by Sue Perkins
“I’ve read about this one,” Jonah replied. “You put a newspaper under the door to catch the key so you can draw it back. There were a few different suggestions on how to get the key out of the lock. One said to use a screwdriver.”
“Wouldn’t that be a bit big?” Fury wanted him to get on to the other ways of getting the key.
“Exactly what some of the suggestions said. Another way is to use a pair of tweezers, but it depends on the size of the key and lock. If the key’s big you won’t get enough leverage and if the lock is deep you won’t be able to keep hold of it as you insert it.” Jonah looked smug and Fury could have hit him. He knew the answer so why didn’t he tell her?
“The best one I read about was to use a piece of strong wire. Make a loop in the end and thread it into the lock. Place the loop around the end of the key and pull it to make it tighten around the key, then push it to get the key to drop out. Of course you might have to twist it a bit first to get the key to line up. Did that answer your question?” Fury looked up at her brother. Maybe he wasn’t too bad after all. He did tend to come up with intelligent information at times.
She couldn’t wait to try out his suggestion.
Wire. Wire. Where can I get some wire?
Fury sat on her bed, her thoughts tumbling from one part of the house to another. Her father didn’t have a ‘do it yourself’ bone in his body, so there were no tools or odd bits and pieces around the house. She’d been gazing into space without really seeing the wardrobe on the opposite wall. A smile flitted across her lips.
“Of course, a coat hanger. It’s made of wire.”
Fury jumped from the bed and rushed to fling her wardrobe door open. Inside were several pairs of trousers and tops, all hanging on wire hangers. With no thought for the clothes carefully ironed by her mother, Fury dumped them on the floor and rushed up to the attic floor.
After hooking the tapestry up once more, she pushed a newspaper half way under the door and wiggled the wire into the keyhole, then remembered Jonah had said to make a loop. With the two ends bent inwards into a loop, albeit rather a large one, she tried again. Fury didn’t have to get the wire round the key, her clumsy attempt knocked it right out of the keyhole and onto the newspaper.
“Yes,” she hissed.
Slowly she dragged the newspaper toward her, taking extra care when the key arrived at the door. Fury hadn’t known she’d been holding her breath until the key appeared on her side of the door and she breathed out with a big rush.
“Ellen, I don’t know if you can hear me, but I’ve got the key out. I’m going to open the door.”
Despite advising Ellen of her intentions, Fury hesitated. What would she find on the other side of the door? Mummified remains? A ghost who wasn’t as nice as she sounded. Ellen must have done something nasty for her family to leave her on her own and not realize she’d died in her bedroom.
With shaking hands, Fury placed the key and turned it in the lock. A loud click, followed by...
“Fiora, where are you? Your friends are here to collect you for the picnic.
Fury had forgotten all about the school picnic. Samantha had told her they held the annual event on the school grounds. Fury relocked the door, swung the tapestry into place then called to her mother as she galloped down to her bedroom.
“I’ll be there in a minute.”
A quick wipe over with a cloth, a change into clean jeans and shirt, a brush through her hair and Fury was ready.
I’ll put the key in the pocket of my winter coat. It’s autumn so it should be safe there.
Fury thundered down the stairs to find her mother entertaining Samantha and Cora. On the hall table stood a basket, her contribution to the picnic. Guilt swept over her. She should have helped her mother prepare this, but had been too wrapped up in getting to Ellen.
The sun shone down on the picnic field and made it a great success. Several boys came to sit with them, but although the girls were flattered, they preferred being on their own so they could talk freely. At the end of the day Fury’s mother came to collect them. After dropping the other girls home they drove out of town to their own house.
Fury felt too tired to try Ellen’s door again when she arrived home, but to her surprise the reluctance stayed with her the next day.
Doubts about the friendliness of Ellen, her explanation for being locked in the room and the advisability of letting the spirit go worried her. Fury decided to leave it for a few days to see if her mood would lighten, but nothing changed.
This is ridiculous. What can a ghost do to me? Get up there, girl, and open the door. No matter how much she encouraged herself, the reluctance remained. Ellen will think I’ve changed my mind about helping her, but is she as nice as she sounds? I’ll have to chance it and open the door. I’ll try again at the weekend.
CHAPTER FIVE
Only her father stayed home the following Saturday and he had fallen asleep in the lounge, so Fury took the opportunity to go to the attic floor.
The key slid easily into the lock but Fury still had to force herself to turn it. Gritting her teeth she unlocked the door with a click. Now to open it before her nerve gave out.
Not wanting to startle the ghost, Fury turned the doorknob quietly, and pushed the door open. A step forward brought her over the threshold and into the bedroom. Temptation pulled at Fury to leave and slam the door behind her, but she straightened up and resisted the suggestion.
On the bed lay a skeleton. At least Fury assumed the whole skeleton lay there. Bedcovers hid the portion from the chest down. This must be Ellen, or what had been left of her mortal body.
“Ellen, are you here?” Fury whispered, half afraid to disturb the ghost.
You came. You got through the door.
