Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  Threlkeld, by most accounts, is unremarkable, boasting a lone coffee shop, a Village Hall, and two pubs, The Salutation and The Horse and Farrier located directly across from each other in the village proper. It was partly this well-sequestered character that drew my friend Liz to the village when she began to consider her latest film project. But the major magnet for her, of course, was the backstory of a potential haunting of the Carroway Mansion. Liz is, you see, a devotee of the horror genre. One she heard of the Carroway Mansion and one Eloise Carter who came to associate a haunting with the mansion, she could not resist the project. Eloise had moved to Threlkeld when just a young woman…actually not much more than just a girl in the 1850’s, marrying William Carroway whose family had been a fixture in the area for generations.

  William had a number of business ventures ongoing in town and by all accounts had done well to expand his father’s and grandfather’s holdings. However, when just in his mid-thirties, William was struck down by an outbreak of cholera that had gotten a firm hold across the UK in that day. William died, unfortunately, just before John Snow produced ground-breaking research on the transmission of the disease that subsequently saved thousands from a similar demise. The sudden and unexpected death of her husband left Eloise a well-to-do widow, but emotionally she was devastated, hiding herself away in the immense confines of the mansion that had been passed down to William from his family. Suitors came and went once the news of the wealthy Carroway widow spread from town to town. However, Eloise could not have cared less. William had been her whole world, and despite her newfound wealth, she refused to consider any of the myriad of callers who appeared at her door over the years. In a final effort to discourage her male callers, Eloise even took back her maiden name, Carter, to further cement her decision at isolation and solitary seclusion.

  However, as time went by, Eloise slowly emerged from her self-imposed exile realizing that locking herself away in the large, empty, dark mansion was not helping her deal with her sadness and depression over the loss of her beloved William. As circumstances would have it, her decision to reemerge from the stone and timber cocoon of the Carroway Mansion coincided with the massive expansion of the mining industry in Threlkeld and a new influx of workers and other ancillary men looking to tap into the expanded opportunities there. Eloise was not exactly looking for a new husband to replace William, but one thing led to another and her heart thawed and opened to one of the newcomers. David Foster was his name, and it was merely by happenstance that he and Eloise crossed paths.

  David, being new to Threlkeld, was completely unfamiliar with Eloise and her past when he stumbled across the Carroway Mansion one afternoon. He was, quite frankly, just hopelessly lost and went to the entrance of the mansion looking for some help to get his bearings as it seemed to be the only residence for miles around. However, when Eloise answered his knock at her door, he felt unable to even speak. Without going into great details, David was smitten, as was Eloise. After years of being hounded and pestered by suitors from all parts, Eloise was thrilled to be facing this dashing, handsome newcomer to Threlkeld who had no motive other than to get “unlost.”

  She felt her heart beat firmly in her chest, something she had not known since William had died. Even so, the pair moved slowly, as was appropriate for the times, but even so, they both felt swept up in a wave of passion and desire for one another that neither could have held back, even if they had so wanted to. Within a few months, David proposed to Eloise and in a move unheard of in the day, she welcomed him into her home as they planned their wedding and looked anxiously ahead to their future together. Again, scandalous for the time, though Eloise was sure this happened more often than was made public knowledge, she found herself pregnant. The news seemed to have David walking on clouds and Eloise, though still filled with her memories of William, could not remember being happier.

  David doted on Eloise even more intensely and deeply than he had before, which was saying something considering how he held her aloft already. Eloise felt herself glow at his attention. And this was not just an expression, as many thought, but actually felt a physical warmth in David’s presence. But it was not to last. One fall morning, as the crisp November weather seemed to be warning of the winter chill to come, Eloise arose to find herself once again alone in the echoey and cold hallways and rooms of the colossal mansion. She called out to David, but all that came back to her was her high-pitched voice as it bounced from wall to wall before fading away to nothing. At first, she assumed he had just left early to go into town to attend to some business or perhaps retrieve another of the many gifts he had showered her with since moving into the mansion. But as she moved to his wardrobe, her heart sank. It was empty.

  And things just got worse from there. All the secret places that Eloise had secured to hold her private stores of jewels and money were empty as well. No one…except for David of course…knew of these storehouses. Her liquid wealth was gone. David was gone. It had all been a farce, Eloise told herself. A ruse. A charade. A lie. In the end, David Foster was just like the rest. He had apparently seen her vulnerability and had sensed that she was finally returning to the world again, and he had played her for a fool. Except for her unborn child, Eloise would have collapsed and just given up. What was it about her that seemed destined for loneliness and isolation? But she had her baby. That was what made her push away all those thoughts and move on.

