Last night, late on, the doorbell rang. I don’t think any of the staff were on, actually, thinking about it I haven’t seen any of the staff for a while (I must look into that later!), so I had to trudge all the way to the door and answer it myself.

It can be quite a trek across the Foyer, but I made it in one piece this time. The door creaked open, and stood facing me were three people, two women and a man, who looked as thought they’d just arrived from a bygone age.

“Jinkies!” Said the bespectacled woman, “This place is huge, Is it haunted?”

The blond man standing next to her poked her in the ribs. “I apologise for my friend, she’s very inquisitive. No, we wonder if we could ask for your help?”

I told them it really depended on what help they needed, as I was in the Mansion by myself.

The man continued. “We’ve called at that crumbly old looking building right at the bottom of the lane and got no answer.”

“Ah,” I said, “That’d be Old Man Winters’ place. He’s gone away, I believe.”

“I see.” Said the man. “Our van has broken down just by the bend on the lane, and we think it just needs water to cool the engine down some. Could you please fill this bucket?” He pointed to a bucket on the ground between his legs

“Of course,” I replied, trying desperately to remember the way to the Kitchen. “By the bend you say? The dark bend by the gnarled old oak tree?”

“That’s the one, sir!” The man was very polite.

“It isn’t the best place to leave a vehicle unattended there.”

“Oh, no worries – we’ve split up, and left our friend and his dog there. They’re looking after things there.”

“If they aren’t eating all the midnight buffet that is!” The quiet redhead spoke.

“Step inside a moment,” I said waving them in. I’d decided to go to the Bathroom for the water, which was just up the Stairway and along the Landing. As I went up the stairs with the bucket, I noticed the lights flickering on and off again. “Stop it!” I whispered to the banister, hoping the message would somehow get through to its intended recipient and not the trio waiting by the door.

“Jinkies!” I heard the bespectacled young lady say again, just as I filled the bucket in the Bathroom. I then returned to the visitors with the full bucket.

“Thank you, sir!” the man said again. “Actually, is this place haunted?” He asked.

“Parts of it is,” I replied, “but not here in the Foyer. Why do you ask?”

“It’s just my friend here could have sworn the eyes in the portraits on the walls were moving.”

“Oh that!” I exclaimed. “Don’t worry about that – if it isn’t a trick of the light, it’s just a trick of the Mansion.”

I waved the trio off as they crossed the Courtyard, strangely running in a line for some reason, as they headed toward the Driveway that led onto the lane. I closed the door behind me as I walked back into the Mansion and back to the Living Room.

“You…! I said the Mansion. “Behave when we have guests! And there’s no need to roll your eyes”. I noticed one of the portraits on the wall doing that as I walked passed.

I didn’t even get their names, these out of time visitors, but they looked awfully familiar. I’ll have to check the door’s security camera footage to see if it caught a good picture of them.

——

If you don’t already know who the visitors were, click the peephole below to go to the recorded picture within the door’s security footage. Although the clues are all there…