Terror in the mountains

Chapter one.

With a, strong wind a snow flake blew on Noras face. She quickly closed the window. As she was already shivering with the very sudden cold winter in near summer time. " I hope these two girls come on time. For this visit to these chalet in the mountains. Great where do i get such plans aftee seeimg some holiday ad in a, magazine " Nora said. She was a bit plump attractive young woman who had invited her friends Janie and Tisha for the three day weekend. Her boyfriend Jeremy was also supposed to join them there. He was a dj in a famous discotheque. So saying this shw turned. Away from the window and was mulling on this topic. That Janie a, red haired was a wild one. ' Hope she doesnt do any thing rash on this trip. While Tisha blonde one was always cautious about everything. But one thing not sitting comfortable with her was this that her personal psychic had told her not to go on this trip. She firesaw some misadventure and something but Jennie had responded to this information of Noras by saying that this readers are mostly wrong all the time. So here atlast Nora had decided to take on this trip.

And so she did some light packing. Jeremy thought this was a great idea. Tisha had said " on this trip we will do something scary and unconventional. " To which Nora had replied " its supposed to be a calm weekend dont think of doing anything weird okay. " So they were on their way in Noras car driving through the mountain side. With a, chill breeze blowing. Tisha who was sitting in the backside said " i can hear the wolves howl from here this far. " " I really do hope that you do encounter the wolf. " Nora who was driving. Suddenly halted the car. " What happened why did you stop " Jenny said. " Its the fog i cant see clearly and the cliff on the right side is steep " Nora said. " Here come om let me do the driving, you scare too easy " Tisha, said. " And you are too daring ok. No way you are driving on this narrow road " Jenny told Tisha. " So are we going to sit here for the fog to clear up or are we going ahead " Tisha, said. " Okay i will drive slowly then because we have to reach that chalet before night as on this roads there aee no lights " Nora told and started her blue silvery car. Late evening became and the moon was rising up from the tall trees. " Exactly where is the lodge or chalet whatever its almost becoming night now and we are still in this lonely wild " Jenny said bit angrily. " Here it is you see that mountain cliff there, behind it the chalet is " Nora said pointing in front. " This is so exciting i cant wait to go " Tisha exclaimed. " It looks kind of gloomy to me nothing is, around here except this, trees and maybe there are wild, anals, around here " Jenny said. " And the caretaker whose he have you met him " Jenny asked. " I talked with him on the phone he is reliable. So here we are atlast " Nora parked her car in front of a one one storeyed house which was, almost hidden by shrubs. But it looked kind of palatial. They got out of the car. And slowly walked towards the house. Nora ringed the door bell. A man came he was smoking a cigar from behind them suddenly. This gave them bit of a jolt. He said " i am the caretaker my name is, Stoodge and you are the people who wanted to stay here for the weekend. Come inside with your bags " he said removing a key from his pocket and opened the door. Inside it looked like a movie set of some movie. With a, deer stuffed face on the wall and some sofa and all regular stuff. A fire too was going on the corner. But what really caught their attention was a two big swords above the fireplace. " A bit different it is but quite fine for a place to stay in the cold mountains i think " Jenny said. The caretaker asked them if they wanted anything special for dinner to which they replied " anything will do. " Nora said " did you people observed one thing about that man. His face looked like it had been done with some plastic surgery on. I mean stitches. " " Maybe he had a fight with some wild wolf here " Tisha laughed. Nora didnt found it funny. Soon he came with dinner for them and before going said " dont open the doors at night if someone knocks or anything as such. " Ofcourse we wont open to strangers but why you telling us this " Tisha asked him. " Last time a, two people who stayed here said that some one was knocking the door at midnight and when they opened the door there was no one outside thats why " he said. But Nora had a doubt that there was more to this story. " We will not open the door even if you knock really " Nora said to him. He went away. Laughing at this sentence of Nora.

Later in the night. A knock came on the door. Nora went to open it.

She looked through the peephole but no one was there. Tisha too got up and followed her and asked whose it that is knocking this late at night at the door. " Its no one that i can see. He told us not to open this, door no matter what remember " Nora whispered. " This is freaky but on our first day such a thing happening " Tisha said. Jenny too got up and said " i will go out and see once and for all who this is. "

Nora, stopped her. " You cant go outside its, 2 am in the night ! " Again the knock came. " Lets just ignore it and go back to sleep " Nora, suggested.

So next morning. They all woke up to the caretaker who had brought them breakfast. " Well its pancakes and coffee for the ladies. You must be hungry. The mountain air makes one. " " You are right we are " Tisha said. Jemny said to Nora " and you were saying hes kind of spooky yesterday. He seems, nice to me. See how hospitable hes. "

" Well lets have coffee then " Nora said pouring herself a cup.

After that they just sat. A historical movie was playing on the tv channel. Tishasaid" here let me make some cheese popcorns for all of you. " " Why are we even just sitting inside and watching television. We didnt came all the way out here to do this. Lets go out and explore the area. See how nice dewy weather it is " Jenny suggested. " Yes right we should take a, walk around this woods. The atmosphere is too good. Just a, bit of rain and all cool around " Tisha said. " Wait the movie is just ending. After that we will go okay " Nora said. Soon as the movie ended Tisha was at the door standing impatiently waiting for Nora and Jenny to get up. So they switched off the tv. And wore their hiking boots and went. Outside caretaker was sitting smoking on a log. " I see you girls are goimg hiking but be careful there are lots of wild animals out there. Be back before evening " he said. " Dont pay heed to him. Hes just a, superstitious and trying to scare us " Tisha said. " No i think he is may be right. We should really return back quick " Jenny also added. " You two listen quietly do the walking and we will be back before late evening " Nora told them. " Twilight ! What are you saying. I am not going to be in this mountainous forests till that long " Jenny said. " Okay i m returning lets just cancel it " Nora was getting a bit angrier. " All right lets hike and not fight " Tisha interrupted in between and they walked off. The air was wet and birds were making lots of noise. The sound of their feet on the watery grass below was making. Nora removed her phone and tried calling her mother but as the network was weak she wasnt able to connect so she kept it back in her small sling purse. " Here let me check the map you have to know exactly where we are. Didnt the caretaker said there was a small waterfall here. And he told us not to vemture too deep " Jenny said. " Wha map , i dont have any. I thought you had it " Tisha said to Nora. " Not me. I told you to carry it. It was on the table. I knew you would forget it im your impatience " Nora said irritably. " Now we are lost. What do we do " Jenny started panicking. " Nora stopped walking and sat down on a flowery branch of a tree and said " first lets take some rest. For the last half an hour we are hiking. I can hear the waterfall from here. Its somewhere nearby here. We will go there then return back. We go straight. Because i think we didnt took any turns. That would be enough to help us return to the chalet " Nora said. So after taking a break of ten minutes they got up and went ahead. The waterfall came in view. It was picturusque wit wild flowers growing all around on its side. " I am in the mood to get drenched in it " Tisha said excitedly. " Dont remove your clothes wait what if some black jaguar is, around here " Jenny said. " Why suddenly you dweeb thinking of jaguar now when such a beautiful sight is in front " Tisha said while removing her jacket and jumping in the watee splashing water on Nora and Jenny. " Stop it will you im getting all wet. And so you know let me tell you while coming here i saw a horizontal black shadow dwart through the trees once thats why i told you " Jenny said a bit frightened. Nora was stunned for a moment to hear this and said " do jaguars swim too what if it came here. There is no hiding place here. " " You two fools stop that jaguar talk and come and have fun in the water. Its so cold see. And by the way Nora your green blazer is camouflaging you with the trees. So the panther or jaguar whatever will have a hard time finding you " Tisha laughed. " Really we shouldn't have brought you along on this trip " Nora said and joinef her in the waters. While Jenny just sat on the green grass watching them. " Come on Jenny dont behave like this " Tisha shouted. Her voice coming low because of the sound of the water fall. ' You wild one enjoy there while i keep a watch here for any wild animals " Jenny said and removed a magazine from her small bag to flip through. " Hurry up will you people its getting late. I dont want to be lost here in this woods with some predator on the loose " Jenny was getting worried. " Okay calm down here we are lets go back. We had never seen such cool waters before till now " Nora said drying herself with a napkin. There was a rustle among the back tres. " Its just the wind now hurry up " Tisha said putting on her boots.

