Post by Scarlet on Jan 13, 2012 20:40:30 GMT -5
The sky grumbled softly allowing rain to fall pitifully from the darkened clouds. When they left Florida in their blue convertible beetle it was all bright blue, sunny, and peachy. Now it was a dark, angry, swirl of clouds. Anyways this neighborhood might attract weather like this all the time. Ariana open the door and stepped out onto the ragged side-walk. As she looked around with her deep blue eyes a thump sounded behind her. Ariana’s dad had gotten out of the car and was now pulling a large brown suitcase, covered with a maple leaf pattern. “Well… this is quiet,” Ariana’s mother said her voice kind of cracking as she looked around the neighborhood. She stood in the road, surrounded by puddles of the oncoming rain. Violet (that was Ariana’s mother’s name), quietly walked through a tiny puddle wincing as water sloshed through her flip flops. “Will, can you please hand me my purse?” she asked her husband softly, shaking the muddied water off of her flip-flop only to have it get muddy again as she stepped into another puddle of mud. Will picked up the turquoise purse with pink Hawaiian flowers on it and handed it to Violet. “Should we go inside?” Ariana spoke up through the rain which was now falling at an even pace. Her father had picked up all the suitcases and started rolling them to the side-walk. “Yes, I’m getting soaked,” he said wiping the water off of the suitcases. Ariana flipped her hood on top of her head before starting to walk through the over-grown garden to the Victorian house. Violet reached into her jean’s pocket and pulled out a giant brass key. When they got up to the door Ariana looked for the key hole just like her mother was.... but there wasn't. “Now where is the…” Violet grumbled putting her hand on her hip. Ariana ignored her and looked around the neighborhood more closely. All the houses were alike here, old. But something else was in common was that they all were Victorian houses. The windows were closed tightly shut with gray mangled curtains and each door had a strange doorknocker. The only strange thing, oh wait everything was strange. But another of the strange things was that her house didn’t have a door knocker. Even so her house only had a porch. The rest only had broken and torn down fences with gates that always stayed open for the locks were rusted possibly by all of the rain. The gardens were like hers, over grown and very bad looking but still a lot of the garden’s they had passed in Georgia to get to here were also. But, the neighborhoods did at least look cheerful and nice, not like this one. Ariana’s mother sighed, very exasperated as she tried to find and way to get into the house. A flicker of motion caught Ariana’s eye and she looked to the house of where the motion was. A door slowly creaked open causing a sound like a screeching bat. An old woman walked out, a silver cane in her hand. She turned to Ariana and stared with a devilish glare in her eye. Before Ariana could turn back to her mom the old woman’s eyes turned bright red like dazzling rubies. A cold feeling crept into Ariana’s blood and a static like feeling hit her in the head. The old woman nodded her head before turning around, breaking eye contact with Ariana. Quietly Ariana felt the sensation of falling down that very second so she squeezed her eyes shut hoping that the fall wouldn’t hurt but when she opened them she was standing perfectly still. While Ariana had her eyes shut the old woman had walked back to her house which was across the street three houses away. Suddenly Ariana felt something was controlling her and jerked forward and took the key from her mother. She slammed the key against the door. The door shimmered only for the smallest second and then opened. “Well I guess that works,” Will said looking at the door confused. A couple seconds after the door had opened Ariana walked forward and tried to pull the key down. The key stuck to the door like glue. “That’s strange,” Ariana’s mother said looking at the key. Ariana felt a hand on her shoulder to stop her from straining to pull the key off of the door. Ariana stopped and a gray worn hand-me-down bag was slipped into her hand. She slung it over her shoulder as her dad walked in confidently. Soon Ariana followed after a couple of more strains to pull the key off the door then Violet trailed behind them both, looking at a vine that had just now crept up a pole. When they got into the house Ariana went into still shock and put her hands to her sides. Her bag slipped off her arm leaving behind a couple of loose strings on her arm before smacking down onto the ground. A hollow ring ran through the foyer. “Hey we have a basement!” Will smiled stomping his foot on the ground. “Will, you spent too much money on this house. It is too big for the three of us!” Violet cried looking at her husband and daughter. Will scratched his head before replying smartly, “It was only three hundred dollars, and nothing can be too big but can be too small.” With that he set down the luggage and spread out his arms. “Wide open space, it is big enough for us three to get their own little section of this place. But when I mean little I mean big you know what I’m saying?” he smiled just talking to talk. “No, no I don’t know what you’re saying,” Ariana sighed. “Well why don’t we cheer you up come on let’s see your room,” Will beckoned. “Wait Will, don’t we have to go back to florid and get the moving truck?” Violet said shaking a cobweb off of her hand. Ariana’s father turned to face her, “Can you manage at least five days here alone?” The question hung in the air like fog after a rain shower. This house seemed a little freaky she would at least want some comfort from her parents but…. Staying in this mansion for five days would be paradise. She could do whatever she wanted… whatever she wanted. The idea seemed sweet like a lollipop but deadly like poison. Finally her decision came clear and when she talked the question blew away like the sand in a desert. “I will but you better come right back,” Ariana warned looking around the house. “Ariana dear you can call us on the wall phone if you ever need us, bye!” Violet cried blowing a kiss. Ariana turned around to see a phone hooked onto the wall. “So that’s what they look like!” she smiled as her parents closed the door. Ariana turned, kicked her bag to the side and climbed up the stairs ready to explore.
. . .
Ariana had looked in each of the thirty-six rooms but one. She stood outside the room’s door, ready to turn the knob.
. . .
Ariana had looked in each of the thirty-six rooms but one. She stood outside the room’s door, ready to turn the knob.
