The Short Affair - March 30 - A Forgetton Past - Part Two

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

Prompt Word: Genius.
Prompt Colour : Silver

Words: Approx 770

Link to Part One: A Forgotten Past

Illya and Rebecca led the way up the ornate staircase and onto the north wing landing, ready and eager to solve the riddle of the mystery room.

"The room should be at the end of this passage on the right," Illya said.

"The Blue Room is the last one, well, it has been for as long as I can remember anyway," Gramps commented.

They passed the first three rooms and came to the final door. The party of five all looked at each other as Grams's hand rested on the door handle.

A sense of anticipation hung in the air; as though when they entered the room, it wouldn't be the one they knew, but a completely different and new space.

"Well, let's find out shall we," Emily, Becca's Mother, replied.

The door opened on silent hinges and they all stepped into the brightly lit room. The walls were papered with a delicate flowered pattern. Velvet drapes hung floor to ceiling at the two large windows. A throw adorned with embroidered roses covered the four poster bed and a cream and blue rug lay on the wooden floorboards. The All the furnishings were of shades of blue, giving the room it's common name.

"I suppose it wouldn't take a genius to know a room that's always been there isn't suddenly going to change into an unknown one." Rebecca sighed, as she slowly walked around.

Illya looked out the windows, to the neat garden below and towards the meadow beyond, where only hours before he'd been sat with Becca under the huge old oak tree.

Leaning carefully out he looked to his left, trying to see if he could see the window he'd noticed earlier, he could just about see the recess where it would be.

"There is definitely another room after this one," he commented as he came back into the room.

The Russian examined the end wall, trying to find any clue to the whereabouts of an entrance. He slid his hands over the surface, the sensitive tips of his fingers registering any slight differences, but there was nothing to suggest a doorway.

"What about the room across the way, could there be a way in from there?" Gramps suggested.

The Chinese room was furnished in the same way as the previous one, but with an oriental theme of pale pink cherry blossoms and chinese dragons with their scales edged in silver. It was identical in shape and size to the previous bedroom and as Illya looked out the window to his right he could again see a window recess.

"It seems we have either two new rooms or one that runs the entire width of this wing."

"The mystery deepens," Grams said with wonder.

"Well I never, I thought I knew all about this house," Gramps exclaimed.

Becca went back into the hallway and examined, what was thought to have been, the end wall between both rooms. It was set back about two feet from the door surrounds and was perfectly smooth. She tapped it in several places, listening carefully for any sound differences but couldn't identify any.

In curiosity she walked to the opposite end of the hallway to the south wing and tapped on the wall there, the sound made was entirely different to the other end.

"Illya, I think I've found something, come and see," she called as she trotted down the hallway.

Kuryakin left the bedroom he was exploring and followed her to the south wall.

"What have you found?"

"Tap this wall, it sounds different to the other one. I think the northern end might be false."

After examining the sounds made by both, everyone agreed that it appeared an unknown doorway could be hidden between the Blue and Chinese rooms.

"I think the only way to find out is to knock down that wall," Gramps said, "I'll go and get the heavy hammer."

Within minutes The elderly man returned carrying a large lump hammer.

"If you'll do the honours Illya; it is, after all, your discovery," Gramps suggested.

Kuryakin took the proffered hammer and with a smile made the first hole, when it was big enough to see through, a torch was fetched and everyone peered in to see there was indeed a door behind the brick wall.

After a good half hour the barrier was down and an old white painted door stood before them, is was yellowed from age and streaked with dirt from who knew how many decades of being bricked up.

The group stood by the new portal and looked at each other, they were all eager to see what lay behind, but were also a little nervous at what they might find.........

Comments

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

Nice use of the prompts and very well paced. Can't wait to see what's behind that door!

[avrovulcan.livejournal.com]

I promise you'll find out in the next chapter.

I think there will only be two more to the story now. I've got them roughly worked out in my mind, just got to find time to get them written down!

Thanks for commenting - always appreciated.

[mrua7.livejournal.com]

As usual you have a good pace to the story. It's good to see you writing and posting again.