The Phantom Manor

Chapter Five

    "Defeat him?" Leota repeated, sounding aghast. "One does not simply defeat the Phantom, Hannah! He is far too powerful! Besides, what is Melanie to you? She's only a girl! And she's lost her mind, don't you see?"

    "Melanie Ravenswood deserved far better," Hannah insisted. "What happened to her and to Jake is not fair. They deserve to find each other again. And the Phantom deserves to be punished for his crimes."

    "And just how exactly do you intend to defeat Him?" demanded Leota.

    "I...don't know yet," Hannah admitted. "But I'll find out!"

    "Hannah!"

    Hannah stiffened and ducked beneath the table upon which the crystal ball sat. Footsteps came nearer, and then she saw Luka enter the room. Hannah breathed a sigh of relief. "Luka!"

    Hannah ran to her friend. He stared at her wide-eyed. "What were you thinking? If I hadn't found you before the Phantom did, you might've been killed!"

    "We can't leave," Hannah insisted. "There's something wrong with all of this! Why was the Phantom so determined to get rid of us? Because he has a secret, Luka! A weakness that he is terrified we will find out about! We have to stop him!"

    "Stop him?" Luka repeated, incredulous. "You want to take down the Phantom?"

    "I want to save Melanie!"

    "Melanie?" Luka stared at her. "You mean the bride from earlier?"

    Hannah nodded urgently. "I want to save her!"

Luka swallowed. "Hannah. You saw her. She's beyond our help. She's lost her mind."

"No," Hannah insisted stubbornly. "We can help her. The Phantom is holding her prisoner here. If we defeat him—"

"Him," Leota corrected.

"If we defeat 'Him,'" repeated Hannah, "we can free Melanie and Jake!"

"Jake?" Luka furrowed his brow. "Who is Jake?"

"Oh, hello!"

Hannah and Luka both jumped and whirled around to see Melanie standing there, her veil once again obscuring her face. She smiled softly at the two of them, lifting her veil. "I am sorry," she said quietly, "but I'm afraid I don't remember your names."

"That's okay," Hannah said quickly. "I'm Hannah, and this is my friend Luka."

"Hello, Melanie," Leota greeted the ghostly bride.

Melanie smiled her gentle smile. "Hello, Leota. Have you seen Jake?"

"Who is Jake?" Luka repeated.

"No, dear," Leota answered.

Melanie's sweet smile grew sad. "Oh." She appeared thoughtful. "how strange that he had not found me yet."

Leota and Hannah exchanged a knowing look.

"It's all right," Melanie added, sounding dejected. "Someday, he will come. I know Jake will come."

"WHO IS JAKE?" Luka shouted. Melanie started and stared wide-eyed at him.

"Jake," Melanie repeated as though that were an explanation.

"Jake Evans," Leota clarified.

"Wow," Luka said sarcastically. "Thanks. That's so much clearer."

    Suddenly, Melanie rushed forward to Hannah and seized both of her hands, a sort of urgency about her. "You must go," she said hurriedly. She turned to Luka wide-eyed. "He searches for you."

    Then her eyes clouded, and she began to sing, walking away.

    "It's like..." Hannah hesitated. "It's like she goes back and forth. From her delusions to reality. Like somehow she knows what's real, but she forces herself to forget."

    "That is close to the truth." Hannah and Luka turned to see the older woman from earlier entering the room. "But it is the Phantom who forces her to forget." She watched as Melanie sang to herself. "My name is Martha. Martha Ravenswood. I am Melanie's mother."

    Hannah's eyes widened. "Her...her mother?"

    Martha nodded gravely. "Yes, indeed."

    Hannah stared at her. "You...wait. You said the Phantom is making her forget what is real."

    Martha nodded. "Yes."

    "But...how?"

    "The prison, of course!" Leota shouted.

    "Prison?" Hannah repeated.

    "Prison," Luka said thoughtfully. "Prison. That man...the one who was with us when you ran off, Hannah...he said something about a prison."

    "A terrible prison. A fate worse than death," Hannah recalled. "And he said that the Phantom used it twice. Once on a person—"

    "And once on Melanie's mind," Martha agreed. "He took it. Stole it. Locked it up in his dreadful prison. And so, ever since the morning after her wedding, she has wandered this manor, singing, because she has been forced to forget reality. There are times, as you just saw, when she wakes up. Behaves normally. But soon after she shall return to singing. Always."

    "The Phantom stole Melanie's mind," Hannah breathed.

    Martha nodded. "And now, look at her. I raised that child. I taught her music which she repeats day and night. I cradled her as a babe in my arms. And just look at her. Wasting away, waiting for Jake."

    "Who is Jake?" Luka asked again.

    "Jake!" Melanie dashed over. "Have you seen him?" Then she returned to singing.

    "Jake," Martha explained. "Jake Evans. He was the young man my daughter fell in love with, to whom she was engaged. The dear boy." She sighed. "Henry...that is, my husband, Melanie's father, did not like him because he wished to take Melanie far away from this town, Thunder Mesa. Henry hated the idea, but I did not mind so long as my daughter would be happy. Now she is trapped here. Henry ought to be happy." Martha sighed. "But Henry's attempts to stop the wedding were futile. The earthquake out a stop to his meddling. We were both killed, and half of Thunder Mesa destroyed. I returned as a ghost to watch over my daughter, but I know not where Henry is.

    "The wedding day was tragic. I stood by my daughter as she prepared, though she did not know. But Jake never showed up. And when the room was empty of all except Melanie, that was when she whispered, 'Someday, he will come.' And then she wandered away singing." Martha swallowed. "Later I discovered that the Phantom who was haunting the manor had hanged Jake in the attic."

    "But...why?" Hannah asked. "Why would he do this? What possible gain could murdering Jake have had?"

    "I do not know," Martha said sadly.

    "Well," Hannah said decidedly. "There's only one way to find out."

    "What's that?" Luka asked.

    Hannah grinned mischievously.

    "Uh-oh," said Luka.