Westerfield Manor

Chapter 6

        Jane picked the girls up an hour later and drove them back to the house. At ten o'clock Laura was to have a piano lesson given by one of their neighbours.

"You two can have a swim or watch a movie," she suggested as she went off to the back room for her lesson, "I'll be finished in an hour."

It was a warm sunny day so Grace and Shannon went out to the pool, but before Shannon could dive into the water Grace grabbed her arm. "Sit down," she said in a low voice, "I have to tell you something."

They sat down next to each other on deck chairs. "The night before last I had a dream about the night the manor burned down," Grace explained, "I saw the two children Michael and Elizabeth. Then last night I went outside the tent because I couldn't sleep and I saw the manor on fire and heard the screams, and I even heard Michael telling his sister it would all right."

Shannon stared at Grace, "Are you sure it wasn't just a normal dream?" she asked.

"I'm sure. I was awake and sitting outside, but Shannon this is the important part. I could see where the manor was burning. I could see it through the trees, and this morning I worked out exactly where it was. I know exactly where Westerfield Manor used to be."

Shannon never doubted her friend for a moment. She looked excitedly at Grace. "Well don't keep me in suspense. Where?"

"Remember the other day when we were walking through that paddock from Dry Gully Road back to Green Hills and Laura tripped on a rock?"

Shannon nodded.

"Well there was a row of rocks. I looked closely at them, and I think they were rocks packed along the edge of an old road or lane or driveway. I looked at the exact direction they pointed, and the vision I had last night of the mansion on fire pointed to the same place. Not the Green Hills homestead, but......" Grace paused.

"The barn!" both girls said together.

They turned to look at the old barn which was about eighty metres away. As they stared at it a cloud drifted across the sun making the old building look grey and forbidding.

"So the barn was built over the remains of the manor?" Shannon murmured.

"I'm sure of it."

"Okay then, let's go and investigate it while Laura is still having her piano lesson," Shannon jumped to her feet.

The girls cautiously approached the large timber double doors of the barn.

"Shouldn't we ask Laura's mum before we go looking around in her barn?" Grace asked.

"Nah, she won't mind," Shannon replied, "Besides, she's busy cooking or something." She pulled back the large metal bolt on the left door and dragged it open. 

The girls peered inside. The sun was still behind clouds and the interior of the barn was dark and gloomy. They slowly walked inside, then stopped and looked around. There was a tractor and various items of farm machinery, and some animal stalls.

"Okay what are we looking for?" Shannon asked.

"I'm not sure," Grace answered slowly. She stood perfectly still.

Her friend looked closely at her. "Are you getting anything?" she asked, "Like any psychic waves or something?"

"Yes," Grace whispered, "There's something here...."