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Archive for February, 2015

Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 189) Insults

Stephen is taking it slow and steady for Tamas has a slight limp that keeps him from having a very fast stride. This wooded area blocks the sun to a point that Stephen even begins to wonder if time has escaped him and evening is approaching. There is not much conversation on this stroll except for the occasional tap from Tamas as he points out birds and small woodland animals when they scurry by.

As they near the stone and wood house that Tamas calls home, Stephen discretely takes a pill from his bottle and slips it into his mouth, undetected of course by his young friend. He is expecting an encounter with the old man and from what transpired earlier in the day, he worries it will be another bout of name-calling and insults.

As if on cue, Laszlo Eszes comes marching out of his home to meet them in the yard and Stephen is mentally preparing himself for an argument. The look on the old man’s face is of stress and worry.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 188) Interacted

To Stephen, the sound and description from Tamas, validates what he himself has seen in the past and what he believes he is currently seeing here at the manor. Tamas has a childlike mind and there is no way he could invent such a horrible thing on his own. It is obvious he has interacted with the creature here and possibly communicated with it as well. But why? What could this evil thing gain from such an innocent soul? For that matter, what does it gain from killing old men?

“I need to get you home, Tamas. Will you show me the way?” He asks politely but feels nervous and worried for not only Tamas and himself, but also for anyone who enters the walls of the manor.

“Yes,” replies Tamas as he claps his hands happily.

After locking the main door, Stephen and Tamas begin walking along the path and about one fourth of the way down from the manor, they veer off to the left on a footpath that leads deep into the woods. The air is cool but comfortable as they slowly stroll thought the thick canopy of trees and delicate underbrush.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 187) Next Question

Looking behind him at the second floor landing, there is nothing out of the ordinary. It is empty and undisturbed but when Stephen turns back, Tamas is out in front of the manor looking up at the windows once again. In an attempt to catch sight of what Tamas is seeing, Stephen runs outside and stands next to the young man but does not notice any movement from the windows above. He looks at Tamas who grins and then looks down at the ground as if the game is over.

“When you play, is it with a man or boy?” Stephen asks and Tamas frowns and shakes his head no.

“A woman or girl?” This question receives the same result. He is afraid to frighten Tamas, but he is compelled to ask the next question.

“Does your friend wear shoes? Like you and me?” Stephen taps the bottom of his shoe with his fingers. Tamas frowns and then shakes his head no and bends down to remove his own shoe.

“No, no. It’s okay, leave your shoes on, I understand.” Replies Stephen and Tamas grins happily.

“You are doing great, Tamas.” Stephen states as he pats the young man on the back. “I just have one more question, okay?” He asks.

“Yes,” Tamas replies as he nods his head up and down.

“Does your friend talk?” Stephen waits while Tamas turns his head and seems to be trying to say something. After a few seconds of tipping his head and attempting to speak, Tamas lets out a long wheezing sound that is such a close match to what Stephen has heard that he takes several steps back from Tamas. An uneasy nervousness seems to surround Stephen as he looks back up at the manor, then to his young innocent friend.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 186) Points

“You were hiding?” Repeats Stephen. “Why were you hiding?”

“Game,” replies Tamas as he claps his hands.

“You were playing hide and seek? With Zsofia?” questions Stephen but Tamas shakes his head no then steps back, looks up at the house, then steps back to the door.

“I’m sorry, Tamas. I don’t understand.” Stephen says gently and as he lets go of the door, it swings open farther than it had been. “Can you tell me who you were playing with?” Stephen questions as he watches Tamas closely.

To his surprise, Tamas giggles and runs his hands along the side of his face as he nods yes and makes a loud squeaking sound. It is obvious this is a positive and happy expression. Smiling that they are having this conversation, Stephen laughs with him and asks once again.

“So you can? You can tell me who was playing with you?” Stephen laughs as he feels this is a breakthrough in their ability to communicate.

To his surprise, Tamas steps to the side and smiles wide as he points up at the top of the staircase behind Stephen. This is not at all what Stephen expected and the freezing chill of fear runs along his spine as he quickly turns around to see whom or what might be there.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 185) I Hide

Turning slowly Stephen steps back, merely staring at the wooden door as if questioning what he heard. Again, there is a knock, it is faint but is clearly coming from someone outside.

“Who is it?” Stephen yells rudely hoping that will deter the person and send them back down the road. He doubts it would be Zsofia, she would knock and yell out to get his attention instead of just standing there, tapping.

