The sky was cloudless even though it was a chilly winter day. And Brook, as well as her brother with the rest of her relatives, was watching the castle with amazement, but nobody except Dale noticed the existence of many owls on that tree in front of the castle. Everybody looked very excited to get inside and enjoy Easter in that huge deserted palace. It was gloomy, though as if the sun didn’t strike it at all. The air seemed cold and extremely numb with every breath Brook took. And as the castle was drawing closer and closer, everything around them seemed to become more and more distant. Even the trees seemed to be murmuring then nothing could be heard anymore as if everything was silenced and the Iron Gate looked scary with its rustling sound. Even the owls couldn’t be heard anymore, and all of a sudden, the ground became clean, very clean indeed even the falling leaves disappeared as if they were never there. There was nothing special about the entrance to the castle except for the old as well aged concrete steps to the doorway. The castle looked huge and wide from the outside as if it was a labyrinth. It was a unique place made of very huge dark and gray stones, and there were a big number of climber plants growing on the walls of the palace as if they were hugging it tightly. And as the cars got inside, the wind blew harder and howled as if storms stroke the house. It was creepy and strange at the same time; it looked like a special welcoming of the castle to its visitors. The windows were rattling loudly and vigorously because of that outrageous sudden blowing wind. Dale looked scared and kept talking to his sister asking her to get back home:
“Brook; I want to go back home, I’m scared, what is this place? I don’t like it.”
“Why are you scared my little angel, look over there, isn’t the place looking very nice? And look at the woods; they are just like in fairytales.” Brook replied trying to reassure her brother but it seemed he didn’t agree with her over her belief in the beauty of that deserted castle.
But, it seemed that Dale was the only one who saw the gloomy and dark side of the castle since the very beginning, he could even feel that the windows could fall anytime soon. The frames that were hanged on the walls looked very old and its wood seemed to be eaten away by worms and rotten. And even the content of the paintings was very scary and strange, blood was the major feature in common between all the paintings and the relatives were stunned seeing it:
“Look at that painting, ah, isn’t it charming?”Jean asked his brother Julian.
“Maybe it is, let me have a look; I wonder when this painting was drawn,” Julian replied.
“Whoever drew it must have been a very talented painter,” Don commented.
But while the relatives were still looking at the paintings expressing their astonishment, it attracted Brook to see some plants near the door, they were put into pots and even though the castle was deserted and everything was covered with dust; the plants seemed to be still alive, as if someone was watering them every day. That was very strange but there was no time for Brook to talk about that to her relatives since the night started to fall fast.
Brook grabbed her brother’s hand and went straight to get changed in her room. The hallway looked very dull and it smelled of dust. There were three rooms on that second level. Straight ahead of those rooms, a kitchen could be seen at the end of the level, everything looked intact, the cups, the plates, even the leftovers of years ago.
“I’m thirsty Brook; can you bring me some water?” Dale inquired.
“Oh, yes darling, I’m sorry, I forgot to bring your bottle from the car, let’s hope the tap is working,” Brook replied in a low voice.
Then she entered the kitchen. It was a huge one, but it was very cold, there was a huge refrigerator inside it, it looked like a morgue in its coldness. Mugs and plate were placed everywhere even on the floor, the sink and even on the oven. The sink and the tap were completely eroded and covered with dirt, it was untouchable and the sound of the drops of water falling in the sink could be heard all over the entire place like the sound of a drop of rain falling in a silent deep well. And it made the symbols smash together.
The dining room was not very far from the kitchen, it took Brook just a matter of few minutes to enter it and see the huge black table with its seven chairs that were very cold to the touch and they were made of oak. The table was cleaned very well as if it was used by people, and above the table were put plates as well as spoons, forks, and even knives. The walls were plastered. And overall, the entire place looked charming like in the movies. Dale saw a small window, and ran towards it as if he was searching for something, and the entire family spent all the rest of the day preparing for the celebration making chocolate cakes and preparing the chocolate eggs for Easter.
And as the shades of the dark night started to be drawn, the shadows of the melancholic owls and the sounds of wild animals became clearer over the huge castle and a sense of deep gloomy mood dominated the entire place but no one among the relatives noticed it except Dale, he was the only one who didn’t look happy or willing to spend the night in that castle A sense of a very insufferable darkness and gloom pervaded Dale’s mind and he decided to sit alone in a remote corner in the living room waiting for the dinner to be ready. The castle was very silent and the dinner wasn’t fun at all because, there was nothing delicious, only leftovers and some bread.
Then everybody gathered in the living room to spend the night, it was colder than Brook could imagine. But fortunately, there was a fireplace and everybody made sure to sit in front of it and enjoy the heat. It was and perfect happy evening or at least it was.
Brook wanted to break that silence. Henceforth, she said:
“Thank you guys for this peaceful night, it has been a very long time since the last time I had fun, you reminded me of my parents, I feel I have a family again.”
