DARKWOOD MANOR BY TOM H.
Chapter I: Dilemma at the Swan
On the 12th of July I got a letter, which had no address, so I opened to find out what was in it. It had something about a place called Darkwood Manor in it and I thought it was a mistake. But then it struck me I remembered I had applied for it.
*
On the 13th of July I went to the swan hotel. I counted thirty three people near the doors of it then I looked higher to see a few bats as they fluttered past the word Swan, but the ‘s‘ and ‘a‘ were missing. I approached the group and immediately spotted two people I knew: Jokey smo and Harrison Sacton. It looked like they had spotted me.
"Hello Sam!" they chorused.
"Hello" I replied.
"Shall we go in?" said a voice from the group.
"Yes lets" said someone else.
*
In The Swan it looked much nicer than the outside. There were squashy brown armchairs and four fires each side of the room as well as a table in the middle. Me,
Jokey and Harrison went and sat down near a fire, so did everyone else and soon all to be heard was the crackle of the fire and the chatter of voices.
"So Sam where have you been all these years?" questioned Harrison.
"Ireland" I replied.
"Wow! What is it like?" asked Jokey.
"It’s nice" I said.
Suddenly a voice came from the door way
"L-ladies and G-gentlemen, I’ am Mr Brown".
*
Mr Brown walked into the room and sat down. He looked round and said, "Where is t-the rest o-of y-you?"
"We don’t know" everybody said.
"O-oh" he stuttered. "Well is there any questions?" he asked, he was quivering so much it looked like the ground was shaking.
"Yes, will there be any toilets?" said a man.
"No, no" answered Mr Brown.
"Will we be sleeping in the same room?" asked a woman.
"Yes" Mr Brown replied.
"Will we be aloud out?" questioned Jokey.
"No the door will be locked" said Mr Brown.
"When are we going?" asked Harrison.
"…………………" Mr Brown paused.
*
Mr Brown stayed silent and then said "Sorry, sorry there has b-been a something has cropped up," he said and then walked out.
"WHAT!" Jokey roared
"IT IS AN OUTRAGE!" yelled someone else. Soon the room was filled with angry voices and I wondered if it was such a good idea after all.
The Manor (First Impressions)
A week later we reassembled out side The Swan.
"Right lets go," said Mr Brown he had lost his stutter and was acting very cheerful. We crossed the road and stood in front of the manor. The bricks looked damp derelict, blackened by age and in a poor state of repair. There were stone wolves on little plaques and they looked damaged as well.
"Shall we go in?" suggested Mr Brown.
The inside looked no better: bits of ceiling littered the floor and there was no wallpaper.
We went into the ballroom it was a little better; the floor was in a decent state and at least the chandelier was still hanging up.
Chapter II: The Manor
We found ourselves a somewhat depleted group, stood a week later in front of the manor, with Mr Brown, 9:30 in the evening. "Let’s go in," said Mr Brown.
*
The entrance hall was very big; you could see were the lights had been pulled out of the wall, as we walked I stumbled over what looked like a bone. I walked on looking at the floor. The doors creaked open as Mr Brown touched them and we all looked in to see the ballroom.
*
We dropped off our luggage in the ballroom and then trooped out again.
"We shall on a guided tour," said Mr Brown "This is the kitchen," he continued.
I looked round. Even in the dim light I could see everything I rotated round past the cooker, the fridge and then I stopped dead! There was a damp patch oozing down the wall, and some how I did not think it was anything nice. We then went to the music room, the parlour, and the day room.
*
As we got back I noticed a little hole, but there was no time to dwell on that, if I lingered I would be left behind. We walked along to the ballroom. As we got in Mr
Brown stood in the doorway and said "Right then I’ll leave you in peace, and remember you’ll be locked in". He turned on his heels stepped out of the doorway and the door locked behind him.
*
Chapter III: The Passage
The first half hour was not the greatest time of my life my batteries went flat and I had to use Harrison’s torch to get around.
