Brayden's POV
The light was blinding me. I felt light-headed. What happened? How am I here anyway? I looked around and spotted Uncle Matthews, cleaning a flower vase. He looked at me and smiled. " Oh Young Master, you're finally awake. How is your toe now?" I slowly tried to understand what the hell happened to me. My toe? I looked at my bare foot and saw the toe of my right leg was bandaged. And then I remembered everything. 'I went into that room, the candle, the bookshelf, books, yeah book... "Hi, My name is Elif Wilson." Elif... Yeah, that Picture. Was that Elif?' My memories came back. "Uncle, how did I get here?" I asked. "When I came this morning, I saw you passed out at the end of the hallway." I looked at him with disbelief. When did I faint? I shook my head. " What time is it now?" I asked a bit harshly, not knowing what's happening with me. "It's 12:00 p.m., Young Master." My jaw dropped on hearing that. I slept for 14 hours. How's that possible?
"I'm going to prepare your lunch, till then you take a bath and get ready. You'll feel better." Uncle Matthews called out while leaving the room.
So as he said, I took a warm bath and put on my sweatpants and a white t-shirt and shoving this pork ribs in my mouth. I have to know what happened and what was that journal and who that girl was. With that thought, I stood up from my chair and banged on the wooden dining table. "Uncle Matthews", I practically yelled. Uncle, shocked with my sudden outburst said in shaky tone, "Yes Young master, did I do something wrong? Is the cooking not good?" I don't have a slight bit of patience to think what the soup or pasta taste like. "Uncle please, I want you to tell me what's going on over here? Yesterday night, I entered that room. There was a journal and a picture of a girl inside it, whom I've never seen in my whole life and then this journal with the name of Elif. And then I come to find out that I had passed out for 14 long hours. So could you please tell me what's all this happening over here? And if you don't believe me, I can take you to the room and you can see for yourself." Saying that, I grabbed his hand and rushed through the stairs towards that room.
My hands wandered around the wall... but where is that button. I turned towards him "Uncle I swear, here was a wooden button. I had pressed that before also and this door opened at that very moment. You got to believe me Uncle." I said in a pleading tone. He was silent, blankly looking at the door. I waited for him to say something of approval.
He finally looked at me and said, "Young master" he took in a breath, his eyes a little teary. He continued, "This door has been locked for more than 14 years since you left. And there was only one key to open this door, which only your Father knew where it had been kept and no one, even not me." I felt I'm holding my breathe for a long time. I left out a gust of air and tried to rationalize what the old man in front of me said just now. I pinched the flesh on my arm. No this is not a Dream. It's reality. "Uncle, you're not serious. Please now stop with the prank, it's not at all funny." I vaguely laughed. "No my master, why would I say such a thing? You might have had a nightmare last night, which you thought to be real. This door is locked for more than 14 years now and nobody entered into this room since then." He said in an assuring voice. "You think I'm lying or do you think I'm insane?" I yelled. A bit of frustation overpowering my senses.
"I didn't say that you're lying. I just said that no one have been to that room for over 14 years and neither did we see any button over here." Well, now I'm confused. "What do you mean?" I said. "Young master, I said you already that 'it's better we leave the things how they have been.' But I think that the time has come for you to wake up." My eyes widened. So he knew something all this while which- "Unfortunately, It will be revealed by himself. Past can't be hidden for long, can it? You need to find the truth yourself, Young master. I can't help you." He said with a serious look and walked away.
It's already 6 p.m. and Uncle said he have some work in the church so he will leave early. I agreed, what's there to object anyway? Since that argument, I'm only thinking about what Uncle said. "It will be revealed by himself. Past can't be hidden for long." What did he mean by that? What is this past that I don't know? Should I just talk about this to aunt? Maybe she knows something. No, they already don't like the fact of me being here. Uncle will probably yell at me and Aunt will just cry over spilled milk. I don't know why they hate me so much. What did I ever do to earn such a cold behavior from him always? I was thinking all these things when I heard "Young master, I'm sorry to interrupt your study-" and then I noticed that I'm still on page 77 and didn't read a single word next. I see I'm spacing out every now and then. "No, it's fine Uncle. I was just thinking some things." I know he might have got the hint. "Oh good. Well I was just leaving so I came to inform you that I've set your dinner on the dining table, please keep in mind to warm it before eating." He instructed and ignored my attempt to know something about... "Young Master, death brings about too much grief and pain. No one dies in vain, they leave some secrets which may be the key to too many miseries." I felt a chill in his words. He didn't say anything further and smiled at me and left, not before saying a "Good night, Young Master."