As soon as they got up. To go a animal sound could be heard. " What was that dont tell me its se wolf or such " Jenny said. " I told you there was something here but you wouldn't hear now lets go hurry up " Jenny added. " Oh no its some animal. Black in colour and huge. Its a panthere there see. Now what do we do " Nora shouted.

They stood transfixed and unable to move. Nora was the first to react. " See there is a tree there we can climb it fast come from this side " she said and they followed her from the right side of the flowing stream. A huge tree was there. " Run start climb it " Tisha said. " I dont know how to climb " Jenny said. " Dont be a fool. Stop looking back and just climb here " Nora said. The black panther who was still suddenly jumped from the bushes straight for them. In few seconds he was near them. As Tisha was last to climb he was, able to scratch her leg. But she climbed the top branch and they sat. On it looking down as the panther was wildly jumping down below. " Now he cant climb can he. In some magazine i had read they can " Nora, said. Its big teeth were all out and almost he was trying to jump to the top branch. The panthers charcoal eyes were mean looking. " I think i will fall " Jenny said. " Stop looking at it. He will go after some time " Nora said. " But afraid to go through this forest now and its almost evening now " Tisha. Nora was surprised that Tisha was frightened. He quietly sat down waiting for them to come down. And they sat clinging to the tree like a life saver. Atlast he got up and went. But it was twilight now. And in the thick woods it looked almost like night. Wearily they got down. " Can you make out the route in this darkness now " Jenny asked Nora. " Yes we have to just go straight " Nora, replied. " What if it comes back again " Jenny asked. " The caretaker do you think will come to searc for us " Tisha asked. " Do you want to sit here and wait for someone to come " Nora shrieked. Only the noise of their boots could be heard as they stealthily made their way back. Only the sound of crickets and a owl nearby could be heard. Once a sound of something huge moving among the trees could be heard. Nora really thought it was the panther. But it was just a monkey. " Just keep running and dont think about that panther okay " Nora, told them. " But i feel hes not gone too far " Jenny whispered. " They hunt at night so stop wasting your time and and just keep walking " Tisha said. " You are sure we on the right tracks " Tisha, asked. " Yes i hope so " Nora replied. Tisha reacted angrily to this. " You hope so thats just it. " Nora did not replied. To her on this and just kept walking. " Are we any nearer or no " Tisha asked. " I dont know. This, patch looks similar to me " Nora, said. " Forget similar. I think we have come more deep in the woods " Tisha said looking at the huge trees. " We should stay here somewhere for the night. In morning we can continue. Because the flashlights are running out of battery too " Nora said. " Find some large branch where we can stay for the night " Nora suggested. Jenny found a, fallen log and told them that, here they can sleep. " Yes its only two more hours till morning. Till then we can make a fire and sit or sleep here " Tisha said. " The first day of our holiday and see how it went. You must be happy with this adventure " Jenny said to Tisha. " Now you two dont fight " Nora, told them.

Tisha was having some doubt. Panthers can climb trees then how this one did not. " Hey how come that panther did not climb our tree " she asked. " Did you wanted him to climb. Foreget it maybe it got too excited by seeing three people at one go " Nora said. " Dont build the fire because any animal can get attracted because of it " Jenny said. So they just sat quietly. Then after a, few moments there was rustle among the trees. They were stunned to hear that hoping it was not that panther. Then like a blur a, figure jumped at them. It was the panther. Jenny screamed as it clawed her. Nora didnt knew what to do and Tisha, kept screaming. And then there was, a, gunshot. Hearing that the panther ran away. Jennys hand had a, big scratch. Out of the trees two guys came, out with rifles in their hands. One was Jeremy. Tisha was surprised. And Nora, rushed forward joyfully. " How you knew we were here " she asked. " As i had told you i would join you. This is, Jeff here my friend. We went to the chalet and the caretaker told you went hiking. So i knew you got lost here in the night. So both of were searching for you. Jeff is, a good tracker. On the way i found a keychain. It was of Jenny so we knew you were nearby somewhere. And then the howl of the panther and we followed it and here we are " Jeremy said. " You have no idea how happy i am to see you here. If you hadnt come " Nora said. " Our jeep is in the right side parked. Lets go " Jerem said and they followed him. Jeff was a muscular guy and he had his gun in position in case. " There our jeep is get inside guys " he said.

So they got in the jeep. And drove off in the cold night. Through the wild forests. " I am happy you came " Nora said. " You shouldnt have come like this in the forests " Jeremy said. " It was Tishas idea. And we were having fun until the panther came. Why you dont have a closed jeep. Am getting a feeling that an wild animal can come out in this open space " Jenny said. " But we are driving and not still so its fine " Jack said who was sitting beside Tisha on the backseat. A few rain drops fell on them.

Very soon they reached. It was midnight and the moon was half in the sky. As Nora got out of the jeep rain started falling. " Hurry up inside or last thing we know we will be drenched " Jeremy shouted. So they all ran inside. And were surprised to find the caretaker awake and outside. Tisha was the first to remark " you knew there were wild animals out in the forest then too you did not warned us why. " " Remember i did told you to return early if you have forgotten. And it is not my fault if you people decided to rendezvous there. Inspite of my telling not to " caretaker replied. " Allright lets go and sleep now " Jeremy said to them. Jack too followed them.

Inside the house it was chill. The fire too had extimguished of the fireplace. Jack exclaimed " it really looks like a, mountain cabin. Where did you find it by the way. " " On a, website i came across it " Nora said. " She is, always, seaeching for some out if the box things " Jeremy said. " I am so tired lets just sleep. And find a first aid kid for my leg " Jenny said. " In all of this we just forgot about her. Its a, deepscratch. A, bandage will do fine " Jeremy said bringing a, box from a drawer. " What are you doing " Nora said to Jack. As he was searching something in the cupboard. " Look what i found you wont believe it. Its sone worn ancient seanse board " he said holding it in his hands. Nora took it from him. And saw that the board really was ancient looking. " It must be belonging to him the caretaker man. Whats his, name he said Reg something. And return it to him. Nothing we are doing with it. Already enough happened for one day " Jenny said. " No we will play it tomorrow Jack and i sure. You people can stay out of it if you want. Nora took the board from him. And put off the lights out. " Now if nothing then this will make you people sleep. It almost near morning " she said.

So they slept away. And in the morning as they woke up. Jack was already woken up. " How come you up so early " Nora, asked. " Went for a, small walk among the mountains " he said. And he showed a, bunch of wild flowers he had brought. In his hand he was holding white lilies.

He was looking for a vase. To keep the lilies in the room.

" So did you bring those lilies for me " Tisha asked. " You can have them if you want " Jack said. Jeremy too got uo and entered the room. " So caretaker has breakfast or not or do we have to make it ourselves. By the way where is he " Jeremy asked. " We have not seen him from morning too " Jenny said. " And hows your feet doing today " Jeremy asked. " Bit better " Jenny replied. Jack said " that caretaker guy looks to me a weirdo. " " He is. Have you seen the way he acts suspicious and now hes just gone " Nora said. " And in the night i heard some noises coming from that car shed at midnight " Tisha said. " What really wait let me check up on our car there " Jeremy said and went. Jack followed him along. After few minutes they returned. With a, look of dismay on their faces. " Car tyres are punctured one of them " Jeremy said. " We have a, spare one i will fix it " Jack said. " But who did it " Jenny said. " It sure has to be that weirdo. Thats y i heard him in the shed " Tisha replied. " I think we should cut short this trip and return. See on the radio new came of an impending wind storm too. It would be difficult for us to drive on the roads " Jenny said. " Wait let me think " Nora, was saying. " Ler me call the cops " Jack said and went towards the phone. " Lines dead " he said. " And mobile network too not proper " Jenny said. " First lets fix that car " Jeremy said. " And wait to hear his, explaination on this " Nora quipped. " What if hes vanished " Jenny said. " Its his cottage he will return wherever hes gone. But first lets have coffee and eat something " Jeremy said on his way to make some coffee.

