C6 6

Deive woke up to the booming sound of the old grandfather clock. It was defeaning in the silence of the night. In horror films, it served as a warning that nocturnal and scary creatures are out to roam at night - from white lady, a beheaded priest, cut-off arms that had life of its own and many more.

He took off his shirt then laid facedown on bed. He didn’t give a freakin’ fuck if those creatures wanted to scare people. He just wanted to go back to Dreamland. He was so tired and the horror stuffs were the last thing he wanted to worry about.

The cold of the night was starting to lull him back to sleep when he heart the sound of the piano. He let it pass at first on the first new notes. Maybe it was just his imagination. Who would dare play piano in the middle of the night?

After a few moments, the note formed a melancholic music yet hair raising music. He suddenly jolt awake. He couldn’t sleep at all. That song kept on ringing inside his head.

“I’ll be damned!” he uttered and felt goosebumps form all over his body. He remembered the horror film he watched as a kid where an severed bloody hand was playing the piano in the middle of the night.

He remembered the stories a while ago at the stored along the road. Villa Celesta was haunted. Not even the bravest could stay there for long.

He stood up and took the flashlight on the bedside table. He mustered all his courage. He didn’t believe in ghosts. And he would prove that there were no such silly things. It was just formed by wild imaginations. If Callea and Marina who were both women could stay in the house and were not frightened at all, then he could do it as well. He was a man. A real man. He was not scared. He could face everything. He won’t be defeated by ghosts… if there was any.

He slowly walked the quiet and dark hallway of the mansion. He didn’t bother with the slipper because it might squeak and create noise. The wood was cold under his feet. Maybe the music was coming from the entertainment room. According to Marina, there was a television set and modern sound system inside that room. He must give credit to the entertainment system then. It was like listening to a piano concerto. Right. Maybe it was Callea’s lullaby.

He calmed a bit with the thought. Perhaps he would buy her a music pod so only she could listen to her music. It won’t bother him anymore whenever she wanted to play her unearthy playlist during midnight. It almost turned his experience into a horror fright night.

Right. It was just some silly entertainment system music. Maybe he would just lower the volume. If Callea was fast asleep, perhaps she won’t mind.

He was near the stairs when the music stopped. Holding the banister, he saw a woman with a long hair and wearing a white night dress walking out of the mansion.

He moved down the stairs with. Did he really saw that woman or it was just an imagination. The piano’s lid was open. The bench was a bit far from the piano istelf as if someone sat there and played the music.

“Luna! Luna!” called the woman with a melodious voice.

CHAPTER SEVEN

His eyes strayed to the open door. The woman’s voice was coming from the garden. He stepped towards the door.

According to Marina, he must not pay heed to whatever he hears. It means he knew about the mystery in the house. His resolve became stronger. He must discover that mystery. He was already here. He had no plans to turn back.

As he stepped outside, he was faced by the looming shadow of what seemed like a menacing creature, guarding the night and ready to attack him and eat him whole. He stepped back and held his pounding chest. He nearly ran back inside while screaming the house down. But he calmed down when he realized that it was just a huge old tree. The head of the tree with the hoe llow of the branches made it look like a monster. The extended branched made it look like its extended arms.

“It is just a tree,” Deive breathed. Just a harmless tree. Of course, what would an innocent tree do to hurt him? He was safe.

He heard the woman’s voice again. “Luna, where are you? Please come back. Don’t hide from me.” It sounded like she was worried and about to cry.

He made a few steps and saw a woman. It was the same woman wearing the white gown awhile ago. She was standing under the tree.

He walked to her direction. His head was telling him to turn tail and go back to the safety of his room. But her voice was beckoning him to come closer and there was nothing he could do about it.

She looked vulnerable while the wind was blowing her dress and her long straight hair. Her cries resonated through the night. It looked like the cold of the night didn’t bother her a bit with her thin night dress. The moonlight bathed her body, as if it was comforting her. How he envied the moon.

It was like a fairy tale. He had never met someone like her before who arouse his curiosity right away. Perhaps he felt the sadness and worr in her voice. He hated to see a woman cry.

He stopped just a few steps away from her. “Miss, are you okay?”

Deive heard her breath hitch. She hid behind the tree right away. Did he frighten her? Did she think that he was a bad guy? Then he remembered that he was only wearing his pajama and none on top. He was on a hurry to check the music a while ago and he forgot to dress up.

He scratched his head. This was the first time that a woman got scared of him. He was used to women fawning over him, ready to devour him in his half-naked state. And they couldn’t get their hands off him.

He tried to explain. “Miss, wait. No need to be scared. I am not a bad guy. Ust tell me if I can help you with anything. Who is Luna? Who are you looking for?”

