Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 99) Begins To Run
Stuffing the key and flashlight into the pocket of his jacket, Stephen starts out with a quick pace walking as fast as he can without running, as he follows the twisting turning path down the hill. Large drops of rain spatter about in random as if the storm cannot quite get started. With a brilliant flash, lightning and thunder strike almost immediately and very near. He now begins to run.
Across the meadow and in front of the gatehouse he can see it is pouring with rain and quickly moving this way. The large droplets around him are no longer sporadic but becoming organized and splashing down at a faster rate. Just as he reaches the backdoor of the gatehouse, the clouds above let loose and rain comes down in torrents. Safely inside, he turns back to look up at the hill, but due to the dense activity of the storm, he can no longer see the manor.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 98) Rushing
Thunder rumbles beyond the hills in the distance as Stephen pulls the door closed and inserts the key. With two clicks it is locked but he jiggles the handle to make sure and then stands there listening. He hears a faint rushing sound that appears to be coming from inside the house, but cannot tell for sure, and he leans in to listen through the door.
“No, it’s not coming from inside. What is that?” Stephen questions aloud.
As he turns around a gust of wind hits him and creates a high-pitched whistle as it cuts around the stonework and columns of the tall covered entrance. The wind is the source of the sound he heard and following is a flash and loud clap of thunder. This pounding from the heavens rumbles the ground and he knows he must quickly make his way down the hill to the gatehouse before the storm settles in on him.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 97) Enormity
With the manor sitting on the top of the hill, the view of the surrounding landscape stretches on for miles. Now Stephen cannot wait to see what his observing distance will be from the top floor or the many balconies that line the steep walls. He steps back several feet and glances at the enormity and scale of the building.
There are nine separate balconies, four on the second floor with a tall thin window inlaid into the stone over the entry, and five on the third floor. The fourth floor appears to be very open with one large room or balcony that extends the entire length of the front and sides of the structure. At least that is how it looks from ground level.
He stands there wondering if he will ever discover all the rooms and nooks that make up this incredibly beautiful dwelling. For many years, it has stood vacant and unused. He tries to imagine what it was like in its prime, when the family lived there. He never thought of his grandparents as being rich or wealthy for they seemed like such simple people, yet even when alive, they left this mysterious place behind.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 96) Enigmatic
With it now mid afternoon, Stephen takes another glance down the long narrow and enigmatic north wing corridor. As much as he wants to continue exploring, his stomach is telling him it is time for a break. Opening the electrical panel up that he just engaged and closed, he pushes the switch down leaving himself in the dark except for the muted lights of the west hall and of course, the flashlight Zsofia gave him.
He wants to make sure all the electrical connections are working properly before he starts leaving any of the switches on. He has already convinced himself that he is not going down to the basement, that main switch will just have to remain as is. Stephen walks down the west hall, to where the conservatory and entry hall meet, and pushes the light switch on the wall causing the hall to go black.
Patting down his clothing, he pulls the large old ornate key out from his front pant pocket and opens the main entry door. This morning he arrived at the manor shortly after the fog began to dissipate and now large heavy clouds have rolled in along with a damp coolness to the air.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 95) Laszlo
“Tamas and I will be leaving now. You do not need to worry, neither he nor Zsofia will be back to bother you. If you’re smart, you’ll walk away from this place now but if you stay,” the old man pauses as he clenches his fists. “You must never leave an exit door open and unattended. Understand? None of the doors are to be left open. Never!”
The old man glares at Stephen as if waiting for a reply but Stephen is so shocked by such a strange and obviously emotional reaction, he is not even sure how to respond, so he does nothing. He cannot help but feel he is to blame for angering this man, but what is it that set him off so quickly? His tone was calm and he was simply trying to make conversation.
Pulling Tamas along by the hand, the man starts walking and Tamas follows but looks over his shoulder to wave goodbye to Stephen. Lifting his hand, Stephen starts to wave back but then realizes he does not know the elderly man’s name.
“Sir, I didn’t catch your name.” Stephen says loudly since they are nearing the opening to the entry hall and he is still standing at the corner where the two corridors meet.