  Two months later, Eloise gave birth to a little girl, whom she named Evangeline after her grandmother. Devastated and ashamed at what she had allowed to happen, Eloise had a midwife help deliver Evangeline only after she obtained a blood oath from the woman than nothing of the birth would leave the walls of the mansion. And once again, Eloise shut herself away. She never left the mansion, never allowed anyone inside again, and fell into a depression that by far surpassed what she had experienced after William’s untimely death. For a time, Eloise attended to Evangeline with great care and love, but soon she realized she just could not do it anymore. It was just too much for her to cope with: alone and with a baby that needed her full and undivided attention.

  The combination of her isolation, along with the demands of being a mother with no one else to lean on for assistance, finally pushed her over the edge. Though it was just her imagination, Eloise was sure everyone in Threlkeld was gossiping about her behind her back. All she would have to have done was to ask. Nearly all the women in the village were as sad for her as Eloise was herself, their own hearts heavy at her circumstances. But Eloise had no clue. She had fallen so far into her own pit of despair that she finally just gave up.

  She knew in her heart that it was a sin, but feeling no other way out of her predicament, Eloise bundled up little Evangeline in the weak light of a winter morning and drove her single horse wagon to the banks of the River Glenderamackin. With tears in her eyes and pressing Evangeline’s sweet, pink face to her chest to stifle any cries of distress, she waded into the rapidly moving current, drowning both herself and her daughter. By the time the light of the day broke in the village, and residents began to move about on just another day, the dead bodies of Eloise and Evangeline Carter were found wedged up against a massive treefall just at the bend of the river at the Village Hall.

  Lights…Camera…Action!

  Lake District

  Threlkeld

  Cumbria, England

  October 2017

  At one time, Liz Barnes had been an aspiring actress. In her late teens and early 20’s, she was sure this was her destined career path. But after getting a good taste of what it was going to take, of what she was apparently going to have to compromise in terms of her values and character, she awoke one day to realize she could no longer stomach the debauchery and lack of morals that permeated the film industry for young, ambitious artists as herself…especially with her breathtaking physical appeal. Audition after audition became nothing more than an unending line of lecherous directors and producers wanting much more from her than reading for a role th
ey dangled in front of her eager eyes like a piece of meat to a starving dog. Liz had never debased herself to their level for what she truly desired, but ending up with minor supporting parts was the price she paid for that decision.

  Time went by, and it soon became obvious to her that without bowing to the implicit demands of the casting couch, she was destined to languish in the anonymity of a thousand other rivals. As she watched other desperate girls with lower standards and morals than herself, and with way less talent—at least in her opinion—get plum roles she had her heart set on, Liz saw she had to change her goals. All her experience in the business had exposed her to the other side of the camera as well, and soon she began to study that aspect of the profession, taking in all the details of what it might take to make films instead of acting in them.

  It was both a creative and technical endeavor, the first of which fulfilled her now-abandoned artistic dreams, with the later presenting her with an unexpected fulfillment as well. The technical skills came to her easily and soon, despite her initial doubt, she would be drawn to such things, Liz knew she had found her niche. The work she had already done had allowed her to carefully save her scale wages from the SAG, and soon she was thinking ahead to making her own pictures. Unfortunately, her resistance to the mainstream production arrangements had given her the label of “not playing ball.” Liz had already anticipated this roadblock, and had been, in the meantime, stockpiling her financial resources as well as independent professional contacts in the industry to go out on her own.

  Indie films were all the rage as Liz prepared herself to join the rush, but she also knew from experience that despite the popularity of such an approach these days, that getting her films to be both financially as well as creatively successful was still going to be a long shot. When she officially launched her new company, Liz recruited some help she knew would be essential to her success. Sam Fisher was a brilliant sound engineer that Liz had met when she first came to the industry. He still did some spot work here and there for major studios, but like Liz was getting more and more disillusioned with what was required to work there anymore. Sam was quiet and reticent, even shy by some accounts, but Liz had never seen a harder working and more dedicated sound man. It was that introspection and lack of self-promotion of his skills that often got Sam overlooked for gigs, but Liz knew better and she added him to her organization immediately once she saw the sparkle in Sam’s eyes once she laid out her plans.

