Brimstone Manor: Part 1

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You've just been hired as the nanny at Brimstone Manor, a job that came with more than you bargained for. There’s something unusual about your new boss, Darien Stone…and your little charge as well. The house itself is full of secrets: What's in the forbidden basement? Why do your employer's rivals have an angelic glow about them? Is the big shaggy dog really a hellhound? Have you been hired to work for…a demon?

The house itself is full of secrets: What's in the forbidden basement? Why do your employer's rivals have an angelic glow about them? Is the big shaggy dog really a hellhound? Have you been hired to work for…a demon? (BTW, the picture is of Rosepaw from a love story I’m working on now.)

Created by: WarriorsLover66
  1. The sign on the lawn reads Brimstone Manor in bold, black writing. You check the address again and stare up at the house. The letter in your hands promises steady work plus room and board. Not to mention a salary that you could definitely make good use of.
  2. But this place looks like a Victorian dollhouse going through its "goth" phase. The building is three stories not counting the attic, and the trim around the windows and cornices has been painted jet black. The siding is the gray of a stormy sky, and more than one of the shingles on the high roof are loose and flapping. It seems out of place in a modern world, and just looking at it makes you feel like you've taken a big step backwards in time.
  3. You've taken a very long journey to get here. Inside waits a job you desperately need, an opportunity too good to pass up, and the chance at a new future. Why is that so important to you?
  4. The walk up to the front door is paved with cement stepping stones in the shape of five-pointed stars. The porch awning crouches above the doorway like a skeletal vulture. It is formed of scrolling wood, delicate and ornately carved. It might have been pretty once, but someone has painted it the purple-black of a fresh bruise. At least it matches the rest of the house.
  5. The windows above are dark and staring. They give you the sudden impression of a face, as if the house itself is watching you, and that doorway you're approaching is actually a huge mouth waiting to swallow you up. It's pretty spooky. How do you usually react to spooky things?
  6. The steps creak as you ascend them. It's the sort of sound they play in creepy old movies right before something jumps out of the shadows. Despite the spooky ambiance, you step up and tuck in beneath the porch awning. Once you're in its shelter, you focus on the letter again, unfolding the creased paper and reading it for the twentieth time.
  7. Greetings, I have diligently examined your résumé and letters of recommendation and have found them satisfactory. I'm writing to extend an offer of employment as my son's nanny. In addition to the salary discussed in the original advertisement, room and board will be provided at Brimstone Manor. It is my hope that you will accept in good faith and proceed to the address below in due haste.Sincerely,Darien Stone
  8. Every time you read the note, you can't help but imagine the man behind it. Ever since receiving Stone's offer, your head has been full of questions. Who still speaks so formally? And what sort of man lives in a place called Brimstone Manor? For that matter, who still writes letters when an email would have been sufficient? Despite a little internet snooping, you haven't been able to uncover a thing about your new employer. For weeks these mysteries have vexed you. Now you stand on the threshold of getting some answers.
  9. You face the door, take a deep breath, and press the buzzer in its ornate, brassy frame. From inside the house, a chime rings. You wait. Nothing happens. You push the doorbell again, and this time you do hear something, but it's coming from the side yard.
  10. Whatever you choose, you go to the side door. An iron gate is the only break in the fence between the front and side yards. The sound of a child's babbling is audible through this. You approach it, hoping to catch sight of the kid you've been hired to watch over. While the grass on the street is green and well-mown, you see a different story through the bars of the gate. The word "jungle" comes to mind as you peer into the overgrown yard. Long grass and spiky weeds grow unchecked inside the fence, and you can just make out the very peak of a shiny-looking swing set.The rear of the house is shabbier than the front, too. You see paint peeling away in places, and the shingles here aren't just flapping. Some of them have managed to fly away.
  11. In the backyard, the child laughs again, a shrill sound that echoes through the air. He's clearly in good spirits, having a grand time in the wilds of the side yard. You can't see him at all, however. Not from this side of the fence. So, what will you do about that gate?
  12. (I’m skipping this part because I’m lazy xD) You go into the yard and find a dog, a sweet big, black dog. A chocolate lab. “Come here, Lucifer!” A little voice shouts. You assume this must be Darien’s son. “Hello, what’s your name?” You ask. “I’m Bailey.” The kid says.
