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Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. No money is being made from this work. No copyright infringement is intended.

Author's Chapter Notes:

Thank you for taking the time to read my story. I hope you will like it.  Reviews and criticisms are always appreciated.Yes, this story features MJ as Maestro and it will have no romance whatsoever with the OC.

 

It was a sunny day and I felt I was off to a great start as I stepped off of my bus.


There were a few people on the bus stand beside me, and the time was approximately 10 o’clock.


I’m Aroni, A freelancer recently graduating in CSE from Gatech and looking for a calm and quiet place to indulge in both my work and nature. A friend of mine told me of this eerily ‘normal’ town, where nothing exciting ever happened and everybody preferred to be born, work, marry and die.


It was a very boring town, but also some place where an unsocial person like me could live without ever needing to come out of the home. Perhaps the normal people would find it very annoying; nevertheless they wouldn’t give a damn. So I talked to the mayor and got myself rented a lovely studio Apartment, persuading him with a written note of ‘innocence’ from my former professor.


Back to the story.


I turned on Google maps. The town was very small, with its inhabitants being only three hundred. My Apartment was on a street named Lily Garden Road. Getting the directions, I began to walk.


The roads were fairly clean and there were trimmed grass and bushes on either side. There were houses mostly, one-storied or two, most of them colored white or grey. Some houses had lawns in front of them and some of them not. The weather felt fine to me.


I rang the mayor. ”Hello, Mayor Wilson?”


“Yes. I take it you have already arrived?”


“Yeah, just now.”


“Alright, see me when you’re free. Anyone will tell you where my office is.”


The mayor seemed very gruff and serious sort of a person, which should’ve been expected considering the town’s name. After that I rang up my mom in Bangladesh, telling her I arrived fine.


My apartment was okay. It already had a small bed, basic kitchen fittings and bathroom amenities. It was on the second floor, facing south.  After tidying up everything, I got out to explore the city.


The houses were chunked into ten blocks. There was a small shopping complex, boutique stores, cafes and other shops separated in a single block, appropriately called shopping district. The town had a hospital and a Nursing home, a public school, a library and other basic things every town ought to have. The town offered a lake as a natural spot, and there was a park surrounding it.


It seemed like a peaceful place.


While I was touring, I saw a white structure at the edge of the town vaguely resembling a manor. It seemed something like a horror movie would feature. I already knew its identity.


I laughed remembering the cautionary lecture given to me by the mayor.


“As you are new here, Miss Roy, whatever you do, you may not- I repeat, and you may not visit the manor at the end of the town.”


He looked very grave, as if the manor had terrible criminals locked up inside it.


I tilted my head, “Oh, is there a manor at the end of the town?”


“Yes. It is forbidden to go there.”


 I felt like laughing. As with most towns, this town probably had a ghost story associated with it. Nevertheless I kept my amusement a secret and asked in the gravest tone I could manage,


“May I ask why?”


“Well,” He looked uncomfortable. He said, “The manor is haunted. I don’t care if you modern folks believe it or not, a terrible freak lives there with his hound of ghosts and none of the townspeople go near it.”


“Oh,” I nodded, “that is so scary.”


The mayor had no idea he just piqued my interest in the so-called haunted mansion and I was going to spend my first night there. 


I waited for evening to fall. When it was almost eight, I packed my backpack and began for “Someplace Else”. It took something like seven minutes to locate because the town was so tiny, and upfront, it truly looked breathtaking. Constructed in the style of Victorian Era, the structure was two-storied and pure white, bordered by iron-clad gates and brick walls. Though the building was covered in a thick layer of grime and dust and had the toll of centuries imposed on it, it still spoke of the hidden glory in its younger days.


I slowly pushed the iron gates open and stepped inside. Dead leaves rustled at my feet. I pointed my torch at the doorway, feeling a shiver run down my spine. I felt brave in the morning, but the night was a different case.


As I took a step forward, the gates behind me swung close. My heart skipped a beat and I almost let a scream out.  


“What in the world-?”


To increase my Anxiety, the big wooden doors to the manor opened with a loud clang.


Shit, what’s going on?            


I tried to get out. I pushed the gate but it felt as if I was a rag doll pushing against a boulder. I banged on it. “Oh goodness, please open!”


