Chapter I - "The Mansion"

It was Autumn of 1997. I was 16 at that time. My family and I were really rich, so my father, James K. Williams, wanted us to move on to the Clifford Mansion, a place in North Carolina hidden from the world. My name is Tim James Williams and I love everything about flowers and gardening. I was excited to live in a place like that, especially because of its beautiful and big garden in the front. I could plant flowers and make the Mansion look beautiful. My father was talking with the real estate agent on the phone to make a deal about the house. After a few months the agent called us back with the good news that the Mansion is ready to have us.

So, we packed our things and started our trip to the place where the mansion was. I was thinking many things while we were traveling there. I had never seen a mansion before, I had no idea how this house could possibly look like. We were passing through creepy roads through nature, with trees all around us. It was like the nature was welcoming us there. After a few minutes we couldn't see anything, the road became foggy for some reason. It was just like we were inside a horror movie. I was excited to see the house. I've been told that it was amazing and beautiful and I couldn't wait to see it. Many hours had gone and the mansion was nowhere to be found. My dad thought we were lost in the woods. "That's never a good place to get lost in" I thought. As the car was driving through the foggy road we finally saw it. It was magnificent. I two stories house made of stones with a wonderful garden outside and a giant metal gate, like the one from the horror movies.

As we were arriving in the front gate, a short, hunchbacked man with dark brown curly hair approached us. "Hello and welcome to the Clifford Mansion. I'm Mr. Willis, your concierge. I will help you unpack your luggage". Mr. Willis was ugly and a bit scary. A small guy who was hunchbacked and wrinkled. I didn't like him from the first time, because the vibes he was giving me were not good. His voice was deep and cracked. When he helped us unpack our luggage from the car he accompanied us inside the mansion, and started talking about the story of the building. "The building you see is very old" he said, "I started working here a few years ago". I was listening like a good student in a classroom, and I was excited to hear the story of the place. After that sentence he turns to me, "you're really excited about this place. We are going to have a lot of fun together". The last word gave me chills, because of his face. He had an evil smile when he was talking to me and I was really uncomfortable. I'd like to ask him about the ghosts of the mansion-but I couldn't- my parents were next to me. I didn't wanted to sound like a kid. For some reason my curiosity got the best of me and I asked Mr. Willis right away. "Are there any ghosts in the mansion?" I asked Mr. Willis. My parents gave me a very awkward look, like what I said was crazy. I knew I wasn't crazy. The building was massive and old. Surely there would be legends and hauntings from the old days. Mr. Willis smiles at me and whispers in my ear, "I can show you the lady in the white nightgown. But you know, she only comes to people who have seen her before". I was excited and scared. Who was that lady, and why Mr. Willis told me that in my ear? After a while we reached at the door of the mansion. Our concierge took out his keys to open the door. There were so many keys, big ones small ones, I didn't knew how he could tell each one of them apart. He took a big rusty key from his keychain and opened the door. After a loud creaky sound the two doors opened in front of us. In front of me there was a massive and impressive staircase with marble steps and wooden railings. A brown carpet stretched from the door to the headboard. To our right and left were two other more impressive rooms. The living room and the dining room. In the living room there was a large grandfather clock and a stone-made lit fireplace. The couches were made from the finest lining and they had a goldish color. The kitchen from the other side was even more impressive. Along side of the room there was a very long table with candlesticks on it, everyone lit and melted a bit. I was just stunned of the place.

On the wall a massive portrait of a woman, a very beautiful woman indeed. She was really young, I was thinking in the middle 30s. I got lost in her beauty. I wanted to ask Mr. Willis about who she was, but I kept myself back. I was looking for him, but he was nowhere to be found. I got scared because i was alone in a giant room. Suddenly I hear a creepy voice behind me to call my name. It was Mr. Willis. Not gonna lie, but his voice gave me chills and scared me to the roof. He was calling us because the food was ready. We sat down at the giant table and he told us that the food will be ready momentarily. I started talking with my parents about the place, how beautiful and scary it was at the same time. My parents were always saying that if I didn't used my imagination that much, it wouldn't be so scary. "Mr. Willis told me something about a lady with a white dress" I said to my parents, they looked at me laughed. I won't hide you that I got really annoyed of that. They didn't believed me, not even a tiny bit. I knew that the mansion was haunted with spirits, Mr. Willis told me that. I had no reason to not believe him, besides, he has been working for many years in the mansion. The food finally came and it was served by a beautiful woman. "Guys let me introduce you to Mrs. Dolores. She is the maid of the house". Mrs. Dolores introduced herself to us. "Welcome to the Clifford Mansion, Williams family. My name is Dolores. I will be your personal maid and cook here", she said with her beautiful and soothing voice. She was seem to be a really good person and an excellent chef. She brought us so many different foods that we weren't sure from where to start. The room suddenly started to smell like a world-class restaurant. Our concierge Mr. Willis told us that if we are ready with our dinner to follow him to our bedrooms.

