LYDIA DEETZ AND THE WITCH’S HOUSE
Capítulo 4: Mother and her puppy
The evil mist was present within the clearing with the difference that here it ran faster due to a supernatural wind howling like a hungry wolf and ready to be satisfied with human flesh.
“I'd better light the peace pipe," Percy suggested, but was stopped by Lydia.
“No need Percy, the fog was meant to disorientate us in the forest. Here in the clearing it loses its target.”
Just a few steps ahead, Percy sensed a tiny glimmer of light a few feet away from the clearing.
“Look Lydia...”
“We'd better investigate.”
The two kids found an old machete, it was stuck in a stump. It reminded them in a way of the excalibur sword.
“Leave this to me, Lydia," said the catboy and then pulled the machete out of the hard stump, then Percy's ears went to the clearing.
“What's going on, Percy?”
“Viola is in the clearing.”
“We'd better go to her.”
Viola looked confused because she couldn't get out of the clearing and made a jump when she saw Lydia and Percy approach her to meet her.
“...Lydia, Percy.”
“Viola, you're all right!” Lydia asked her worried.
“Eh, yeah, I just can't get out of the clearing because of the roses.”
“We can't get out of the clearing either, I think we're trapped," said Lydia, while Percy's ears turned in his girlfriend's direction. Percy has a machete, but I doubt we can use it to get out.
“Going towards the house," said Viola, "there is a passage that leads to the house, but it is blocked by other roses, but not as numerous as the rose garden in front of us.”
“What can we do, Lydia?” Percy asked nervously.
“I think we have no choice but to head for the house, maybe we can find a way out of here.”
“Are you sure you can't do anything, Lydia?” asked Viola.
“Nothing at all," denied Lydia with her head, "once here, I discovered that my magic was neutralized. Tell me, Viola, do you think you can convince Ellen to follow us home? It's obvious this place is responsible for your friend's deteriorating health.”
“I don't think so, Lydia. In fact, I think it's Ellen who won't let us leave the house. The best thing to do is to avoid her... you see, she's gone crazy and now she's very dangerous.”
“But didn't you say she was sick?” Percy asked.
“She's dangerous, I can see that now! We gotta get out of this place! I just want to go back to my dad," said Viola and cried.
“Lydia...”
“I know, Percy. Well, Viola's right, this evil environment is draining our lives, even if we stay here, we'll end up dying. The only way out we have is to get into the house and get a way out of here.”
The three present nodded their eyes and headed for the house.
To the left of the road was a dead tree and to the right a live one. The plants that adorned the surrounding area wore their opaque petals, surely a product of the cursed aura that surrounded the whole place.
Arriving at the passage obstructed by the roses, the boys stopped and at a sign from Lydia, Percy cut the roses with his machete.
The passage was now unlocked, but the machete broke into several pieces.
“The machete was our only weapon and now we've lost it," complained Percy.
“This is a situation that we will not solve with the use of force," said Lydia.
The three companions then went to the entrance of Ellen's house.
Like a huge mass, Ellen's house seemed to be indifferent to the surrounding wind.
“It's not a Gothic house," said Lydia, "it's more like an Elizabethan house because of its cube shape, but without any mullion. Only a few small windows.”
“Lydia, that house scares me.”
“Is your house just like this Lydia?” wanted to know Viola.
“My house is Gothic style, this house is more like a simple old house. We'd better get inside.”
The three friends went through the front door and noticed that the interior was poorly lit.
“It's not an Elizabethan-style house," observed Lydia, "the main foyer is not spacious. This is more like the antechamber to a prison, anyone can get in, but getting out is something else.”
“Do you think the whole house looks just like this room?” Percy asked a little apprehensive as his ears turned to a dark corner of the room.
“It's the safest thing to do. Viola, Percy, we'd better move on, but first we'd better introduce ourselves to our friend.”
“Nyajejejeje, I see you've discovered me," said a black cat that emerged from the shadows of a corner of the room.
“A cousin of mine!” Percy exclaimed as he stood on all fours and wagged his tail and ears happily.
“Yes... I guess, why not," said the cat as he turned his eyes away and pushed Percy's face away with his paw.
“Who are you?” Lydia asked.
“I'm just a stray cat who has no master and no name.”
“Are you here to bother us?” asked Viola frowning.
“None of that," said the black cat with a laugh, "you guys look like a very funny bunch. I think I'll come with you guys for some fun.”
“Let's go then," said Lydia and the group walked through the door.
The next room was darker than the previous one, at least in the previous one there were some furniture and lamps that emitted a pale light that illuminated very little. Here, however, the room lacked any furniture and the floor was made of rough stone.
There was a sign nailed to the front wall.
“Wait!” Viola shouted as she was holding Lydia, “Don't step on that bloodstain... it gives me a bad feeling.”