After they had the coffee. A loud knock on the door surprised them. " Who it may be now " Jenny said. Jeremy went to open the door. But Nora stopped him by saying that it would be better if they stay together and do things. " And ofcourse not opening that door. I dont trust that caretaker anymore " Jenny said. After few moments the knocking stopped. And they in group went outside again towards the shed. " It must have rained in the night. See how wet the grass is " Tisha said. " And in such a stormy night what was he doing outside that man " Nora said.

Few drops of rain was falling. And a chill breeze was blowing. Nora said " this trip is going like right out of a movie type isnt it. " " You should always select more frequent places thats why " Jack said. " What exactly do you mean by that " Nora asked. " Nothing forget it. I meant that this place is so is so isolated type " Jack answered. " Heres the shed hurry u with fixing of the tyre. And now i think go and collect your stuff we will go then " Jeremy said. Suddenly caretaker came. They were surprised to see him. " Do not worry folks. Before this too some mischievous guys had punctured a, tyre of a, previous guests. You dont have to cut short your trip " he said. Hearing him say this they didnt knew whether to believe him or not.

So they decided otherwise. And cancelled their plan to return. After fixing the tyre all of then went inside the house. " But why is the phone connection dead " Tisha asked the caretaker. He said " its because of this wind storm. Havent you people seen on the news channel that a wind storm is approaching this area " caretaker said. " Really. This weekend trip is turning out to be something " Jenny said. Jack was happy with this new development. And said " a perfect setting for an board then. " What board. I rather would say you dont do anything of this sort here " caretaker said and went.

They sat for some time. Afternoon came and they had lunch made by Jeremy. Jack said " Hey look out there see how the trees are swaying. It looks like the glass of the windows will break any moment. " " He was wrong. Its more stormy then he the caretaker had said " Tisha said. Jenny added " in this gusty winds i think our car wont run too maybe will it. " Nora went and closed the windows. Jeremy said " so now what do we do. " " I have a, plan. Instead of that silly board lets do something else. How about a game of cards. "

So they sat down. To a, game of cards. Jeremy distributed the pack. Nora said " lets play with money ok. " Jenny said " what was that at the window. I saw someone standing there. " " Ofcourse it is no one. Becsuse of the wind you must have seen some tree branch blowing or something " Jack said. " Was it the caretaker spying on us " Tisha wondered. Jack laughed at this. Nora, didnt found it funny at all. " A very vivid imagination you have " Jack said to her. " Again someone ran across outside " Jenny blurted. Jeremy got up to check out side " wait let me see whats going on outside. " But Nora stopped him saying " let it be. Dont go. After all the things here. "

So he did not go out. To check instead of that they drew up the curtains. " Its almost looking like night look at the grey clouds in the sky " Jenny said. " Yes on the weather forecast it came that its going to be a wind storm " Nora replied. To this Jack said. That they should have thought on this before coming. " How i was to know that a windstorm was coming " Nora asked. " You should have seen the weather reports " Jack said. " She directly talked with the caretaker and booked this place from a newspaper advertisement didn you " Jeremy said. " Yes and now lets think what we do instead of arguing here " Tisha interrupted them.

And they just sat down. Quietly for some time as the wind was getting gustier. Jenny suddenly said " I have no interest in playing any card of pokers. Would rather go and read some book upstairs. As you people are mostly doing the fighting more then anything else. " And she went up. " Because of you Jenny went see " Tisha said to Jeremy. " Let her be. Lets continue with the cards " Jack said. After a few moments there was a scream fr upstairs. They all rushed up and saw Jenny closing the windows. Nothing seemed out of place. Then why did she scream. Nora asked " what happened why did you shout here Jenny. " " Look at the floor boards. Shoe prints are there. I think someone climbed in from the window and maybe is still here " Jenny told them. Jeremy bent down to inspect the footprints and said " yes some one did climbed here. As we were all downstairs. Did you kept the windows open " he said. " Yes she keeps them open for fresh air " Tisha said. " Wait let me check everywhere if someone is still hiding " Jack said. He checked the cabinet and below the bed but nothing. " No oned here. I think whoever it was went " Jack said. " Was it the caretaker " Nora wondered. " We cant just doubt on anyone. But from the time we have come something or the other seems to be happening. Leave the panther incident out of it. And he that caretaker does seems suspicious to me by the way " Tisha said.

Lets just take some rest. Jeremy suggested this so they listened to him. Nora, said " i think we should check on all the doors. " " And cut off this, trip short maybe " Tisha added.

So they checked on all doors. And were surprised to find the backdoor open. Nora said " How come this is open because i think i did locked it at night. " " Maybe you must have forgotten it or something " Jeremy said. As Jack was closing it a sheer chilly wind blew in causing her to shiver. " It really is, very cold outside " Jenny said. " Jack volunteered to prepare dinner. As it was getting late evening. To divert their attention from the happenings. Tisha said " you all sit and watch tv or something while Jack and i make pizza for all. " And towards kichen they both went.

After half an hour or so. Tisha came out of the kichen with plate of pizzas. " Is it chicken or vegerable " asked Jenny. " Made both so you can whatever you like " Jack replied. Nora took the veg one and went near the sliding glass, door. She opened it up a bit. " I think we can sit in the balcony. The snow has stopped " she said. " Yes lets go i need some fresh air too. Full day we were inside the house " Jenny said. " But its dark. Its nine o clock in the night. What if some wild animal comes along " Jack said. " So far the only wild animal around here is that caretaker " Nora said.

They all decided to sit outside. As they were sitting out under the stars. Which were showing now. Jack saw a figure run in the trees.

" What was that just ran across that slope over there " he said. " Now dont start again " Tisha, said. " No really i saw something dart among the trees. Im not pranking " Jack said. " Wait i will check and come who is it " Jeremy said and got up. " Let it be dont go out there now " Jenny was saying. Jack got up to go with Jeremy and they both went. Nora sat feeling quite cold outside and more then fifteen minutes went and still they had not returned. " I had told those fools not to go. Have they gone all the way inside the forest now to search for someone who was darting here " Jenny said. " Shall we go and search for them " Tisha suggested. Nora was confused she didnt want to go. Inside those mountaineous woods at all. As she reluctantly agreed to go. Jack and Jeremy emerged from among the trees. " Nothing out there we searched up thoroughly " Jack said. " Lets just go inside now okay " Jeremy said.