As we finished our food we thanked Mrs. Dolores for the incredible meal and we started walking up to our bedrooms while Mr. Willis was leading the way. When we reached the second floor, a giant corridor was waiting for us. It was full of rooms with numbers on the doors. I guess it was logical if you think that the mansion was a hotel for some time in the past. He lead us to a room with the number 380. He said that would be my parents bedroom, and it would be one of the mansion's grand suites. While I was walking with Mr. Willis I passed by many other doors with numbers on them. One of them though, caught my eye. It was the door 401. It wasn't locked like the others. It had an X-shaped chain and in the center a large padlock that could be opened with a large key of some kind. When my parents got into their room, Mr. Willis told me to follow him. His keys were making a ringing sound while we were walking. When he took out his keys to open the door of my room, i suddenly saw it. With all the other keys in his key-ring there was a big rusty key. Ιt was a very unusual key as it didn't have bumps like a classic key, but just a smooth piece of metal. I was sure it was the key for the door of the room 401, but i was so scared to think what was hiding behind that chained door. Mr. Willis was talking to me all the time about the story of the building, but i was lost in my thoughts. I wanted to ask him so bad about the room, for what reason it's locked so well. He started walking to the door of my room to leave, his head turns in a weird fashion to me, "You must stop thinking about that door my little child", he said with a deep creepy voice and left the room. I froze in my place. His last words gave me the chills. The way he looked and spoke at me scared me to the core. How did he knew what i was thinking?

The clock in the living room strike 11 at night, and it came the exact time to add something more to the whole creepy atmosphere that had already been made. I went to bed early because i was really tired of the whole trip. I'm waking up of the sound of the clock striking 12. I open my eyes and wasn't able to move. I turned my head and i get stuck from what i see. The big grandfather clock was just sitting next to my bed, but it was making no sound. I couldn't figure out how that was possible. How is it possible one so big clock with a working pendulum making no sound? I was sitting in my bed unable to move watching the clock just sitting next to me. I wake up sweaty and i look the room with fear. The clock was nowhere to be found. The room was filled with light from the day. "Wow, what a weird and scary nightmare" i though. Suddenly a knock sounded from the door and a sweet and soft voice was calling me. Mrs. Dolores opens the door and saw me all wet from the sweat and she got really worried. She runs to me and asks me if everything is ok. I told her that i saw a nightmare, she comforted me and brought breakfast. "Eat and come down, everyone is waiting for you. Today you will make the garden" she said with a calm voice. I got really excited because i loved everything about gardening. I ate and walked down the stairs. Everyone was waiting for me under the wooden kiosk in the garden, even Mr. Willis who was holding a tray with homemade tea. The weather was perfect but really hot. Mrs. Dolores came out of the house to see me and take care of me. "How are you now dear boy?", Mrs. Dolores asked me. My mom looks at me... i didn't had told her about the nightmare. My mom looks at me worried, and asks "What happened my love?". I smiled at her and replied that it was just an innocent nightmare. Mr. Willis looks at me with a very weird look. He made me feel uncomfortable, like he knew something about the nightmare i saw last night. We started thinking about the flower planting places and both Mr. Willis and Mrs. Dolores helped us. Mr. Willis though...he was always giving me angry side looks, like i did something wrong, like he knew something.