Poor Brook didn’t know anything about her relatives and the bet they made over that would spend the entire night inside the castle, she was too innocent to doubt them either but sometimes, trusting would become a flaw. But how could she know? She thought that all the people were as innocent as she used to be and behave. She never thought that they would be making a plan she knew nothing about. No one ever cared about the way she felt since her parents’ death and all they were thinking of was money and fun.
“No need to thank us, it is just a night, no more than a night, we are glad you are here Brook,” Don replied in a deep voice.
But all of a sudden, when everybody was relaxing, some laying on the sofa while others drinking wine by the side of the window, a sound was heard; it was like the sound of a scream and steps could be heard. That noise was apparent, coming from upstairs.
“Did you hear that, everybody?” Brook inquired anxiously.
“It is nothing, it must be a lost cat, don’t bother yourself thinking of it,”Don replied.
However, everybody else didn’t care at all. And trying to change the gloomy mood, Don said:
“Listen to me everybody, I’m going to relate a story for you and everybody shall tell a story as well tonight, share whatever story you want to, but it has to be a scary one,” Don suggested while smiling in excitement.
“Okay Don, start by relating yours then,” Jean asked.
“Alright brothers, here is mine,
a young boy was sleeping in his own bed like he does every night. Suddenly, he hears loud footsteps outside his room’s door and peeking out of his little eyes to figure out what going on. The door started swinging very carefully and quietly to see a criminal carrying a corpse in his arms, that corpse belonged to his mother. The young kid was afraid and hid under his bed waiting for the murderer to leave that the criminal started to eat her heart and liver then he walked out of the house silently as if he never got in, this is all I have to say, I hope you liked my story guys.” Don said.
But he never mentioned that his story was a true tale and that the mother was no more than his own mother. Don didn’t confess that he was the cause of her death, forgetting the outside door open that night, his mother used to seal it every evening but Don forgot it open. He was tried hard to forget that horrible story through relating it to everyone he would meet but it would never be wiped out from his head as if he was doomed to live with that pain for the rest of his life.
“What a sad story!!”Brook commented.
“Yes my dear it is a very sad story and they say the criminal was never caught, now come on, whose turn it is now?” Don said.
“I guess my story will be better than yours Don, listen up guys, there was a young girl who lived in our building, her mommy would always tell her not to open the basement no matter what would happen, but while her babysitter was asleep in front of the TV, she felt that she wanted to know what was there and she sneaked to the basement and opened it up slowly to see a young boy who was tied up to the water pipes, that girl was curious to find out why that boy was there and who he was and she felt sorry for him so she decided to untie him and as soon as she did, he ran out to the living room and killed the babysitter by eating her alive, the girl was way too scared and locked herself in the basement until the police came and saved her,” James said.
Yet, what he hid was that the person who freed the monster wasn’t a girl but it was him and he could never forget that he was the reason behind that baby sitter’s death.
Indeed, every one of those relatives had a secret, each one of them was the cause of the death of someone but none of them admitted it and asked for forgiveness, they all denied it for many years.
And while everybody was enjoying the heat, Don came up with another suggestion to make the night pass quicker:
“Let’s play a game, shall we?”
The rest of the guys nodded and Brook was the most excited one among them to know about the game. It had been a very long time ever since she played a game at all:
“I love games, let’s play, but what will it be?” Brook inquired.
“The game is meant for each of us to find where his chocolate egg is hidden, he is a map, and you can have a look then start looking, the first to find the chocolate eggs will be the winner; do you agree?” Don explained.
“This is silly Don; we are not kids anymore to play this kind of games.” Glenn intervened.
It was the first time Glenn even intervened or spit a word; he was indeed a very silent person and didn’t talk much but after a few minutes, everybody agreed upon the game and the relatives split themselves into groups to look for the eggs. Dale didn’t want to play but he was obliged to since his sister was playing.
The two brothers chose to look in the basement whereas Brook and her brother picked the garden to search for it while Don went upstairs with Glenn.
Everything seemed to be fun reminding Brook of the happy days she used to enjoy in the past when her parents were still alive. But the same couldn’t be said about Dale. It was clear the latter wasn’t enjoying the evening and the whole game. He looked very anxious and Brook just pretended nothing was wrong with him. But for a reason, those nightmares she used to use crossed her mind again. And while Brook was making her way to the garden, her brother froze in his place refusing to get out with her. She thought that he was afraid of the darkness outside and she tried to calm him down:
“What’s the matter, my dear? Are you alright? There is nothing outside to be scared from, so please stop crying.” Brook said.
But Dale didn’t seem to listen to her and he was rather looking upstairs, something felt very strange, and Brook looked upstairs as well to see what was bothering her brother but as soon as she raised her eyes, the lights that were lit earlier died away within the castle as if someone turned them off on purpose and Brook felt something passing by her side touching her skin. And it was then when she started to see things; it was like the nightmare she used to see but that time, it was real. Brook’s hands started to shake like a leaf in the wind, but the lights didn’t take a long time to be lit again. And only then could Brook breathe easily but what she saw was surprising for her, it was a view she never expected, Don was standing still in the hallway upstairs completely naked.