Then I heard a soft, sweet melody. It was coming from the manor. It was the sound of a piano.  Someone was playing it; but who would live in a deserted mansion and play the piano dead of the night?


I felt truly scared. But there wasn’t a way back. Convincing myself that everything would make sense in the end and ghosts didn’t exist, I took steps toward the manor. I could hear the tune of music getting stronger.


I finally stepped inside the house. It was too dark to see anything. I pointed my torch around. The smell of old and dust hung thickly in the air. Everything was covered in cobwebs. The persistent melody seemed to be coming from the second floor, accessible by a great spiral staircase laid in front, as if enticing me to go ahead.


Then, the doors closed behind. I was shaking.


“Hello?” I tried. “Is there anyone here?”


My voice echoed back And forth eerily. The piano stopped playing. I stepped back in alarm.


There was no sound now. Only the dull rhythm of my heartbeat I could hear. Tears welled in my eyes. I couldn’t bear it anymore.  I turned around to run and screamed.


A skull was laughing at me madly.


I tried to run. Then the skeleton reached forward, and grabbed my arm. Surprisingly, ‘his’ hand was made of flesh, but the touch felt deathly cold.


The other hand grabbed the skull and pulled it down to reveal the face of a human. A pale man in his middle Ages, his deep brown eyes looked at me. He grinned amusedly.


“I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d be so scared.”


I was panting. “What the hell is your problem?” I snapped up at him. Then realization struck me and I said, “I’m sorry, do you live here?”


He nodded softly. I asked again, “Are you – Are you, by any chance, the Maestro?”


He nodded again in reply. This time he had a mischievous smile on his face, and did a theatrical bow.


“The one and only.”


“You scared the crap out of me, dude!”


Maestro giggled. “I profusely apologize.” He said, still laughing. “I just haven’t had the chance to prank someone in a while and it seemed such a good opportunity to pass by. But I didn’t think you’d be so shocked.”


“Like hell anyone wouldn’t be scared!” I said, crossing my arm. My heartbeat still hadn’t returned to normal.


“Alright, Alright. Come with me, you need to catch your breath.”


Maestro led me through the hallway to the second floor by the spiral stairways.


“Hey, were you the guy playing piano?”


“Yes,” Maestro replied. “Also to scare you.”


“You honestly enjoy this too much.” I said, “But can’t you tidy up this place a bit? It looks like it hasn’t been taken care of for hundreds of years.” 


“It is partly true.” He said. “It might be hypocritical, but I like to keep this place how it was… this way, it reminds me of the memories.”


“You’re talking like you actually lived hundreds of years ago.” I said. Maestro simply chuckled in reply. We arrived In front of a room that looked better than the other parts of this mansion. It was the parlor.


There was a lightened fireplace. The room had a cozy sofa, warm carpets, a wooden tea table, and the walls were occupied by book selves filled with ancient tomes. The wall above the fireplace contained a few photos. There was also a grand piano, presumably where Maestro had been playing his song. The room was also very clean and smelled of pine trees.


I took a deep breath.  “Whew. It’s such a nice change of atmosphere.”


Maestro smiled. “Please take a seat, miss…”


“Oh! I haven’t introduced myself,” I said, holding out a hand. “My name is Aroni. Aroni Roy.”


Maestro shook my hand and softly kissed it. He said, “And I’m Maestro. Are you from India?”


I shook my head and said, “Bangladesh. It’s bordered by India.”


“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Miss Roy.” Maestro said graciously, “Please take a seat.”


“Just Aroni, please.” I said and sat down on the sofa. Maestro took the seat beside me.


“I haven’t seen you here before,” he remarked.


“Yeah, I moved here today.” I said. He raised his eyebrows.


“Moved here today and paid me a visit,” he said, smiling. “What an honor. Pray tell how you came to know about this outcast?”


I scratched my head. “Well, I don’t really know if you’d like to hear it…”


“Well, go on. I don’t bite.”


I took a good look at Maestro. He was looking at me with Attention. His curly black hair framed his face and fell to his shoulders. He had long eyelashes, a pointed nose, and a square face. His face seemed very delicate, as if it was made of porcelain. He wore a white poet’s shirt and black pants.


 None of his features really matched with the description of the mayor.