Fury turned slowly. Beside her stood a wispy figure in an old-fashioned nightdress that reached to the floor. A scarf lay around her head and shoulders and the end of the long sleeves added a touch of luxury while wisps of hair escaped from beneath the scarf. Her clothes, skin and hair were all a dusty grey.
“Yes, I did. Tell me what I can do to release you. Can you just walk out the door now?”
I don’t know. I will try.
The ghost approached the open door but as Ellen put her foot forward she stopped on the threshold, although Fury couldn’t see anything blocking her way.
It would seem as if something else is needed than just opening the door. I cannot get over the threshold.
“Do you think an exorcism would help?” Fury wondered how on earth she would be able to arrange such a ceremony.
I do not know the meaning of those words, but they sound cruel and painful.
“Maybe not exorcism then. How about a crystal cleansing?” Fury had no idea what this entailed, but she’d read about it in a magazine. A way to send ghosts on their way to the afterworld.
I believe I am still here because I have to do a penance for something I failed to do when alive. I have had a long time to think about why I did not pass over to the other side. It is possible I did something very bad while I lived.
“Okay. So we have to work out what you did wrong, then put it right.” Fury felt her hopes falling. “I don’t suppose you have any inkling what it might be, do you?”
No, but my diaries might help.
“Where are they?” Why couldn’t this ghost tell the whole story in one go instead of doing it bit by bit?
I kept them in the library downstairs. Presumably they are still there.
“Only one way to find out, I’ll go and have a look. Did you put them anywhere in particular? A certain shelf? Behind a book?” Ellen shook her head. “It might take some time to find them, days in fact. What do you want me to do about the door?”
As long as you can keep the key safe, you may lock me in again. I would not wish any other person to gain access to my room.
“That’s what I’ll do then.”
Fury went out onto the landing, relocked the door and swung the tapestry down. She felt
her meeting with the ghost had been a bit of a let down, but at least she’d seen Ellen. Hopefully the diaries were still in the library and they would help her discover what the old lady needed to resolve to pass over.
Fury had glanced into the library when the family first moved into the house but had decided the books were too old and dusty to interest her. Now Ellen had provided a reason for going there. She entered the room and closed the door.
The room stood as an annex at one end of the house. Although only one story the roof stood higher than the other rooms. The shelves stretched from floor to ceiling with a ladder attached to a rail going around the whole room to enable the top shelves to be reached. Fury had no idea where to start.
“Perhaps if I begin on the right-hand side of the door and work around the room I won’t miss anything.” She laughed. “I’m not going to find anything standing here talking to myself, I’d better get on with it.”
Light filtered into the room through a round window high in the wall opposite the door and Fury could see dust motes dancing in the sunlight. Unfortunately, this light was too dim to read by and Fury reached out to the wall and pressed the switch. Electric bulbs sprang to life around the room, revealing an empty fireplace along one wall with an easy chair on either side.
“Time to get to work.”
Fury moved to the books on the bottom shelf of the nearby bookcases and found they were account ledgers. She quickly pulled each one out and replaced it after making sure Ellen’s diaries weren’t concealed at the back of the shelves. By the end of the day she’d done the wall nearest the right side of the door but had found no sign of any diaries.
The dust had made her hands and clothes filthy and Fury needed to have a shower before her mother called her for dinner. This would be soon, as she’d heard her mother arrive home about an hour ago.
Fury took one step toward the door and stopped, her eyes wide with amazement and pleasure. On either side of the door were two carved, wooden plaques. Each one stretched from the floor to the top of the door. Another plaque stretched above the door between the walls. Fury took a step closer and examined the carvings.
At first she thought they were random items but a closer look revealed a forest with several different animals peeping out from the foliage and undergrowth.
“This is beautiful. I wonder why Ellen’s family put something so gorgeous in here?”
After running her fingers over each animal, Fury realised the time and hurried upstairs to clean up. Fresh from the shower, Fury put on a clean pair of jeans and a shirt before going down to ask if she could do anything to help with the evening meal. Her mother looked at her suspiciously.
“You want to help? Are you feeling all right?”
“I’m bored.” Fury laughed at her mother’s expression. “No really, I did some art, my homework’s finished. What else is there to do out here in the country? I even went to see if I could find something to read in the library.”
“Did you find anything?”
“Only dust. I had to have a shower after I finished.”
Her mother laughed then called to the men of the family to let them know dinner was ready.
CHAPTER SIX
Ellen’s hopes had risen when Fury entered the room, but her failed attempt to leave had sent her spirits plunging.
Why didn’t it work? I’ve waited so long for someone to open the door, and still I cannot leave. Her thoughts returned to the morning she’d discovered she no longer lived. Perhaps if I go over that time I can work out what I need to do to escape from here.
*****
The room trembled and the vibration shook the bed.
“What was that?” Ellen woke from a doze and glanced round the room. The furniture stood still, but Ellen’s nerves twitched. “Mary, where are you?”
Too late Ellen realised she’d sacked Mary the day before and now remained the sole occupant of the house. No one would come in answer to her call.
