The House of Enigma

The House of Enigma
by LordofAshes

Chapter 1

”Interesting!” he mused as he stood on the front walk, glancing at the old house with enthusiasm. He was dressed in a businessman’s outfit working as a set manager for a film company, the Oakwood films. The house, the Wilton residence, was barely maintained. Vines crept up the wooden walls and the front porch’s overall could not be seen from outside the fence. Tall grass filled up the front yard in a sea of green stalks dancing in the flow of the wind, but in the midst of them was an oak tree standing. Its branches stretched out providing a wide shaded area beneath its wooden arms. One of the branches even managed to break into the attic window of the house. Some windows at the front of the structure were broken. The caretaker mentioned kids came here throwing stones at the building for fun a few months ago. The caretaker tried to apprehend them but they scurried away before he could reach the fence. “Surely, the vicinity is far from welcoming and even further from being demolished now that Oakwood has just purchased it from the owner who just died last night. It’s very odd.” The caretaker confessed, “The relatives never bothered to come here to at least help in its maintenance.”

“The truth is the relatives gave us the deed to the house before his death. What luck for us? I guess.” The set manager couldn’t believe it.

“If you’re the caretaker, how come this place looks like… well, you know?” the set manager queried hoping he didn’t offend the caretaker. Bill, the caretaker, looked up and stared at the attic window, his eyes were suddenly filled with the sense of wanting to leave the place. He shrugged and looked back at the set manager, “Beats me, it’s what the owner wanted. He didn’t want me to come here every day to check it out. He only wanted me to come here every month that was before he went comatose, probably needed the money for his hospital bill. This place gives me the creeps, sir. I suggest you just leave it and go somewhere else.” With those words, Bill left the business man alone outside the fence.

As a man of logic and technicality, he shrugged off the mysterious caretaker’s words out off his mind and went on with the plans. He entered the gate and followed a narrow trail towards the front porch, his eyes were overwhelmed by the haunting aura of the old house but still he ignored it and climbed the wooden stairway. It creaked as if it was going to break, he carefully trudged the wooden floor. He looked around and back towards the front gate. The caretaker was back looking at him. He wore his blue jumper that suited him well for his job. He held a bucket of paint on his left hand and a brush at the other. “So what do you think, sir? Is it good?” He shouted. The sun beamed a promising gleam of light upon him as he waited for an answer.

“I’ll still have to check inside!” the set manager shouted back, he smiled and turned beaming his gaze on the front door. He turned the knob and the door trembled as it opened. Thick dust fell from the upper beam of the giving the house a very uncomforting welcome.

He immediately identified the hallway as damp and dark with a disturbing ambience. The wind howled and the sound of a loud crash echoed from the upper floors. David could barely discern the features of the upper floor. For a moment he studied what his eyes could see. Pieces of cloth lay scattered across the hallway, a wide circular table stood at the far corner at his right, covered in red silk cloth. The rest of the furniture was also covered. It was apparent that this was already a reception area of the house.

David exited the building to borrow a flashlight but saw no sign of the caretaker anywhere. With no time to lose, he strode toward the gate and out into the sidewalk. “Where could he be?” he thought pinching his chin as his head turned left and right hoping to catch a glimpse of the young caretaker. Several vehicles passed by as he stood there for quite some time. He began to feel uncomfortable like standing there like a nut. He might as well join the line of streetlamps along the sidewalk.

He was growing impatient and decided to walk hoping to meet the caretaker along the way. He observed the quietness of the community as he tread the dusty concrete, however, it gave him again another feel of utter discomfort. The place seems to begin to mutate into a ghost town, he noticed that he was alone walking as if lost. Cars no longer passed by and it was already two o’clock in the afternoon, the sun began to fade in the western sky as thick clouds went in to hide it from his view. He never met a stranger since he left the vicinity, “If only I have my car.” He thought as the darkness was deepening. It began to drizzle and he fortunately reached into a shed before the drizzle turned into a full-blown torrential rain.

The sky broke mad as lightning and thunder clashed his hearing, he glanced towards the direction of the house. He can still see the roof peeping from behind trees and all sorts of greenery along his sight. Disgusted, his mind wondered thinking of the caretaker’s whereabouts, regretful of ever leaving the house. He sat silent on the concrete bench, waiting. Waiting for a sign of anyone who might come along and in his mind, his thoughts were strong, desperate for a ride home. He remembered leaving his car, a blue Camero, parked in a garage. He imagined his friend, Dorothy, the mechanic fixing it right now as he sat helpless under an old shed along the street in this mysterious community.

She tinkered with the machine all day and now it’s fixed. She welded the leaking fuel pipe and replaced the tires. She wiped her brows and breathed deeply, her work clothes were stained with crude oil and smells like it too. “At last!” she uttered smilingly, “All set and done. Now all I need is to collect my fee.”

