Art Entwined In Blood

2- An Unlikely Stranger

     It was Saturday when Frank had finally woken up. Jamia had already been in the kitchen making him breakfast like she usually did. Everything seemed normal; except for an aching emotion in Frank's chest. He had had a terrible nightmare, yet it left a longing sensation for something unknown. Since there was no worry about going to work, he simply sat in bed, trying to recollect pieces of the dream.

     "There was, there was this man. With a beautiful voice, it sounded like an angel. And... fangs. Definitely fangs."

     Jamia had come into the room with breakfast for her husband, and was now trying to decipher his dreams.

     "Maybe it has to do with that guy in Way Manor? Maybe your mind is making him out to be a monster. You know, he may not be a bad guy. I mean, from what you told me last night, it seems he wanted someone to keep him company. Besides his spider, of course," she observed.

     Frank ripped a chunk of toast off with his teeth while contemplating his wife's response. He didn't exactly know how to respond, just for the fact that she was probably right. And from this realization, he knew what he needed to do.

     "I need to go to Way Manor today."

     "Wait, what?" his wife asked, perplexed.

     "I need to go to Way Manor today," he repeated.

     "I need to know who's in that house. I feel like I know him somehow. I can't leave him all alone."

     With his last line, he sprang from the comfort of his bed to the wooden armoire in the corner of the room. He threw clothes out of the way, trying to find the perfect shirt-and-pant combination. He had to make an elegant first impression, after all.

     "And what do you plan to do there? Are you just expecting to walk in and have a party with bats and cobwebs?"

     Frank seized his motions and looked at his wife.

     "I'm going to figure out who owns that house."

     "I just don't want you to get hurt," she sighed.

     "I won't," he smiled, kissing her forehead.

     He had found a black dress shirt and black dress pants to wear. The place was dark, he may as well try to fit in. Slipping them easily over his small frame, Jamia forced a cell phone into his pants pocket.

     "Just in case."

     Frank embraced her with a kiss one last time before he left the house. He didn't think he needed any help, but he wanted Jamia to know that he was going to be fine. He practically skipped down the street as he saw the dreary courtyard appearing in the distance. There was no traffic, or anyone outside for that matter. Anyone who lived near the mansion didn't go out much. If they did, they sure as hell didn't drive past it. The big house didn't look so scary in the day light. It was still gloomy, but not scary. As he walked up to the gates, he realized that they were closed, just as they were the day before. There was a sudden panic inside of him as he gently pushed on the gates that seemed so fragile to him now. He rushed past the rotting animal carcasses, something he had not seen in the dark, and up to the front steps. The door was closed, its familiar yet foriegn carvings casting shadows upon itself from the mid-morning sun. He had no hesitations this time, only determination as he pressed the handle down and proceeded into the building.

     "Hello? Who lives here?" he asked sheepishly.

     He saw no sign of Esmerelda the spider, and no sign of anything living. That is, until familiar creaking came from the dusty staircase.