Inexperienced Heart

Chapter 26: The Prisoners

As the three approached Landa, Galadriel sprinted forward and held her in a tight embrace. Landa was surprised but glad that at least one member of her team was worried about her safety. Goldtin also hugged her. As for Logan, you can imagine his reaction about seeing Landa safe. He showed no reaction. He just stood there, not giving her even one glance, but staring intently at his shoes. Landa, though feeling a little offended, tried to ignore it and appeared happy. She expected him to do just what he was doing.

Landa told them of her panic and of her encounter with Palson. When she inquired why Aldrich did not kidnap her, no one seemed to be able to answer. There was an embarrassing silence that Landa broke by saying, "Let's go inside and look for Mira."

Everyone agreed and Galadriel took the lead. He opened the door, finding it to be unlocked and making barely a sound.

The inside of the mansion was astonishing! They saw the roundness of the dome. They viewed the paintings that were everywhere on the ceiling, almost like in the Sistine Chapel. The paintings showed animals, almost any creature you can imagine, whether alive or extinct, real or imaginary. There were paintings of cats, dogs, horses, dolphins, bears, lions, birds, snakes, fish, dinosaurs, dodos, griffins, unicorns, and so many more. There were two stairways, one on either side of the mansion. Under the stairways were chairs with red silky cloth covering them. There were tables and sofas covered with the royal cloth.

There was a long, thin, red rug spread across the floor from the front door to the back door. Landa tried to locate another door, but could not find another. This building only had two doors that led outside. The rug had images of all kinds of birds, from hummingbirds to condors.

As the four were moving along on the carpet, they saw many hallways. They passed into one and saw pictures in frames of people. Galadriel informed them it was the family who lived here and was murdered. Upon closer inspection, Landa saw a man and a woman, both good-looking and assumed they are, or were, the parents. Another picture revealed a beautiful girl holding a little brother. Landa stared at the girl. She couldn't believe someone could actually be that gorgeous. The girl, with her flowing brown hair, almost blonde, slightly wavy, her perfect, happy smile, her bright green eyes sparkling, and her slim figure, was an image of perfection. At least in Landa's eyes.

She almost couldn't tear her eyes from her, but she managed it and turned her attention to the boy. Though young, he was on the way to being a handsome man. His blonde hair was thick. He had the same eyes as his sister.

Picture by picture of the family passed them. They stopped at each one so as not to miss the smallest detail. There were even pictures of Isabel and the young Aldrich Palson holding each other lovingly. The man looked a lot better in the picture than he does today. Landa thought the heartbreak made him lose his good looks. He looked a lot like Roco does. "Let's hope Roco doesn't go the same way as his father," she thought to herself.

The pictures of Isabel and Aldrich together made Landa sad. They would have made a good and happy couple. She found herself becoming angry with Isabel's parents. Why couldn't they have let Isabel marry the man she loved? Then, Aldrich would never have become evil and Landa would not have had to come to Lost Surfer's Hollow to make it visible and to rescue her friend. Landa did not understand the girl's parents comment about Aldrich looking evil. He did not look evil at all to her. He just looked like a normal gentleman looking for love.

"This is like an art gallery," Landa whispered to the others. She didn't know why she whispered. It just seemed like the right thing to do in this majestic, beautiful place. She also realized that they were not doing what they had come to do. The art had totally distracted them.

"Why didn't Palson remove these pictures?" Landa asked, still talking in a hushed voice. It didn't make sense why he'd leave all these pictures hanging. Don't they give him bad memories? Does he really want that?