*
An hour later Jokey went to the portaloo. He emerged a minute later and said "Guys,"
"What is it?" groaned Harrison he had obviously been asleep.
"Come over here" he replied.
And lead us both to the portaloo and pushed it aside.
There was a little handle. We opened it there was a hole.
We crawled along and then suddenly the ground gave way behind me.
"Arrrrrrrrr!"
*
I looked behind in horror: the ground behind me gave way and Harrison and Jokey had fallen down the hole. I carried on, my heart was beating! More ground was giving way. I could see a hole.
I was going at break-neck speed. I dive through the hole. All I could see was a dusty old cabinet and two shuttered windows. I got up, dusted myself down and saw a peculiar sight. The piano was moving. A hole had appeared! I only had one thought – to go through it. I crawled along ……….
*
The passage was damp and dark, so I got out my borrowed torch and shone it ahead. I crawled along and then the light flickered to the wall: there was writing saying here lies Hector Barbosso it read in red oozing blood. I crawled along thinking about those four words. I came to the end and saw an awful sight …………….
*
Crawling out of the hole, I stood and shone the light around, there were several crushed bodies.
"Sam is that you?" came a voice from the darkness.
I recognized it as Harrison’s voice
"Where are you?" I asked.
"Behind you" said Harrison.
I turned round and saw Harrison; his nose was bleeding, so was his
elbow.
"Where’s Jokey?" I questioned.
"Don’t know" he said.
"I’m over here" Jokey blurted out. He was covered in dirt and his lip was bleeding as well. "Get me out, will you?!" he ordered.
"I can’t" he said quite embarrassedly "Why not?" I asked
"Because my legs broken" he replied
"OH WELL THAT IS JUST GREAT ISN’T IT?" shouted Jokey "I’M COVERED TO THE NECK IN DIRT, YOUR LEG IS BROKEN! WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO NOW?!" I scanned the floor boards for something and then I found it, I had an idea and I was going to get my £500
*
"What is that Sam?" questioned Jokey.
"You’ll see" I answered.
I tied the rope to Harrison’s leg. Then I put a bandage round it. I also did the same to his other leg, turned to Jokey I got a bit corrugated metal and started to dig. After a while the job was done.
"Grab this" I commanded, handing him some rope. We dragged Harrison through an opposite hole. Ten minutes later we came to a wooden surface- it was hollow! I knocked a little harder. I banged against it!
"OOOOWWWWW!" screamed Harrison, "What was that for you old coot?!
"Sorry" said Jokey sarcastically
"Shut up both of you" I said menacingly. They stopped abruptly.
"Help me get through" I ordered
"I ca…" Harrison was cut short by a thudding sound. It got closer and closer, and then, WHAM!
The last thing I saw was Harrison and Jokey falling to the floor……………..
Chapter IV The Treachery of Mr Brown
Falling down the hole cool air whipping my face.
I could see the ground below me-It was getting further and further away and then I blacked out.
I woke up a dark room, my nose was bleeding and I had a bleeding lip. I straightened up and then looked round.
"Who’s there?" came a voice from the shadows.
"Who are you and where are you" I replied.
"I’m over here," said the voice. I looked round there was a man in the: he had shades on, black spikey hair and denim jeans. "I’m Adam Holloway," he said stretching out an arm.
"Sam iam," I answered taking his outstretched hand. We went a flight of steps and into the kitchen. At once I went and looked at the damp patch I had seen a few hours before.
"Hey, come and look at this" Adam pointed out. A draw was open and inside it was a gun! ….......
*
We looked at it-it had red finger marks on it!
"Blood!" I said
"Yeeuk!" Adam blurted out in disgust.
"I know," I said. I opened a cupboard under the draw and saw to locks. I unbolted them and the door swung open "Adam come over here" I commanded. I crawled through the hole, Adam following me. I noticed there was a new hole just to the left I went down the new hole straight, then it went left, then right and then it went down for a little while until it went straight again. We came to the end and straightened up. We looked round and saw huddled in each corner, a
Figure squatting down, but one had a limp
"Who’s there?" we called out.