Dorothy Summers, a young twenty-four year old mechanic stood and watched the camero come to life, the engine gave out several coughs and finally managed to work. The engine hummed in rhythm and for her, it was music to behold. She went inside the door to her kitchen and came back out with a cup of tea on one hand after a few moments. She took a sip while watching the camero glimmer under the light of her garage.

After finishing her tea, she switched off the engine and retired to her living room in a set of clean clothes where she lay down on her couch, switched on the television and relaxed until she was tucked in into a complete slumber.

Three hour’s had passed, the sky grew dimmer as the night neared but still there was no sign of the caretaker, David grew weary of waiting, the rain ceased back to its latter state with a fog for company. The streets remained silent and the howling of the wind took its toll. The fog grew thick that the other side of the road could barely be seen. The streetlamps lit up. The fog smothered it distributing the light brightening the streets but blurred the path anyway. The wind blew hard and cold, David grasped himself with his arms shivering from nature’s fury. His coat scarcely shielded him from the freezing blast of wind. He yawned and looked around; his eyes spotted a tiny figure from afar walking towards the shed. It waved at him: “Hey! Is that you?” a voice called out from the figure.

“Yes, it’s me!” he stood up with a smile recognizing the voice as the caretaker’s but the figure suddenly vanished before revealing itself completely. David woke up and found himself still alone sitting in the midst of bad weather. He had slept leaning at the pillar of the shed. The rain seized completely but the fog remained. The street lamps were lit but the town remained silent and empty. “Seven-thirty?” he spoke in alarm as he looked at his wristwatch. “This is not nice, I need to get home. Where is that caretaker? Or even a ride home at least?”He muttered to himself wearing a worried expression on his face. He watched the road for any vehicle to come with ears tuned to the sound of any humdrum from any vehicle approaching.

He glanced around and something got his attention. Out in the distance, his gaze played among a familiar scene. The astonishing sight of structure was lit with an orange gleam glaring at him through the windows. David’s facial expression changed all of a sudden, his mouth gaped and his eyes opened. He stared at the orange light emanating from the house, the Wilton residence!

He darted off toward the road and down into the cold abyss ambling his way towards the old house. The journey was long and difficult, however, the idea of going home managed to sneak within his thoughts. “A ride home, sweet warm couch, and cup of coffee with me sitting in front of the television, oh, when did my world grow so cold?” he uttered as the chilling weather bit his face and only the sound of his own voice coupled him along the way.

He reached the front gate then a loud bang hollered inside the house, he was sent back falling down to the pavement with his sight still glued to the mysterious structure. He breathed frantically but courage possessed him quickly. The set manager leaped into the front yard trudging quietly toward the house, he gasped feeling his heart beat quicker and stronger. He peered into the window, the light was lit and he could see clearly inside. “You should have listened to me when you had the chance. But now? You’re gone!” the voice of an old man broke through the walls followed by a faint giggle then it was gone, the house went dead as the lights were turned off. David leaned hard against the wooden wall. He breathed rapidly staring out into the wilderness of the front yard carefully trying to control his breathing and movement keeping his. The sound of approaching footsteps thumped from inside the house, it stopped for a while then went on again. It grew louder as it neared the front door, David scurried away behind a group of tall grass before the door opened and out came a man in trench coat. He wore a hat and his eyes barely glared from its brim. The old man looked around, David stayed still as hard as he could, the man descended the wooden steps and out into the yard. Seemed satisfied with the peacefulness of the vicinity, he walked out the front gate and vanished in the dark without a word.

David scurried the throng of grass and barged through the front door keeping his eyes on the path, his footsteps echoed in the hallway and stopped. Out in a small corner of the kitchen, his eye caught a slight movement. He recognized a pair of legs wrapped in blue jeans. “Bill?” his eyes widened and jaws gaped at the scene, the caretaker lay helpless and in agony.

“Bill! Hang on!” David shouted as he rushed over towards the dying man. Blood was gushing down his chest, it stained the floor. Blood oozed from his mouth and his eyes were wide opened but blind. “Is that you?” he spoke with a smile. He giggled and grabbed David’s arm. “Tell my family…” he uttered again but his words cut out, his mouth opened and closed but no sound came out.

“Tell your family what? Bill!” David shook him but it was over, he died with his last words unfinished. David got up and glared at the dead caretaker, he strode back, turned around and walked away.

She raised her arms and stretched herself on her couch looking outside the window where the glare of the morning sun greeted her a pleasant morning.

“A crime has been committed last night here…” the television died out suddenly, “As usual.’ she sighed dropping the remote on the sofa next to the pillow. “These news guys can’t say anything new can’t they? Like routine. Eh Rolly?” The dog replied with a whine. His white fur gleamed under the morning light, it made him glow and he seemed proud of it. “Yeah I got it, don’t worry.” She knew the dog was impatient so she got up and walked towards the kitchen. She opened the cabinet and fished out dog food.

End of Chapter