Toil and Trouble

Fay Circles and Ley Lines

    As the car pulled up to the house, the music playing was loud but the two girls inside were silent. Daphne, who had been driving, idled the car before shutting if off fully. The 24 year old turned to her sister, flicking a lock of her bright red hair over her shoulder. "So" she said simply. "So" her sister echoed, messy blonde hair pulled back in a bun, "No turning back now." They got out and went around to the back, retrieving their bags. The house was huge, with Greek pillars framing in the front porch and trees on the sides, creating a look almost like one from a story book. The twins climbed the steps and knocked.
   The door was opened by a small man that Diane would have described as looking 'mouse-like'. He had jet black hair, peppered with gray, with a mustache that was more gray than black. He looked up at them, squinting a bit in the harsh June light outside. "Oh, Daphne, Diane! I've been waiting! Come in, come in." He ushered them inside, closing the door to the hot dry air outside. "Your presence is most definitely welcome in the house. Your parents explained that you needed a break from the busy city, one that I'm pleased to provide. London is far to busy in my opinion." He gave them each a hug, both of them having to bend down to wrap their arms around him. "Thank you for having us Uncle Fredrick. Daphne and I really needed a break. Do you have any rules?" "Just that you tell me if your going anywhere and I'd stay out of the basement and attic. The stairs are old and I don't trust them. Cleaning staff comes on Thursdays and groceries get delivered on Tuesdays. I don't get into town much and I'm terribly busy with my investigations. There are hiking trails in the woods out back, just wear orange if you get near or over property lines, there's hunters in the woods."  The girls nodded their agreements, then turned to go up the stairs. "Are there rooms you would like us to stay in, or can we choose?" Uncle Fredrick waved a hand, "No, not particularly. There are a few rooms with two beds if you'd like to share a room." He walked away at that. Mumbling something about it being long enough for the samples to sit. Uncle Fredrick was an Ecologist, studying the woods and lakes around his house in Sunderland. He used to be a professor at Oxford, but had since retired to his manor house to do study work.
    The twins ended up choosing one of the rooms with two beds, setting their clothes up in the wardrobes across from their beds. The large window between the bed let on the last rays of sunlight, dusk rapidly falling. Brushing their teeth in the adjacent bathroom, the twins quickly changed for bed. Plugging in their phones with alarms set for 9 the next morning, the girls climbed into the comfortable beds just as the sun was slipping behind the horizon. They fell asleep so quickly, they didn't notice the two, tiny, pale faces peeking into the windows, illuminated in the sun's last few rays.