"That was great Dad. Do you mind if I go upstairs for a bit? I want to check through some of the stuff I found today."
"Sure honey, I have some paperwork to do. I'll make us some supper later. I'm pretty sure I can make some toast over that thing." He nodded towards the fire we had managed to get going in the fireplace.
"Sounds great." I said. I headed upstairs to my room where I hoped I would find Salem. I needn't have worried; he was already there, leaning against the wall, an anxious expression on his face.
"How come you can do that?" I asked as I closed the door. At his quizzical look I added, "Lean on the wall? How come you don't just fall through?"
He shrugged his shoulders.
"I don't know. Some things I can't touch," he wafted his arm through the window to demonstrate his point, "and some things I can." He tapped the wall with his fist.
"Fair enough. So," I sat down on the bed and stretched out my legs. It was rather chilly so I wrapped the throw on the bed around my arms. It smelt musty. "Any thoughts on the picture?" I hoped that Salem had come up with a brilliant idea but I was disappointed when he replied with,
"Not really, aside from you being there at the time."
"Salem, how can I have been there? That photo was taken in 1924. I wasn't even born then."
"There's no other explanation. How else could you have ended up in the photo?"
"Lets forget about the photo for a while and concentrate on you again," thinking about that photograph freaked me out too much. "When we first met, you said something about a clock, a grandfather clock."
He straightened up but looked uncomfortable.
"What about it?" He asked.
"You said you had a strange feeling about it? Like it was important?"
"Yeah, it was a really strong feeling."
"I think you had better show it to me then."
.....
The upper gallery was directly above the hallway where my room was located and was similar appearance with several doors, red carpet, chandeliers etc, except here there was also an oversized grandfather clock in the middle of the hallway. It was no longer running, it's hands stuck permanently on 3.17 and its pendulum hanging uselessly down the middle of the clock. It was a beautiful piece though, clearly very old. The casing of the clock was carved with images of birds and butterflies. The face was a white metal with thick black Roman numerals. The hands were a polished, gold-coloured metal, possibly even real gold. I stood in front of it, wondering what on Earth is was that made Salem think it was important. He was stood a few feet away from the clock, seemingly reluctant to get too close to it.
"Well?" I asked.
"I can't explain it, but there's something about it." He ran his hands through his hair. "It means something."
I turned my attention back to the clock, completely mystified as to what this 'something' was. I moved closer to the clock, inspecting it from various angles, but it still appeared to be a regular grandfather clock.
"I can't see anything Salem."
"Look closer, there has to be something." His voice betrayed his rising tension.
I sighed and took a step forward, reaching out for the hinges on the case. It swung open, revealing a perfectly normal pendulum. I poked around inside but could not find anything of interest. I knelt down and tried the lower casing. It opened as well, though slightly more reluctantly than the upper casing. It showed an empty compartment, just big enough for someone to squeeze into. It was dark though, so I couldn't really see anything.
"What's there?" Salem asked from behind me.
"It's hard to see," I put my head inside and sneezed as decades worth of dust attacked me.
"Check properly."
I rolled my eyes as I went further into the compartment; it wasn't that small after all, it was easy enough to crawl into if I kept my head down. As I went inside I let go of the door and it swung closed. There was definitely nothing here, just an empty space. I began to back out, knocking the door open with my foot.
"No luck" I stood up and dusted myself off before turning to face Salem. "I guess..." But Salem wasn't there.
"Salem?" I called quietly, hoping my Dad wasn't anywhere nearby.
I looked up and down the corridor but was I alone. No Salem. It was then that I noticed the other changes...
The hallway was completely different.
Instead of the place I had been standing in only minutes ago I was now in plush and very much newer surroundings. The walls were clean, the wallpaper crisp and smooth. There were dozens of paintings hanging up, mostly portraits but with the odd still life thrown in. The carpet was spotless and looked as if it had only been laid the previous day. There were little cabinets and tables lining the hallway, with huge vases of flowers or marble sculptures placed on top of them. The ceiling was giving off a warm glow of light from the chandeliers that hung down. It also felt much warmer now than it had previously. Even more disconcertingly, it was a lot nosier.
I could make out the faint strains of music coming from somewhere. There was also the occasional bang of a door or feet scurrying somewhere. Some of thoes feet sounded like they were coming this way. I quickly ducked into the nearest room, which, thankfully, was empty. I took a minute to note the fact that the room was now fully furnished, with suitcases and clothes strewn about, before ducking under the king-sized bed as the door behind me opened.
I heard giggling and two female voices, one of whom must have been American.
"Did you see the car that Charlie came in?" the American voice said. "He must have spent a fortune. I guess all the rumours are true."
"If you have your eyes set on Charlie McClaire, you'll have to fight for him. Especially with his mother! She has grand ambitions."
I could hear the sound of boxes being opened and material being riffled through.
'Where is it?" continued the American voice. "If I want Charlie McClaire, and I'm not saying I do, I could have him easily. We're worth just as much as the McClaire family, if not more."
"Yes, but Mrs McClaire is not interested in new money," countered the other voice with a hint of condescension. "She's after a title, everyone knows that. I heard she's getting pally with Lord Ashcroft, she probably wants Charlie to marry one of his daughters, ugly little things that they are."
"Here it is! OK, lets go join the party. As to Mrs McClaire, gentleman don't do everything their mother's say anymore, this is the twenties you know. Times are changing."
More laughter came followed by the sound of a closing door. As I lay there on the floor under the bed, heart pumping overtime in my chest, I suddenly realised what it was about the grandfather clock that was so special.
I waited a few moments until I was sure that no one was coming back before crawling out from under the bed. The room was very elegant. The four-poster bed had creamy, gauzy drapes handing down the sides. The other furniture in the room was built in a matching red wood. There was a full-length mirror on a wood stand, a dresser with several small drawers, two bedside cabinets, a long, low box at the foot of the bed and a wardrobe that stood on dainty feet. There were at least half a dozen suitcases stacked in one corner of the room, all leather with brass handles. Dresses, scarves, hats and shoes were littered around the room. Whoever the occupier was they were certainly messy.
On one of the bedside cabinets was a posh envelope, heavily embossed with fancy swirls. Next to it was a crisp, rectangular piece of card with a black boarder along the edge and fancy black lettering. I picked up the card and scanned the writing.
Mr and Mrs Robert McClaire invite you to the wedding of their daughter
Maribelle McClaire
On Saturday Sixteenth July Nineteen Twenty Four502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcfKFu5Ftfr
To Sir Lionel Redbridge
At the McClaire Manor, Buckinghamshire
R.S.V.P
I pocketed the invitation and then slowly opened the bedroom door and peered out into the hallway. It was deserted. Quickly, I crossed over to the grandfather clock and, praying that this would work, I opened the small compartment at the bottom, crawled inside and let the door close behind me.502Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkjRNL6qAyd
