The road twisted and twisted and wound all about the unearthly place and it seemed that no end would come. Soon the ground became less and less visible as deathly fog rolled upon the land making its dismal way into every nook and cranny of the barren blackness that became the very earth that the wheels of the carriage rode upon. Thomas stared out of the window and at the ground and was startled to see what looked to be a great void beneath. No visual stigma was there for him to believe otherwise. No grass, no water, no light, no dirt…not even a lone lizard feasting upon the flying pests from the nearby swamp that usually plagued this place. All forms of life seem to have passed on with Thomas’s late Grandfather.
He goes now to meet with his many cousins, nephews, nieces and blood siblings to discuss the matter of the old man’s will at the Pickney Estate. The leviathan that is the estate sprawls out upon many acres of land and to some it would seem that a journey across would last several days when in reality your time in this abysmal darkness was only 20 minutes at its top.
The darkness never left this place and even when he was a little boy Thomas remembered the craggy ancient trees strewn about the mansion. A grand old forest of twisting oaks and scraping roots would form in such a way to welcome travelers with a quaint little arch. But as each wheel spun closer, the trees seemingly moved about the ground and blocked the way behind them.
The carriage came to a halt. Thomas heard another pull behind his own as the horse’s hooves dug into the rancid ground. He anxiously opened the door and stepped out of the carriage. He watched as the driver behind him stepped down and held the door open for a large breasted woman wearing a familiar ruby red dress that dragged behind her. The woman gave a faint grin in Thomas’s direction. He had no doubt it is his lustful sister Lillian.
His carriage quickly drove away into the dark mist beyond the mansion and he watched as Lillian’s did the same. The wheels of her carriage shook with a great might before vanishing in the mist and Thomas thought only that the driver should have checked them before making his way back out into that god-awful place.

“What are you up to?” shouted Lillian. Her voice was high-pitched almost like scraping nails on glass. Thomas held back a response until she walked near him and they began their journey up the flight of steps. “Well?” she asked again.

“What was the question?” Thomas loved to annoy his sister as much as possible. Ever since the two moved out of their father’s house they have grown quite separate. Thomas works as an Assistant District Attorney in the greater area of New York City. Lillian’s work on the other hand is that of pleasuring older men with great heaps of wealth. She is no prostitute, but she is a thief in her own way.

“What are you up to?” she asked again with a slight annoyance to her tone. “I mean…other than coming here for grandfather’s money?”

Thomas shot a quick glare to her then looked back where he was walking. “I did not come here for his money…” he replied. “I came here for something else.”

“His property then?” she quickly said.

“You don’t quite get it my dear,” he paused for a moment as they reached the top step and he stared at the knocker latched to the door. As he stared Lillian also began to stare. They both stood there seemingly mesmerized by the small cherub face on the knocker. Its cheeks were puffy as its eyes stared out at any loiterers and it had a terrifyingly sinister smile on its face that only emphasized its puffy cheeks. Thomas reached out and gave three loud knocks. Then brought his hands to his side.

“I don’t get what?” Lillian asked. She fluttered her hair and fixed her dress as a well-dressed man opened the door. Thomas recognized the handsome face as Mr. Thatcher and reached his hand out to shake his hand. Thatcher quickly grabbed hold and gave a firm handshake before grabbing Lillian’s hand and courteously pecking the top of her slender hand.

“Hello, Lillian…Thomas” he said with a smile. “Come in, come in. The others are already here and I am sorry about the long carriage ride. The recent storms have caused a blockage in the normal route that the carriages take.”

Thomas recalled the storm cell that recently passed through the estate and the surrounding towns. It came quietly and left a large amount of debris strewn out about the roads. Electricity was out for a quite a few days as the debris had to be cleared and the fallen trees moved.
“I can well imagine the heat that this place sustained while the air conditioner was out, but it seems much better now,” said Lillian. She took off her jewelry and set it on an end table near the front door.

“I am afraid your grandfather did not quite catch up to current cooling and heating standards. He still used the houses furnace and simply opened a window when he became to hot. Oddly enough the place has become quite cold with odd drafts flowing throughout the house…or so the butler would have me believe,” Thatcher gave a quick chuckle. “Well let us not keep the rest waiting…make your way into the dining room and tell them that I will be there shortly.”

Thatcher left the room and headed down the hallway where Thomas heard the familiar kitchen door open then slam shut. The noise echoed throughout the plaza of the house and into both Lillian and Thomas’s ears. They both cringed then headed towards the dining room. Thomas’s mouth was agape as they passed through the parlor-room of the mansion. His grandfather had redone the room completely. It is now only room in the house absent of the red oak. His grandfather had replaced much of the room with blue marble. The floor was blue marble and so were all four walls. The ceiling was paneled with glass and Thomas could see droplets of rain slowly making their way to the sides of the spherical roofing. The only piece of furniture in the room is a small mahogany desk fitted with a black chair behind it.

“What was going through his head?” Thomas thought. Suddenly a loud noise resonated throughout the room and Thomas recognized it as a grandfather clock. “Odd,” he said, “why would it feel the need to inform me that it is nine o’clock?” The sound stopped and Thomas realized that Lillian had already made her way into the dining room. He quickly stepped out of the parlor room and made his way a few doors down, opened the door and peered inside as seven faces glared at his own.




***



Proud of myself with this working progress as I am quite excited to keep writing more and more.

Will be a Murder/Mystery/Psychological Drama book.