“It’s times like this when a peephole would be nice.” He says to himself as he becomes angry for no apparent reason. “I said who is it?” He yells as he flings the door open. Standing just outside the door is Tamas. He is waving slowly and has a gentle smile on his face as he looks at Stephen.

“Tamas,” Stephen says in a calm tone. “Are you looking for Zsofia? She just left. You must have passed her on the path.”

Zsofia left only a minute or so ago and she said it takes twenty to thirty minutes to get to her house or to town. How is it that she did not see her brother? Stephen looks around the door in the direction Zsofia went, but she would already be out of sight and hidden by the line of trees at this point.

“No Zsó. . .fia.” Tamas states slowly. “I hide.” He says and then laughs.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 184) Nonchalant

“I’m usually at the teahouse for about thirty minutes after we close at five, so if you get bored or want to sit with a friend for dinner, you can always look me up.” Zsofia says quickly as she walks down the hall toward the main entry.

“I may do that, you know, sometime in the future.” Stephen replies as he follows her to the main door, which is still secure and locked from when they entered hours ago.

Pushing the bolt to the side, he swings the door open and without turning around or stopping to say goodbye, Zsofia continues walking and exits the structure. Not until she is several steps away and out from under the shade of the house does she lift her hand and wave.

“See you later!” She says without turning to look at him.

Her nonchalant conduct causes Stephen to grin as he closes the main door and turns to face the room. Slowly his expression grows solemn and he reaches for his pills. Several times, in the last two hours, he wished he could take one but not in front of someone who seems to handle things in a very informed manner.

Mostly though, he does not want Zsofia to think he needs such a vice. She would never understand his dependency and may even consider him weak for it. He pops two pills into his mouth and slowly swallows just before there is a knock at the door.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 183) The Spiral

“So what are your thoughts?” Zsofia asks not stating any specific subject.

“On what, the house as a whole?” Stephen questions as he carefully follows her but keeps checking above them too for anyone or anything that may follow.

“Well, that and. . . have you gone into town yet?” She questions.

“No, I haven’t.” he replies quickly and Zsofia stops and turns to look at him.

“Oh, well then you need to come into town and have a snack at my tea house sometime. It’s only a thirty minute walk, that’s how I get back and forth.” She smiles.

“Okay, sure. I should do that.” He says as he looks up once more at the steps above them.

“I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.” She teases then turns and continues down the steps.

Even though she is not looking at him, Stephen can tell Zsofia is smiling as he follows her down the spiral of steps until reaching the bottom floor.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 182) Reaction

“Are you okay?” Zsofia asks with a worried look on her face as she takes Stephens hand in hers.

“Yeah, I think so.” He says in a weak voice. He replies, trying to act as if everything is fine, but he knows something is definitely wrong. He has never had such a strange sensation before and of all the things he has found to be troublesome in his life, nothing has ever caused such a reaction.

“Here, let’s go over to the north-west corner.” Stephen says as he starts walking in that direction and Zsofia follows all the while, watching him closely.

Just as he expected, in the corner is a glass door that opens to the spiral staircase that will take them down, allowing access to all four floors. Feeling a little stronger than just a few minutes ago, he pulls the door open and allows Zsofia to go in first. Their shoes make clinking sounds on the metal steps as they begin to descend to the lower levels.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 181) Clear

“Did you hear that?” Zsofia laughs as she refers to the ridiculous echo the room produced from such a simple sound as the click of a door. “Imagine if you had a band playing up here, perfect acoustics!” She yells with hands out to her side as she walks toward Stephen then laughs at the sound of her own voice.

Stephen slowly starts to walk toward her but his legs feel heavy and his head is not clear. With cloudy vision, all he can think about is getting downstairs and out of the manor safely but his eyes will not focus properly.

“Stephen?” Zsofia questions as she come near. “Are you alright?”

As her voice reverberates loudly in his ears, the strange reaction he was having immediately ceases and he finds himself standing directly in front of her. Her voice is clear and the weight in his legs is no longer holding him down.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 180) Paralyzed

Just as Stephen enters the glass corridor and closes the door behind him, he hears an unsettling scratchy and gurgling voice. “I see you Istvan” it states in an ambiguous muffled way.

