The Wild Rose - (boyxboy) (manxboy)

CHAPTER III - The Haunt

"Since you have the goodness to think of me," answered she, "be so kind to bring me a rose, for as none grows hereabouts, they are a kind of rarity."

― Beauty and the Beast

Chapter III

The Haunt

Alan fixed the valve in place and tightened the screws, before turning the tap. He climbed out of the tub just before the first flow of the shower could hit him, and grinned. He chuckled in joy when he stuck his cold hand in there and felt the heat. The tub was big, and it proved to be white when the water hit it. He turned on the smaller taps too, the ones he had found before but hadn't tested it yet, and nodded to himself when they worked as well.

The bath he fixed was one that he found in a big bathroom on the second floor. It was on the second floor where the suites where on, big rooms with wide furniture and great fireplaces. The room he was in right now was the most secured one, the wide heavy double doors had been hard to push, but Alan knew this was the right bedroom to fix the bathroom because if Catherine or her brother decided to stay in the manor anytime soon, they would probably use this bedroom. He would just have to use the shower in here for a while until he got around to fixing the others.

The bathroom was beautiful. Alan had been awed, cooing to the little details and the baroque styled big mirrors. The plumbing, thankfully hadn't been too hard to figure out. The renovations made Alan wonder about the story of the mansion, and for how long exactly no one had been living in it. If Alan could guess, he would say at least forty years. But if Catherine's brother wasn't at least sixty or something then that didn't made any sense.

Alan took off his shirt, his pants and hung them by the tub. There was a basket for laundry, but Alan was pretty sure there were spiders in it. He had used the bathroom before fixing the shower and checked every little place for animals. No rat jumped at him from the cabinet so he was safe for now.

He took the only cleaning product he found in the back of the truck, something that was probably forgotten by however owned the automobile before, and with an old rag he climbed in the tub and started scrubbing it, the flow of the water washing him and the dirt from the tub altogether. The water flowed nicely and disappeared into the drain.

After the bathtub was white again, and the floor of the bathroom was squeaky clean, along with the walls, the sink, the cabinets and even the spider-filled basket - in which while cleaning Alan screamed a lot - he finally watched the last batch of dirty water go down the drain, and felt his arms ache with the unusual work out. He put on his pants again, and his new pullover, and gave the bathroom a last satisfied look before cleaning the door.

The dark room he was faced with was made for a king. Big curtains hid the bed and red carpet hid the wooden floor. It was the only room that was clean and had no white sheets hiding furniture. No broken things, no garbage, and very little dust. It was almost as if someone had been sleeping here, and the curtains hiding the bed from view created the illusion that maybe there was someone there right now.

The air was still, for sure no one had opened the curtains for years.

While the bathroom received the morning light from the window, the bedroom was in darkness. The walls had a very beautiful paint work. There were monogamy cabinets in the corners, a bedside table and another armchair. The fireplace was huge and the red curtains on the window were indulgent of whoever had laid here before.

It was all so quiet. Alan thought he could feel a presence in the bed, behind the curtains. But the curtains remained still.

Alan looked at it for a second, thinking maybe it would move and prove he was not paranoid. Nothing happened. The uneasiness grew, but he could not bring himself to open the curtains.