Brook thought that she was dreaming, closed her eyes tight then reopened them to see that the hallway was empty once more, she wasn’t sure if what she saw was real or it was just created in her imagination. Dale finally calmed down, and Brook, still thinking about what she saw, grabbed her brother’s hand and start searching for the chocolate eggs in the garden.
It was silent, very silent, but the wind was still howling. The garden was scary or at least, that was what Brook felt when she went out with her brother. Dale could see an owl standing on a branch on the top of a tree that was there and he said to his sister:
“Look at that owl Brook, it is looking at me, it is watching us,”
“No honey, of course, it is not, it is just sleeping there,” Brook replied reassuring her brother.
Brook had never been superstitious from owls, she had always loved animals, and she believed that the owl was just a poor animal like the rest. Luckily, there was a lamp in the garden which made it look lighter. It helped Brook to find the mark of the place in which the chocolate eggs were buried. But the only problem was to find a shovel around. Brook had no choice but to call someone of her relatives t help her dig the ground.
“Jean, Julian; are you there? Is anybody here? I need some help with digging the ground here.
Brook heard a noise and she thought one of her relatives heard her and came over to help her but the sound was rather coming from the bushes and Brook started to worry and freak out:
“Stay right next to me Dale,” Brook said.
And while Dale nodded, Brook picked up a wooden stick she found while to find out whom it was:
“Hello; is anybody here? Don is it you, come on, stop playing this game, you are scaring me.” Brook inquired in a low voice carefully.
And while the place started to sink in silence, something jumped at Brook while the latter fell to the ground and started screaming loudly:
“Help, help, please help me.”
Her screams were loud enough to bring all her relatives out to see what was going on but luckily, that thing that jumped on Brook seemed to be no more than a wild cat. Everybody started laughing at Brook and the latter blushed because of her childish behavior. And after a long moment of laughter, Brook said:
“Listen to me guys, I think I have found those chocolate eggs, but I need help to dig the ground, can anyone of you find a shovel and help me doing it?”
“Oh did you really find it? Very nice, we are already fed up and we need to sleep, it getting late, so it is a relief you have found it, I think I saw a shovel somewhere around, wait, I will go and get it.” Glenn said, he was the only serious one among Brook’s relatives but he looked sad all the time and he barely spoke some words, it seemed as if he was hiding something but what it was, nobody knew.
Few minutes later, Glenn showed up carrying a shovel in his hand, where he got it, nobody could tell but it seemed that he knew the place very well as if he was there before; he knew every corner inside the castle as if it was his own house. But he didn’t want to dig and just threw the shovel to Don asking him to start digging the ground:
“I think I’m too drunk to do it myself, could you dig Don? It won’t take much time.”
“You always assign me the hard missions.” Don objected but at last, he agreed and started digging.
A few minutes passed while everybody was focusing on the whole getting deeper and deeper but there seemed to be no box of chocolate at all, and when Don was about to stop digging, his shovel hit something hard, he thought it was a rock and he asked for more light.
“Hey, James, can you focus the light of the torch in here? It seems that I have found something, come on quickly guys, I found the chocolate eggs.”Don yelled.
“Here it is Don, come on, dig faster man, I want to see what you have found, let’s hope there is enough for each of us,” Jean commented.
“I’ll make sure to take the biggest part,” Julian added.
“Yeah, that will only be in your dreams brother,” James replied.
“Everybody will enjoy a good portion; so don’t worry guys, just have some patience,” Brook commented while Dale was the only one who didn’t seem to be happy for finding the chocolate eggs.
Everything seemed to be a lot of fun until Don unveiled the soil in the ground and blew up the big surprise by pulling something very different from chocolate eggs and heavier as well. It was a corpse, a real one and when the whole was lit and became clear, Don was able to make sure that they were indeed two corpses not only one. And at that moment, only screams could be heard as the search for the chocolate eggs became a search for the dead. The corpses were almost devoid of any skin over them and they looked pitted by burrowing disgusting insects. Don turned his head away as he felt his stomach heaved but he did his best not to panic and worsen the situation. He threw away the shovel as his nostrils were filled with the smell of a rotting meat. It was something no one expected to occur. That was horrible especially that the corpses hands were tied up to each other and what was more petrifying was that the dead bodies didn’t have eyelids.
Brook rushed to cover her brother’s eyes for him not to see that horrible view but it was too late to do anything and Dale was already in a state of shock; while the rest of the relatives looked very scared except Glenn. For a reason, he looked very calm as if there were no corpses at all. Brook wondered if he was so powerful or if he had an idea about what was going on. Everything seemed to be confusing. And the corpses were not a nightmare but rather a truth, a bitter reality the relatives had to deal with.