This run of words sends chills across his shoulders and down to his legs as he freezes in place. He cannot move and there is a thick full pressure in his throat. He is watching, paralyzed and helpless, as Zsofia walks further and further away but he cannot yell for help. That voice, that horrible nasty wicked voice. Where did it come from? There is no one else here except for him and Zsofia. If it is the creature, why now is he not able to see it?

All the way on the other side of the open floor, Zsofia pulls the door closed with a loud click that seems to resonate far longer and more intense than normal. Turning around she looks at Stephen and grins.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 179) The Same

Stephens relationship with his ex-girlfriend Kate is torrid at best and he is the only giver in the union. He does not miss Kate’s demanding selfish ways, especially now. His friendship with Zsofia is much different and he hopes their relationship will only grow closer in the future. Just thinking about Zsofia has him smiling and he does not realize she is doing the same.

To clear his mind and to focus on getting Zsofia downstairs, he looks behind them to his left where he believes there should be an entrance to the spiral staircase at the northwest corner of the manor. He is almost positive that when he stopped on the third floor to find her, the steps went up one more level. This would mean they do come to the fourth floor and would be the fastest route downstairs.

“There should be a staircase on that corner,” he points to the opposite side of the building.

“Well, If not we can go down through the conservatory entrance.” She points to an iron door that, just like the one he entered through on the second floor, is attached to a walkway inside the gardens glass exterior. “You know, there is only one way to find out,” and with that said she turns and opens a set of glass doors and proceeds to walk along, inside the glass corridor that they originally enter through. “I’ll shut this door at the front,” she says loudly as an echo calls back.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 178) Thank You

“It must be nearing noon,” Zsofia says softly as she turns and looks into Stephen’s eyes, “I should probable get to the teahouse.” As she looks up at Stephen, she nearly leans in for a kiss.

Neither she nor Stephen move or look away for several seconds as they stand face to face atop the elegant building. The silence they are in is not exactly uncomfortable and they both find themselves surprisingly content and at ease. Slowly Stephen slides his fingers through Zsofia’s hair as he tucks the stray tresses away from her sparkling eyes.

“Thank you,” she says as she touches his hand.

“For what?” he questions.

“For letting me experience this with you.” She smiles as she pulls her hair to one side and holds it with her hand.

Stephen nods and grins as he looks back down at the large garden area below and thinks of this new and exciting friendship. He has not been close to anyone in years except for his on again off again relationship with Kate. She lives in the town where he grew up, but at this time, it has been months since he has spoken to her.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 177) Adoration

“So all this time, all the days of working here, alone in the house, you never once strayed from the few rooms on the first floor?” Stephen asks with disbelief and a sly grin as he jokingly implies she has been lying to him.

“As hard as it may be to believe, yes I followed the rules, but don’t think I wasn’t tempted several times.” She laughs in a teasing way. “Remember, I explored the conservatory to its fullest though, and climbed all the way to the fourth level of the suspension walkways, so I have viewed a lot yet stayed within the boundaries as well.”

The wind has picked up slightly and as Zsofia stands in the sunshine, wisps of hair float along her neck and across her face. Before she can swipe it away, Stephen reaches up and slides his hand along her cheek pulling the strands back.  Neither speak a word as they stand there together, extremely close, each with adoration for the other, yet neither daring enough to admit how much they enjoy the company. Zsofia looks up at the sun and raises her hand to shield her eyes.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 176) Manicured

Much to Stephen’s surprise, he looks out over a massive area of manicured shrubs, gravel walkways, and stone benches scattered throughout several acres of land. Various nooks with concrete benches create many sitting areas and private lawns. Stone statues and large urns create many interesting focal points that look intricate and detailed even from this distance.

“Wow, who keeps it trimmed up?” he questions as he stands there astonished at the massive amount of work it must require to keep the grounds in such a groomed shape.

“Your great-uncle hired experts for the upkeep; I believe they are here four times a year.” She tips her head to the side. “I’m sure my grandfather knows who they are. On another day, if I am allowed,” she grins up at Stephen, “I’ll show you the trails in the woods.”

“What kind of trails?” he asks.

“Walking trails, you can walk for miles and the paths always lead you back home. It is my understanding they have been there even before your grandparents moved out of the manor into the gatehouse.” She pauses as if reflecting on a past moment. “This is so fun, I have wanted to climb up here my whole life but until now, I’ve never had the chance to do so. I have you to thank for that.” She grins as she watches Stephen turn to face her.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 175) Protective

From the rooftop, the large old trees look dwarfed from where they stand and the rooftops of the town can be seen clearly, yet far off in the distance. To his left he notices what appears to be the chimney of another house that is quite some distance away.