Ellen struggled to sit up then, one at a time, she lifted her legs to the side of the bed and dangled them over the edge. Her walking frame stood next to the bedside cabinet but she felt strong enough to walk without it. Slowly she rose to her feet. None of the usual stiffness or pain accompanied this movement and her body felt more fluid than usual.
With barely any difficulty her feet shuffled to the door and her hand reached out for the knob – and passed through the handle!
Her inadvertent jolt of surprise swung her round and her jaw dropped open as she saw the still figure lying on the bed.
“I’m dead? Oh, gracious me, I’m dead!”
*****
A tremor passed through her body at the memory of her death.
Her thoughts returned to herself as a young woman. Ellen’s mother had died when her sister Margaret entered the world. Nannies had brought the two girls up, but none of them had stayed long as their father expected these women to work long hours for a pittance.
The nannies disappeared when the girls were five and seven, to be replaced by a governess but, despite her friendliness, the woman must have upset Edward Mune as she soon left. Governesses came and went on a frequent basis, some old, some young. The main thing they had in common was shortness of their employment.
I don’t think there are any clues there. Father was the reason they left.
CHAPTER SEVEN
Fury’s search of the library was intermittent as school and after-school activities took priority.
After all, Ellen’s not going anywhere so there’s no hurry to find her diaries.
The following weekend she didn’t have many homework assignments and this gave her time to attack the library once more. By Sunday afternoon she’d gone through every shelf and found nothing.
I’ll have to check with Ellen again. Hopefully she can remember where the diaries are hidden.
Her visit to Ellen had to wait as Samantha and Cora rang to ask her to go with them to Timaru. They visited the clothes and shoe shops, then stopped for some refreshment.
“You know I still can’t get over you living in the old Mune house.” Samantha took a sip of her chocolate milkshake. “My mum said the other day nothing would make her live there. There’s too many stories about the time the Munes lived there.”
“Such as?” Perhaps the old stories would give Fury a clue on how to release Ellen from her bedroom prison.
“Apparently old man Mune was a bit of a martinet. He adored his wife, but when the lady died he became a recluse. Even his daughters didn’t see much of him. He ran his businesses like an army officer, everything had to be done perfectly or else.”
“Or else what?” Cora asked. “Did he have them flogged or sacked?”
“Sacked I would think, but Mum didn’t mention that.” Samantha grinned.
“Doesn’t sound like much to me.” Fury slurped the last of her shake through the straw. “What’s so scary about a man who likes to keep to himself?”
“There must have been something. His daughters’ nursemaids, and later on their governesses, never stayed long. When they grew up the legend has the younger one as a beauty, whereas the eldest had a reputation for being strange.” Samantha sat back in her chair. “Mum said she heard the older girl had been crossed in love. She withdrew from the world after her father died and left her the house. Nobody knows what happened to her. One day they found the house empty. The younger girl had married and had a family.”
I know what happened to Ellen, but I can’t tell them.
“You do realize the beautiful sister was my grandmother, plus a few greats? This is my family your mother’s talking about.” Fury tried to look stern but couldn’t keep a straight face when she saw the expression of horror flash into Samantha’s eyes. She burst into laughter.
“It’s no good I can’t keep up looking cross. All I know is it’s thanks to my great, great whatever grandmother’s sister we have somewhere to live while we’re in South Canterbury. And I get to hang out with you guys.”
F
ury had considered asking her friends to help with the search for Ellen’s diaries, but then she’d have to explain why she needed to find them. Too complicated. Now that peace had been restored, the girls continued their shopping trip.
Back home, Fury decided the time had come to confront Ellen. After checking her mother needed to go out and her father was ensconced in his study, she marched purposefully up to the attic floor. As usual Jonah had gone to a football game.
Once the tapestry had been wedged onto the chair, Fury squirted some oil into the lock to make sure the key slid in and turned smoothly. Then she opened the door.
At first Ellen didn’t appear, but the old woman slowly became visible over by the window.
“Hi, Ellen. I’ve come to say I haven’t found your diary yet. I wondered if you could remember where you left it in the library.”
I believe I put it in the secret cupboard.
Fury managed to stop gritting her teeth with frustration. Why couldn’t this ghostly figure have mentioned the diaries were probably hidden in a secret cupboard?
“Do you remember where the cupboard is?” She tried to keep her voice calm and friendly.
Of course I do. The ghost snapped. It’s on one side of the door leading into the library, hidden in the carvings.
“Carvings? Oh you mean those beautiful wooden frescoes of animals and the forest. Did your father make them?”
Grandfather made them for my mother. Apparently she spent hours in the library, reading, painting and writing, and father wanted to give her something beautiful to look at. As you look at them from inside the library you’ll see the one on the right-hand-side has a rabbit peeping out of a warren in the bottom right-hand corner. Pull on the entrance carving and that part of the wood opens to reveal a metal safe. The combination is mother’s birthday.
Ellen stopped talking and began to fade away again.
“Wait. I need to know the date of your mother’s birthday.”
Too late. Ellen had faded and refused to return. Fury left the room, locked the door and replaced the tapestry. Her anger with Ellen bubbled up inside.