"It’s me!" I heard Harrison’s and Jokey’s voices in reply. But two other people emerged.
"This is Alan Grant and this is James Brosnan," he introduced them.
"Jokey Smo and Harrison Sacton" I said I reply "He why are you walking Harrison?" I asked.
"My leg wasn’t broken" he laughed
Chapter V Mr Brown’s Escape
"HARRISON" Jokey roared.
"Ok, ok don’t have a heart attack old man." Harrison said defensively. I turned round SLAM!, SLAM!, SLAM!
Three big holes appeared along with the same number of trucks I noticed instantly that Mr Brown was in the one saying "blood money is good money". I saw a ladder going up to a wide beam. I ran up to the ladder then scrambled up it. I saw Mr Brown narrowly miss Alan. He made a hole in the wall. I noticed three wooden beams sticking up and badly damaged where balancing on the beam I was on.
*
"Harrison Adam up here!" I called. Within seconds they were at my side. "Harrison, push down that pillar!, Adam you do the same!" I ordered. Harrison pushed his and a truck started to smoke then Adam did the same it landed on the second truck. Then I pushed mine it landed right on Mr Brown’s truck. He jumped out a split second before it exploded, and then picked up a plank with a nail in it. I climbed back down and saw a pole! I picked it up and Mr Brown ran at me with a yell and snapped the pole in two! I returned the blow and knocked, Mr Brown bleeding, to the ground. He got up picked something up turned to me and said in a grizzly voice.
"You won’t be so lucky next time. He turned on his heels and away into the night…………
Chapter VI The Mystery
We went back to the ballroom and unlocked the door (Mr Brown had dropped the key) and looked in, in horror! Blood was everywhere, and everybody was looking petrified
"Mr Brown" Adam said in disgust. He un-zipped his jacket and took out a mobile out of an inside pocket and said "Adam, here, Mr Brown has escaped, everyone is dead coming back, bye" He put the mobile back. "I’m from the S.C.S the Serious Crime Squad" he said "And these to are as well"
"What about the money?" asked Jokey
"Here’s your money" said Adam he handed me a cheque. "Well then bye," he said turning round. "Let’s go!" He said and Alan and James followed him out of the Manor.
"Let’s go back to The Swan" Jokey said
"Wait!" I said
"What is it Sam?" asked Harrison
"Never mind" I replied
*
We were sitting down in The Swan wondering why Mr Brown would kill all those people.
"Jealousy?" Jokey suggested.
"Or maybe he didn’t want to give away £240,000 pounds" said Harrison, and then I said what I was going to say back in the manor
"I know why he did that!" "A week before the application came out it said in the newspaper that Mr Brown had been accused of murder by Adam Holloway, James Brosnan and Alan Grant". "I think he sent a letter asking them to come to the manor and sent all the others application forms". "Then he tried to kill them all he burst in to the room and then shot everyone but found we weren’t there! "First he tried to polish us off, then he tried to kill Adam, James and Alan!" I said triumphantly.
"That still doesn’t answer the question," said Harrison.
"Let’s sleep on it" said Jokey, yawning
"Fine then" I said sleepily.
VII The Terrible Truth
I awoke to find out that a large amount of the ceiling had fallen on the TV it was on and kept on buzzing…
"We have just got news that twenty-eight people have been killed by Obadiah Brown, it is said that BUZZZZ Mr Brown walked out of the murder scene this morning. Police have checked the house and have found a gun covered in blood
*
The report lasted ten minutes. After it I went down stairs and told Harrison everything about the report.
"So that’s why he did it! To get revenge" said Harrison.
"Yup" I said "Anyway where is Jokey" I asked.
"He left early, said he was going to paint his boat" answered Harrison
"Oh right" I said disappointed. "Well I’d best be going" I went upstairs and started packing. I got changed and went outside.
"Well see ya" I said.
"Bye" Harrison replied.
I waved as I got on the bus and went back to Ireland