As they were just turning. Around to go someone jumped behind Jack. It was the caretaker. Jenny screamed. He had a baseball bat im his, hand. With it he hit him behind the head. Jack fell down. Jeremy jumped on him. And tried to take the bat frim him. Nora was stunned. To move. Jenny saw a big rock lying on the ground. She picked it up and threw it at the caretaker. On his hand it hit him. Momentarily he was taken aback. At this quickly taking the chance Jeremy with the baseball bat hit him on his, legs. And leaving him there they all rushed inside. Helping Jack to get up with a bleeding head. After closing the door. Jeremy said " quick pack up your bags we are leaving from here right now. So it was him afterall behind those punctured tires and fleeting shadows among the trees " Jeremy said hurriedly. " He is not dead. Hurry up " Tisha, added. They went upstairs to take their bags as Jeremy opened up the back door to go towards the car shed. Upstairs Tisha was saying " where is my diary i cant find it. " " Forget it just go " Nora told her angrily. " Here it is lying under the bed " Jenny said handing it to her. As they were hurrying down the stairs. From below Jack was waiting for them. " I think it would have been better if we have had tied him up or something " Jack said. They went towards the shed. Jeremy was sitting in the drivers sit. After getting inside and locking the car doors. Jeremy with his key tried to start the car. But it wont start. Jenny saw the key and said " this is not the car keys you have wrong one. " " Where are the car keys then " Nora said horrified. " Upstairs lying on the dresser maybe " Jenny said. " Wait here i go get them " Jeremy said and got out to go. " Wait where is that caretaker. He was lying on the ground there. That means he is somewhere inside the house " Tisha said. " I will take this baseball bat with me " Jeremy said amd ran inside. As they impatiently waited for him to come. After few moments. Still no sign of him. Nora said " i go and check inside you all wait here. " " We both go together " Tisha said and they too got uo and went inside the house. Leaving Jenny and Jack inside the car. As snow too started falling and that too heavily.

Snow was falling too heavily. There was fog too in the atmosphere. Jenny and Jack waited. A, scream came from inside. Jenny said " its taking them too long i will have to go inside and check. " " I will come too " Jack said. " No you stay here dont move " Jenny told him. She went in the house. It was total dark inside. And very quiet. Where are they she wondered. She thought of returning back. But before she could turn a hand came on her shoulder. She turned back and saw with a jolt that it was Jeremy and Nora. " Whats going on here " Jenny asked. Her heart was beating faster. " We found the key lets go " Nora said. " You shouldnt have left Jack alone though " Jeremy said. And they rushed out of the house in the snowy storm.

It was raining blizzards. Each drop of snowflake was falling gustily. Along with the wind. They made their way towards the car. But Jack was not in the car. They were stumped as to where he had gone. " I had told him not to leave the car " Jenny said. " That maniac is still somewhere here we have to get out of here fast " Nora said. " Wait i search for Jack he must be around here only " Jeremy said. And he went to search.

When he went to search. Nora too followed him along the woody bushes. Tisha said " what is going on here lets sit inside. " And they sat inside the car. As it was snowing heavily. There was, fog all around. So from far they could make out a, figure coming. " Is, it Jeremy and Jack " Jenny said. But as, the figure came nearer. All of them were shocked to see. That it was the caretaker. And he was carrying a axe this time. " Lock the car doors fast " Nora said. " They are already " Tisha, said. And they sat. With the car doors all locked up. As he came nearer he hit the windows with the axe. " Now what we do. Get out of the car. The broken glass is, falling over me " Jenny shrieked. They got out of the car from the other side and ran blindly towards the forests. But he didnt follow them running too. He just was just walking slowly behind them.

As they ran. Towards the thick woody forest area. Caretaker just seemed to walk behind them. Nora, was wondering while running " where this two guys have gone. " Tisha tripped on a branch but got up and resumed running. Jenny had an idea. She said " lets go back towards the chalet as its the last place he will search for us in. " Nora agreed with her. So they took a turn from the woods. And turned towards the chalet. Because of mist in the air and fog too their breaths were coming in like a smoke as they ran. As the chalet came nearer. Quickly they bolted in. " I am worried about Jeremy and Jack. Where are they " Jenny said. Nora was never so happy because from far she saw both of them coming towards the chalet. " You wont believe we were keeping a tap on you from afar. Good thing you did by coming here " Jack said. " Was just going to help before you ean out of the car " Jeremy said breathlessly. " Lock it that door " Jenny said. Tisha bolted the door. And they all sat down breathing in relief. " Now somehow we have to make a call from the land phone to the authorities as my cells, battery down " Jeremy said.

Jeremy went for the phone. But was not finding it in its place. " Where is that land line " he exclaimed. " It was near that table lamp where its gone " Nora, added. " Here it is on the coffee table " Jenny said. Jeremy was confused. That he could not find it. " Someone must have changed its place " Tisha said. " Hurry up call now " Nora, urged. As, Jeremy picked up the landline to call with a, happy action he let others know that it was working and the dial tone was there. After connecting with the authorities he told them the problem. The receptionist asked him to give the address and that a cop car would reach there soon se assured. As Jeremy was giving her the address in mid the dial tone went. With a look of dismay he tried to phone several times again and said " i think someone cut the cord. " " What do we do now " Nora was saying in panic. " Wait i did manage to give her half the address. They will work it out somehow. Till then we just have to wait. Or go out there and handle him with some weapon " Jeremy said as he sat.

It was getting darker. As night was falling and they just waited. " I am fed up of this waiting lets go get out of here. " Nora said " no i have had enough of that jungle running lets just wait for them to come. After some timw they will locate this address okay. "

So they sat for sometime. After sometime a loud crashing sound came. " Its quite a thunderstorm outside and i hope the cops come fast " Nora, said " I am sure that man is planning something out there " Jenny said shivering. Jeremy gave her a, shawl saying " here take this it will keep you warm. " Jenny took it. Meanwhile the snow was, falling in hails. Jeremy said " instead of just sitting and waiting for them to come lets go out. " " Are you crazy hes out there did you forgot that " Nora told him. " What about standing near the wondow of first floor bedroom from there its a, good view. Their car can be seen coming " Jack said and went upstairs.

After sometime as still. He was, not coming downstairs all of them. Were a bit worried. " What is taking him so long to come down " Jenny said. " Wait i will go check upstairs " Jeremy said. " From morning we are doing this only checking up on each other " Tisha said. So Jeremy and Nora went upstairs to check. Jenny and Tisha were sitting together when Jenny said " why inspite of closing all doors and windows there seems to be a chilliness in this room. " Tisha got up with a, jerk "that kitchen door is open how come from there all this cold is coming " and went to close it. A thought came in to Jenny " what if that caretaker entered from there without us knowing. As we were all facing this side. " The same thought was going in on Tishas mind too.

Immediately they rushed. Towards the main room and there they sat down thinking. About their next step. Nora said " we three have to go up and check. " Tisha agreed with her.

So they slowly went up. It was dark and silent upstairs. Jenny said " I am feeling quite chilly suddenly. " " Hush dont talk " Nora, told her. Abruptly from front someone collided with them. Tisha, screamed. Nora, switched on her mobile light. It was Jack. " You really gave us a jolt jumping on us, like that " Jenny said. " That attic window was open we closed it and now lets go downstairs " Jeremy said climbing down the attic ladder and joining them.

Chapter one.

" So which dress u are wearing for the Caribbean cruise " asked Jesse to her sister Suri. " Come on

its just a cruise boat vacation not some fashion event "replied Suri. " You can't be trusted who knows

u may end up there with with ur casual clothes only " said Jesse. Suri rolled her eyes. Both of them

were sisters similar looking. While Jesse was the impulsive one Suri was the sensible of the two.

Blonde good-looking with aquamarine eyes both of them. " Even Lila Tod n Ed are coming so I'm

excited its going to be fun.

Who knows we may end up meeting some more cute guys " exclaimed Jesse. " We already have

enough of cute guys here in pleasant valley Jesse !" said Suri. Lila was the rich snooty best friend of

Jesse. Ted was Suris old time boyfriend and Ed the class clown was also coming. He was a nice

looking fellow with a sarcastic sense of humour. After packing their mini luggage they got ready n

went down to the kitchen to have coffee. The ad for this five day Caribbean vacation cruise they had

seen in the newspapers. Ned their lawyer father entered. " Ok girls so u ready come on I will drop

you to the boat . It leaves at five.

They will leave without u if you dont make it on time there. Both the girls hugged n said goodbyes to

their mother Nancy a interior designer n were on their way. In the car Jesse said " Did you read

today's newspaper William has been released from jail. William was the handsome but dangerous

man their father had convicted two years ago for assaulting his daughters. " I hope hes not looking

for revenge now " said Suri. " Come on u worry too much this vacation is just what you need " said

Jesse. " Girls focus on the holiday n forget about him ok " said their father. They reached the cruise.

