by Z. M. Wilmot
Chapter Four
The Devalier residence was a large affair, four or five storeys tall with a marble front. As professor Siegfried Reinhouer pulled past the wrought-iron gate, drove down the perfectly smooth and lamp-lit driveway, and parked directly in front of the intimidating mahogany front doors, he saw four towers rising up from each corner of the house. He passed several extensive well-groomed gardens on his drive as well, and surmised that there was a regular gardener among the young master’s staff.
Using the key Henry had gifted unto him, he unlocked the large doors and slipped inside, carefully shutting them behind him. Fumbling for a light switch in the dark, he soon found one, and the massive foyer burst into brilliant illumination. Reinhouer felt a touch of envy for the life that Monsieur Devalier lived, as well as a touch of pity for what the young man would be giving up. Two staircases ascended to the left and right just inside the entrance, and at the far end of the room were what appeared to be two coat rooms and a locked set of double-doors, likely leading to a private study or wing of some sort. Reinhouer did not waste time in investigating, and instead set right to work, ascending both sets of stairs in turn, gathering the needed materials and collecting them in front of the main doors. His task completed, he set down a note that Henry had written for the servants, giving them instructions detailing what they were to do in his absence of indeterminate length.
Upon finishing his task, Reinhouer began to move the materials out of the house and into Henry’s large black sedan. It was a struggle for him to fit everything inside, and when all was done the professor saw that he would not have use of his rearview window for the drive back.
Returning to lock the house doors, Reinhouer hesitated an instant, and then slipped inside again. He walked across the foyer to the large wooden doors set between the two coat rooms, and tried Henry's key there. To his surprise, there was a click and the doors slid smoothly outward. Siegfried walked in and found a light switch. Flicking it on, he saw what appeared to be much more than a private study. In front of him was a large desk, covered in all manner of papers. Upon approaching it, he saw that they were all in various states of decay and age; some were printed on spotless white paper, and others were written on what appeared to be ancient crumbling parchment. With a start, Reinhouer realized that one of the “papers” was in fact written on a material eerily familiar to the professor, and the ink on it was an unusual, but similarly familiar, colour. He visibly paled upon reading the words enscribed upon that disturbing medium, and he forced himself to touch the document and slip it into one of his voluminous coat pockets.
The item safely hidden away, Reinhouer moved quickly towards six doorways at the far end and sides of the room. He peered into each of them, and found in each one two long bookshelves, extending at least five meters back. Upon the bookshelves were, unsurprisingly, books and papers. Reinhouer stepped into the second room and saw that the books on the left were categorized by date, while those on the right were sorted by type of book. The types of books he found there made his skin crawl, and Reinhouer did not advance far down the musty corridor. He quickly checked and saw that the other rooms were all set up in similar manners, and determined that what he had stumbled upon was a private family archive. Perhaps, the professor thought, if he returned here and perused the extensive library, he might find the reason behind the curse, and better be able to help his new tenant.
His thoughts flickered for an instant to the document that he felt weighing down his coat pocket, and he shuddered. He wasted no time in rushing out of the archive room, turning off the lights, and closing the door behind him. He raised the key to the keyhole, but hesitated at the last moment. He set his mouth firmly and pocketed the keys again, without them touching the keyhole. Turning off the lights on his way out, professor Reinhouer hurried back out to his car and locked the great manor-house behind him. As he drove away down the long driveway, the lamps behind him all went dim as the bulbs shattered within them.
