Dead End

Whisper of the Heart

       "Lilly, how I love your dress tonight!" Aunt Marry gushes.

       "Why thank you Aunt Marry." Lilly replies happily, remembering the way Apollo had looked at her. Aunt Marry continues to tell about her own dress and what expensive brand it was and what luxury store she got it at. Her talking fades out as Lilly worries about Apollo. Where is he? Is he okay? He might need my help. "Excuse me..." Lilly trails away from the party as they continue down the steps and climb into luxury Mercedes limousines. Lilly slips back through the grand doors and closes them quietly behind her, the chatter and laughter of her relatives ceases and Lilly looks around fearfully. Nothing in the intricate room movies except the trees in the garden outside the window to her left. She proceeds to walk down the hall leading to the west wing, her heels clicking on the marble floor. I'm going to get in so much trouble. She slips through the door at the end of the hall and continues down the next passage, then finds the wooden door to the west wing already slightly ajar. She peaks through the crack. The library is a mess, with all the contents of a small study desk directly in the middle of the room scattered across the floor. Books on the book shelves closest to the large windows are toppled against each other and tossed on the floor, their pages folded and bent. And one shelf is swung completely in to reveal a dark set of stairs leading down to the basement. Lilly jumps as a scream echoes from down in the basements and she races down the steps. The screaming grows louder and Lilly sees Apollo sitting on the bottom of the steps cradling his foot.

       "Apollo!"

       Apollo spins around and sees Lilly. His blue face lights up. "Lilly!" Then he stands up urgently. "Do you know the ax that you used to cut the chains?"

       "Yes, it's in the bedroom-"

       "I need you to get it, now!" Apollo glances over his shoulder fearfully. Lilly suddenly sees another blue figure rising from the ground. She stumbles backwards, catches herself, and flies up the stairs. She can hear shouts from behind her and the clang of chains. She trips into the library, losing one of her shoes at the top step, and dashes into the bedroom, sweeping the ax from off the floor by the door, and running back to the basement faster than she came out. She sees the two ghostly figures entangled in their chains, with the ghost that must be Armingham on top of Apollo swinging his chains into Apollo's face repeatedly. Lilly, at first uncertain what to do, stands and watches in horror. Then she hefts the ax with trembling hands and slams it into Armingham's back. He howls in pain and tumbles to the ground. Lilly drops the ax and races to Apollo's side.

       "Are you okay?"

       He shakes his head and murmurs, "Cut the chains..."

       Lilly jumps back to her feet and grabs the ax. She turns suddenly as Armingham, with an expression of pure murder leaps at her from a few feet away, his hands extended like claws and his mouth wide open like the mouth of a wolf going in for the kill, but his attack is intercepted as Apollo crashes into Armingham and they both collapse to the ground. Lilly surveys the chains hastily. Which chains do I cut? She glances back up at the two ghosts who are still fighting. She rushes to the wall, where the chains are held to the wall with an antique brass candle stick. This would have cost a fortune! Lilly tracks the chain coming out the left side as Apollo's chains and gets to work chopping the chains as she hears the battle behind her growing more fierce. The chains break with a snap and Lilly turns back around. "Apollo!" Apollo lets out a shout and beats his freed chains into Armingham's side before limping back over to Lilly. They both race up the stairs, leaving a howling Armingham in their midst. Apollo and Lilly careen into the library and swing the basement door shut, but they can still hear Armingham's yells and they bumble back down the hallway out of the west wing.