It was huge n was glittery with yellow shimmery lights against the lovely evening sunset background

of the sea. " It's so romantic looking " gushed Jesse. After they had entered the deck Lila Ted n Ed

were waiting for them. "I have bought lots of sunscreen lotions, one can trust this carribean sun "

said she. " Oh my God Lila rly " laughed Suri. " Meet me at the deck for dinner after getting ready "

said Ted. " Y Ed u have bought such a small luggage said Lila. " Come on u guys I have come to

just give you guys company so that you all don't get bored "said he. They all laughed. While entering

their room Suri asked Jesse " where is ur cell phone ? " Jesse frantically searched inside her shiny

black bag. " Oh no I forgot it at home what now. " Nothing can be done now said Suri. ~ ~ ~ ~ After

refreshing n getting ready they went to the upper deck for dinner. Lila was wearing a cream coloured

dress with a delicate diamond chain around her neck. " Hope the chefs good here " she said. " The

butler said its a French cook dishing out marinated chicken with white sauce tonight" said Jesse. "

Sounds good " gushed Suri. Ted n Ed joined them at the tables. " Dapper looking you two " said Suri

swimmingly. " Whose that creepy guy there he looks weirdly familiar " said Jesse pointing towards a

brown haired guy who was sitting with his back towards them having beer. " Come on no more of ur

detective sleuthing here " said Lila to Jesse. " During their dinner which was white sauced chicken

with red wine. And the desert was chocolate fudge. " He seems to be looking here only. Really I tell

you guys I don't get a good feeling about him " said jesse. " Will u pls let us eat " said Lila. " Is

anyone troubling you guys asked Ted. " I will put some sense into him if u all want saud Ed. "

Nothing dear forget it said Suri. Later The waiter came with a note towards them saying a guy

forwarded it. When Jesse opened the note her face went white with what was written inside it. The

note said " I'm ur past terror and I have come back. " When Suri saw the note she too was shocked.

Chapter two.

" Maybe it's just someone's idea of fooling around " said Lila to Jesse n Suri after they told them

about the note. " It doesnt look one bit funny but. Who could it be " said Suri. " Listen don't worry all

will be okay " said Ted. Ed said " such things happen forget it. Maybe someone got attracted by you

two beauties here .. " Their dinner was cut short n they went to retire to their rooms to sleep early. In

the night as Jesse was lying awake on her pillow. She thought about William. Is he really back.

Where is he now. A shudder ran through her body n she slept fitfully. Suri too was not feeling sleepy

in her room when a knock came on her door. She opened it. It was Ted. " " Ted what u r doing here

" exclaimed Suri. "I knew u was awake " he said smilingly n gave her a small pecking kiss on the lips

n went. " " Wait " said Suri. " " Lets go to the upper deck to catch some fresh midnight air ". " Okay

come then " replied Ted. They both went to the upper deck. It was a very balmy breezy night. Suris

hair was flying because of the wind. They went n stood near the railings. The star's were

shimmering in the sky with the full moon casting a cool glow all around. " Isnt it lovely " exclaimed

Suri. Only the lapping of the sea waves could be heard. " Yes its lovely like you " said Ted.

Suddenly Suri got a chilling feel creeping on her back. She felt like as if someone was watching her.

She turned around and just saw a man's shadow turn away from the upper deck. Whose this man

whose stalking here. Next morning Suri woke up to the sunshine falling on her face through the

cruise window. She saw the alarm clock it read 11 in the morning. Jesse came rushing into her room

saying " fast have ur breakfast we are going for sun tanning with the guys. " After having a breakfast

they got ready n went to the upper open deck. Lila was already there laying around getting herself

sun tanned while reading a fashion magazine. " So u guys have come " she said. " Where is Ted n

Ed " asked Suri. " Both are in the swimming pool " pointed Lila. Ed came out dripping with water

while Ted was swimming. In the evening Jesse was having her coffee when Ed entered her room. "

Hey lets take a evening walk around over the cruise boat what says u. " " Sure chipped in Jesse " as

its getting suffocating here in the room lets check out the food n magazine outlets up. Not to forget

the crowd. " So they both went hand in hand up. After strolling around for sometime it was late

evening now n getting darker. The sun had already set. " Just you wait I will get a lighter to light our

cigarettes " said Ed and went to get it. Meanwhile Jesse looked at the twilight sky and the waves

crashing against the fast running cruise boat. There was a sound of some thump. And Jesse found

herself falling into the sea. It felt like the ground beneath had gone and she was

sucked into the ocean. Someone had pushed her! ♡ Chapter three. She tried not to drown. She

struggled to swim. Suddenly there was a splash and Ed had joined her. He was a good swimmer. "

What happened " shouted Jesse. " I don't know I just saw u falling and came after you. " What we

do now it's not possible to climb this huge cruise boat. " " See there is some island sort of there I

think let's swim there " Ed panted against the stormy sea waves. " No i can't swim that far " said

Jesse. " We have to do u want to drown " said Ed. So they both swam for some time and reached

the shore of the island. It was a forest type island full of thick green trees. " It looks uninhabitated "

said Ed who was dripping all wet. So was Jesse who was breathless with the swimming. It was very

late in the evening now. The sky was full dark and the moon had rosen in the sky. "How did u fall

Jesse " asked Ed. " Someone pushed me " said Jesse. " It was so good of u to come after me Ed

what I would have done without u if you had not jumped after me. " " Now let's think about our plan

here what we do now. The cruise boats gone. Suri n Lilan Ted will get worried about us " said Ed.

Jesse layed down on the grass for sometime catching her breath. Then she got up n looked around

her. It was dark now n the huge trees surrounded them. She shivered because of the cold wind

which was blowing. " We have to find some shelter " said Ed coming behind her. When from far a

wolf's moan could be heard. " My God what was that now " whispered Jesse.

Chapter three.

" It's a wolf " wispered Ed. Then again the wolves sound came nearer. "We have to hide somewhere "

said Jesse. " Theres nothing to hide here anywhere " said Ed. " Hurry maybe some cave must be there

nearby " said Jesse. They ran into the trees. It started to rain a bit There was thick bushes all around. But

no where to take shelter in. Suddenly in front of them in the darkness two animal hazel eyes glowed. It

was the wolf he was in front of them. " Climb this tree fast said Jesse n both of them struggled to climb a

tree trunk. The black wolf sprang in their direction n waited prowling for them down for some time n then

went away. Both of them stayed up in the trees. Panting n breathless. Slowly after sometime they

climbed down steathily. " Hope it won't come back again " hushed Jesse. Then they started going more

inside the woods searching for some sticks to make a fire n some shelter. From far off the light of some

house could be seen. " I don't believe it look there's a house here in the woods " exclaimed Jesse. It's a

mansion " said Ed as they came more nearer to it. They started scramping towards it. It started to rain

heavily now and the grass was also wet below their feet. Ed let out a scream. " Whats it panicked Jesse.

" Something stung me. " " Wait let me see. " They stopped n she saw his feet. A scorpion had stung him.

we have to get help now said Jesse n picked gave a hand to a limping Ed n went towards the

mansion. As they came nearer to it. Jesse rang the bell. A butler opened the door. He was bald thin n tall

with a scowl on his face. " Who r u n what are you doing here! " he asked. Jesse explained to him the

situation. And he let them entered inside. Immediately a maid was called to give first aid to Ed. While

Jesse sat n watch. " No problem u guys stay here till we arrange a boat for u. Till then you change ur wet

dresses n have tea n some snack. " The butler said. " Sir will be coming after some time from his hunting

expedition. He will be hospitable towards you don't worry " butler said n went. Jesse n Ed were shown to

their rooms. It was an old but nice looking mansion with Victorian style rooms. Jesse patted Eds hand

gave him a hug n went to her room. " Take the medicine " she said to him. Once inside her room from the

window she could see the beach n a far away tower light. " I wonder how much worried Suri n all must be

" she pondered. ~ ~ ~ ~ On the cruise boat Suri n Lila n Ted were frantic with worry about the missing

Jesse n Ed. They informed the captain. He said he will search the boat thoroughly n also send some life

boats with men to the nearby island in case they had gone astray there. " I hope they are safe " said a

crying Suri. Ted and Lila comforted her. ~ ~ ~ ~ Meanwhile here in the mansion the owner of it returned.

