The Moors: Some secrets are better left buried (6 page)

Thump!

Bang!

Thrwack!

Ellie hissed viciously, like a powerful snake that turned every which way in an attempt to break free. The look in her eyes was frightening and Amanda wondered what she would be capable of should she manage to elude their grip.

‘Calm down, my lovely. Calm down. She’s not gonna hurt you,’ insisted Margaret.

Whether the words acted as some kind of reassurance, or whether the girl had simply fought herself to exhaustion, Ellie’s struggle weakened to a series of sporadic jolts.

‘She works for us now. She’s gonna live with us,’ Margaret informed Ellie, gently brushing her hand over the girl’s sweat-drenched brow.

Slowly but surely, Ellie calmed. Amanda took a moment to catch her breath and noticed that the youngster’s arms were covered in cuts and scratches. Some of the markings were permanent scars caused from deep and nasty wounds. It was certainly a sight worthy of Amanda’s concern.

When Margaret was satisfied it was safe enough to leave her, she led Amanda back out into the hallway and routinely locked the door. Amanda was quiet. The shock of being attacked had shaken her more than she would have guessed. The girl was so young! That’s what got to her most.

How can someone so young be so unhappy?

Sensing Amanda’s hazy state of mind, Margaret didn’t push for conversation. Instead, she offered a consoling smile, as if to say everything would be okay, before heading back towards the staircase. Suddenly, Amanda snapped out of her daze, looking over her shoulder towards the hallway that continued around the corner from Ellie’s room, fading into darkness as though it had been forgotten.

‘What’s around here?’ she asked, stepping towards a better vantage point before Margaret could reply.

Amanda saw that it led to a dark and narrow staircase, at the top of which stood a small but heavy door.

‘Oh! We don’t need to worry about that,’ insisted Margaret, continuing to inch towards the stairs.

Something, however, kept Amanda’s attention on the door. She didn’t know why, but she had an inexplicable urge to know what was inside. Every other part of the house had either been shown to Amanda, or at very least had its contents and its purpose explained, but not the attic. Amanda looked at her keys: five keys for the five bedrooms that slept six children. There was no key for this small, intriguing door that had a large and robust lock attached to the outside, as though it were guarding some great hidden secret. Wishing to keep her insatiable curiosity under wraps, Amanda placed her keys in her pocket and followed Margaret, slinking down the stairs behind her, but she was determined to come back and explore the secret room at the first possible chance she got.

*External grounds, the Prince Care Home – 1972

*Internal blueprint, the Prince Care Home – 1972

CHAPTER SIX
Lights Out
Saturday 12
th
February, 1972

In front of the soft glow of the open fire, Gordon, Reuben and Georgina lay fast asleep on the large, comfy sofa. Malcolm sat before a nearby window and simply stared out into space. Margaret looked to Walter and indicated he was to take Malcolm to bed. She then looked at Amanda and nodded towards Gordon. Margaret herself tended to Reuben, lifting his light frame over her shoulder before nudging Georgina, who stirred with a light groan. Together, they manoeuvred around the room in well-synchronised silence.

Gordon was of a very slight build and therefore easy enough to carry. Amanda opened his bedroom door and entered the room, into which the soft blue moonlight shone. The sky outside was dark and stormy and the wind was picking up. Amanda placed Gordon delicately into bed, pulled his blanket over him and swept his hair gently across his forehead. She watched him for a moment and became lost in quiet emotion. Never had she been very maternal, yet there she was, finding genuine comfort in the child’s well-being and swooning at the sight of his peaceful sleep. Before she had a chance to analyse where her inner warmth had stemmed from, Gordon stirred.

‘Lights out. Eight o’clock,’ he instructed.

She couldn’t help but chuckle at the boy’s manner. He was so deeply humorous and sweet.

‘It’s alright. It’s not eight just yet, Gord,’ she informed him.

‘Oh!’ he said, unsure of what to make of the information.

‘You look tired,’ she said, softly.

‘Yah. Tired. I’m definitely a little tired. Lights out, eight o’clock.’

She smiled before shaping to leave.

‘Where’s Elijah?’ asked Gordon.

Amanda looked back at him, wondering if he was caught in a dream, but he seemed quite awake and was looking expectantly towards the window.

‘Who’s Elijah?’

‘The dog. He’s the dog.’

‘You have a dog?’ Amanda questioned.

‘Yah!’

‘How come I haven’t seen him, Gord?’

‘He comes to my window every night. He comes to help me sleep,’ the boy claimed.

Amanda instinctively walked over to the window and absorbed the view. His room was only two along from hers, so offered a similar perspective of the land, but this time she observed in greater detail. A drainpipe ran down the house nearby and a strip of wooden slatted fencing held some shrubbery in place against the wall. Although it would be dangerous, a person might be able to climb to Gordon’s window using these for assistance, but a dog? Impossible!

‘The dog comes to your window?’

‘Yah! I can’t sleep without him,’ he told her.

‘We’re upstairs, Gord,’ said Amanda, curious as to whether this would affect his certainty.

‘Yah!’ he said, without a second thought.

Amanda took a moment to choose her words.

‘So… what does it look like? Your dog?’ she coaxed.

