The Moonlight Boy | Ferry's Tale # 1

Echoes from the past (part one)

The children crowded in a corner of the room, staring at the door, their hearts racing. Shadow was in front of them, throwing a short growl once in a while. The footsteps were getting closer, accompanied by a rhythmic noise that sounded like a walking stick on the stone slabs. So it didn't come as a surprise when in front of them Mrs. Cobbs appeared. The children held their breath at her sight. Even Ferry was disturbed by the presence of that woman.

Mrs. Cobbs came closer, feeling the ground in front of her with the walking stick.

"Don't worry, children! I won't harm you..." she said in a rattling voice.

Matilda gathered the courage to speak, "Yeah, right! That's what criminals say to their victims before murdering them. But this time, it won't work. My dog, Shadow will eat you alive if you hurt us!"

The old lady gave Shadow a short, cold gaze before laughing. A burst of husky laughter that gave the children the creeps, "Oh, my dear girl, I've seen so many strange things in my life, I certainly won't get scared by your so-called dog."

Although she talked to Matilda, the old woman didn't seem to see her. The girl waved her hands right in front of her eyes, but Mrs. Cobbs didn't blink or do another gesture that would have proven she was pretending the whole time. However, her blind eyes were staring at Ferry.

Then, with hesitant steps, the old lady climbed the brick stairs and knocked on the door. Somebody opened it on the other side.

"Are you coming?" she said to the children, waiting for them at the stair top.

The children gathered in a circle; they needed an emergency meeting.

"What should we do?" asked Ben. "We could run back through the tunnel. Who knows what's waiting for us upstairs?"

"But what if somebody is waiting for us at the end of the tunnel?" said Matilda. "It's easier to escape from inside the house than through the tunnel."

"Matt's right," said Ferry, "for now, we have to follow her. And we mustn't show we're afraid."

Mrs. Cobbs was still waiting for them.

"All right, we'll come with you," said Matilda, trying to look confident, "but you can be sure our parents will search for us if we don't show up by dinnertime."

Mrs. Cobbs smiled. "You'll be home by dinnertime, you have my word. Now, follow me. We've got a lot to talk about."

The children followed her in silence. The brick stairs led to a long, dark corridor. Closed doors, behind which who knew what other secrets were being kept, were coming into sight on both sides of the corridor.

Tootsie, Mrs. Cobbs's niece, who opened the door, was now walking behind them quietly, like a soldier who was following an order.

At the end of the corridor, a tall window allowed the light to come in, a light filled with dust particles that sparkled like pixie dust.

Following Mrs. Cobbs, the children went down the stairs at the end of the hall. A large drawing room came into their sight. The room looked as coming from a long-forgotten time. They could feel a strange smell floating in the air. It wasn't the smell of dust or stale air, although the tall windows, hidden behind heavy velvet curtains, looked like they haven't been opened for years. It was the smell of old memories that time could not erase; it was the smell of regrets and pain. Like an opened wound that refused to heal.

The floor, covered with thick carpets that have lost their color, was screaking even under their light footsteps as if a cricket was hiding underneath. The old furniture, discolored and blotchy, snapped without being even touched. A big round wooden table dominated the room, surrounded by six chairs with tottering feet.