Sam held the flashlight from his room and Caz followed him. They weren't going to use both of their flashlights as they didn't want to waste batteries. Sam walked ahead with Caz close behind. Along with the taxidermy, there were a lot of family oil painted portraits. They were at the cabin because of a letter Ethane received a few weeks ago. With his dementia he seemed to be forgetting more and more every day, he couldn't remember anything about his past now, and the letter told him of the cabin that he apparently inherited from his late mother. They all got two months spared from work and decided to go with Ethane to find remnants of his past. Maybe finding a clue to who Ethane Gundry really was.
"That must be her...Melissa Gundry...his mother."
Sam stopped over a sophisticated portrait that seemed so lively that it was as if she were actually watching you admire her.
"She's beautiful... Hey, what's this?"
Caz turned around and squinted as he got closer to a framed photograph on the wall. Sam flashed the light onto the photo and they were both stunned to find a black and white photograph seeming to be the Gundry family. There was Melissa Gundry in a wheelchair with a glassy look in her eyes, she seemed ill. To her back right there was a tall man whose eyes seemed to bore into your soul, evaluating and judging all your insecurities. An elderly man stood with a cane to the right of Ethane's father, he seemed weak. Then on the far left was an elderly woman, her face and smile shone kindness through the rest of the terrifying family. On Melissa's lap sat a small boy, to be assumed as Ethane. There was a red 'x' dragged over his face along with the grandparents.
"What-what does this mean?"
Caz spoke up a little shaken.
"I don't know... But Ethane shouldn't see this. It will crush him... We need to get rid of it."
Sam said as he passed the flashlight to Caz and attempted to take the family portrait off the wall. To his surprise, it didn't come off the wall but rather flipped up to reveal a small opening with a pulling lever and a ring of keys.
"What the..."
Caz and Sam looked at one another without saying a word. Sam picked up the ring of brass keys, each having a number engraved on them.
"Should we... Pull the lever?"
Inquired Caz. Sam swallowed hard.
"No... Not yet. This is his cabin. He should do it... Let's just make a mental note and save this for after dinner."
Caz nodded in agreement then turned ahead to walk further down the corridor. At the end of the hallway, it split into a 'T' like shape to which they could go either left or right. They turned left and right, set uneasy by the gargantuan bear taxidermy at the end of the hallway at the right they decided on going left. To their right, the entire wall was filled with windows viewing a panoramic view of trees amongst trees. The forest was illuminated with an extraterrestrial glow from the moonlight being reflected off of the pure snow. At the end of the hallway to the left, there was a door. They looked at each other then Sam creaked open the door with Caz close behind shining in the light. The room appeared to be a music room. In the room, there was: a cello, a bass, a violin, a piano, a harp, and a viola. On the far wall there stood a massive cabinet when opened birthed pages and pages of sheet music. Sam, the fellow musician, was intrigued.
"Wow... This is some good stuff. Debussy, Brahms, Handel, Beethoven, Haydn, holy crap! Even Schumann and Vivaldi!"
Caz shone in the light as he stood there in confusion.
"Is there any... Cavetown, Queen, MCR, Twenty One Pilots... Anything I would know and or listen too?"
Sam looked through a couple of more drawers of music to find a brown leather notebook with the Gundry name engraved into the spine.
"There doesn't seem to be anything up your alley... But there is a journal. It's written in Finnish though."
Sam flipped through the pages.
"Wait-did you say Finnish? I can read some Finish! E and I studied it together before arriving while you had basketball practice. Let me see!"
Sam passed over the journal as he took the flashlight from Caz's hands.
"What does it say Caz?"
Caz's eyes skimmed through the pages.
"Crap. This isn't good... Unless they were just mentally ill..."
Sam cocked his head in confusion.
"What do you mean? Caz, what does it say!?"
Caz cleared his throat then read off the page.
"Talviset yöt sekoittavat jäätä, joka lepää luissani. Hävität minut. Muistuttaa minua siitä, etten voi koskaan jättää tätä kirottua matkustamoa. Toivottavasti kukaan muu ei koskaan aseta jalkaansa tähän pörröiseen paikkaan ... ja niille, jotka uskovat. Käytä raamattua ja valoja pitämään peto paikallaan. Hiisi tulee sinulle, jos uskallat asettaa jalka ulos hytistä."
Sam stood there with a dumbfounded look on his face.
"Which means?"
Caz feeling like the smart one for a change as he gave a rough translation.
"It roughly translates to; The winter nights stir the ice that rests within my bones. Tormenting me. Reminding me of how I can never leave this cursed cabin. I hope no one else ever sets foot in this dastard place...and for those who do dare. Use the Bible and the lights to keep the beast at bay. The Hiisi will come for you if you dare set foot out of the cabin... It's signed Meranda. Do you think that was his Grandmother?"
Sam's face swelled with anguish and fear.
"That doesn't sound too good... Maybe... Either way, it doesn't sit well with me - we need to go back to E. I don't like that we left him alone in this place."
Caz nodded then they put the journal back and made way back to the kitchen and made sure to set everything back in the original orientation.
YOU ARE READING
The Blur
Mystery / Thriller"Finally! - It's about damn time we arrived." groaned Caz as he stretched out his broad shoulders while he got off the claustrophobic train. "It wasn't that bad. At least there was some nice scenery." They had arrived in Finland, for a winter vacat...
