31 Days of Halloween

Alistaire Castle

The sting of a thousand needles bit into flesh as the wind driven rain pelted her. A deafening roar of thunder ripped from above while brilliant gold flashes of lightning veined across the onyx sky – her world blanketed in darkness – the storm raged, an ominous portent. Silken, black hair whipped around her face as she slowly ascended the sprawling, stone stairway, the violent weather becoming a healing catharsis for recent events. Reaching the summit, she stood in the shadow of the looming castle, spread her arms from beneath the rain-soaked cape, gazed at the roiling clouds above and screamed. A bloodcurdling shriek of agonizing pain, hopeless grief, and sorrow. Her soul consumed by the evil behind castle walls.

Raven Alistaire, a brilliant young woman, gripped by sadness at the recent loss of her father, had suffered through almost more than she could bear. Growing up an only child, her father the only family she had known. Her mother disappeared shortly after her birth, leaving the two of them behind. On a foggy, San Francisco afternoon, one phone call changed everything.

"Hello?"

"Ms. Raven Alistaire, please." A thick, Eastern European accent spoke.

"Speaking," confusion filled her response.

"Yes, Ms. Alistaire, my name is Elena Balans. I am calling today regarding Baron Marcus Alistaire, your uncle."

"I'm sorry, there must be a mistake. I don't have an uncle. Have a good day," she stuttered.

"Wait before you hang up, please, allow me to explain," – a slight pause – "The Baron, your father's brother..."

"Again, I'm sorry, you have the wrong person." Trembling, she hung up the phone.

With her knees to her chest, she sat huddled in the corner of the sofa, rocking back and forth as tears streamed down her cheeks. Mourning alone had taken its toll. Ringing from the phone startled her, as she looked at the number, fresh tears stung her eyes. Why would someone do this? Is it some sick joke?

"What do you want with me? I've already told you there's some kind of mistake."

A male voice with the same thick accent began to speak, "Ms. Alistaire, please, give me one moment of your time, allow me to explain."

Raven remained silent.

"Ms. Alistaire, my name is Andre Balans, my wife Elena contacted you a few moments ago. You are indeed the next of kin to Baron Marcus Alistaire. He was your uncle, your father's brother. Due to a family dispute, Baron Alistaire had no contact with his brother for nearly three decades," the man spoke quickly, making it difficult for her to understand his accent.

"Why are you contacting me? If they had no communication for that long, there's nothing I can do to be of assistance. It's too late for that anyway, my father passed away last Tuesday," she snapped.

"The same day Baron Alistaire passed, as well. I should tell you the Baron and your father were twins."

"Now I'm supposed to believe that I have or rather, had, some unknown uncle, my father's twin, and they died on the same day? If this is a joke, it's not funny at all." Anger boiled to the surface.

"I assure you this is no joke of any kind. The estate of the Baron must be offered to his next of kin. He had known about you and listed you in his Last Will and Testament. You can either sell the entire estate or keep it for yourself."

"I'm not interested in keeping it or selling it. I'm still not convinced this is real."

"Allow me to email the property address to you, you can research it yourself to verify our authenticity. We will contact you in a couple of days. Sorry to intrude and interrupt, and we are deeply sorry for the loss of your father. Good day, Ms. Alistaire," he told her.