“What is that?” he questions as he points to it.

“The house with the fireplace?” she questions. “That is where Tamas, grandfather, and I live. It’s a nice little hike in the woods.” She smiles up at him. “You’ll have to come by for a visit sometime.

“I doubt I would be a welcomed guest.” Stephen replies as he refers to the reaction from her grandfather earlier in the day.

“Oh, don’t let grandfather fool you. He really is not as gruff as he tries to come across. He is just, protective.” She assures him without elaborating on the fact that he called Stephen crazy. “Come this way, follow me.” She takes his hand and pulls him along as they go to the back and east side of the manor. “Bet you’ve never seen anything like this before.”

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 174) Look

As Stephen watches Zsofia, he feels as if he has known her his entire life. There is something about her, she is so natural and at ease in her actions and his anxiety is practically dormant. As he approaches her, Zsofia leans over the wall just enough to look down and Stephen quickly steps up next to her, putting his arm around her waist.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you, we don’t know how sturdy the walls are.” He pulls her back a few inches and she turns to look at him.

“Look at the view.” She smiles as she watches him for a reaction.

“I am.” He replies without taking his eyes off her.

She laughs and places two fingers on his chin then turns his head to look out across the countryside.

“No silly, look.” She says softly and then laughs again for she definitely liked his attention.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 173) Lighter

On each outside corner of the manor, tall turret type towers stand high as if reaching for the clouds. Rock steps lead up to tall thin open windows for an even greater view of the surrounding landscape. Many chimney’s jet up and out in various places along this rooftop area and the center section spanning all sides, wraps around the glass of the huge conservatory as if protecting its delicate contents.

“Wow, this is how I imagined it, come look at the view to the west,” Zsofia says as she hurriedly heads in that direction.

“Wait, not so fast, you need to be careful.” Says Stephen as he follows her out into the sunlight.

The late-morning sun feels warm and inviting to Stephen after hours of being preoccupied within the cold walls of the manor. He feels lighter and happier, which is rather rare for him. Maybe it is due to the sunshine or possibly, because of the company he is keeping at this moment.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 172) Continuous

Without saying a word, Stephen and Zsofia climb the staircase and where the steps end, they find a glass door. Stephen reaches around Zsofia’s waist, bumping his chest up against her back, as he turns the handle on the door. With a dry, sliding sound, it swings open and they step out onto the fourth floor, which looks just as Zsofia stated.

The entire area is an open floor plan with interior walls made of stone, inset with large tall windows that look out at the upper top section of the glass conservatory. The exterior wall is masonry as well with a huge fireplace centered in the middle and two sets of double glass doors, of equal positions, on either side. If the doors were open, it would transform the fourth floor into one large covered porch.

This vast open area causes each spoken word and every footstep to echo as the sounds bounce from the floor, walls, and many full-length windows. Quickly walking to the front of the manor, Zsofia opens one set of double doors and steps out from under the cover onto a wide unprotected section of the rooftop. This area runs the entire length and width of the house acting much like a long continuous balcony.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 171) Coping Skill

Surprised at Zsofia’s quickness in changing the subject, Stephen now realizes how compassionate and understanding her demeanor is. He feels this is probably partly due to her interactions with her younger brother Tamas, and the challenges he faces every day. It is obvious she takes each moment at face value and does not let things fester or become a bigger problem. She deals with it and lets it go. He admires that coping skill very much for he has never been able to do so himself. He now realizes he is just standing there, quietly looking at her.

“Do you suppose there is a staircase at the end of the hall?” She questions as she lets go of his hand and begins to walk along the corridor once again.

“There was one on the first and second floor, so I would have to assume, yes.” Stephen says as he walks along side her until they come to the end of the hall. “After you.” He says as he stops to hold onto the railing allow her to lead the way.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 170) Just Like You

Stephen stands there looking at Zsofia as her eyes fill with tears. He does not want her to feel bad and in no way does he want to make her cry but he is unsure of how to respond. As Zsofia starts to turn away and wipe the tears from her eyes, he reaches out and touches her arm.

