On reaching there, I witnessed the large, imposing structure again in front of my eyes. It looked as strange and eerie as it looked the other night. We had just reached there when Bob came running and accompanied us.
'Had your food?', Fred asked Bob, glaring at him.
'Yeah', replied Bob with an embarrassed blush.
'Let's go inside!', I cried.
'I am not coming', said Fred.
'Me too', added Bob.
'Why is it so?' I asked with disgust. Fred and Bob looked at each other and then Fred said, 'See buddy. This place doesn't seem good to me. It has some uncanny, ominous feel. Moreover, it's just about bringing him out. So, we are staying here and you bring him out.'
'Fine then. I shall bring him with me.', saying so I moved towards the main door and tried to push it. Strangely, the door opened with just a gentle push. Bob had said that it was locked. But it was not the thing which was troubling me much. The only thought going on in my mind was to find Larry.
The mansion was completely dark from inside. I had to turn my torch on. The smell itself confirmed of absence of any human presence for ages. There was dirt and dust all over the place. Long, dusty cobwebs were also hanging there all around from the high walls. I moved on slowly. There was still a strange silence. First, I began to search for him in the ground floor.
'Larry! Hey Larry! You there?'. No response. 'See I am telling you, don't try to play hide and seek with me. You have already troubled us a lot.'
Suddenly it appeared as if someone ran behind me. I looked back swiftly but no one was there. Just darkness. I tried to check with the light, but in vain. I proceeded in that direction. Walking some distance ahead, I realised there was a high doorway into a room whose door was slightly open. Then all of a sudden, I heard some low, faint music coming out from within the room, probably of some toy. Slowly, the echo of that music was getting louder and louder as if it was coming closer to me with every passing second.
'Larry, you there?', I squealed in the direction of that music with perturbation before gulping with nervousness. My words came reverberating back to me but not a single reply. I moved further towards the room slowly, taking small steps. My heart was pounding really fast in my chest. On reaching the door, I opened the door slowly with an unknown fear in my mind. It produced a creaking sound. It was the kitchen. There was no one in there. I scrutinized the room with my eyes and torch but found no one, not even any source of music. It really astounded me and aggravated my tension.
While I was standing there, leaning against the jamb of the door, I suddenly heard the muffled laughter of a little girl from above the staircase starting just a couple of feet from the place I was standing. I moved towards the staircase which led to the first-floor balcony.
I started moving slowly up through the treads. I could hear the creaking of woodwork under my feet. On reaching the balcony, I saw a room in front of me whose door was open. The stairs to the attic were to my left while the rails of the balcony to my right. I again sensed something behind me, but on turning around, I found no one. Now facing forward, I moved towards the room with anxiety.
It was a real big room with huge windows. The room was filled with old, rotten furniture. Probably, the owner of that mansion was very fond of woodworks. I ran my eyes across the room and then I finally saw Larry sitting at the farthest corner of the room, facing the wall.
'There you are!', I exclaimed and then trudged in his direction. 'You don't know how much we have searched for ya-'
But on moving closer, I sensed something was wrong. He was murmuring something to himself in Cajun (I knew that because back there in Kyland, one of our neighbors used to speak in that accent). It was strange because Larry had never been exposed to this elocution, nor had I heard him use that accent ever and speaking such perfectly in Cajun was not anyone's cup of tea. He was continuously scribbling something on the wall. I peered at it closely. It displayed-
You are cursed- You are cursed- You are cursed--
'Hey what is this man?', I asked resting my left hand over his shoulder. He turned around abruptly, got the hold of my neck with his left hand and lifted me off the ground.
'What-what-are-'. I was choking.
Then he pushed me. He went on pushing me roughly through my neck to the edge of the room and then further to the balcony. I could feel some beast-like strength in him. After getting to the balcony, he gave me an evil grin and threw me from there with only that one hand. I hit the wall, bounced unto the stairs and after rolling over it, finally crash landed on my right hand on the ground floor. A crackling sound came out of my right arm. I could feel my bone crackle. Then he jumped from there, over the railing, and landed in front of me. I tried to flee with fright, grabbing my broken hand. But before I could reach to the door, I stumbled upon something and fell.
The look in Larry's eyes was terrifying. They were black, as if it were the dungeon of all the darkness in the universe. I tried to stand up. He was standing at a distance of around ten yards from me.
'Have you lost your mind?!', I shouted at Larry.
'You did a big mistake'
'What the hell are you speaking about?'
'You fell in my trap'. He gave an evil smile.
'Trap. Which trap? Oh God! Have you gone crazy!!'
'First I will get your fuckin' friend and then-'
'Oh just shut up, Larry!'
'Larry is not here'
'What the fuck has happened to you, huh?!'
'Nothing has happened to me. It's gonna happen to you, your friend. You know what? - '. He turned to his back silently. I could see him inhale and exhale deeply continuously. The pace was going on increasing rapidly.
'What?'
'The sinister... has... begun!', he shouted, turning around sharply. Then roaring with madness, he suddenly darted at my direction.
'Larry!!', I screamed at the top of my voice. Fred and Bob could have heard me.
Suddenly the look in his eyes went away, the fierceness in his body was gone and he fainted down to the ground right in front of me. The beast in him had left. I kneeled down closing my eyes and grasped my hand with pain. I was still unable to understand what just happened.