Effie gripped her luggage tighter as they rode through the gate of Sarton Asylum. The gate and sign were huge. Red brick was clean and new while the golden letters spelling out Sarton Asylum contrasted against it perfectly. A long, dark dirt road was spread out in front of them with large trees lining the way.
She looked out the window and watched as dust flew behind them and the trees slowly past them. The trees made the road dark and eerie. They loomed over and swayed gently in the wind. Some of the branches lower to the ground look like creepy hands as the sway back and forth.
Effie leans back from the window and looks down at her lap. She closes her eyes and waits for her father to announce that they're there.
Eventually, he does and she looks up. The building is nicer than she thought it would be. The same red brick from the entrance sign made up the building. Medium sized windows sat at equal distances across the building. Ting letters colored exactly like the ones at the entrance, sat above the brown door. A well-kept garden was laid in front of the building.
Maybe this won't be so bad, she thought to herself.
Effie got out of the car and dragged her luggage along the walkway to where her parents stood at the entrance talking to a short lady.
The lady was talking avidly with her parents. She wore a white nurse dress that fell down to the middle of her shins and a white cap. She was skinny. Effie could have sworn that she had seen her before, but she couldn't remember where.
Effie gasped when she saw another woman standing behind the nurse. She was see through and wore a long black dress that was ripped and torn. Her face was constricted in pain. Her black hair tousled around her face.
Effie shook her head and tried to ignore the lady as she kept walking.
Her parents turned to smile at her when she came to stand next to them. Effie could see in their eyes that they were worried and sad to leave her behind, but they tried to hide their worries with their smiles.
"Is this the darling you were telling me about?" the nurse spoke up politely. She looked down at Effie and smiled kindly. Effie tried to look for some kind of hint that gave her away, but couldn't find anything.
Effie smiled back and loosened her grip on her luggage. She felt like maybe Patricia was wrong. Maybe Patricia was at a different asylum or that this one has changed in the past years.
"Yes," her mother responded while placing a delicate hand on Effie's shoulder. "She's only staying here for a while. We will be back for her." She bent down to place a kiss on Effie's forehead.
When Effie looked into her mother's eyes, she could see tears starting to form, but she knew that they wouldn't fall. Her mother was stronger than that. She reached up and kissed both of her parents on the cheek and said goodbye to both of them. Effie didn't feel too sad because she knew and trusted that her parents would come back for her.
Effie and the nurse waited until they couldn't see her car. The nurse placed a hand on her shoulder and lead her into the building. Effie was surprised to see how nice the inside was. A red carpet trailed the hallway and beautiful wood flooring could be seen from underneath it. Many brown oak doors lined the hallway with a shiny bronze plaque on each of them.
They stopped in front of one of the doors and the nurse opened it. She motioned for Effie to walk in and Effie obeyed.
The room she walked into was an office. It had a large wooden desk that sat across from the door and a large leather chair sat behind it. In front of it, two medium sized leather chairs sat facing the desk. Large windows sat behind the desk and let in enough light to see around. Bookshelves lined the adjoining walls filled with books.
"Miss Murphey, is this our newest resident?" a voice sounded from behind the desk.
Effie looked up and saw a slightly large figure sitting behind the desk. The woman had on a black pencil skirt with a matching blazer. She wore a warm smile on her thin lips, but her eyes were dark and cold. Effie shivered slightly under her stare.
"Yes, Mistress Humphries, this is Effie Richmond." Effie looked up at the nurse - Miss Murphey - a noticed that the warm and nice look she gave her outside was gone. Now it was replaced by a cold and steely gaze. Effie averted her eyes from both of them and looked behind Mistress Humphries.
Mistress Humphries nodded and wrote something down on the piece of paper in front of her. "Will you please have a seat, Miss Richmond?"
Effie hesitated a little before obeying and sitting in one of the chairs. Miss Murphey stood behind her with her hands clasped behind her back. Effie's head began to hurt and she placed a hand on her head before looking behind the desk and seeing the same manifestation from outside.
The woman looked the same as before. It seemed like she was trying to tell her something, so Effie started to let down the walls of her mind when Mistress Humphries started talking again. Effie snapped her attention back to her, her walls raising back up.
"Miss Richmond, I have down here that you won't be staying with us for too long." She looked up at Effie and Effie nodded her agreement. "Very well," Mistress Humphries sighed. "I hope your stay here is enjoyable and helpful. Miss Murphey, please take our newest resident out and take her picture."
"Yes, ma'am." Miss Murphey lead Effie outside and towards a large camera already set up. Effie was set right in front of the Sarton Asylum door and told to smile.
Effie's insides were in no mood to smile. She was nervous and confused with the attitudes of the people she met. But, she decided to smile anyway. Who knows how long she will be here?
YOU ARE READING
Effie
Paranormal*The prequel to The Girl in the Window* This is the story about Effie Richmond. Effie's family has always believed that she was different. After she and her family were in a car wreck, strange things began to happen to her. She had developed a stran...