‘Like this,’ replied Walter, making Amanda’s heart skip a beat as he ghosted into the room carrying a small teddy bear.

‘Vivid imagination, this one!’ he continued as he handed the cuddly toy to Gordon.

‘Yah. The dog comes to my room. I can’t sleep without him,’ he muttered, taking the bear before rolling onto his side.

Some leads were promising. Most were not. Amanda placed the notion of Gordon having a dog firmly in the latter category, although the toy he held was a bear, not a dog, and she’d be suprised if somebody as particular as him didn’t know the difference.

‘Goodnight Gord,’ she said with affection, before leaving the room with Walter.

*
 

In the company of a large glass of milk and a burning lantern, Amanda sat manically scribbling notes into her notepad.

I am yet to witness any questionable means of discipline, but several unorthodox procedures are in place,
was one statement.

I was deeply concerned by the marks on Ellie’s arms, yet her frighteningly aggressive nature gives me no reason to suspect they weren’t self-inflicted,
was another.

Ever since she had discovered the graveyard, her opinion as to whether or not its inclusion within the grounds was ethical had changed more often than the direction of the wind.

The graveyard poses many questions. I need to explore Christian’s background as an undertaker,
was the final summary of her conflict, but with the issue firmly lodged in her mind, she walked towards her window and looked outside. She could see the swing, the washing line and a section of the outhouse down the bottom of the garden but the flowery archway she desired was situated on the other side of the house. Still, the view appeared creepy enough at night, especially with the wind giving artificial movement to everything in sight. Goosebumps spread over her skin as she thought about the bodies that lay under the yard. It was terrifying but engaging at the same time – enough to lead her outside, at least.

The grass crunched beneath Amanda’s feet as she made her way through the flowery archway and towards the headstones. She held a lantern close in one hand and grasped her Dictaphone tightly in the other. The rusty squeaking of the swing carried through the yard, sending an eerie chill down her spine.

Once in the graveyard, she studied the headstone directly next to Stanley’s.

LYDIA PRINCE
TO A WONDERFUL WIFE AND DAUGHTER
MAY YOU BE AT PEACE WITH THE ANGELS
1934–1960
 

Amanda pulled the Dictaphone to her lips.

‘I questioned Margaret about Christian’s wife, but said she didn’t feel comfortable talking about it.
Didn’t feel comfortable
? What an odd expression,’ she reflected.

She ran her hand over the headstone.

‘The headstones are old, yet look as good as new. They’re detailed in their design and have—’

Amanda stopped immediately as she heard the front door to the house shut. She edged back towards the archway where she could watch in secret as Christian – again dressed in his hunting gear – rummaged around in the boot of his jeep before closing the door with care. He climbed into the driver’s seat and, somewhat peculiarly, released the handbrake so the vehicle rolled quietly down the hill. Not until he was near the gate at the bottom did he start the engine and turn on the headlights, which pierced through the dark fields ahead of his jeep. It was 1:20am.

‘I know you’re not hunting for crows now!’ said Amanda, under her breath.

As Amanda stepped back towards the house she ducked into the shadows when she noticed Karen peering out of her bedroom window, watching Christian’s jeep closely as it disappeared into the distance. Seeming agitated, Karen yanked the curtains shut.

What are you up to?
Amanda pondered.

Amanda’s belief that something unsavoury was happening increased with every passing minute. Suddenly, her mind was ablaze with questions and conspiracy theories. She knew she should rest and start afresh in the morning, but she was running out of time, for it was already the early hours of Sunday morning – the day she’d promised Tony she would make her excuses and leave. She already knew this would not be possible. Not until she’d discovered what the homeowners were up to.

With great caution, she walked through the main hallway on the ground floor of the home, her lantern guiding her through the darkness. She feared that Karen would exit her room and catch her wandering around, but Amanda was in a super vigilant state and couldn’t detect any movement or sound. Therefore, she crept up the staircase to the first floor, controlling her breathing and making painstaking efforts not to allow the boards to creak beneath her feet. She reached the top of the stairs and stopped for a moment. If anybody caught her there, she would have plausible deniability as she was right outside her bedroom and could claim she needed to visit the lavatory. However, every step she took further down the hallway would make her proximity more difficult to explain, and the staircase that she wanted to explore was right opposite Walter and Karen’s bedroom. Should they come out and see her there, Amanda would not be able to deny the fact she was snooping. She took one small step. Then another. She gulped as her eyes darted between Karen’s bedroom door and the impossible darkness that seeped from around the corner. Not even a window, tinted through apparent neglect, effected the darkness that stalked the attic door. It was as though it belonged to another world.

Amanda found it funny how people could be so afraid of the dark, as though somewhere within it was the chance of being confronted by their greatest nightmares. Her breaths became heavy as she crept along, feeling anxious that her every move could be heard. She had made it half way down the hallway and was listening intently for any movement coming from Karen’s room, but it remained silent. This was her chance. She was ready. She glanced around the hallway one last time to make sure she was alone, but she wasn’t alone, for right at the end of the hallway, peering through the window and staring directly at her was a vicious snarling animalistic being, and it was angry.

Amanda’s lantern dropped to the floor and smashed on the ground as, for the third time during her short stay, she screamed.

In the midst of the darkness, precisely as she feared, she had met something from a nightmare.