Finn had seen in so many expressions through the years. An expression of guilt. Finally, it started to make sense.
“Nathaniel,” Finn said, gently. “You did something to the boy, didn't you?”
"Don't make me, please," he said, shaking his head.
Finn took out his phone. He did a quick search for Jamie McCulloch and Huldra House, and there it was. An article in black and white. Finn skimmed it, the implications swirling around in his mind.
Suddenly, there was another sound of glass smashing somewhere down below. Somewhere within the countless rooms and hallways of Huldra House. Amelia looked at Finn nervously.
“The wind again?” She asked, but the fear creeping into her voice could not be hidden.
