16 The second floor

The stairway echoed with the sound of the pounding heel of Lilith’s shoes, behind her walked along Mr. Grahams. They trudge upward the stair, some step has creaked on their weight, a sign of oldness the house has been that made the sconces glow weak and faint. As well as the scraped and unpleasant wallpaper.

The railings were dusted somehow, but not thoroughly, Ada could not get every inch of the house clean since it is too big for one maid to clean.

Brushing her hands on the railings of the stair to its second story floor, where the parlour area greeted them, three sofas circling on the chimney and a long table beside it which contains vase, candles and candle holders.

She walked to the lavatory and bath area which she had always use for the past weeks for bathing and personal business, amusing enough that this room links especially to the walk-in wardrobe where many clothes, gowns and dresses, as well as clothe garments have been hanged up and dressed to mannequins.

Lilith had explored the old yet wonderful sight of different antique dresses she has yet to worn. The mansion has not been fully cleaned yet perhaps it was the reason for the greyish tone of the gown’s fabric and sequins.

Even the open chests that overflowed with pearls and other jewels, rubies and emerald were kept inside this room. Unable to shine because of the piled up specks of dust and webs on the hinges of the open chest, she dared not to touch but to admire the room for its valuable things and visualizing how lovely it would have looked if it was thoroughly cleaned.

After her minutes of fantasizing in the wardrobe, she proceeded with the next door just beside the lavatory,

“This has been bothering me ever since..” Lilith paused,

“Madam?”

“Never mind” she began to walk to the door and rattle the knob open but,

“Oh? It's locked. How is that so? It has been open for the previous nights” she rattled the door aggressively. “Would you mind?” she asked Mr. Grahams.

“I’m afraid I cannot, madam. It can only be opened from the inside or with the master key” he tried to rattle the door as she did. “Or would you rather let me force this open, madam?” he looked to Lilith.

“No need to do so, let us just proceed to the following rooms” she tapped his shoulder and began to lead the way, divert from the deeper direction of the hallway, for Lilith knows that the last room was hers.

Saving her the long walk back and forth to where she has been.

Going back to the center of the room, the parlour. To her right was a hallway that connects to the

inside balcony. From there, the magnificent view of the ground floor from the second looked wider

and spacious, across the balcony can be seen the rooms to the other side.

There were also two rooms by the side of the balcony. She took interest in it but assumed that it was probably Ada and Mr. Graham’s rooms and for respecting their privacy she dared not to ask. She thought.

After passing the balcony terrace; there was a decoration of mostly books that lies on the table of the hallway and melted wax of candles, past it was a gigantic painting that killed the emptiness and lack of decoration in the house, beside the window in almost every corner of the hallway.

Beside is a stiff, failing staircase lies a standing slope from the second floor that connects to the attic. Lilith was surprised to see the uncomfortable and dangerous state of the stair.

“What is this stair leads to?”

“To the attic, madam”

“And what is in the attic?”

“us” he replied. “I’m afraid, madam, we will have to call it a day” lighting a candle in the near table, “it is nearing evening” he pointed to the window that viewed the shy moon under the indigo and fragments of sunny-coloured clouds.

At 6 in the afternoon, Lilith went back to her chamber, passing the door before her room, she looked at it askance but proceeded to enter the last room. At the slamming of the door behind her, she quickly headed to the corner of her room in which lies her bag on top of the chair.

“Ugh, where is it?” probing through her bag, she hoped to touch or at least to hear the rattling noise of the keys, “Ah!” she exclaimed after feeling the metal touch her nails and quickly grabbed it.

The car key which her husband left to her and the unknown key that she does not know which door it can open. Lilith grabbed these keys.

This would probably fit that door, she thought.

*Knock* *knock*

“Madam” Ada peered through the door, scanning the exact location where Lilith stood in the room, “Dinner?”

Hiding the keys under the ruffles of her gown upon getting up, “Ah yes!” she responded panickily “Shall we go now?” trotting out the room and slammed the door behind her. Why did I have to make myself look suspicious, Lilith reflected on her actions on the dining table while feasting on their dinner.

It has been weeks and Lilith felt awkward more and more to eat alone at the long dining table with only her present in the area. Ada, Grahams and Stewt do not dine at the dining table since it is written in their rules they must follow.

Lilith opened her hand that has been holding her gown and the key inside. She quickly finished her meal and called for Grahams and Ada to do some more chores for them to be done. While their duty is set, they concentrated on performing their task with all seriousness and firmness.

Lilith causally walked out of the dining area, looking back at them once again for assurance Lilith have fully kept them busy for at least a few minutes to buy her time.

On the staircase she kept looking back to check their unavailability, fortunately, they seem to be diligent workers of the mansion, reliable ones. She rested ease and continued walking on the left area on the spiral staircase.

After arrival at the second story of the mansion, she scurried to the hallway on the left that felt an eternity walk and so she tried to sprint, lifting her gown.

She came to stop and pant for a few seconds before the door that was locked earlier when they had ventured the second floor earlier with Mr. Grahams, but this time, again, it is unlocked and rather, widely open yet dark inside, impossible to see through without a candlelight.