The group surrounded the bloodstain and read the sign.
"Come to my room."
It seemed that nothing more could be done in the room and they returned in his footsteps. However, as they walked through the door, they saw to their surprise that they were in a different room than the main hall of the house. It had similar furniture and the lamps lit better, though not too brightly.
“What happened?” Percy asked.
“We took a step forward," said Lydia, "the first of many on this tightrope. We have to be careful if we are not to fall into the abyss.”
“Yeah, I don't think there's a safety net downstairs," said Viola.
“This is fun," laughed the black cat, "I will follow you from time to time to laugh.”
The black cat decided to sit down and groom himself while the group went to the room on the left. There was a pair of huge scissors that were attached to a metal table by a thin chain.
“Don't break the chain, Percy" Lydia asked, "I think the house and Ellen are challenging us in a game of wit. If we try to break the rules, we'll lose out.”
The friends went across the hall and found another room with a teddy bear in a wicker basket. Just like in the naked room, there was another sign.
"Put the bears in the basket."
It was clear what was to be done next and all three went to the room at the far end to the north. They had to pass through a narrow corridor that was crowned at one end by an ancient and elegant wall clock. To the right of the clock, there was another room.
“This looks like an office of sorts," Percy said, and it did look like one, except for the pile of toys piled up in a corner.
“There's the teddy bear," said Viola and then went to get the doll.
Percy, who was snooping around, saw a wooden shelf that couldn't be opened. Meanwhile, Lydia was reading a few notes, apparently fragments of a diary.
"I was sick, so nobody played with me."
"My father and mother didn't love me."
“How sad, Lydia," Percy said as he read the note over the Gothic girl's shoulder, "it's just like your case.”
Viola stared at Lydia.
“Really?” asked the girl in the golden braids.
“My mother died a long time ago. My father and stepmother have other interests than me. Come on, let's go on.”
Lydia offered Viola her hand. She hesitated for a few seconds and took Lydia's hand, then they set out to leave the room.
PUM
One of the packages that was next to the other toys fell to the floor very quickly.
“Lydia... that package was in the pile," Percy said nervously, "it's like someone threw it away.”
Both you and I can see ghosts. But the magic of the house inhibits our powers.
“Then we'd better get out of here," said Viola.
The sound of the wall clock was heard louder than usual due to the oppressive silence of the house, even the sound of the children's footsteps seemed to want to go unnoticed, as well as the heartbeat of everyone, which threatened to stop so as not to disturb the solemn silence.
“Hey, that's a cute little bear," said the black cat when he saw the boys coming back from the office, "no one in their right mind would hurt anything so cute.”
Lydia frowned and walked away.
Upon arriving at the other side of the room, Viola, who had the teddy bear, proceeded to put it on the metal table and began to cut off his arms with the scissors.
With each cut more and more blood gushed out, staining the scissors.
“Lydia!” Percy shouted, but Lydia stood still as she looked at Viola.
“I think this should do it," said Viola and Lydia nodded.
SPLASH
Just as they were about to leave the room, the wall by the door was covered with a blood stain. It seemed to be the footprint of a bear's leg.
“We better pick up the pace," Lydia suggested.
“I see I'm wrong," said the black cat lazily when he saw the bleeding bear.
SHUSH
The lamps suddenly went out, making everyone look around nervously.
“Something is haunting us," Percy said, "something big.”
“Lydia is right, let's hurry up," said Viola as she squeezed the teddy bear tighter.
Arriving at the room with the wicker basket, Viola was able to put the little teddy bear next to the other one representing her mother.
SPLASH
A bloodstain hit the wall, it was a bear print.
CLICK
The sound of a door lock unlocking was heard.
“Let's not dwell on it," said Lydia and everyone went out into the hallway of the lamps that had just gone out.
STUMP
One of the vases fell to the floor.
RWWWWWWR
A giant teddy bear with eyes without eyelids and a bloody mouth bounced with terrifying speed towards the children.
There was no time to say run or even scream. The three of them turned around in less than a heartbeat and as this completed it, they crossed the door to escape from the giant infernal doll.
“What the hell, what the hell was that!” Percy shouted.
“Something I don't think we'll see again," said Lydia as she pointed to the wicker basket.
The basket was somewhere else far from the center of the room and both the mother and the cub cried.
“I think it's safe to go back now," said Lydia, "the sound we heard earlier was the sound of the scissors door.”
Percy was apprehensive, but he followed the girls anyway.
The door was already unlocked, they could explore the rest of the house.
PUM
The bleeding arms of the stuffed animal fell off suddenly from God knows where.
“Are we going to give them back to the toy?” Percy asked.
“No," said Viola, "they may be useful to us.”
Lydia nodded and the three of them walked through the door into the haunted house.
CONTINUARÁ...
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