The Mask of New Paris ✓

Prologue

The boat slowly sputtered through the silent swamp. The air was humid and Natasha's hair stuck to the nape of her neck. Here and there a bird started singing his song, the bayou around the three of them in their boat was slowly waking up. An alligator glided into the water, its eyes soon peeking from above the muddy liquid.

"Remind me, Sasha, why we had to visit the place so damn early?" Thomas grunted, trying to rub away the sleep from his eyes.

A tired and frustrated sigh escaped Natasha's mouth. "Because later on, it will be too warm to venture this far into the swamp."

Thomas was either pleased with the answer or too tired to react but for the remainder of the trip, he turned silent and watched the nature around them come to life. Soon his silence made room for the sound of the shutter of his camera to accompany the birds' songs.

Natasha stiffened when a snake sneaked through the water right next to her. Amazed gasps came from Thomas when he saw a wild boar running away when the boat neared the animal. His morning mood was soon forgotten.

It had been hard to find a driver who was willing to take them to their destination this early on the day. It had been even harder to find one who knew of the location of the Whitacre family house. They got lucky when the boat rental had appointed them the man who was now steadily setting course to the house that had become famous through rumors around the swamp and had previously been visited by a handful of photographers.

Natasha's hand fiddled with the strap of her camera bag. The pictures she had seen from the property on the internet, had awoken a sudden interest in her. She felt like she needed to see the strange building herself. About the family that inhabited the home many years prior, she found nothing but their last name. All of the other records seemed to have vanished as had happened so many times with documents from before the Overpowerment.

After the 1870's the world's geography changed drastically due to the climate change. The surviving people cared for one thing only: to survive. When society slowly fell back into place, the human race wanted to reclaim the earth, unwilling to suffer from the fickleness of nature.

Since Natasha was little she had known nothing else than concrete streets and buildings. Most of her childhood friends went to study for engineer to find ways to bind Earth to the wills of mankind. It was not in her own nature to deny the beauty the earth had to offer when it was left alone. Since a few years she could count on Thomas to accompany her to visit the most exquisite and unique views of a world that would no longer exist in a few decades.

The driver mumbled something but the consistency of his words disappeared as through a curtain of hanging leaves the jetty of the house became visible. It was followed by the wooden home that seemed to be swallowed by nature, however keeping its ground as though both had chosen to live together peacefully, instead of resistant.

With the slow rise of the sun, the house beamed in a tiny open area in the middle of the swamp. Without thinking, Natasha lifted her camera towards her eye. Even through the lens, the house breathed mystery and pride. A cypress had taken control over the roof, but it seemed like the construction had hold on until this very day. Even Thomas became silent at the view in front of them.

The boat stopped at the end of the jetty. Within an hour they'd return to the city, the driver reminded them. Natasha followed Thomas off the boat. The wood beneath their shoes creaked underneath their weight. Thomas glanced at her. "This will hold us, right?"

Natasha only replied with a grin. "We'll find out."

With steady steps she made her way towards the front door. The entire house looked like a shotgun house placed in the midst of the bayou. Apart from its lack of color, it could easily fit in the streets they had left an hour ago. The entire house was surrounded by a dark wooden wharf. A porch led the way to the front door. The glass that should've brought a clear view into the house, was dulled and dirty leaving the dark inside still a mystery. Natasha's hand found itself around the steel doorknob before she could question her entrance. To her own surprise the door was unlocked.