House of the Seven Sirons

Chapter 6

Sitting inside a beautiful verdant flower-filled country park, beneath a large tree on a warm summer's morning is a college student called Allie who was taking a break a break between college classes. Opening the textbook, her eyes study the highlighted notes on each page. As she relaxes up against the tree, she slips her feet out of her trainers, feeling the warmth from the sun on her skin, a cool breeze blowing through her dark brown hair and lifts it gently from her shoulders. Crossing one slender milky white leg over the other, the soles crease as she flexes her petite feet. Yawning quietly, her eyes felt heavy and slowly close. Over the sounds of people talking comes the sound of birds singing in the treetops.

A couple of minutes later, George walks by and suddenly stops. He turns and looks in Allie's direction. Although he appears to be looking at her. His cold eyes fixed upon her like magnets. Watching as her immaculately pedicured feet arch on the soft grass. With a loathsome grin, he silently moves closer trying not to wake her. Just thinking about her feet and how nice they look gives him a sudden urge to touch them even if it is only once. However, with him being in a public area, he is worried he will get caught by someone passing by.

Allie stirs and opens her eyes and looks at him. "Is everything okay? She asks, wondering why he is staring at her. Closing her book, she slips her feet back inside her trainers.

"I see you're doing creative writing," George smiles. "I studied that when I was in college."

"What genre did you write?" She sits up a little straighter.

"Mainly horror." replies George. "Can I join you?"

"Sure. Why not." Replies Allie. "Oh, my name is Allie by the way."

"Call me George."

"What is your surname if you don't mind me asking?"

"Edwards." George responds.

Allie stares at George thinking.

'Is he the person who used to own the spa before it got burned down?'

Something about his eyes makes her feel uneasy, sending a cold chill racing up and down her spine. She dismisses her uneasy feelings and forces a smile asking. "So, have you published anything yet?"

"I've published many good horror stories." Says George. He slips his hands inside his pockets and smiles. Turning away, his stone-cold eyes look around the park. "I can show you the stories I've written, but not yet published, if you would like ."

"Uh, maybe some other time." Allie replies as she stands goes to stand up. "I have to go now."

"I'll see you again."

Allie smiles at him, then as she goes to walks off, she stops for a moment, looking back over her shoulder at him, watching as he slowly walks in the opposite direction. She turns away and heads down the path, the colourful chippings crunching loudly under her feet with every step as she exits the park, she bumps into Melissa. "Where are you going?" She asks.

"Just to do some studying while I relax in the sun,"

"Oh, you're revising for the exam?" Allie asked.

"I need to pass the history exam if I want to stay on the course."

"I'm off the library to do some reading. So, I'll catch you later," Allie. walked off in a hurry to get to the library before its closes for the day. hurrying down the narrow 14th-century old street past rows of three-storey timber-framed terraced houses as fast as her legs can take her until she reaches the library on the corner of the street. Pushing the door open, she walks into the library to see a librarian sitting at a desk.

Looking up from her book, the librarian gazes across the room at Allie for a moment. "The library will be closing in a couple of hours." She speaks quietly.

"Thank you." Allie smiles. She walks down a narrow aisle between a row of bookshelves. Looking for the horror category to see what books are displayed on the shelves as she runs her fingertips across a series of books written by lots of authors, but none wrote by an author called George Edwards.

kneeling on the carpet, she pulls a book from the shelf that's written by an author called G.J Edwards entitled The night has Eyes.

'Did George write this book?'

Standing up, she makes her way towards a table in the corner of the room. Her eyes are narrow to pinpricks as she stares at the cover, curious to know what the book is about as she takes a seat at the table and reads it. Flicking the over the cover with her fingers to the first page she starts to read quietly to herself. Leaning in, her feet cross underneath the chair as she turns over the pages and carries on reading until she comes to the end of the first chapter that ends on a cliffhanger.

'Why would Melissa go cave-diving alone when she knows how dangerous it is? And what is lurking about in the darkest recesses of the caves?'

She looks up from the book and watches as Minna walks by and looks at her with a smile.

"What are you reading?" asks Minna. Her brown eyes gaze upon the brown leather cover of the book that Allie is reading. Her eyes shoot open widely as she recognizes the name of the author.

"Just a book called The night has Eyes." Allie smiles. She flicks over to the next chapter intrigued to find out what happens to Melissa after she delves down into the earth.

"I've never read it before," says Minna. "Do you mind if I join you?"

"Sure. Take a seat."

Minna sits at the table opposite Allie. She reclines in the comfortable chair. Her back presses against the feathery cushion as she takes a book out of her black leather handbag that hangs from the chair. Her feet cross over one another underneath the chair. Her heels slip out of her flats and the fabric of her purple, gold and blue stripy ankle socks brush against her soft tanned skin as they fall down past her flawless heels, and ankles. "Do you like writing?" She asks.

"I love writing," Allie tells her.

"It would be nice to write a story someday." Minna agrees.

After talking about writing, Minna and Allie lose track of time and are interrupted by the librarian who informs them that the library will be closing in a couple of minutes.

Minna slips her feet back into her shoes as she puts her book away, she picks up her handbag "I'll catch you later." She says as she stands and walks off towards the door waving to the librarian as she leaves the library.

Allie closes the book and looks at the front cover. Her eyes stare at the picture of an eerie cavern with a pair of monstrous-looking eyes that glow like embers peering out of the darkness

Just from looking at the cover and reading the first chapter, her tan skin gets goosebumps as she feels an icy cold chill up her spine. She quickly gets up and put the book back on the shelf where she found it and waves to the librarian as she leaves the library. Hurrying off down Olde Hallow Street towards her apartment at the end of the street as fast as her legs could take her.