Love garden

The garden

He pulled the door shut. Slinging his coat over his shoulder. He slowly walked past Alison's room, noticing her sat at the vanity table placed at the back of the room, fixing her hair into a neat up-do despite her lack of hair accessories. Charles continued walking, aimlessly. He walked out of the hotels parking lot, on a small mud trail following along the tall, moss covered walls that lined the gardens, the tall hedges peaking over the walls, acting like a decorative trim. He could not help but feel as if someone was following him. He snapped his head around, at random times, in an attempt to catch whoever was staring, but despite his many attempts, he had no luck. Charles decided to brush it off and he continued walking, watching car by car pass by, happy couples smiling with their children looking out of the windows, observing the vast woodland that surrounded them. Charles looked at each car, admiring each happy couple, wondering what he could have done to make Nancy's life good enough to keep her. Each couple, driving past, giggling, pointing at all of the stunning views that surrounded the car. As he looked around, he noticed the tall black gates that stood in the middle of the two moss covered walls, with wisteria climbing the height of the walls, adding a splash of colour to his dull day. The sign read "love garden". "Wow, it looks so much bigger in the day light" Charles mumbled to himself, walking into the gate.

There was a small cafe stood to the left of the entrance. It highly resembled a converted greenhouse, with windows as tall as the ceiling, a skylight, which allowed the natural light to flood in. Small, neatly trimmed hedges decorated the light gravel path, the sea of colours surrounded him in each little square. In the first two squares, one to the left, one to the right, stood fields of carnations, orchids and peony's. Further along the path, stood an ornate stone fountain. The water flowed in a spiral pattern, creating a calming gush, but could not calm his nerves, with the feeling of someone's eyes piercing the back of his neck. The young,fluorescent pinks and yellow of the tulips contrasted the worn browns, blacks and greens of the gate, and the aged grey stone of the towering walls that protected the gardens. Charles confined down the seemingly endless gravel trail, leading to a large Manor House that stood upon a cliff edge, with blankets of flowers surrounding and protecting its chipped brick, and falling roof tiles. He approached the steps that lead to the gaping entrance of the house. It beckoned him inside, partially in an attempt to get away from the feeling that he was being watched. He wondered in, admiring the artwork that hung on the walls, with its original golden framing. He greeted the manors attendant, and carried on inside. Wood panelling decorated the walls surrounding the staircase. The wood had small dents and chips, which added to the pure character of the building. Behind the staircase stood an original 1700's brick kitchen, with large bay windows overlooking the cliffs edge. Below the cliff stood a valley of woodland, fields filled with cattle, large barns and smaller Manor House's. He followed around to the large living room. His eyes were drawn to the original stone fireplace, of which above hung a portrait of a young couple. As he looked closely, he began to notice how similar he looked to the man in the portrait, down to the last freckle. But, the woman also caught his eye. "Alison?" He questioned. "Why on earth is there a portrait of Alison and I hung in this strange houses living area?" He rushed back to the front door to ask the attendant he had previously greeted if he knew the history behind the painting. He ran through the kitchen, knocking several plates from their case. He did not care, and continued running. He took a sharp turn down the corridor, and approached the place where the attendant was previously standing. He was gone.

"What?"
Charles bolted down the stairs at the front of the manor, chipping the stone from the floor, the feeling of people watching him followed, as if someone was gripping the back of his head and twisting it, in an attempt to get his attention. He ran. They eyes felt as if they were getting closer. He bursted through the door to the cafe. Nobody was there. "HELLO?" He yelled. No reply. "HELLO, IS ANYONE HERE?" "SOMEONE PLEASE". His eyes darted around, looking for any sign of movement. In the corner of his eye, he watched what looked like an arm shoot round a corner, with a skirt flowing behind. He sprinted through the cafe, jumping over the counter, pulling a vase down with him. He quickly jumped back up and continued running towards the back room.

Nothing.
Not a single person
Not even an animal that had broken into the kitchen in a search for scraps.
All he could hear was the wind brushing past the hedges that lined the garden. But then he jolted up, when he heard the clicking of heels outside on the gravel, heading toward a part of the garden that he had not yet explored. Charles decided to take a calm approach, considering his fear was stopping him from finding whoever, or whatever was watching him. He exited the cafe and headed towards the sound of the heels. As he walked past, he read the sign. In bright, almost blood red writing, it read "caution, the plants consisted in the garden past this point, contain poisonous aspects. Do not touch, eat, or inhale any plants in this section of the garden. Enter at your own risk". Charles took little notice of the sign and continued walking, thinking it was just a publicity stunt to get a raise in funding. The heels continued to tap on the gravel, the sound now inching closer and closer by each second. Then. They stopped. His head snapped around.

Bang.