Isaac's Mysteries

Isaac the Investigator!

Isaac looked out of the windows of the carriage he was in, over the dark rocky cliffs, and barren nighttime landscape. In the distance, he could see the spires of the mansion he was to investigate looming closer. Some would consider him a naive detective, but Isaac was better than the rumors. His father had often taken him along on his investigations, thus he had learned the basics of being a detective by the age of ten. Also, unlike most detectives, he was a cosmopolite. He didn’t work for the money, or because he wanted to be involved in others’ business. He simply wanted to achieve a certain level of justice in the world. In him, he could feel his zealousness rising as the carriage slowly crawled up the hill to the mansion. This was his first investigation on his own.

The carriage stopped in front of the gates for Isaac to get out. Once he was out, he looked up at the mansion, peering over the tall, iron wrought fence into the windows. They were all lit by candlelight, and glimmered like eyes in the darkness. The carriage rushed off into the darkness, abandoning Isaac in front of this mansion. If anything bad were to happen, escape would most likely be futile, considering the path up to the mansion was quite perilous, littered with rocks, and foliage. 

Before entering, Isaac walked to the edge of the cliff the mansion was situated on. Below, he could see the flickering lights of a village below. That was the place Isaac had received reports from, featuring scruples about people disappearing from the village, and hearing ghastly screams in the night that drifted down from the mansion. Isaac shivered at the thought…maybe he was in too deep for his first case? No, impossible. He could definitely handle it, he had helped his father with investigations similar to this one when he was a child.

Shaking off his doubts, Isaac approached the black gate to the mansion, and pushed it open slightly. After his entrance, wind promptly blew the gate shut behind him, slamming it with great force. Isaac clutched his gray newsboy cap to his head, and brushed his wavy black hair out of his face. “Well that’s ominous,” he muttered to himself, and trudged up to the heavy black doors of the mansion. He guessed that they were made of dark oak, and wondered what debacle could have happened to lead to the sudden reports of this fine place.

Isaac lifted the heavy knocker on the door, slamming it twice. Soon, a pale face appeared from a crack between the frame and the now open door.

“Hullo…..you must be the investigator the village sent,” the face muttered in a feminine voice. She opened the door a little more for Isaac to come in. “We hope you can sort out this mess that we aren’t even aware of,” she elaborated. She seemed affable enough, Isaac decided. “We have most of the amenities you will require for your work here, so just say so if you require assistance,” the pale girl elaborated, leading Isaac up a spiraling staircase, holding a lantern up near her face. From the pale glow it provided, Isaac could see she was wearing a pale white dress that hung extremely loose, even dragging on the steps slightly. Obviously her nightgown.

“What is your name, if you don’t mind me asking?” Isaac inquired, his voice quivering from anxiousness. The halls were drafty, and poorly lit. The stone walls were scratchy. This was less a mansion, and more of a maze. And all of the noises echoed, so it was impossible to know which way a sound was coming from. This place did not give off a good feeling, that much Isaac was certain of.

“Eve. You may call me Eve,” she answered in a quiet voice, stopping outside of a door. “Here is your room,” she said, unlocking the door, and practically pushing Isaac in. “As notice for the interest of your health….we do not condone wandering the halls of the mansion at night…quite a few…mishaps….have occurred before,” she warned, blowing out the lantern so Isaac was left in complete darkness. He heard the door slam, and with that, knew he was alone for the night.

He stumbled across the room, tripping over a tea table by accident, and eventually into what seemed to be curtains. He yanked them open to reveal a full moon that had finally escaped from the clouds that were keeping its light to themselves earlier. Isaac sighed, seeing his breath. He felt as though he were breathing out the last of his courage. Then, a scream echoed throughout the mansion. Fear. It seemed as though he would learn of it being a tangible thing, something he could feel in the air around him. At any moment, it seemed like his fear would turn into the nightstand beside him. Instead, it overcame him, and Isaac fell to the ground, everything fading to black.