  13. "Hello?" The voice is deep enough that you feel it in your bones. "Who's there? Nicki?" You turn around and face Darien Stone for the first time. There's no way this guy could be anyone else. He stands as straight as a fence post, tall, dark, and made of sharp angles. He is dressed in a navy blue suit that is perfectly tailored. His arms are crossed over a wide chest. This is clearly the man who wrote the letter, the man you've been wondering about since receiving it. Try to guess who the letter was sent to!
  14. (The answer is the second option by the way). Darien looks at you with narrowed eyes, eyes that could pierce steel. You should say something, you realize, but your tongue seems to have stuck to the roof of your mouth. Your heartbeat races. Why so flustered?
  15. “Hi. I’m Laurel Hale.” You say with a big grin. Behind you, the kid blows an epic raspberry. The dog growls again, just to punctuate their glowing reception. You feel like cringing, like this could have gone a great deal better, but when Darien smiles at you, he doesn't look the least bit disappointed. "Well, Laurel," he says. "Let's go on inside and get you settled."
  16. Darien turns back toward the house but stops when the dog barks. The sound rattles your bones, but the master of the manor only chuckles and shakes his head. "Oh yes," he says. You can't be sure if he's addressing the kid or replying to the huge canine. "Laurel is going to be staying with us. She'll be taking care of you, Nicki. And we're going to be very good while Laurel is with us. Okay?" The kid bobs his head up and down.
  17. The kid says, "Yes, daddy." His little head bobs up and down. Lucifer woofs noncommittally. Then again, you don't speak dog. You still get the weird feeling that Darien Stone might, and that the beast and his master just had a discussion about your presence in the house. It's been a long day already, so you're more than happy to let it go and follow your new boss up the steps, across a porch that stretches the whole width of the manor, and through a door identical to the one in front.
  18. The interior of Brimstone Manor is not a surprise considering what you've seen from outside. There are heavy eggplant-purple drapes over all the windows, and what light there is comes from sconces set in the walls. Darien takes you through a short hallway, past a room he informs you belongs to the housekeeper and her husband, who looks after the lawn. You assume he must mean the front lawn but manage not to comment. You note the crown molding, the bronze doorknobs, and walnut paneling and try to imagine just how old, and how expensive, a house like this would be. The dollhouse feel continues inside, every corner and crevice boasting some scrolling, ornate decoration. The color scheme, however, is clearly high gothic. Purple, black, and gray make the sconces battle even harder to light the dim interior.
  19. The hallway opens up on the main entry, a huge room with crimson carpeting and walls papered to match. There is a grand, curving stairway here which leads to the second floor, and a chandelier made of wrought iron dangles from the high ceiling. It looks heavy, and you make a note not to spend too much time standing directly beneath it. Darien points out the dining room and kitchen, a restroom, and a coat closet. He identifies every door leading off of the entry but one.
  20. While all the other doors are stained wood, this one has been painted charcoal gray. It stands out, yet your host skims over it as if it isn't there. You have to ask. "Where does that door lead?" You point toward the odd omission. Darien stiffens visibly when you mention it. He shakes his head and puts one hand up as if you were about to charge headlong at the door and open it. "The basement door is locked," he says. "For your safety. There is structural damage that needs repairing."
  21. He leads you up the wide staircase. The wooden banister feels slick and smooth beneath your palm. You take each step with care, watching the man ascending before you. In some ways, he's exactly what you expected. A little bit old-fashioned, and he cuts a romantic figure. But if you are stuck in a movie, it's clearly more gothic romance than period piece. When he reaches the top of the stairs, he steps aside and points to the three doors along the landing."The master suite is up a short stairway at the far end of the hall," he tells you. "That last door is the bathroom, then Nicki's nursery in the middle, and this will be your room."
  22. Where the rest of Brimstone Manor leans hard on its gothic color scheme, this room has a bright, sunny feel. A large window in the far wall might be responsible, but even the curtains and bed linens are pale, floral, and perfectly matched to the soft, lilac carpeting. At the end of the bed sits a low chest. A bedside table holds the lamp and alarm clock, and a tall dresser stands beside a door you assume leads to the closet.Darien hovers in the doorway, framed by the pale wood and belonging far more to the dark hallway than anything inside the bedroom. He narrows his eyes and smiles. "I hope it's to your liking?"