“Laszlo,” the man replies without stopping, “Laszlo Eszes.” With that said, the old man and Tamas step out of sight.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 94) I Was
“Tamas, come on let’s go home.” The elderly man says but Tamas shakes his head no. “Oh now, come on.” He gently takes Tamas by the hand. “Sorry he bothered you.” The older man says in an apologetic way as they start to walk off.
“You must be Tamas and Zsofia’s grandfather.” Stephen states. He is not normally this assertive and abrupt, but he senses anger in this man and wants to appear approachable. Besides, for being such a deserted place, there seems to be a lot of activity today.
“Yes I am, Istvan.” The man replies without emotion.
“This seems to be a popular place today.” Stephen says jokingly as he watches the man who has yet to make eye contact. “Zsofia told me you and my grandparents were close, do you know much about this place?” He questions hoping for a little guidance instead he gets a glaring look.
“Zsofia! When did you speak with Zsofia?” Barks the old man as he holds firmly to Tamas’ hand but then he shakes his head without letting Stephen answer. “I was. . .” the old man pauses, “yes, I was close to your family members and know much about this place,” he looks up and around, “but now is not the time to discuss it.” He states firmly as he looks down at the floor.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 93) Gruff
“What are you doing here again, Tamas?” Stephen quizzes not really expecting an answer.
“To say. . . hello.” Tamas answers quickly then rubs his eyes with his left hand.
“Are you tired?” Stephen asks as he observes Tamas for an answer and the young man shakes his head no.
“Shouldn’t you be at home, with your grandfather?” Stephen asks as he closes the breaker box, but Tamas does not reply. He simply stands quietly next to Stephen.
“I don’t know where you live, but I think you need to go home. If I go with you, can you show me the way to your house?” Stephen asks but a man’s stern voice interrupts him.
“No need,” says a short elderly man in a loud gruff way as he walks up the west hall toward Stephen and Tamas.
Stephen recognizes the man. He was in the crowd of people who attended the funeral but did not come to the house with the majority of the group.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 92) Jovial
Shining his flashlight around and tapping the floor with his hand, Stephen tries to find where his pill ended up. Finally, he spots it on the floor about four feet from where he was standing when he dropped it. As he reaches to pick it up, someone walks up to him and is now standing behind him to his right. Startled he jumps up immediately.
“Ste. . . phan.” Tamas says with a wide smile.
“Good god, Tamas!” Stephen says almost angry with the young man for sneaking up on him. “What are you doing here?”
Tamas laughs and claps his hands together in a happy jovial manner then bends over and picks Steven’s pill up. As he hands it to him, this immediately calms Stephen because it is such a kind gesture and because Tamas is so relaxed and cheery.
“Thank you, Tamas.” Stephen says impressed by the young man’s manners as he relaxes from his startled first response.
“Thank you. . .Ta. . .mas.” Repeats Tamas as he shifts his weight from one foot to the other.
He watches Stephen as if waiting for instructions on what to do next but Stephen is not sure of how to handle Tamas. He realizes he has special needs but he is not sure why he keeps coming to the manor. This makes the second time today and it’s only half past noon.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 91) His Thoughts
Standing alone, with a stunned expression across his face, Stephen watches Zsofia until she turns right, stepping into the entry hall and out of sight. He wishes he had not laughed for he feels that sometimes he comes across as uncaring or cold, but that could not be farther from the truth. He does care, about many things, and he worries that he hurt Zsofia’s feelings.
What exactly triggered her fear just now? He does not recall anything happening that would be odd or frightening, she just blurted out that she felt like something was wrong then quickly left. He does not know what to think of it but now standing here alone with his thoughts; he is beginning to feel vulnerable himself.
The past few days have been stressful and he has taken far more anxiety pills than he should have. He realizes this as he reaches for another one anyhow. With a loud popping sound, the bulb in the lantern nearest him blows out causing the corner where the two halls meet to grow darker. Startled, Stephen drops his pill and is now down on the floor looking for it.
