Peter Rakoczy: The Music of My Life

Chapter 10: An Eerie Encounter

Out of the corner of his eye, Peter noticed a light flickering inside the kitchen. It looked very dim and moved slowly, but it was nonetheless a candle or an oil lamp.

"Hello!" Peter calls out as he rapped on the window. "Can you hear me?"

The light stopped moving, but nobody answered.

Nina ran to the back door and started pounding on it with all of her might.

"Hello! If you can hear us, please open the door! My little sisters are lost! We need your help! Please! Open up!" Nina's voice was becoming hoarse from shouting and crying. She was nearing her breaking point.

Peter continued to rap insistently on the window, pleading with whoever was inside:

"Please! We are your neighbors. We mean no harm! Open the door!"

Lisbeth was still standing frozen in the same place, behind Peter. She hadn't spoken a word since she had first spotted motion inside the castle.

Peter saw that the light was moving again. It got closer and closer. Peter couldn't make out who was carrying it, but he hoped it was someone with good intentions. Nina was leaning her full weight against the door and looked ready to collapse to the ground. Peter ran over to her and helped her get back up on her feet.

"I think whoever's in there heard us," he whispered in her ear. "Try to get a hold of yourself."

Nina wiped her eyes with the backs of her gloved hands, sniffled, and nodded. Just as Peter wrapped a protective arm around her shoulders, the door began to open with a slow creak.

At first, all Peter could see was a trembling hand holding an oil lamp above shoulder length. As the lamp began to lower, Peter discerned the wrinkled face of a very old man. The man was stooped over and leaned on a cane. The little hair he had on his head was white and stringy. His skin was leathery and mottled from old age. He wore what looked like an old-fashioned valet's outfit.  The old man squinted his beady eyes as he scanned the three nervous youngsters on his doorstep. When he opened his mouth to speak, Peter could see that he was missing a fair amount of teeth.  The ones he had left were stained brown.

"Who are you?" The old man croaked. "What do you want?"

"My name is Peter Rakoczy," Peter introduced himself. "I am Count Stellian Rakoczy's son.  My family lives not too far from here. This is my niece, Nina and her friend, Lisbeth," he pointed toward the girls.

The old man's head bobbed up and down as he studied each young woman in turn. When his lips stretched out, Peter couldn't tell if he was smiling or grimacing. The man slowly turned back toward Peter and addressed him again.

"What do you want?" He was obviously not one for making conversation.

"We apologize for disturbing you," Peter said. "We went for a sleigh ride and passed close by your castle. I didn't think anyone lived here anymore. The girls were curious and wanted to explore the grounds a bit. Please forgive us for intruding."

The old man stood and watched them in silence. He then started to retreat and close the door. Peter stuck his foot in the door jamb to prevent him from shutting it.

"Please! Don't close the door! We need your help," Peter said pleadingly.

The old man frowned, but stopped moving.

"Why? What can I do for you?" He did not appear eager to help out.

Nina quickly slid past Peter. She pushed the door fully open and snuck inside, to the old man's shock. As soon as she was in, she clasped her hands together:

"Please, Sir! My two little sisters came with us. We can't find them anywhere. They must have somehow gotten inside. I beg you to help us locate them," her brown eyes were tearing up again, and she sniffled. "As soon as we find them, we will be out of your hair." Peter briefly wondered if that was the best choice of words.

The old man staggered backward, confused by her boldness. He was not used to young ladies acting so brash. Peter took advantage of the situation and entered the kitchen. He pulled Lisbeth behind him.

"Why... this is unacceptable," the old man muttered. "You can't just barge in here."

But Nina was relentless. "You must help us! There are two little girls who are probably scared out of their wits somewhere in here." She grabbed his arm with one hand. The old man reacted like he had been burned with a hot poker.

"What do you think you're doing? Take your hands off of me!" He sounded outraged as he yanked his arm out of her grip.

"Please forgive my niece," Peter tried to placate him. "But we are desperate... We don't know where else to turn."

The old man scowled.  He regarded Peter with what seemed to be a look of disgust. He then cleared his throat loudly.

"I will go and find my Master. Perhaps he can help you out with your... dilemma."

"Thank you very much," Peter spoke in earnest.

"Yes, thank you, Sir," Nina added. "We are greatly indebted to you."

The old man scoffed at the comment. He slowly turned and wobbled toward the inside of the castle.

"Wait here. I will go get the Master," he said harshly before disappearing down a dark hallway, taking the oil lamp with him.

Peter, Nina and Lisbeth exchanged meaningful glances.

"He's a bit odd," Peter muttered.

"I can't believe someone actually lives here," Nina remarked. "This place looks... awful."

Peter gazed around and noticed that the kitchen cabinetry was covered in a thick layer of dust. There were cobwebs in all of its nooks and crannies. The stove had neither logs nor coal in it. It was quite chilly inside. The pots and pans hanging from sharp hooks on the walls looked unused. The entire place had a stale odor to it.

"I wonder who his master is," Nina mused. She turned to Lisbeth. "Do you think it could be your distant uncle?"

Lisbeth shrugged. She looked very uneasy and was easily startled by every little noise. She got closer to Peter and linked her arm through the crook of his. He could feel her shivering even through her fur coat.

"It's going to be alright," Peter tried to reassure her. "I bet we'll find Rose and Violet in no time and then we can head back home."

"I hope you're right," Lisbeth whispered, but she didn't sound convinced.

They waited for the old man to return, but it seemed like an eternity had passed by without any sign of him.

"Where is he?" Nina tapped her foot impatiently.

Peter glared at her. "Try to be a little more understanding. He looked to be about a hundred years old. I'm sure it takes him a long time to get around this huge place."

Nina rolled her eyes and sighed. "Yes... I know... you're probably right."

Just then, they heard a floorboard creak. The old man returned to the kitchen. He still carried the oil lamp with him. He looked tired and out of breath, even though he trudged along at a snail's pace.

"The Master will see you now," he wheezed. "Follow me."

Without waiting for an answer, he turned around and started to walk down the passageway. Peter and the girls followed him. Peter looked around cautiously. The castle was obviously very old and he was worried something might collapse on top of their heads.  He felt like he was being watched by strange invisible eyes and shivered as he felt his way along the walls.