“It’s okay, Zsofia. I don’t want you to feel bad, hell I don’t even remember anything about the woman, let alone have any feelings for her loss.” Stephen states honestly but he realizes how cold that must sound. “No, I don’t mean it like that.” He says quickly as Zsofia turns back around to face him.

He expects her to have a look of shock on her face at how heartless he must appear to her right now. To his surprise though, she is almost smiling, as she looks him in the eyes.

“Look at us, standing here apologizing about things we’ve said.” She glances down the hall somewhat relieved by Stephen’s statement as she tries to lighten the conversation. “I am sorry I brought it up but I want you to know I don’t think anything bad about your statement. I’m just like you; I never met my grandmother and completely understand where you are coming from.” She reaches out and holds his hand. “Let’s go to the fourth floor, I hear it’s all open, like a huge porch and the view is supposed to be breathtaking.”

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 169) No Idea

Zsofia’s question about Stephens grandmother’s demise shoots through him like a frozen blade as he suddenly stops walking and repeats the question in his mind two or three times. Did she ask if his grandmother took her own life? He has never heard this before. Did she really kill herself and if so, why? Who does that? He knew she was a complete mystery to him, but never did he expect to find out that her death was self-inflicted.

From the look on Stephen’s face, it is now obvious to Zsofia that he knew nothing of this tragic part of the story. She puts her fingers to her mouth nervously and begins to apologize.

“Oh, I am so sorry, Stephen.” She says softly. “You had no idea, did you?” Her eyes are wide as she fumbles her way through her words wishing now that she had kept her mouth shut.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 168) Is It True

“My grandfather was always helping your grandparents with things too, I remember them getting together often to play music and entertain. Your grandmother played piano beautifully.” Zsofia says as she holds her hands out as if striking keys with her fingers. “Everything changed and abruptly came to an end when your grandfather passed.” She says softly. “I suppose that was an expected reaction for such a circumstance through, right?”

“Yes, I guess.” Stephen replies as he thinks of his own life changing that very same night as well.

“Is it true what they say about your grandmother?” she asks but does not detail exactly what she is referring too.

“I don’t know what you are asking, is what true?” He asks as they continue to move forward.

He watches Zsofia closely as she opens a door and peeks into a room midway down the south hall before turning toward him. With her hand still on the doorknob, she tips her head slightly to respond to his question.

“Did your grandmother really commit suicide the month following your grandfather’s death?”

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 167) A Little Off

Stephen is very troubled that he is seeing things that are not there, which in itself could cause Zsofia to be in danger because he is bringing her into a world that he himself does not understand. Everyone he has ever met believes him to be insane and a little off but now, with his current actions, he feels his fresh start may not come to fruition. Instead, he believes it will be short-lived or now completely over due to his own inconsistent and misunderstood actions.

“I liked your great-uncle.” Zsofia states without any lead up to the statement. “He was very nice, a little quiet, like you,” she grins, “my grandfather felt protective of him.” She says as she looks down the hall at the sunlight flooding in.

“I didn’t know the man.” Stephen says without much empathy as they walk down the hall, he opens a door to look in at the room.

“Well, that is expected, you were only around him once when you were very young, right?” She continues walking along the west hall towards the south end as Stephen catches up to follow alongside as they slowly leave the north hall behind.

“Yeah I guess, but I don’t remember meeting him then either.” He replies.

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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 166) Genuine

“You can’t go in there!” Stephen says forcefully and without elaborating. This reaction is a little shocking to Zsofia.

“Okay, I won’t.” Zsofia says in response as she allows him to pull her from the room and out into the hall but she is confused as to why he is so adamant.

Stephen quickly closes the door behind them and stands still for several seconds with his eyes closed. He sees the disturbing images in his head that have been with him for years. The horrible pain on his grandfather’s face and the sneering grin of the evil that destroyed him plays out repeatedly. They have become him, are part of his being, and he fears he will never be free of them, not even after death.

“Are you alright?” Zsofia asks softly but with much concern.

She steps up closer to him and cups her right hand along his jaw line in a soft and caring way. Opening his eyes, Stephen can see the worry on her face as she gazes at him waiting for him to answer. It is obvious to him that her concern is genuine.

“Yeah,” he says as he gently pulls her hand from his face.

“I’m sorry, I just. . .” she pauses as she looks down in embarrassment.

“I’m okay, just haven’t eaten much today and felt dizzy, that’s all.” He says quickly to ease her discomfort and to explain away his need to leave the room so swiftly.

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