Greenhill

Dark winding roads

"We're almost there, ma'am" the driver said. The car shook while we turned onto another road that seemed to be going on forever. All around us where trees that grew higher and closer together the farther we drove. It was almost 10 in the evening and we had been driving for over four hours. Four hours of small winding roads that seemed to have been there for ages without anyone passing over them. After the first two hours of driving the stone roads had made place for dirt roads, some almost entirely overgrown by thick plants and bushes. At certain points we even had to stop to clear the road or drive very slowly to make sure we wouldn't get stuck between two too close standing trees. Whenever I asked the driver if he was sure we were really going the right way he simply laughed and said that the nature would only do me good. It might stop me from worrying about what lay around every corner or turn.
Long after the sun had set we saw small lights shimmer at the end of the road. The lights illuminated the nearby trees. The dark looming shadows of the trees made them look as if they were reaching hundreds of meters high into the night sky. The sky itself was also illuminated, but not by the lights from the village, but by hundreds of thousands of stars. Before coming here I had never seen so many of them. In the big city you could barely see hundred stars at night, while here it seemed as if there were millions of them.
The driver rode up a long driveway leading to a manor that stood at the far end of the village, atop a small hill. It loomed over the village as if it was watching it. "Are you sure this is it?" I asked the driver. The manor was covered in complete darkness and no lights could be seen behind the dusty Windows. I couldn't imagine anyone living in it. "Pretty sure ma'am" the driver answered, "there isn't another manor within miles." The car came to a stop in front of the steps leading to two dark wooden doors that looked as if they haven't been opened for over a century. The driver opened the car door and helped me out. While he unloaded the trunk and placed my luggage on the lower step I stared at the manor. "I wonder if anyone is home." I said. I pulled my coat tight around me. It was still quite chilly for this time of the year. "Do you mind waiting here for a few minutes? If no one is home I would not want to be stuck outsi-" before I could finish my sentence I heard the car engine roar to life. I turned around, but it had already start to roll down the driveway.
"You got to be kidding me." I mumbled while the car sped away. I turned back to the manor. However uninhabited it might look, there was not much left I could do. I slowly walked up the steps leading to the front door. "There you go" I said to myself. I lifted the raven-shaped door knocker and let it fall against the dark wood. For a minute I waited in silence but nothing happened. Once again I lifted the door knocker, but just when I was about to drop it I heard keys rattling inside. A heavy lock was opened, but the door did not open. Another lock was unlocked, and another one, another one and eventually when the fifth lock was unlocked the door handle slowly lowered.
The door groaned and squeaked, and then finally opened... 

Alright! This story might still be a bit mysterious, which of course is a good thing *wink*! but I think this is the beginning of a quite interesting story. So I hope you guys enjoyed the read! Let me know what you think! - Milan