�Theresa.� She said softly to herself. Her name, the full name she never went by. What kind of freaky coincidence was that? Pulling off one of the gloves she ran a finger over the necklace. It was cold, like everything else in the place, but not really dusty at all. �Where did you come from?� A sound followed her voice, soft and quiet behind her, like a soft sigh or loud release of breath.
She turned quickly to face it, the beam of the flashlight briefly illuminating something� or she thought it did. The black dots were dancing in front of her again, her balance wavering as she fell back on her butt, thudding lightly against the floorboards, causing a small cloud of dust to poof up around her.
Someone had run away. They�d been hiding there and watching her. �Hey! Wait!� She pushed to her feet and staggered back to the doorway, swinging out into the hall and turning the flashlight to illuminate where they had to have gone. Her head was spinning again and she clutched the doorframe to keep herself steady. No one was there. There was no sign that anyone HAD been there. As her head settled again she pointed the beam of light at the floor and frowned when she noticed a distinct lack of footprints.
There hadn�t been anyone there then.
The necklace was still in her hand, warm now where it touched her skin. Where had her glove gone? She turned back into the bedroom and carefully knelt to pick it off the floor.
Tess slipped the necklace into her pocket and got back to her feet, leaving the room behind her. �Ok, it�s time to go now.� She said softly to herself as she stepped back into the hall.
At the end of the hall stood a larger door, the worn wood a solid barrier standing slightly open between her and the colder air funneling from whatever was beyond it. She pushed it open and a wretched creak of old metal hinges accompanied the movement.
Stepping through, she found herself on the landing of a back hall staircase. The moonlight cast soft shadows through the carved wood banister and onto the floor below her. Placing her hand softly on the railing, she ran her fingers over its textured surface, wiping away some of the dust. She could still see the shine of the polish glowing in the moonlight. The pale glow came from a long window across from her, and she felt its rays shine upon her face.
Starting down the hardwood steps, she felt almost regal, as if descending into a ballroom. Underlying that feeling though, was a sudden jolt of d�j� vu. She�d descended this staircase before. She was sure of it.
Pausing as that feeling settled in her stomach, she felt a gust of air blow past her and up the stairs. Above her, she heard the faint thud of a door closing. Ok, enough of the creepy, it was time to leave. Placing one foot in front of the other she continued down the dusty staircase.
Another large wooden door stood firmly closed at the next landing. She tried the brass handle, and with a torturous squeal, the door pushed open. Cautiously, she stepped from the stairwell.
Another long hall stretched before her. The moonlight she�d had the luxury of upstairs was stifled even more here. If not for the flashlight, she�d have been plunged into pitch blackness again.
Shining her light on the floor ahead of her, she saw it wasn�t covered by the junk there had been upstairs. Dust and a few chunks of plaster lined the sides, but the centre of the hall was clear. It made her a little more relaxed; it felt less like a war zone here. It was just cold, dark and far too quiet. The doors in the hall eerily mirrored those upstairs, each standing at a slightly different angle. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she noticed that they all opened away from her.
Carefully, Tess pulled open the first one she came to, stepped inside, and shone the light around. Not even a hint of moonlight broke through the heavy curtains along the far wall. The fragile beam cast by the flashlight was swallowed up by the heavy brocade fabric. It gave the room an oppressive air, and she instinctively held her breath as she walked farther in.
Aside from curtains there didn�t seem to be much left in the room. A stiff pale wood bench sat against one wall but beyond that the place was barren. Moving closer to the dark green curtains she began to make out a faded goldish-red pattern trailing down the old silk, her apprehension grew, there was something entirely wrong with this room and she couldn�t figure out what. Tess reached out and pulled the curtains aside to find� nothing. The window frame was there but no glass stood in it; just blackness, dark and encompassing, as if the world outside the window had simply ceased to be.
Another little whimper escaped her as she reached out to test whether or not the world really had disappeared on her. Her hand met the blackness, a solid form under her glove and an embarrassed little giggle burbled out of her. The blackness was simply painted boards, covering the window in a matte black that swallowed the light.