I had my dinner already and don't have enough strength to do any more of the reading, I decided to just sleep peacefully. Again it came to my mind that Uncle knows something which he is reluctant to tell me. After rolling on the bed for more than an hour, I finally got up. It was too dark outside but the moonlight was warm. I thought if I could just take a walk around the woods. Well it's not like I have some creepy habit of walking at night in such an isolated forest but I can't sleep when so many thoughts are bugging me constantly.
I put on my hoodie and started heading towards the woods. It was just too dark to see the ground beneath me. I looked around and there was too much fog under the dense canopy of mountain pines. I walked for a few more minutes and then looked back. The mansion was nowhere in sight. I remembered how I and Elif used to play hide and seek in these woods. She was too innocent. If I would tell her that on Christmas Grandpa will be gifting me this Mansion, I bet she would have believed that too. I don't know how she had lived after my leaving. She was so shocked when she heard about my parent's death. My parents always treated her like their own daughter. She also loved them so much. She used to care for everyone. Once I was sick with a high fever, she stayed by my side all day and night. She even went to the Church to pray for my recovery. Suddenly I heard footsteps, someone was running over the damp grasses. I looked desperately to see if someone had lost their way maybe. But couldn't find anyone. "Hello, is there anyone?" I shouted but to my expectation, there was only silence. The leaves made hushing sounds when the wind strokes them. Maybe I should return to the mansion, the woods are denser from here on. Agreeing to that thought, I turned back to leave, when...
I ran into someone and now I'm lying on this wet ground and rubbing my forehead which would have swollen by now. But I'm a gentleman so, "I'm sorry, Ms. ?-" I trailed off. But to my surprise there was no one around me. Hey, not again with this Mystery Person drama. "Whoever it was come out now or else,... or else you'll be a dead meat if I find you." I tried to sound angry. And then I noticed a girl hiding behind the swampy, birch tree. Maybe she got scared by my threat. I cooled down myself. "Are you alright, Miss?" I asked with concern. No response. "Have you got lost in this forest?" No response. She was really testing my patience. I walked forward. Suddenly, I saw her coming out. "Were you the one running that time?" I asked. She didn't reply. 'Maybe she was dumb', I guessed. It was too dark to see who she was, just a feminine figure in the dark.
"You need to save her, Bradie." The last word froze me to my spot. "Who - are - you?" I said through my chattering teeth. My whole body is shivering on hearing that name. I closed my eyes to get a grip on myself. On opening my eyes, I saw there was no one. "Hey, Where are you? How did you know that name? It was-" I stopped myself because there was already no one and what I heard was just the echo of my own voice. I hugged my legs to my chest and sat there like a scared, little boy. 'That name... My mom used to call me by that name but she is... She is Dead.' I repeated the last three words continuously in my mind. I let out a gentle sob. I don't know how much time had passed, as I was sitting in these woods. Her words ringing in my ears again and again. Now when I focused on the other words "You need to save her". 'I need to save who?' I stood up and wiped my tears. Something is wrong over here. First that room, then journal, that picture, Elif ... This one word is torturing me since I came here. 'And to find that, I need to go where it all started.'
I placed my hand on that same place of the wall. Now I took in the detail. It was a brick, painted in the form of a wood so that no one can notice it by their naked eyes. But when I pushed it this morning then why didn't it work? I pushed aside all those thoughts and walked forward to find the answers to my questions. The door opened in front of me. I entered into the room and lighted the candle. I closed the door behind. Tonight I have to find out what had happened here in this mansion, after I left. I took the journal and opened the first page. The pages were like old novels, made of pulpier paper. I saw that the date was December 3, 2006, an year after the death of my parents. My hands were cold. I took in a deep breathe and started-
Hi,
My name is Elif Wilson. If you're reading this... then I'm not here anymore.
I gulped and continued.
I just wanted to say I'm Sorry. I only wanted to protect you but I ended up hurting you. I know you might be thinking why am I writing this letter and why would I hid it in a place like this. To tell the truth, I just wanted you to read this Brayden, and no one else. And from here on whatever I'm going to say, you have to believe me. It's time for you to know the Truth.