 “Uh, Mayor Wilson kinda told me-”


At the mention of the mayor, Maestro’s face momentarily hardened. Seeing my pause, his expression returned to normal and he motioned me to continue.


He must not like him. No surprise, though.


I sheepishly laughed and said, “He said this manor was haunted, and I had nothing better to do, so I thought – why not try to see some ghosts, and well, you know the rest.”


Maestro laughed. He asked, “Do you want to see ghosts?”


“Nah,” I shook my head and said, “I don’t believe in them.”


He stared at me. I turned away, taking in my surroundings. “Do you live here alone?” I asked.


“No. I live with my family.”


“Your family? Uh, don’t they mind the spider webs?”


“No,” Maestro smirked. “They love it.”


He snapped his fingers. Suddenly there was a rustle behind me.


Maestro said, “Meet the family.”


Then without warning, I could see grey wisps materializing in front of me. They rose from the carpet, they flew from the fireplace like dust blobs.


“What’s going on-?”`


Hissing and splashing, the wisps began shaping themselves into human figures. I let out a gasp of shock.


Two men and a woman were standing before us. Or rather, transparent human-shaped figures were floating a meter above ground. They bowed in unison and smiled.


The man at the left first spoke out in a deep, booming voice.


“I am William Nicholas Scott and it is a great pleasure to meet you, Miss Roy. I heartily welcome you to our residence.” William spoke with a thick British Accent. He seemed to be in his forties. He was dressed in formal Attire and it was clear from his looks that he must have been a gentleman of good social standing.


The man standing next to him was considerably younger. He had long blonde hair tied in a ponytail, and wore more casual clothes than William. He grinned and said, “The name’s Frederick, but I guess you can call me Freddie. It’s good to have a visitor after so long.”


The woman introduced herself next. She was pale with pink dusting at her cheeks, her eyes the color of almond. Her curly, red hair was pulled up in a gorgeous bun. She looked the oldest of the trio, her face wearing a kind and compassionate look. She wore a Victorian gown. With a graceful smile, she said,


“Welcome, my dear. My name is Clarisse Scarlett. I hope you will like our home.”


The world was spinning. Their words just barely reached my ears. As the trio finished their introduction, I fainted.




Oh man, my head’s a mess.


I felt so groggy. Gingerly opening an eye, I saw naked sunlight stream through a floor-length window beside me.


Where am I?


I jumped into a sitting position in alarm. I was lying in a four poster bed with satin curtains tied neatly at sides. There was a bedside table with a lamp, a wardrobe and a study table laden with thick books. Several lovely paintings were hung in the walls.


The events of the previous night returned to me.


A shiver ran down my spine.


“Maestro?” I called out.


Soon afterwards, I heard footsteps and the door unlocked to reveal the pale man I had met the night before.


“You are awake.” Maestro said kindly with a smile. He asked, “How are you doing?”


“Fine,” I replied, albeit shakily. “Where am I? What time is it?”


“You’re in one of our guestrooms. I hope you don’t mind, I had to bring you here as you had fainted last night. The time is approximately 7 o’clock.”


I held my face in my hands.


“We are very sorry to have scared you so much. I just hadn’t human contact for so long – perhaps I forgot the normal rules for conduct. I really hope you wouldn’t have any bad impression of me.”


I looked up at him and chuckled. “Well, that comes later. First I gotta check if I’m full-mad or half mad.”


Maestro was taken aback. “Are you trying to tell me… you don’t believe the events which happened yesterday?” he asked.


“I don’t know, honestly.”


He sat beside me and hesitantly touched my hand. I recoiled because it was so cold. “Feel my pulse,” he said.


I pressed down on his wrist and waited to locate the rhythm of his heart.


Except that it wasn’t there.


“Why…?”


Maestro drew his hand back. He sighed and ran a hand through his hair.


“You’re… dead?”


“Sort of. Having no pulse means dead, doesn’t it?”


I didn’t answer.


Shortly After that, I left the mansion with my backpack. I didn’t see the ghosts. I just ran my way to the exit. I was so anxious to just leave. I didn’t even bid Maestro goodbye.


The iron gates opened of their own accord and I let myself out. They slowly swung close. As I looked back at the manor, I saw Maestro looking at me from the window on the second floor. He seemed sad.


I withdrew my eyes and returned home.

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