He was a middle aged moustaches burly man. The butler told him about the visitors. " At dinner I will meet

them " he said curios with interest. He went to refreshen. At dinner vegetable salad and a roasted spiced

turkey was served with white wine. The man introduced himself as George. He asked Jesse n Ed about

themselves how they got stranded here. " So lad how is ur leg now " he enquired. " It's better now "

replied Ed. " You were lućky it was attended to quickly " the man said.

During dinner Jesse hit an idea. " Do you have a cell phone we can use to call my sister ? " " No we don't

keep cell phones here by the way there's no network here its a jungle remember. Hundred years back

my great grandfather built this place. And I came here to live with nature n, for my hunting which is my

life " he said. Jesse rolled her eyes disappointed. " And for ur return arrangements we will see what can

be done " the man said. Meanwhile on the cruise this man sat with a evil smile on his face. You two girls

I'm back he said to himself. . . In the night Jesse before sleeping opened the window for some fresh air.

A chill breeze blew in. Accompanied by the sound of crickets all around. As she lied down on the pillow a

startling thought came to her. Who was it who had pushed her. Then she remembered it the eerily

familiar face. It was William ! Now what she should do ahead. In middle of the night she was not getting

any sleep so she went towards the window n was startled. A boat with yellow glinting lights seem to be coming.

Jesse rushed into Eds room . " Ed wake up there's a boat coming to the beach. And I know who pushed

me it was William. Hes back. " Ed had all woken up now " What really so are we going near to that boat.. "

" Shh I think we should go to take that boat. Whoever is on it will help us go back home or to the cruise

boat. I don't trust this George man here n that butler. Weird pair. Imagine someone whose living in the

middle of the forests " Jesse said. " Hmm but shouldn't we tell them we are going or do u think its safe to

go thru the wildness in the middle of night Jesse. For God's sake have u forgotten the wolf n the scorpio

incident " Ed asked. " Okay I will tell the butler to arrange for a transport vehicle to take us to the beach

now " Jesse said. " Wait dear let morning come we will go then ok " Ed argued. " Okay sighed Jesse n laid

a hand on Eds shoulder n asked him how's his leg. He said its okay now. And she went back in her room.

~ ~ ~ ~ Morning came. Jesse n Ed were sitting in the dining room with Mr George having breakfast of

bacon fried eggs, jam butter n orange juice. " So lass you saying there's a boat which has come to the

beach and you want to go there " he asked Jesse. " Yes as you see we are actually in a hurry to return

back " she replied. " If u have waited a little longer I would have tried to made some going back

arrangements but as you wish let's go n see who has arrived on my island " George said. " Sure thank you

" said Jesse looking at Ed drinking quietly his orange juice. While looking at him she thought such a nice

friend she has whose such a comforting and supportive company. And he did jumped after me to save me.

I like my dear Ed so much " she mulled. The butler removed the forest jeep and they all hopped in it. So

did George.Then they were on their way to the beach. In between they saw a deer running in front of

them. It was mild dewy morning with the sunshine shining through the clouds. Then they heard a scream.

When they came nearer the beach when Jesse saw who it was she shouted with glee. It was Suri Lila and

Ted. But wait there was a snake in front of Suri. Then Ted quickly came n with a stone crashed the

snakes head. And when Suri saw Jesse they all came running towards the halted jeep. " What you doing

here Suri " asked Jesse. " Well the captain of the cruise was sending a lifeboat to the nearby island so we

decided to come on it looking for you both " said she. " I love u sis I knew you would come looking for me

n I love you Ted n Lila too " gushed Jesse. " My dear Ed came jumping after me taking that risk " said

Jesse.Ted went n hugged Ed. Mr George and the butler were introduced to the group and they went to the

mansion back in the jeep. As the sky was getting darker and a storm was rising. They tied their boat to a

pier and went. Meanwhile William too had swam and was hiding behind the trees watching them. ~

~ ~ ~ They all reached the mansion had dinner n went to sleep in the guestrooms. " Hes a nice man this

George " said Lila. " See how hes giving us shelter and hospitability ". " Hmm " said Jesse. Suri had joined

Jesse in her room to talk before sleeping. " Isnt it all lush greenary here " Suri said looking out of the

window. " Yes and there are wild animals too we encountered a wolf would you believe it " chimed in

Jesse. " Hey what's that I see someone sneaking behind the trees a man its the same cruise guy "

whispered Suri. Jesse joined her towards the window to see. " What ! " she exclaimed. " He came here. "

my God what we do now exclaimed Jesse and ran downstairs to check the locks. After returning up

she asked Suri whether they should tell Ed and Ted about this. " No let it be in the morning will tell " said

Suri. And both of them slept as the moon had risen full up in the forest sky. In the morning on a breakfast

of omelett n orange marmalade over toast and coffee Mr George talked about his hunting expeditions.

Jesse told him about the guy William who was stalking them. " Don't worry dears you are safe here " said

he. " If you want we can go an hunting expedition all of us to search for him on this island. " " Thats a good

idea " said Suri. " So are we going now " asked Ted and Ed. " Yes we will pack our gears rifle n go "

George said. And the butler was coming too with them. ~ ~ ~ ~ In mid afternoon they all set off to search

for William nowhere he could be seen. " Is he hiding somewhere " asked Lila. Very soon evening started

to come and to top it they got a flat tyre. " Now what we are on foot i guess " said Ted. Ed said " Listen

guys stick to each other, no going anywhere alone ok. We will return back to the mansion if we walk fast

and together. " " Because night is going to fall soon and I'm feeling afraid " said Lila. " Guys I have a rifle

with me don't forget that " said Mr George After walking for sometime they all got tired and sat down. " I

hope it doesn't rains now " said the butler. Again after sometime they got up and started walking. In the

distance owls were hooting in the trees. Bats were flying on their faces. Lila screamed. ' Its not haunted no

this forest " joked Ed. All of them nervously laughed. ~ ~ ~ ~ . When after sometime Jesse turned back

and screamed. " Where is Suri, she's not here with us. " All of them turned back to look bewildered.

Where is she my sis " said Jesse with a muffled scream. Ted started shouting her name. All of them

started to search for her frantically but to no avail. Lila said " let's split n search for her. " " No we are

sticking together no matter what " said Ed. Jesse let out a muffled cry. All of them were stunned by what

they saw. On the ground was Suri sitting with her hands n legs tied back and a piece of cloth in her

mouth. Ted ran and untied her. Ed n Ted helped her get up. She was shaking all over. " It's William " she

whispered, " he did this. " " Hes somewhere nearby here Lets get out of here fast. " Then out of the

bushes crawled William with a machete in his hand laughing maniacally. " So girls you think I forgot what

ur father did " he said. " And what u did we too have not forgotten u assaulted us " shot back Jesse. He

rushed forward with the machette in his hand. Ted and Ed the men wanted to fight him. But Suri shouted

and persuaded them to run. Because he had the achette and they were unarmed. " Wheres my rifle "

George asked. " You forgot it in the bushes sir " said the butler.So reluctantly Ted agreed and they all

William was hot on their trail. All of them were ahead of him tripping and falling but running. While

running the butler said breathlessly to Mr George " sir I never knew you were such a good runner really. "

