The Haunting of Ravenswood Manor

Chapter 2

Marion sighed, even though it had been a long month of cleaning and trying to get the house in picture perfect shape, she couldn't help but wonder if this house had a bigger story? Was there a history about the house that her mother wasn't willing to tell her? She had to have some answers, maybe someone in town. Granted the town didn't have too many shops and it seemed since her mother had given the OK for a movie crew to use their land as part of a set for a western movie she knew the consistent hammering probably wouldn't stop anytime soon.

Walking out her front door, she put her bag over her shoulder and set off to find out any information she could. She knew there was a library in town, so she decided maybe that would be the best place to start. However when she went to open the doors and found them locked she sighed in despair. Wiping off a layer of dirt and dust mixed together on the window, she saw the closed sign. Judging from the dust on the place she wondered if the place had ever been opened. Turning around she saw the local very small grocery store was open. It may not give her any answers but she was willing to give it a try.

The dinging of the bell on the door made Marion look up, of course a place like this would have a bell on the door to let them know if anyone was entering the establishment. Behind the counter she saw an older Native American with a book in hand not even acknowledging her existence. Shutting the door behind her, she walked up to the counter and cleared her throat just to see if the woman would even acknowledge her.

"Just like I told those other actors, only four to a room and I don't do the cleaning, that too is up to you." she commented not even moving her book.

"I'm not an actor, and do you really expect them to clean?" Marion chuckled.

The woman slowly lowered her book and took a good look at Marion. Smiling she sat her book down on the counter and shuffled to Marion.

"Nah, I'll just charge them extra when they leave. What can I do for you Miss Ravenswood?" she asked clearly knowing Marion's last name but she wasn't sure if the woman knew her first name of who she really was?

"You know who I am?"

"Everyone does, small town, we tend to talk. Anything new doesn't get past me. Your mother Jackie was Edward's daughter. He was the son that got away, if only his sister had gotten so lucky." the woman sighed and shook her head. "Name's Liota, I assume your name is Marion?"

"Yeah, I'm Marion. Nice to meet you Liota." Marion smiled and offered her hand to Liota in a friendly manner.

Liota shook it and grinned.

"You kinda look like her, your great aunt that is." Liota commented.

"Actually, that is kinda what I was wanting to talk to someone about. I have looked all over that house for some clue, anything about my family's past and I have come up with nothing." Marion said on baited breath hoping Liota had some answers, any in fact.

Liota nodded her head and turned behind her, she grabbed an old leather book from on the shelf behind her. Taking it from it's spot, she blew the dust off of it. There in the middle of the cover was a large cursive letter "R" of course no doubt standing for Ravenswood. Liota placed it on the table and carefully opened the first page.

"Martha and Henry Ravenwood were warned about coming here, not to build and use this land but they did not listen. There daughter was smart and beautiful, Henry liked to use that to his advantage. Melanie and her brother Edward were going to be married off to wealthy families just to make their father have even more money. All they were to him were tools. So sad, Edward however like I said, he got away. Melanie wasn't so lucky. She went through four suitors before Jake." Liota said as she opened to the page with four wedding announcements on two pages of the book.

Four men who happened to fall madly in love with Melanie Ravenwood, courted her, proposed to her, then suddenly died in random "accidents''. However their deaths all had something to do with what these men did for a living or their last names. That was odd to Marion and she couldn't help but feel sorry for Melanie, she really was being used by her father.

"Jake was a prospector, he found a lot of gold in that mine. Some say he even found a cash and was about to tell Henry about it, to give him even more reason to let Melanie marry him. However he didn't even show up to his wedding, though others suspect he too went down with the rest of the town in the explosion." Liota sighed as she turned the page to a pictured of Melanie and Jake standing side by side with no smile on their faces at all.

"What explosion?" Marion questioned wanting to learn more.

"The one they are doing that film about, they say the miners were getting too greedy and instead of setting the right amount of TNT, they doubled it and took half the town into the gorge with it. So sad to see so many lives lost, including they believe that of Jake and Henry Ravenwood. Martha died about two days later, Melanie at her side though she was distraught due to Jake never showing up at her wedding. Some say she went mad, others say she killed herself but no one really knows. There even used to be a legend that children would see her crying in her old room looking out the window for her groom that would never show." Liota turned the page again to reveal a portrait of Melanie in a long wedding dress, her hand gently placed on a chair with flowers in her hand.

It was all so sad and wrong. The way her great grandfather had treated her great aunt. Marion closed the book and looked to Liota. The kind woman placed her hand atop of Marion's and tried to show her some sense of comfort.

"It's just a legend, I truly hope she rests in peace. Still, seems like your mother is a long like her grand father, please don't take offense to that." Liota said patting her hand.

Marion nodded, she knew Liota was right. Just after hearing that story, she couldn't help but compare the two members of the family. Sad thing was, they were both too greedy for their own good. One even got killed because of it.

"Thank's I appreciate you telling me this, odd I didn't find anything in the house." Marion said adjusting her jacket sleeve.

"Maybe it was taken? Lord knows that place has been empty long enough."

Marion nodded, thanked Liota again and decided to make her way back to the house. If there was a ghost, maybe that was the person or thing she could sense watching her? She wanted to know but deep down a part of her feared the answer she might get.