“Come on you stupid thing,” Stephen says as he crawls over to where the floor meets the masonry wall.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 90) Ghosts
Stephen knows one thing is for sure, Zsofia’s demeanor is making him nervous. His thoughts go to that night, when his grandfather was resting. It was the night evil consumed the air. No one else could see the beast and he dare not speak of it now. He has spent too many years telling himself it was all a dream and far too many days in therapy to train his mind to dismiss what he believes he witnessed.
“I guess I’m confused.” Stephen says, as he looks her in the eye. “You come up here every Monday to clean, yet now you need to leave because you’re afraid of ghosts?” Stephen did not mean to laugh, but that is how he ended the statement.
“I’m sorry, Stephen, but I have to go.” Zsofia says as she quickly turns and walks down the west hall in the direction of the front door without uttering another word.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 89) Serious
“Are you serious?” Stephen chuckles at Zsofia’s sudden fear of the manor. As he asks this question he tries to look her in the eyes, for he believes she must be joking.
“Dead serious.” She replies with a flat tone as her lip quivers slightly. “I should probably be going, my grandfather used to tell me this place was haunted but I thought that was his way of making sure I never came up here, but something is not right here.”
This comment chills Stephen and he recalls his father saying something along those lines as well. He just thought this was his parent’s way of making him behave and being a kid, Stephen never questioned it. What if Zsofia is right, what if this place is sinister?
Could this be the reason his grandparents refused to live here? Maybe the story of their inability to care for the property was just a front, but the creature he saw, the one that killed his grandfather, was at the gatehouse. If anything he feels more fear there than here.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 88) Doubt
“Hey are you okay?” Stephen questions as he watches Zsofia.
“Yes,” she replies without much emotion for she is clearly lying.
“No seriously, are you okay? You look scared.” He says as he looks around where they are standing. Pulling on another notched panel, he finds a back entrance to the narrow staircase that he found in the mudroom near the kitchen.
“I just have a strange feeling that something is wrong.” Zsofia looks down the newly lit hallway and does not say another word.
Quietly standing there, Stephen finds this a little surprising since Zsofia has been telling him about sneaking in and out of here for years. She admits to being fascinated with the place since she was a small child and up to this point has been bubbly and excited in their investigation. She even works here alone on the days she cleans.
To Stephen, if anything, he thought she should be excited about venturing into the areas of the house that have been unknown to her all these years. Then again, is it possible she was merely making conversation? Maybe she knows more about the manor and its past than she is admitting or, is this simply an act. His inability to trust people causes doubt to creep in about his beautiful new friend.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 87) Somber
“Do you know why your family locked this place up and never returned?” Zsofia asks as she continues to look down the hall in the direction they came from.
“It is my understanding, from my father, that my grandparents had moved to the smaller gatehouse due to old age. Apparently, they were having a difficult time keeping up with things here when my grandfather fell ill. Now that I’m here inside the manor, I can understand why.” Stephen says as he throws the switch.
The hall of the north wing brightens and the corridor seems to stretch on forever. It is identical to the west hall with wooden panels to the left, thick masonry walls to the right, and old ironwork hanging on the walls. However, this corridor is much longer than the one they just came from.
Stephen grins happily that the electrical system seems to be working properly and wonders what Zsofia thinks about it. Glancing at her, he finds himself confused by the expression on her face. Her eyes are somber and she looks frightened.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 86) Nervously
“There are four breaker boxes that feed the four different sections or wings of the manor.” Stephen shares with Zsofia as he shows her the picture on his phone. “It looks like there should be one here where the hall turns to the right.” He walks up to the wooden panel that looks exactly like all the others. “Okay, but where is it?” he questions as he runs his hand along the glossy trim.
“Here, there is a notch in the wood like the broom closet has.” Zsofia points out.
Stephen puts his finger in the notch, pulls back slightly, and the panel pops open.
“That’s clever.” He says as he opens the panel all the way and looks at the many switches assigned to various rooms. “What does this one say?” He questions as he points to the strange word.
“Library.” Zsofia says happily.