And who was this woman? Maybe there were other people in the house aside from Marina and Callea. They just didn’t inform him so it won’t bother him.

He heard a purring sound. “Luna!” the woman exclaimed in glee. She followed the sound of the cat and pick it up from between the bushes. “You shouldn’t have ran away. What if someone takes you away from me? You got me so worried.”

He hated cats but he wanted to see the smile on her face. He followed her. When she heard her footsteps, she stood up and hid behind the other side of the tree. She was deliberately avoiding him.

“Miss, I won’t get mad at you even if you bring a cat or whatever. Don’t be scared.”

“What are you doing here?” she seethed in a menacing voice.

He walked a bit towards her. “I heard someone playing the piano so I decided to check it out. Were you the one playing the piano? If you want to keep it a secret, I won’t tell.” Of course, the rich don’t allow their helpers to use their expensive properties, unless to clean it perhaps. But for a helper, she was really a great player.

The mysterious woman didn’t answer. She just kept her head down. Her long hair hid her face while holding her cat. He couldn’t see her face because the cloud suddenly covered the bright moon and casted its shadow. Maybe she was really scared because she didn’t expect that he would see her. Maybe cats were not allowed on the mansion but she decided to keep it.

“I am Deive. I am a visitor here. You and your pet are safe with me,” he reassured. How about you? What’s your name?” he asked.

“You shouldn’t have come here!” Her voice was full of venom and warning. As if coming there was the worst decision ever. And he didn’t know why.

The wind blew once more and sent chills to his spine. The moon was released from its temporary shade and cast its light once more to the woman. She could feel the woman’s penetrating gaze on her despite the bunch of hair all over her face.

But he couldn’t care about her face right now. The view in front of his was ghastly. He was totally horrified when he saw the blood stains in front of her white nightdress. Blood. Bloody hell!

There were blood on her sleeves and the hem of her dress. But there was a lot of stain on her abdomen. As if someone stabbed her or abused her. A victim of a henious crime.

He was stunned, his feet were planted on the ground. His brain was screaming with fear until this head hurt but there was no voice coming out of his mouth. He was as still as a statue in utter shock.

This was no ordinary human. She was a ghost. A bad spirit. She didn’t belong in this world anymore. Ghosts were real.

He felt like he was in a bad a dream and he couldn’t find a way to go back to reality. The girl whom he thought was beautiful and mysterious was replaced by a nightimare. A real nightmare.

If this white lady would grab him and suck the life force out of him, he won’t be able to move. And there was nothing he could do to fight her except pray. He didn’t even know what prayer to recite to save himself. He was numb and his mind was not functioning at all. He was doomed.

The cat screeched at him. Dagger looks were thrown his way, ready to protect its master. His breath hitched. The other eye was mutilated. An equally menacing creating. It jumped out of the woman’s arm straight to him. His reflex was not working and he felt its claws bury on the skin of his chest.

“Ahhh!” he shouted and pried the cat off his chest. He really hated cats but now he hated them tenfolds specially this hellcat. But no matter how much he wanted to keep it away from his body, it kept on scratching him. He couldn’t believe that he was overpowered by a mere cat.

But this is no ordinary cat. It is a ghost. How can I fight a ghost?

“Luna, stop it!” the woman repimanded its cat.

The cat suddenly stopped attacking him. It jumped out of his arms and scurried back to its master. He seethed in pain as he felt his wounds smarting. He balled his fist and breathed heavily. Once he gets his hands on that cat, he would choke the life out of it.

“Luna hurt you?” the woman asked in a concern voice and lifted her head. “Do you want me to treat you?” She started walking towards him.

He shook his head and stepped back. “No. Please don’t come near me.!” But the white lady kept on walking at extended her hand. “No! Go away away! Scram back to where the hell you came from. Go with the light and have a peaceful life. You and your cat.”

He remembered the stories about souls of the dead who thought they are still alive and couldn’t accept their untimely death. Some were also looking for justice on their deaths. Most of them were victims of crime. And because of their grief, they also take the lives of living people in the after life to join their misey.

Drat! He still wanted to live longer. He still has dreams. He wanted to see his pirate cruise ship sail the sea and turn them into fleet. He still has a woman waiting for him to marry her.

If the heavens would punish him for appreciating beautiful woman and tasting the goods, hopefully not this way. A bloody white lady with a hellcat was definitely the last on his list. And it was something that he won’t wish on his worst enemy.

The white lady held her hand up as if she was trying to stop her. “Don’t move! On your back…”

“I told you don’t come near me, you evil spirit!”

He retreated and didn’t heed her warning. He yelled when he realized that he was walking on air. He lost his balance and plunged into the depths of cold, freezing water. Is he gonna die?