Secrets of forgotten residence

Chapter 7: The Restless Residence

When Samuel opened his eyes, he found himself lying on a quite comfortable couch. He sat up awkwardly and shook his head as if trying to shake himself out of some strange nightmare. Lying next to him was Elizabeth, who also woke up with confusion in her eyes."Elizabeth, what happened?" he asked incredulously.Elizabeth stood up and looked around startled. "Samuel, you remember we were in that mysterious room in the residence, right?"Samuel stared thoughtfully. "Yes, I remember that."Oh. So I wasn't dreaming.""We found out many things there, but then... I don't remember anything after that.""Exactly. Me neither." Elizabeth agreed. "Well, here we are now."They slowly began to realize that they were in their apartment.As Elisabeth looked around, the chaotic view of the library immediately caught her eye. The books that used to stand properly on the shelf were now scattered and some were even lying on the ground. Surprised and confused, she froze."Samuel!" She exclaimed. "Look at it!"Samuel looked in the direction Elizabeth was pointing and stared at the scattered books with equal wonder. "Oh my god! What happened?!"Elisabeth tried to understand the situation. "I don't know. It seems there was someone searching the books, and it probably has something to do with how we got here from the residence. But why?"Equally confused, Samuel stood up and began to explore the library."Was he looking for something? Or did he need something?"Elisabeth closed her eyes, trying to stay calm. "We're not alone. Someone seems to be interested in what we are. Or perhaps trying to find something to do with our parents' disappearance."Samuel shrugged. "But who and why? We need to find out what's going on.""Well, only after I clean it up," Elisabeth said firmly and began to pick up the books from the floor and gradually put them back on the shelves. "I don't want it to stop us. Then we'll go back to the residence and continue our search. But we have to be careful."Samuel joined his sister and together they tried to return the books to their place. Elizabeth rummaged through the old books thoughtfully. Taking a deep breath and looking up, she saw a zipped album of their parents' photos. The pages were old and slightly yellowed, the photos in them were like windows into the past. She wanted to go through all the pages, but she knew she didn't have the time right now. Her mind was filled with the exciting thought of what stories and secrets it might hold. But then Samuel's voice was heard."Elizabeth, it is already many hours. We need to get to the residence while there is still light."Elizabeth immediately put down the album and looked at the clock. Indeed, it was already late afternoon and their plan to visit the residence and explore its secrets began to rush. With a deep sigh, she put the album on the table and went to the front door, where Samuel was waiting for her with a curious expression.She was sorry she wouldn't have time to look at the photos right now, but she knew the residence was a place full of mysteries with traces of the past waiting to be uncovered. But in the back of her mind was the desire to go back to the album when they got home and discover the stories he could tell her.

Samuel and Elizabeth walked towards the residence in order to clarify their experience last night. However, as they approached the residence, they found that the entrance was taped off and several police cars were parked around.

"Hey Adam!" Samuel called to Adam Thompson, a policeman who is a good acquaintance of Samuel's, who was approaching them with a smile.

"Samuel, Elizabeth, long time no see," he told them with a smile. "I'm surprised you're moving around the residence, especially after what happened here."

"What has happened?" Samuel asked confused.The policeman scanned them carefully. "Last night we received a report of noise and commotion at the residence. When we got here, we found some rooms scattered and something damaged. Also, something valuable was missing from the room.""What specifically disappeared?" Samuel asked curiously.The policeman shrugged. "We found out that one of the artifacts that was kept at the residence has gone missing. It was supposed to be part of a new exhibit. It's a fairly valuable item, so we need to find out if it was a theft or some other nefarious activity.""This visit seems problematic," Samuel noted.The policeman nodded in agreement. "Yes, many of the police officers who came here claim to feel a strange atmosphere. Some even claim to have heard sounds that are out of this world. Also, were you around the residence yesterday? Did you happen to see someone and such. "Samuel ran a hand through his hair and made up a quick lie. Not. We were at home all day yesterday. I felt a little sick."The policeman nodded. "Understood. Well, we're going to have to investigate this matter thoroughly. We have a lot of questions here, and we intend to find out what happened here.""Be sure to let us know if you find out anything new," Elizabeth said.

When Samuel and Elizabeth returned home, they discovered that the open album with their parents' photos was missing from the living room table. After a short search, they discovered it on their old desk, which was full of notes and drawings."I'm sure I put the album on the table when we left." Elizabeth said with nervousness in her voice."Looks like someone was here again," Samuel said."But how did he get here?" Elizabeth didn't understand, looking around the room. She giggled again. "Samuel, look! There's an open window in the kitchen."Samuel ran to the window and looked out, as if he wanted to find out if the person who was at their house was somewhere around."We'll have to be careful and lock the whole apartment properly when we leave." Samuel shook his head and sat down on the couch."Samuel, I don't like this. We should report this to the police." Elizabeth suggested."I don't think that would be a good idea. They would definitely find out that we were at the residence yesterday and they would also accuse us of theft. And we also know that this person is solving the same mystery that we are.""You're a detective, after all. It's your job to solve mysteries. Surely they would understand.""But I'm handling this case outside of my job. No one knows about the anonymous letter or all of this except me and you."Elizabeth sighed. "I think we should find out who sent you that letter."You're right. But now let's finally look at that album. Maybe it'll calm us down a bit. I didn't even know I had it in the library."The photos of their parents seemed to come alive. On the first pages were pictures from their youth, from their joint trips and adventures. Each photo revived the memories and stories that their parents often told them.As they turned the old, yellowed pages, Elizabeth suddenly noticed something strange. In one of the old photos of their parents standing in front of the residence, there was a figure in the distance, hidden in the shadows."Samuel, look at this photo," Elizabeth said excitedly, pointing to the figure. Samuel looked at the photo carefully. "Is it... who could it be? His face resembles a man rather than a woman. Maybe one of the residence staff?" Elizabeth shook her head. "No, it's not a staff member. Look, the figure looks different. He's wearing something that resembles an ancient cloak. It looks like he's watching our parents. He's looking at them and doesn't seem to want anyone to see him .""I guess he didn't do very well when he's still in the photo. Look. He seems to be holding something in his hand. It looks like some small box." Elizabeth shrugged. "Yes. It's strange. All indications are that the mention of our parents has something to do with the disappearance of the Thornfields."Samuel and Elizabeth turned the page of the album and were suddenly speechless.