" And so are u " replied Mr George. There was a scream from the girls a huge black panther was in front

of them. They all started running more fast. With the panther too on their trail. Fast there's some kind of

hiding place we need to find " shouted Ted. There was a cave sort of they all quickly entered inside and

hided in it. The black panther lost trail of them and went ahead. Then William came into view with the

machete. They all kept pindrop silence panting. " Sir there's a spider behind u " said the butler. Mr

George screamed as he was phobic of them. Hearing the scream William came near the cave opening. "

You fool couldn't u have kept ur mouth shut " scolded Mr George. " Sorry sir " said the butler. Quickly Ed

and Ted took action.They took a huge stick and hitted him on the head from behind. William fell. And

they all overpowered him. With some plants wines they tied his hand and legs and left for the mansion. "

Call for some cops from the radio to come to the island and pick him up from here " said Ted to Mr

George. ~ ~ ~ ~ After they had reached the mansion. All of them just sat down breathing heavily. The

maid came rushing downstairs. " Sir I will get u all some hot soup bread and cheese pls do refreshen up

" she exclaimed. Mr George said " And I will call for some boat to pick you up guys too. " But it looks like

its going to rain so tomorow morning you all can catch the boat when it comes. " " And let William enjoy

some rain in the forest " scowled Lila. " What if the wolf came to him " asked Jesse. " Nope he's in the

cave it won't come there only the cops will reach him there tomoro " answered Suri. Later after having

dinner the guys sat for a game of card with Mr George & Lila Jesse and Suri went to the library to check

out some of the classic books there. After some time they all retired to their beds and had a pea

The next day a boat was called for and the cops came and took away William. The girls and guys said

their farewell to Mr George, the butler n got ready to go on their way back home. " Mr George you sure

are coming to visit us in California valley high ok " said Suri and Jesse. " And visit us too " said Lila

pointing towards Ted n Ed. " It was so helpful n warm of u to support us on this island " said Ed. " Yes n

we like our card playing session with u too " said Ted. " My pleasure kids. I was feeling lonely here and

you all came along. And to top it an adventure to spice up things a bit " he winked. They all laughed n sat

in the jeep which was going to take them to the boat. ~ ~ ~ ~ After they got on a cruise liner arranged by

the cops. They all hugged each other and sat down in the cruise liners cafeteria. " Jesse I hope next time

u don't happen to get lost on some island " said Suri. " But I'm lucky to have you lovely guys as friends

because I can always count on u to look after me " said Jesse warmly. The sun was setting against the

ocean sky as the glittering cruise was on its way taking all this friends home.

Its a very dark rainy night. Because of fog outside nothing could be seen. Darcy was packing her bags to go with her family to her uncles mansion which was, pretty far away from town. In middle a, forest was there and was famous among the village folks for its being haunted and for it's wild animals.

Thats why her father had told them to pack all of their things, fast and to set out on the journey as soon as possible. As she was combing her curly hair. On the mirrors surface drops of mist was there because of the coldness of the weather. She looked at her reflection. She was a blonde nice looking young woman.

" Its 9 30 in the night hurry up the carriage is, already down. Where is Darcy your sister " her father was shouting from downstairs.

" Im all set up lets go. Percy is already downstairs " Darcy said and took her bag and started going down the stairs. Percy her sister was a straight haired brunette with dark blue eyes.

Below their maid was also waiting for them. They all took their luggage, locked their house and went inside the carriage.

The horseman said " Sir waterman wouldnt have been better if we had taken this journey in day time. As you can see its going to get darker and is a stormy night to began with.. "

Their father said " lets get going now its okay we two man are, enough with this two girls and i have my gun with me in case we need it. "

Their carriage started.

Percy was very quiet looking outside the window. " I have a, not good feeling about this journey she said. " What happened " her sister asked " dont think so ".

Their horse trodded along as the moon came up from behind the clouds lighting their way as the night grew more silent and darker.

After some time Percy slept. Then got up as the carriage had halted. " What time it is " she asked. Darcy replied " its 11 30. " So why have we halted here. Then. "

Their father came and opened the carriage door. " Its an inn here. Let's rest and eat something there " he said.

" It looks so spooky and isolated. And kind of dilapidated too Do you think its a good idea, to halt here " Percy asked. " I am not hungry lets just finish with the journey " Darcy said. " But there is no inn around for a, mile now so lets eat something " their father said.

Darcy said " Let's go inside and see " and they all went inside. A woman was, at the door. All her teeth were crooked and she had a, sinister smile on her lips." She looks sinister to me " Darcy said to Percy.

Slowly they entered the inn. Darcy was still feeling sleepy so she ordered coffee and her father and sister and the maid asked for juice.

There was a curtain in the inn which separated the dining room from the kitchen.

After few minutes that same woman came with their order trays. As soon as she came Percy saw that there was, a patch of blood on her apron. " Whats that" she asked her. " Its nothing as while cutting meat that spot came " she told and went.

Percy was not convinced. Later afer sometime she saw that the woman was watching them from thr curtains. As her shadow could be seen.

So Percy told, this, to her sister and later, when her shadow was not there both of them went to look inside the kitchen. And they saw that the woman was holding a big butcher knife and was laughing.

" This womans, a murderer lets get out of here fast. I knew it when i saw her apron " Percy said. So both of them informed their father, maid and the horseman and all of them started running away from there outside.

" Fast get inside the carriage " their father said. As soon as, they were in the woman came bursting outside the door and ran after their carriage for sometime.

Darcy said " you were right when you said that there was something fishy here. " And they all heaved a, sigh of relief.

Soon they were on their way. Rain had started to pour down more heavily.

" Wasnt she that woman we had, rumours of, a psychic who leers customers into her inn and murders them " Darcy said.

" I think so whatever we shouldn't stop in anywere now " Percy said.

After some time the voice of horseman could be heard. " The wheels have broken sir and we are in middle of the forests now " he said breathlessly.

Darcy exclaimed " what are we, going to do now? " " Its okay dont worry the horseman will fix the wheel " their father said. " Its so cold out here and i am shivering. Percy just lets go inside and sit in the carriage. "

From distance howling of a wolf could be heard. " Isn't that an wild animal, now what are we going to do " Percy said.

" Girls dont worry just go and sit inside the carriage we will handle this " their father said as he removed a cigar to smoke.

Inside Percy removed her novel to read. " Seriously are you in the mood to read.. I knew we shouldnt have come only at this time. Daytime travel was better. " Percy said. " But our uncle wanted us to come as soon as possible Percy " Darcy told her.

" What if that wolf or some bandit comes here. After that inn incident iam having doubts " Percy said.

" Im worried about father and the horseman outside. And look at her how peaceful shes sleeping " tthe said looking at their maid who was, fast asleep all along.

Suddenly their father was shouting from outside something. " Now what was that " said Darcy with a jerk.

Both of them came rushing out. Darcy screamed when she saw that her father was standing in front of a hound. He was trying to ward it of with a stick.

The horseman was running towards the forest. The hound scratched their father's leg. Few moments later the horseman came with a branch lighted with fire and with this he drew the hound away.

The maid was crying with fear looking at all this.

As soon as the hound ran away because of the firebranch. All of them were breathless. Fast they fixed up the tire and started on their journey again.

After sometime only the sound of the horse hooves and raindrops could be heard.

Then the horseman at last said " sir your uncle's manor has come. " And the girls alighted gleefully quick to retreat into the warm warm manor away from outside cold. As it was a eventful trip and they just wanted to sleep.

So they all went inside. Their uncle was woken up by the butler. He said " i was s worried that you people took this journey in such a weather. "

Their father Mr Waterman said " it was more then the weather but its a long story of adventure. Tomorrow will let you all about it . "

Darcy and Percy went to their respective rooms and their maid was also shown the service quarters.

The butler said " would you all like dinner and hot soup after this long journey. " " Sure we are famished "Darcy said.