  23. "Since you don't officially begin until the morning, Laurel, I'll let you get rested and settled in. The Wilsons have the day off, I'm afraid, but if you're hungry, I'm sure you can find something sufficient in the kitchen."Before you can answer, he turns and whisks his way downstairs. You watch him go long enough to get the impression that he's hurrying, and that he heads back down the hallway toward the back door. Checking on Nicki, probably. You tell yourself that makes the most sense even though you can't shake the odd, twisting feeling in your belly.Once inside your new room, the fatigue of the day and your long journey hits you like a ton of bricks. You barely have time to shove your backpack aside and climb onto the bed before you're unconscious.
  24. 🎺Announcement!🎺 I’m taking a break! You guys can stop now, but be sure to come back for the (short) second part!
  25. You wake to a chilling, high-pitched scream. Your room is dark, the sky outside the window inky black. When you check the alarm clock, it reads 12:00. Midnight. You sit up, throw your legs over the edge of the bed and are heading for your door when the sound comes again. It is like nothing you've ever heard before, and your skin breaks out in prickly gooseflesh. It's coming from Bailey’s room.You dash the few steps between your doors and burst into the nursery certain that you'll find Lucifer chewing on the poor boy. Instead you see Bailey standing in his crib. His little hands grip the top railing. His cheeks are red and puffy, and there are sparkling tear tracks down either side of his face. As soon as he sees you, he opens his mouth again and wails. You rush forward and pick him up. He sniffles, settles in with his head on your shoulder and whispers dreamily, "Fire."
  26. He snuggles against your shoulder and you relax. Poor guy has some nasty night terrors. No wonder his drawings look like this.Nicki's breath tickles your neck. His little fists relax, and he clings to you as if he's afraid to let go. With a final shaky exhalation, he goes limp, sliding back into sleep and forcing you to shift him to your hip. Suddenly, he weighs a ton.
  27. You rock him gently from side to side and listen to his breath deepen. The drawings on the wall watch you, red crayon eyes staring from the images drawn by the small, troubled boy in your arms. He sighs against you, and you carry him back to his crib, leaning over and maneuvering him gently so as not to wake him. His eyes flutter. Long lashes dance against cherubic cheeks.In the softest voice, the child whispers, "Fire."
  28. That's twice he's said it. The poor thing. What sort of trauma leaves a kid that small with nightmares of fire? Shaking your head, you reach for the ratty blanket balled in one corner of the crib. You drape it across the sleeping boy, but catch a faint whiff of something really familiar wafting through the room. At first it's almost pleasant, like a campfire, and you think of Darien again. Was that the scent you noticed clinging to him? It takes you only a second to register that the smell is getting stronger, that a haze has thickened the air inside the nursery. Smoke!
  29. You shout, "Fire!" at the top of your lungs and pick Nicki up again, ready to make a quick escape. Just as you race into the hallway, Darien appears. He waves for you to wait there and dives into the nursery. You hear him stamping and keep a tight hold on Nicki until his father calls out that the coast is clear. You carry Nicki back into the nursery and find Darien standing among the ruined curtains. His head is down, and he shakes it from side to side. As you carry the boy back to his bed, you hear Darien whisper, "Not again." The despair in his voice sends a wave of sympathy through you, but the words themselves only cement your growing suspicion that things are not as they appear at Brimstone Manor.
  30. Darien checks on Bailey one last time and then wanders into the hall. He waves for you to follow, and you both drift out into the hallway. For a moment, he stares over the banister railing, gazing straight into the massive chandelier and not speaking.
  31. Then he clears his throat, and you can hear how much it costs him to speak in the way his words are forced from his lips. "My wife died shortly after Bailey was born," he says. "It was an arranged marriage, convenient but simple, and she was a good mother. Loving and wonderful with Bailey. Even though he was just a baby, her loss was brutal. I fear every day what growing up without her might be doing to him."
  32. In the silence after his words, you can almost see his worries floating in the air around him. The urge to reach out grips you, to just place one hand against his arm, to reassure him. Before you can act, Darien Stone shakes himself. He straightens and the moment evaporates. "I believe Bailey will benefit greatly from your presence," he says. "Thank you for being here, Laurel, and goodnight."
  33. And…that’s it for now! Thanks for taking this!

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