The iron bed I was lying on, covered in etchings of large flowers, glowed in the light of a marble fireplace set against the opposite wall. My gaze fell on a round table in the middle of the room. A dusty iron candlestick had been placed on its surface. That room needed a good cleaning. A small spider web covered a piece of the elaborate carvings on the headboard of the bed. I would deal with that later.
That was not the reason I could not sleep. I raised my body and sat up on the soft mattress. I shyly shrugged off one end of the blanket and glanced down at my body. I was dressed in the long, white silk nightgown that I had found lying on the bed when I entered the room. The sleeves were wide and lengthy, their edges garnished with thick white fur. I wrapped myself again with the old-fashioned blanket and moved to get out of the bed. When my feet reached the dirty floor, they touched on something. It was a pair of old silk mule shoes trimmed with fur which I had not noticed before.
“Quite old-fashioned – like I have gone back in time.”
I put on the mule shoes and approached the heavily carved rectangular mirror that was next to the fireplace. When I looked at my reflection, I could not help but laugh. With the long nightgown and old-fashioned shoes, I looked like a diva from the roaring 20s.
I picked up the iron candlestick from the table and explored the room at the light of the candle. An emerald embossed wallpaper covering the walls was the only happy touch in the badly maintained room. Obviously, I was not a guest of honor, or they did not have the time to clean up the room.
A shabby velvet curtain on the wall behind the bed caught my attention. I pulled the heavy fabric forcefully and a dense cloud of dust covered me. Once the dust faded away, a quatrefoil window was revealed. I looked anxiously out of the window at the darkness, trees, and starry sky. There was no light and no indication of another person. A shudder ran down my spine.
The flame of the candle flickered. I went to the light switch and tried to switch it on, but it did not work.
Great!
I turned to the steeply pointed ogive door and took a deep breath. It was time to get out of this room.
The door opened with a cacophonous creaking. I looked through the opening; the dark hallway was empty. A wrought iron lantern over the entrance to a stairwell gave off the only light. With the candlestick in my hand, I headed to the staircase and began descending timidly. Now I could notice all the details I had missed as I was walking fast, almost running, to catch up with Morgan’s fast pace.
Alas! My light breeze extinguished the candle, leaving a smoking trail behind. The dim light from the starry sky passing through the skylight above the stairs lit the balustrade. It was decorated with antelopes holding shields. The end of the staircase led to a hallway. There, I had to choose between two options: open the lancet arch door that broke the monotony of the wooden wall or continue to climb down the stairs. I chose the latter and I ended up in another hallway with an arched stained-glass window between two ogive doors.
After briefly thinking, I decided that the door on the right would be my choice. With one hand, I held the candlestick up in front of me and with the other, I carefully opened the door and entered a cold room with a few pieces of furniture, a burning fireplace to the left, and two stained glass windows on the right. After I carefully closed the door behind me, I moved to the stained gothic windows and looked outside. I was at ground level. Holding the candlestick tightly, I turned the knob of the east door and pushed it timidly. A half-lit chamber was revealed behind the small opening. On the opposite wall, there was another door leading to a strong light source. I pulled out of the mule shoes, picked them up, and started walking on my tiptoes. I wanted to continue my quest unnoticed.
As I was crossing the elongated chamber, I noticed arched bookcases full of old books. My careful footsteps led me onto a thick oriental rug that covered most of the wooden floor. The carpet felt dirty and worn beneath my feet. An old leather sofa was placed in the center. Just like a firefly is attracted to the light on a dark night, I continued toward the door and the shining light.
“Hello, there!”
A husky male voice that came from the couch made my heart bounce. I lifted the iron candlestick as a shield.
“You’d better wear your shoes, or your feet will get dirty,” the man added, still invisible.
Maintaining a defensive stance, I took a step back and looked over to the leather sofa. A man was sitting in the dim light with his back toward me.
“Who are you?” I asked him.
“Who are you?” the man responded.
“Do not bother, I am leaving,” I said and walked towards the exit. I entered a vast empty hall. Carved wood columns were the only decoration. A heavy wooden chandelier with dozens of candles was hanging from the ceiling. A huge iron gate was visible in the distance.
Freedom!
I threw away the candlestick and mule shoes and raced in a frenzy toward the exit. That was my chance to get out of that damn building. I reached the front door and grabbed the huge door handles. I pulled them, but the door did not open. It did not even move. I pulled again, with all my
