The Angels of Carrigan Castle

The Angels of Carrigan Castle: Chapter 5

Chapter Five  

Eleanor and Maria walked up to the castle, grey stone several stories high with a large tower on the west side. More than half of the outside walls were covered in a thick vine, curving up and in some places growing over or into windows. The castle, Carrigan Castle as her mother informed her on the plane, was beautifully gothic; a dark castle out of a 1920's horror film. There were steps leading up to a giant set of doors made out of a thick, dark wood. The doors themselves had small spikes all over them to fend off intruders. "This place is still the disaster I remember." Maria grunted pulling her bag out of the taxi, "Honestly, the government pays to keep this place up and running, why they can't pay for upkeep is beyond me."  

"I think it's gorgeous." Eleanor replied, staring up at the beautiful structure. It was silly but she imagined herself wearing her old prom dress, walking around the castle being the princess she always dreamed she was when she was a child. Clutching her bag, she began walking up the steps to the large doors. Was the angel going to be inside waiting for them? Would he be happy with his new houseguests? She also thought of her grandmother, where was she? It had been two days since she passed away, was she lying somewhere in the house rotting or was someone considerate and move her and protect her?  

Eleanor knocked on the large doors and waited for several minutes. No one came to answer so she knocked again and waited, it was a large place maybe he was on the top floor and was running down the flights of stairs? No, she assumed someone who harshly informs someone about the death of a family member would not be someone to run down probably hundreds of steps to open the door. Taking a deep breath, she pushed on the door and it creaked open. The inside of castle was just as beautiful as the outside. The walls were made of the same grey stone, but had pictures of royal looking people on the wall, several cloths of what she assumed to be similar to Persian rugs, fancy with symmetrical designs on them. There were windows lining the hall though not letting much light in, and all the lights on the sides were electric, she was expecting torches for some reason.  

Eleanor also expected to be standing in a large room with a grand staircase and suits of armour everywhere, but she was standing in a hallway. She could turn left or right, or walk straight towards the middle of the castle, Maria finally came in and sighed, "Still the same. Oh and go straight baby." Eleanor followed her mother straight to the middle of the castle, there were more hallways and several doors, Eleanor opened a few and found washrooms, cupboards, staircases leading up, down and one room with another door. Finally they arrived in the middle of the castle where there was a grand staircase, a few suits of armour and a non-working fountain in the middle. Looking around Eleanor saw an archway which led to a kitchen, another where she saw some couches and heard a radio, and some more hallways with endless doors and very little light.  

"Quite a dark place." She commented looking around, a flashlight was going to be necessary wherever she went here.  

"Yes this castle was not meant to bring joy and light into someone's life. I do not know if your grandmother is still here."  

"Should we split up and look through the rooms? I assume her bedroom would be on the first floor the stairs look like too much work for her."  

"Yes she most likely slept on the first floor, but I do not think we should split up. We don't know where the angel is." Maria and Eleanor first entered the kitchen, there was old cooking equipment, a long thick wood table with about fourteen matching chairs. There was an abundance of counter space along with a long island between the cooking area and where the table sat. On the far wall there were two doors, one leading to a pantry, the other leading to a bathroom. Right next to the fridge on the near side there was a door leading outside, and on the side wall a door with stairs leading down to the basement.