The Dark Place (#FrightFest2016 Gold Winner)

The Dark Place - Chapter One

Chapter One

1

Every joint in the old woman's heavy set body, ached with age as she made her way over to the sink with the lunchtime crockery. The last thing she needed was for her husband to act like a pain as well.

"Hurry up and finish with that cup Tom"

"For goodness sake woman, what's all this rush in aid of?" barked her husband from behind his newspaper at the kitchen table.

"That Canadian bloke's coming to stay at the big house today and I want to make sure that everything's right before he gets there. You know what some of these foreigners are like!"

"So he's going to be staying up at the big house alone is he?" Tom Hughes closed his paper and set it down on the table.

"How the hell am I supposed to know?" Mrs. Hughes glanced down at her watch. "Christ-all-bloody-mighty, look at the time. He'll be there soon."

"Well, what business has he got up there anyway?"

"He's working on some book about the old place so Amble down the post office tells me."

"And how long's he going to be up there then?"

"I don't know. 'Till he's finished it I expect. Now if that's the end of twenty questions I've got to get over there before he does."

"But you've got time to make me another cuppa before you step out haven't you?" the old man moaned.

"No, I bloody haven't! You'll have to make it yourself!" Mrs. Hughes dropped the crockery into the sink. "And while you're at it you can sort that lot out as well." She peeled off the pink washing-up gloves, walked out of the kitchen and grabbed a light jacket from the coat hook by the front door.

"Bloody hell woman, sometimes I wonder why I bothered marrying you in the first place," Tom Hughes whined, not bothering to venture out to the hallway after her.

That was her husband all over these days, selfish and bone-idle.

"Ha, who else would bloody have you's what I'd like to know. Now get off your bony old arse and do something useful for a change."

She heard her husband's protests as she closed the front door behind her but took no notice. She had more important things to take care of up at the big house.

2

The car pulled up on the driveway of Munford House, an imposing old building which – by its appearance – had once been very beautiful. Now ivy crept all along the front wall and had started to invade the pitched roof and one of the four large chimneys, only leaving the odd patch of red brickwork or charcoal-coloured slate to show through the tangled plant life. Most of the front lawn had been overrun by large clumps of knotted weeds, which had even encroached on the deep gravel driveway.

Eleven-year-old Tamicka Moon watched as her father climbed out of the car and strolled around to the boot. He pulled out the two suitcases then made his way up the stone steps to the double front door. Tamicka stayed in the passenger seat, swallowed hard on the lump in her throat and wondered if things would ever go back to the way they had been before.  Holding back her tears, she took a deep, shaky breath, opened the door and climbed out into the hot afternoon sunshine.

The little girl walked over to the house, climbed the four worn, stone steps and stood behind her father. He reached up for the old-fashioned lever and pulled it. A bell rang from somewhere inside, distant yet clear. There was no answer. When the bell still hadn't been answered on the second pull Tamicka's father pushed hard against one of the two tall solid panels. The door gave a little and then slowly opened.