“There is really a library here?” He questions as he glances at Zsofia as she grins nervously, she then looks down the long shadowy corridor that is not yet glowing with light.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 85) Gothic
Stephen starts up the steps but once he reaches the top and the small room is no longer in sight, he promptly turns and shuts the door to the basement. It definitely bothers him. There is something strange about that tiny dark room on the southern wall of the basement but he knows he is not up for an investigation at this time. In fact, he does not care if he ever revisits the obscurity below the manor.
The heavy iron lamps of the hallway glow in a dim essence, but are far better than no light at all. Just as Stephen thought, they bring about a very gothic castle like atmosphere to the thick masonry walls and thin windowless corridor. The door to the basement is only a few feet away from the corner in the hall that runs the length of the northern section of the manor. According to the print he took a picture of, there should be a breaker box in the vicinity.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 84) Very Nice
“Here goes,” Stephen says loud enough for Zsofia to hear as he pushes the large lever up.
A small light above him pops on with a low hum and the lights along the staircase and first floor hallway flood down in an inviting glow. Zsofia looks up at the door to the hall and smiles, then turns to Stephen as she grins.
“Very nice.” She says as she starts up the staircase now feeling much better about her surroundings.
Stephen shuts the utility door and looks over at the odd little room. Even with the lights casting a warm hue to the area, he does not take his eyes off the strange cubicle and its partially opened door.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 83) Main Control
In front of Stephen on the other side of the staircase where he originally snuck off to take his pill, he sees a large box attached to one of the structures support pillars.
“Now what have we here?” He says in a hopeful tone. The materials look relatively new and all the cables, grouped together with secure ties, run down from the floor joists into the top panel of the box. He cannot believe he missed this when he first stepped off the stairs, but then again, taking his pill was the more important thing on his mind.
He pushes the large latch up and with a loud metallic popping sound, swings the utility door open. Attached to the inside portion of the door is a detailed blueprint, in small-scale, indicating this is a main control. Highlighted are four other switches that can be found on the ground floor and they must be engaged as well. It looks like there is one for each section of the square four-story dwelling. Stephen pulls his phone from his pants pocket and snaps a picture for future reference.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 82) Points Up
The same pattern of woven iron trims the edges, bottom, top and sides of the walls of this small room. Shining the light up to see how tall the room stands, Stephen sees wires coming down from the wooden floorboards above. They attach to the support joists and turn off in the direction of the staircase. He is about to push the door of the mysterious room all the way open when he hears Zsofia’s voice.
“Stephen?” She says nervously while standing halfway down the steps.
Leaving the little room behind, he turns his back on the open door and quickly walks back to where his fair-haired friend is waiting. With his light, he follows the wires and as he approaches the staircase, he points up indicating to Zsofia that he is tracking the direction of the lines.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 81) Disturbed
As Stephen gradually approaches this odd cubed shaped space, he realizes it is fashioned much the same, if not exactly the same, as the door at the top of the stairs. The iron is bound to the wood as if woven in, out, and around, much like a cage. There is an even more eerie appearance to the pattern down here in this gloom of dripping, gurgling water and moist damp earth.
With the door standing open, only a few inches, a feeling of fear begins to energize him. Looking down at his feet, he notices a sparkling white dust or powder of sorts lining the base of the walls but it has been disturbed and scraped away where the door stands open. With his light, he follows the white substance around and sees it encircles the outer walls of this little room.
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Shadows Of Guta (Excerpt 80) A Room
At the back left corner of the natural interior wall, Stephen sees massive boulders that appear shiny in the beam of light. The sound of running water is apparent and he believes it has to be associated with the underground water system that is naturally part of this land.
Moving his light in a clockwise direction, he slowly fans its beam around looking for anything that may serve as an electrical source. Further off in the distance he sees what appears to be a room with a door on it and hoping this is what he is looking for, he starts to move in that direction. At this moment, Zsofia yells down to check on him.
“Everything okay?” she says loudly but to Stephen, her voice is muffled and distant and he waits a few seconds before answering.
“Yes, just give me a minute.” He replies and then continues to walk toward the small room.
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