by Gillian Zane
“Five minutes? What time is it?” Owen asked.
“It’s only just past midnight.” Cecelia looked down at her phone.
“We were only gone for a few minutes,” Owen said looking at Sierra.
“Well, I guess we still have a lot of night left ahead of us,” she laughed.
“You still want to go out and party after that freak fest?” Cecilia asked, looking over Owen’s shoulder at the creepy house behind them.
“Uh, yeah, it’s Halloween in New Orleans and only midnight. There is a lot of fun to be had, plus this big guy owes me a drink.” Sierra slipped her arm around Owen’s naked back.
“I owe you a drink?” he asked.
“Yeah, I think I deserve one. I’ve been a really cheap date so far,” she laughed.
“I’ve enjoyed myself,” he said leering at her.
“Oh my God, y’all did not go in that place and have sex!” Cecilia said looking in horror at the two of them.
“It’s a long story,” Sierra sighed.
“Start talking,” Cecilia demanded as they walked toward the sounds of Bourbon Street. “Oh, and your necklace is missing. Did you lose it back there while you guys were humping in a haunted house?”
“Something like that.” Sierra smiled.
The End
THE GARDETTE-LE PRETRE HOUSE
716 Dauphine Street | French Quarter Photograph by David Rivera
The story of The Sultan’s Palace is a real New Orleans ghost story, and one of the biggest mysteries of the French Quarter.
The home was built in 1836 for a dentist named Joseph Coulton Gardette, but only stayed in his possession for three years before it was sold to a Creole plantation owner named Jean Baptiste Le Pretre. The stunning wrap-around wrought iron balconies were added by Le Pretre after the purchase. The home was bought as a secondary home, what was called a pied-à-terre at the time. A place for Le Pretre and his family to stay while in the city.
The home stayed with the family until the Civil War, and they were unable to maintain the home. The story is convoluted at this point, but the story is that the Citizens Bank of New Orleans, which was organized within the parlor of the Gardette-Le Pretre house, foreclosed on the property and began to rent the property out to wealthy men. This is where the story is convoluted, because many recountings say that Le Pretre was around when the Turk rented the property, and the Turk sought him out specifically for the house.
The plaque on the side of the Gardette-Le Pretre house. Photograph by David Rivera
The story goes that Le Pretre agreed to rent to the Turk because he requested the house during the off season. Le Pretre would normally only visit the French Quarter during the social season when the French Opera was in town. He would normally be at his plantation during this time, his secondary home empty, so it worked out for both parties. This would put the story of the Turk at around the middle of the 19th century, instead of after the Civil War like some have assumed.
There is no real evidence that backs the story of the Turk, but the tale is so widely talked about that it has been accepted as the truth.
It is said that the Turk moved into the house with great trunks of gold and wealth and a dozen wives. He had guards, a whole entourage of servants and claimed to be a Sultan. He set up the Le Pretre house to reflect his culture and used it to entertain on many occasions. Some stories say that he had so much wealth, he set up lines of credit with all of the banks, funding the transformation of the house. His goal was pleasure, but also protection. He guarded the house as if he was a Sultan in a foreign land and installed high gates and large locks on everything. Unless you were invited, you were not getting within those walls.
The women of the harem he brought with him were rumored to be stolen from his brother, the sultan. Debauchery was the only term that could best describe the lifestyle of the Turk. The house was rumored to be full of attractive men and women, orgies were commonplace and the use of opium was widespread throughout the house. It was even said that the house was stuffed full of treasure, all stolen from the brother, the Sultan.
No matter the truth or cause, the end was that it led to one of the most horrendous crimes to have taken place in the French Quarter.
One morning neighbors found the house unguarded and the doors unlocked. The tour guides will tell you, there was a trickle of blood running out from under the door. When the authorities were called, they forced open the doors to find a massacre.
Side view of the Sultan’s Palace on the Orleans Street side. Photograph by David Rivera
The house was decimated. Everyone was killed within the walls and the Sultan was buried in his courtyard. There was said to be headless bodies all over the house and amputated limbs. Everything of value was taken from the home and all that was left was body parts and blood. It is even said that the body parts were so many and so mangled that they couldn’t piece together what belonged with which body. Even the wives were not spared, along with the boys of the Sultan’s harem. They were all said to be raped and defiled.
No one knows who perpetuated the crimes against the Sultan. The most obvious choice is the brother, the real Sultan, who vowed revenge for the theft of his treasure and his wives. But there are also those who say the crime was committed by pirates who had done business with the Turk and thought to take his great wealth. It is a mystery.
The only truth that the people of New Orleans know for sure is that the place is haunted. One of the most haunted houses in the French Quarter.
Residents of the home and passersby on the street have reported hearing “Oriental” music and the odor of incense coming from the house. Wailing has also been heard coming from the house and it is never from the same area. Many residents of the house have reported seeing an “Oriental” looking man walking through the halls and appearing in rooms and on the balcony. He is said to look confused and lost.
If you ever come to New Orleans, stroll through the Quarter and look for The Sultan’s Palace. Maybe take a haunted tour. The haunted ghost tour guides will lead you to this imposing structure and tell you sordid tales of harems and ruthless brothers. They’ll lead you down a dark street, almost to the edge of the French Quarter, and you’ll stand underneath the three story building, head thrown back to try and see to the top. You might even catch a shadow that moves behind the intricate wrought iron balustrade. Was that the Turk? Maybe.
Bibliography
Information gathered for THE GARDETTE-LE PRETRE HOUSE section is from the following sources:
Dureau, Lorena. "Life with an 'Exotic Ghost'" The Times-Picayune [New Orleans] 11 Feb. 1979: n. pag. Print.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read my Skeleton Key novella!
All reviews are appreciated.
If you would like to read more from the Skeleton Key series, please click on the link below:
Skeleton Key Website
About the Author
Gillian Zane is the author of the NOLA Zombie series. Zane is the pen name of a prominent blogger in the publishing industry, which will remain a mystery unless you Google it. Since she can remember her goal has been to become Master of the Universe and has decided to focus first on the literary world. Things are progressing nicely.
Zane has been a freelance writer for the last ten years and has published a few non-fiction pieces, none of which were very exciting.
Zombies are much more exciting and a way for her to combine her two current obsessions, hot boys with guns and Doomsday Prepping. When she isn't stockpiling MREs (Meal's Ready to Eat) or researching how to build a cistern on a budget, she's taking care of her little family and exploring the city that she loves, New Orleans.
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Books by Gillian Zane
SHTF (NOLA Zombie Prequel)|
Romeo’s Bug-O
ut Story
RUN (NOLA Zombie Book 1)
FIGHT (NOLA Zombie Book 2)
LIVE (NOLA Zombie Book 3)
JUSTICE (NOLA Zombie Book 4)
Baby’s Story
HONOR (NOLA Zombie Book 5)
Romeo’s Story
Contemporary Erotic Shorts:
Pink Bikini Bliss