Finally i was in my paradise, i was planting plants like i always wanted to. I had planted trees flowers and bushes, i also cleaned the stoned path that was leading to the mansion. The mansion was looking so much better, because of the blooming flowers on the garden and the green stoned walkway. I was looking around and i saw a dried fountain. I'm going close to it and i notice that the pump was rusty, but i can fix it with the help of my dad. I'd love to see the fountain work again like it used to. So i asked my dad about that and he agreed without hesitation. We walked to the warehouse shed to take some tools. The door of the shed was really old and the wood it was made of was rotten. My dad asked Mr. Willis if he have the key for the lock of the shed but he nodded negatively. He was looking at us all the time and my dad also thought that he was weird and made us feel uncomfortable. The lock of the shed was old and rusty, someone had to open this thing for years. But why Mr. Willis was so weird before? Maybe he did know something that we shouldn't had. Mrs. Dolores looks nice, but he honestly is giving me the creeps. I decided to break the lock with an axe. The door was so rotten and my dad was certain that he could get inside with just an axe. So that's what he did. He took the axe we were using to cut some branches earlier and went for it. The old door broke easily because the hinges were really rusty. Inside of it, a work bench and many tools above it on a rack. It was exactly what we needed to fix the old pump of the fountain. Under the workbench was something big covered with a tarp but we didn't gave it so much attention. My dad and i got the stuff we need and we headed to the fountain. We started working right away. The fountain was amazing. It was a three-bowl concrete fountain with a dolphin on the top of which the water would come out of its mouth. The pump was destroyed but my dad knew how to fix things. The time was passing nicely while i was working with my dad on the pump. After a while we heard a sweet voice calling us. I lift my head and im watching Mrs. Dolores calling us inside for dinner. I smile at her and i nod.

I look at my dad who was really sweaty from the hard job under the sun and we both left our job and walked inside the mansion. Mrs. Dolores was waiting for us at the door to accompany us to the big dinning room. All that time i didn't had seen Mr. Willis at all, so i asked our maid where he was. She answered that he's in his office in the basement. "Did you wanted him about something?" she said with her sweet voice. I move my head negatively, "I was just worried because i didn't saw him for a long time, that's all". She smiles at me and shows my seat with her hand offering me to sit down. "The lunch will be served in a few minutes" she said while was watching all of us. I was talking with my parents about how beautiful the mansion looks now and all agreed that it really was. "Wait till the fountain will be fixed" my dad said while looking at me winking. The atmosphere was really nice and suddenly Mrs. Dolores comes in with the first dish. It was turkey with potatoes. The place started to smell very nice. We all were very hungry of the hard work in the garden so we started eating right away. The food was extremely tasty as always. Mrs. Dolores made a great meal again like she does every single time. After the hors d'oeuvre the main dish was ready. Our maid comes into the kitchen with a dish full of goodies till the sky, and we couldn't even see her. The food was amazing once again. We hear a voice from the corridor, "Does the master want me to light up the fireplace?". He was sounding like the voice of Mr. Willis. After a few seconds he enters the dinning room, and he looks my dad expecting an answer. My dad looks at us and after our silent agreement he nods positively at him. After that our concierge leaves and goes to light up the fireplace in the living room.

The dessert was ready and our maid gets inside the dinning room with a 4-story cake of chocolate. I was excited cause i've never had anything so beautiful and tasty in my life again. I jumped right in the cake like a hungry wolf on a pack of sheep. The cake was obviously very tasty and i ate a lot. Mrs. Dolores comes in and ask us how the food was, and while watches me eating the cake like a maniac, she giggles. "I guess it was pretty tasty, right my dear?" she says while looks at me with a sweet look. My mouth was full with chocolate. "Yes, Mrs. Dolores it was" i reply to her while mumble. She laughs and leaves and i was telling my mom about how sweet our maid is while whispering. Finally we left the big dinning room and we moved to the living room where a lit fireplace was waiting for us. My dad went to his room to change his clothes, and to wear his night robe. My mom helped Ms. Dolores with the dish washing and i was trying desperately to find our concierge. This man had the ability to disappear often and suddenly. My dad was ready with his night robe and he was walking down the stairs to go to the living room. He was holding his pipe on one hand and a newspaper to the other. He's looking like a detective of a noir movie sometimes, i'm not gonna lie. My mom and our maid finished their cleaning and both of them came to the living room where me and my father were resting. Mrs. Dolores started asking why my dad bought one so big house. My dad said that we wanted to have a more open space and be more free, so he saw that the Clifford mansion was available for sale. We were talking for a long time with our maid about different things and the conversation brought up the story about "The Lady in the Nightgown". I was almost asleep on the couch, and when i heard about that story i woke up and looking Mrs. Dolores like a student that want to hear. "Oh nice you woke up my dear" she said. I nodded at her "Yes Mrs. Dolores. I wanna hear the story". So she started talking about her.