The Merry Gathering at Wilford Manor - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Mistletoe

Mrs. Steinberg was very pleased with the number of guests that graced her little Christmas party and so was Wilford Manor. Boisterous laughter filled every room, drinks were consumed faster than they could be refilled and the dark corners of the house began to fill up with the debauchery the house had come to miss.

Not everyone was enjoying themselves. Sarah had been dragged here by her parents who were too happy to be invited to a Steinberg party. They only got the invite because Sarah had gone to school with Gabe who apparently wanted to be here even less than she since he was nowhere to be found. It was getting late. Her feet were beginning to swell because her mother had made her wear a pair of her tiny stilettos and the strapless dress she couldn’t fill was slipping lower and lower as the night went by. Her parents had gone off somewhere after her mother had paraded her around as an excuse to meet all of the rich people they didn’t know. It was embarrassing as hell and as soon as Sarah escaped she glued herself to a corner in the front parlor. To make things more awkward the archway to her immediate right had a big branch of mistletoe hanging in its center and every couple was compelled to stop. And they couldn’t just do a quick peck and keep walking. No, most of the couples were sauced beyond comprehension and stood under the mistletoe for several uncomfortable minutes. Every time Sarah thought about leaving her corner she just ran into more couples sucking each other’s faces off. It was miserable being at a party like this all alone. Sure she had her parents but they could be anywhere in this cesspool. Sarah just wanted to go home – until she saw him.

Suddenly he was there under the mistletoe leaning against the arch. No girl at his side or on his lips. Sarah couldn’t help but notice his dark eyes, almost black in the low light, were locked onto her. She could feel her whole body turning a dark shade of red and her hands hurried to her dress to make sure it was still covering what little boobs she had. He looked as if he had walked out of a magazine so why the hell would he be looking at her? Those dark eyes moved laboriously up and down her body and his lip curved into the sexiest grin Sarah had ever seen.

She thought it had to be a mistake until those succulent lips opened and he said, “It’s no fun to be all alone under the mistletoe.”

Chapter 5: The Demise of Debra Ellison

The house wasn’t as fabulous as Julie wanted her to believe. It was ancient and decrepit and its history was more than questionable. Everyone worth their salt knew that even though the manor hadn’t been purchased since its original owner’s demise that didn’t mean it hadn’t been lived in. Squatters had made their home in the overgrown undergrowth and the house had even been used as a speak easy. Rumors even surrounded the history of Preston Wilford and his alleged close relationship with his youngest daughter. Debra thought it was disgusting that someone would buy such a house but she always knew Julie never had any taste or tact. This manor and its checkered past was right up the Steinberg’s alley.

What a twit. The longer we tour this mannerless manor it’s hard to ignore that she has to have no idea what the hell happened here. Debra laughed quietly to herself, it will make it all the sweeter when I break the news to her in front of the girls.

“Are these fixtures original or did you go to the Home Depot?” The sneer on Julie’s face was priceless to Debra. She couldn’t explain it but she had never cared for Julie, something about her just irked Debra. Maybe it was the way she carried herself or the knock-off purse she always had perched on her arm.

The lights in the hall flickered and farther down Debra thought she saw a silhouette. Old houses and old lights can make you see things that aren’t there she thought to herself. All the more reason not to like this place. And was this snooze fest tour ever going to end? All of the rooms looked the same, all drab and musty and the air felt stale.

“Ladies, if you’ll follow me this way?”

“Thank God,” Debra muttered under her breath.

Julie took them to some narrow staircase meant for servants. Debra could care less as long as it took her back to her drink. There was another shimmer and this one seemed more solid. Unease settled over Debra. This manifestation didn’t disappear with a blink like the last one did. If she could just get down the stairs she could find her family and leave. Just get down the stairs.

“Watch your step Debra.”

Julie smiled at her and started her descent. While Debra had been preoccupied with the shimmer all of the other women had left. Then the shimmer appeared again, this time blocking her path to the stairs. She ran cutting through the vision but the staircase was dark and Debra missed the first step. When she landed on the fourth step her neck snapped and her body rolled down the next few steps.

The shimmer separated and two men in tuxedos manifested over Debra’s now deceased body. “She’s not exactly what we hoped for is she?”

The other man shook his head and frowned. “No, but don’t worry. There will be plenty of opportunities now that we have a new mistress.” He picked up Debra’s heavier than expected corpse and winked. “I heard the boy already found Lola.”

The first man stifled a laugh as his frame began to dissipate. “Let’s hope she returns him in one piece. The mistress won’t be happy when she finds out what her little boy has been up to tonight.”

Chapter 6 next week