The Haunting of Ravenswood Manor

Chapter 3

Marion was sweeping the ballroom that had a large organ right up against the wall of the far end of the room. It gave her major 'Phantom of the Opera' vibes. She couldn't help but try to ignore it as she tried to clear the leaves as well as the dirt and dust from the room. This was the last room she was to clean. Her mother insisted she could finish the other few rooms that were left and she knew, it was better to just listen and do what her mother said, rather than start an argument. This room was the biggest in the house, obviously this would be the place where all the parties would be hosted.

After she finished sweeping the floor, she began to dust the frames. Wishing she had done that before she had swept because now it meant she would have to sweep it again. Once she came to the portrait of her great grandfather, she gulped as she wiped the large foreboding frame of his stern picture. Coming to the middle royal symbol in at the bottom of the frame, she felt she must have pushed to hard because she felt it give in and something pop. Jumping back afraid it might come crashing down from the wall, she waited only it didn't move. The symbol was still in tact and fine.

Marion then heard what sounded like a door opening, turning around she saw a bookshelf was slowly moving aside and making way to what appeared to be a secret passage. Grabbing a flashlight from a nearby table, she went to the opening and shined the light inside. She felt like Luther from the movie 'The Ghost and Mr. Chicken" when he was staying the night in a haunted house for a story. Summoning up the same courage she felt he had that night, she took two steps onto the stone staircase only have someone touch her arm and make her jump.

"Whoa, Whoa. Sorry, didn't mean to scare you." the man behind her chuckled.

Turning around, Marion shined her flashlight at the man who held up his hand to block the light. She carefully lowered it and looked at the man confused as to what he was doing let alone what he was doing in the house?

"Who are you, and what do you want?" Marion questioned.

"Sorry, my name is Jasper. I am an actor your mother sent up here to help you with the room. I was finished for today so your mother really insisted you needed help. Gotta say I agree with her, this room is huge. What's up there?" Jasper questioned looking past Marion and to the stone staircase.

"I don't know, I think I accidentally activated a secret passage. This place may have more to it than meets the eye. I'm going to go up there and see what is up there, just like I was going to do before you scared me." Marion said as she turned and started back up the stairs.

She could hear the sound of Jasper's shoes on the stone behind her and though she didn't know why, she felt comforted in the fact that he was following her. It was better to have someone come along, rather than risk finding on god knew what wherever she was going. The walls were made of the same timber as the outside of the house. Once they came to the top of the stairs, it seemed they were in some kind of study. A larger portrait of her great grandfather, was hanging from the wall.

"He looks so serious." Jasper commented.

"I thought so too, glad I never had to meet him." Marion agreed as she went to the desk and began to look through old ledgers. "These are about the mine, all the money he made from them and the loss as well."

"Mining is serious work, make one wrong judgement call and you could kill a lot of people including yourself." Jasper nodded in agreement with her.

Marion tested the lamp on the table and was shocked when it too worked perfectly fine. Jasper came to the desk beside her. Didn't seem like there was much evidence there until they found his personal ledger, with the families account balances. Blowing the dust off it, Marion looked to Jasper.