After getting refreshed and putting their luggage in their bedroom. They came down to the dining hall. Their uncle Mr Wrench was sitting on the table. " I have had my dinner as its too late at night now but i wouldn't mind some soup with you to accompany u all " he said.

The butler served cheese soup and roasted sandwiches. " So you girls have planned what you are going to do during your stay here " their uncle asked. " First of all we would like to do some horseback riding tomorrow as its a very

picturusque land and we would like to see the dukes castle too " Percy said.

Suddenly a handsome man entered the chambers from upstairs. He looked like he just had gotten from sleep.

Darcy was surprised. Who was this handsome stranger in uncle wrenchs house! " Meet Tom bradford hes my friend duke of Bradburrys son. He has especially come to see me and my new horses as he has quite a, fetish for them. "

" Hello pretty ladies " he said with a, smile. " Sure i can teach you some horseack riding tomorrow if your interested. "

" I am surely " said Percy and the wine glass in her and was almost going to fall. Darcy looked at her sister and said " what are you doing Percy.. " At this Tom gave a smirk. Their father said " so my girls you have got company here now " with a laugh.

After their dinner they all retired. To their respective rooms. As Darcy was brushing her hair the butler knocked and said " do keep the windows closed at night miss because from the forests the wild animals hoot can be heard thats y " and went. " That was strange " Darcy said.

" Isnt he handsome that dukes son " Percy said. " I just want to sleep please stop talking now " Darcy said and switched off the bedside lamps.

In middle of the night the full moonlight was falling on their bed. Making a cool glow all around it.

Later in the night Darcy heard a noise. She got out to check what it was. She saw Tom opening the front door and walking out into the forests at midnight! Was he sleepwalking.

Darcy had to stop him. So immediately she got down and woke up the butler. Both of them ran after him. Tom was going towards the forests in a, trance walk. He was just about to fall when Darcy and the butler woke him up. " You are walking in sleep get up " Darcy said shaking his, arms. " Not again i have this habit of walking in sleep rarely " Tom said falteringly as he woke up and they all went inside the house.

Later in the morning Tom was all up and dressed when both Darcy, Percy and their father and uncle came downstairs to have breakfast. " So you seem to be in a, hurry to go on a horse back riding " their uncle said. " Yes i am. You both are joining me too arent you. By the way it looks like a, rainy cloudy sort of day. So dont forget to take ur unrellas " Tom said and went towards the stables.

" Dont go too far riding out. In this weather you may get lost " their father said as, Darcy took a cup of tea in her hands. Percy was, eating her cream roll. " This is nice who made this " she asked. " Tom made it. He likes to cook sometimes " their uncle said.

Darcy said " thats a, little surprisingly all rounder " with an awe and they all chuckled. The butler said " wait till you try the coffee too made by Mr Tom " and poured them. " Sure " Darcy said. Outside the clouds were rumbling. " It looks like its going to turn into a storm. Should we go riding in this weather " Darcy said with a hint of worry in her voice.

Later in the night Darcy heard a noise. She got out to check what it was. She saw Tom opening the front door and walking out into the forests at midnight! Was he sleepwalking.

Darcy had to stop him. So immediately she got down and woke up the butler. Both of them ran after him. Tom was going towards the forests in a, trance walk. He was just about to fall when Darcy and the butler woke him up. " You are walking in sleep get up " Darcy said shaking his, arms. " Not again i have this habit of walking in sleep rarely " Tom said falteringly as he woke up and they all went inside the house.

Later in the morning Tom was all up and dressed when both Darcy, Percy and their father and uncle came downstairs to have breakfast. " So you seem to be in a, hurry to go on a horse back riding " their uncle said. " Yes i am. You both are joining me too arent you. By the way it looks like a, rainy cloudy sort of day. So dont forget to take ur unrellas " Tom said and went towards the stables.

" Dont go too far riding out. In this weather you may get lost " their father said as, Darcy took a cup of tea in her hands. Percy was, eating her cream roll. " This is nice who made this " she asked. " Tom made it. He likes to cook sometimes " their uncle said.

Darcy said " thats a, little surprisingly all rounder " with an awe and they all chuckled. The butler said " wait till you try the coffee too made by Mr Tom " and poured them. " Sure " Darcy said. Outside the clouds were rumbling. " It looks like its going to turn into a storm. Should we go riding in this weather " Darcy said with a hint of worry in her voice.

In the morning she woke up. The weather was still cloudy and wss raining cats and dogs. " Today how we will return in this weather " Daisy was thinking. When there was a knock on the door.

Darcy opened the door. It was the maid with the breakfast. " So what do we have here. Okay so you have brought muffins and coffee " Darcy said. " They all are waiting for you downstairs " the maid said and went.

After fast finishing her coffee. Darcy went downstairs. Earl and Tom both were playing chess. " So early in the morning what you two doing playing chess " Darcy asked.

" After a long time we are catching up on our chess " Tom said. " It looks like its going to be a rainy day so by evening you can return home if it rains less. Till then let me show you my book collection " Jack said.

" Sure and i would like to borrow one or two books too to read " Darcy said. " And i will pay you a visit too at your uncle Wrenchs house " Jack said. At this Tom had a look of unhappiness on his face seeing how Jack had a growing friendliness with Darcy. But why was he even caring. He laughed at himself.

In the library Jack had an exclusive collection of all the classic novels. " So where is ur mother " Darcy asked. " She died when i was small and my father has gone to the city or you could have met him " Jack said.

" I hope you are not telling her about the hauntedness of ur mansion too now " Tom said. " Whats that " Darcy asked surprised. " Is there a, ghost here ." " No actually on no moon nights some shadow can be seen inside the mansion. My father had seen it once too. Imyself dont know much about it " Jack said.

" Im sure your father must have seen some thief " Tom said. Darcy got up the ladder to pick up a huge encyclopedia her feet slipped and she started falling down. Immediately Jack caught her while Tom looked on surprisingly.

As Darcy was browsing through the books. There at her uncles house Percy was worrying where her sister was. " A message has come they are at that earls place " said their father. " And today if rain lessens they will come. "

At the earls mansion Tom was saying " it looks like the rain is, lessening we can go back. " " The messenger has already delivered our msg. " " Why you are in such a hurry you can stay here one more day its good to have company " Jack said.

The butler came inside the room. " The messenger has returned but he says the roads are fully flooded with water so its better if you all dont make ur trip today. "

" See i told you let the rain subside little bit then you can return home tomorrow " Jack said.

" No wonder " Tom said with a smirk. " What you said " Darcy asked. " Nothing i was just saying that Jack wants to become ur friend here " Tom said. Darcy said " its nice of him to entertain us like this. " " Im feeling good you people came along was, feeling bored and lonely by the way " Jack was saying as they all entered inside the main hallroom. The butler said " so i tell the horseman to not remove the carriage no. " "Ofcourse dont be a fool its not safe in this, weather to travel " Jack said.

So later during the day. As Darcy was climbing up the stairs she again slipped her foot and fell down. A, sprain ankle she got. A doctor could not be called for as it was a storm outside. But Jack bandaged her foot as it was a sprain ankle and guessed that it would need rest of one week atleast.

" So i guess i will return tomorrow and you can stay here " Tom said. " Yes you can go ahead if you want she will return after shes healed " Jack said.

" A, string of happenings are going the moment we left for riding " Tom said. " No a, series of adventures are happening the moment we left our mansion " Darcy said as the butler brought her hot chicken soup.

Percy was trying to take a nap. But couldn't because she was feeling restless. Outside the garden in the backyard all the flowers were drenched with rain water.

As her father knocked on the door she opened it and he said " after this rain stops and ur sister returns we can take a tour of this whole area. I know you are feeling bored sitting up in the, room. "

" Yes i know " she said. Just then their doorbell rang. As the butler opened the door he was surprised to see Tom alone having returned.