  In addition, Liz contacted her best friend, Emily Hudson, who she had known since grade school. They had lost touch for a brief time when each of them had gone off to school, and it was a shock to both women when they bumped into one another again on the set of a film they had both landed work on. Emily was as skilled as a lighting engineer as Sam was with sound, and Liz knew this would be a vital piece she would require. Like Liz, Emily had grown more and more disillusioned and discouraged at the “behind-the-scenes” shenanigans in the industry, even though she was far removed from what Liz had encountered. In fact, the whole atmosphere of the organizations she was contracted to work for had begun to really nauseate and anger Emily, that she was nearly ready to just call it quits.

  Then, out of the blue, Emily got a call from her old friend who wanted to see what her thoughts might be on joining a new creative indie film team with herself and Sam Fisher. The timing could not have been better for Emily. If Liz’s call had come just weeks later, it might have been too late, as Emily was already pondering several other options for herself to completely divest herself of the film industry. She knew Liz’s offer was a risk, but her long-standing friendship and knowing Liz’s high standards and dedication won her over. As well, she knew Sam and remembered how well the two of them had meshed when they had worked together on projects in the past. The three of them met following Liz’s pitch and celebrated their departure from the mainstream, though deep down each knew this was a gamble.

  “So…” Sam asked, as they sat in a small café one sunny afternoon, “what do we do now? You have any ideas or even anything lined up yet?”

  “You know me, Sam…” Liz replied, “I’ve always got ideas. But to more directly address your concerns…and I know you well enough to use that term…I do have a something lined up that we can work on right now.”

  Sam chuckled, and Emily leaned in, her eyes sparkling with interest.

  “Hollywood blockbuster? Multi-million-dollar budget? Do tell…” he said as he laughed lightly knowing better.

  “How’d you know, Sam?” Liz asked. “Yeah…both Brad Pitt and Russell Crowe are fighting over the lead.”

  Sam and Emily laughed along with her, knowing Liz’s sense of humor.

  “Not quite, but close,” she said once the laughter fell away. “You both know my interest in the paranormal and horror genres and all that, right?”

  They both nodded.

  “Well…I came across this old mansion that has a lot of history and an unbelievable backdrop for a ghost story. I’ve scoped it out virtually and would like your opinions on it. I’ve already secured a possible grant to fund us, but I’d like your buy-in seeing as how we are partners in this thing now.”

  “Sounds interesting, Liz,” Emily said. “You have a story already, I am assuming?”

  “One that is percolating in my brain. Just need some more time to flesh it out completely, but want to take advantage of this grant to at least get initial filming of the location done with while our potential benefactor is still on board.”

  “CGI in some details later?” Sam asked. “Is that what you are thinking?”

  “Kind of. I do have a new actress who has expressed some interest. She’s new to it all and seems to be chomping at the bit to get some experience, even with our unknown indie outfit. Clara Wentworth. Do either of you know her?”

  “Not me…” Sam replied.

  “Nope…” Emily added.

  “Not surprising. She’s British. She’s done some minor things abroad and is looking to possibly get established here in the States.”

  “I guess I should have asked before,” Sam interjected, “but the site of this mansion?”

  “Yeah…” Liz replied, “I was reluctant to spring that one yet. The mansion, known locally as the Carroway Mansion, it’s…well…it’s in the UK.”

  “Hence, the British actress?” Emily asked.

  Liz nodded.

  “The place has been abandoned for a long time, but it would be the perfect location for my idea. The mansion is in a very small village in the Lake District of England called Threlkeld. There are very few people around for miles, which gives us the isolation and freedom to film at will without any lookie-loos. How do you guys feel about a trip there?”

  Both Emily and Sam sat silent, Liz could see the reluctance in their faces, but knowing both of them as well as she did, she was banking on their spirit of adventure and risk-taking. The longer they said nothing, the more Liz could envision the gears turning in their brains, knowing how they both still had a deep desire to make films…just not in Hollywood per se.

  “Do we need any other crew members?” Sam finally asked.

  “At this point not really,” Liz replied. “Clara has this guy she knows out of London, Dean Garrity, who does not really have any technical film-making background, but she says he is a real workhorse.”

  “Strong as an ox kind of dude?” Emily asked.

  “So Clara says.”

  “If he’s local in the UK I’d say great. These location shoots never go as you think, and extra muscle to pitch in is always a good idea.” Sam added.

  “So, what is the verdict, partners?”

  Sam and Emily looked at one another. Emily smiled, and Sam just shrugged.

  “I will take that as a yes…” Liz said. “Everyone has valid passports I am assuming?”

  They nodded, and with that Liz pulled out her laptop so they could go over the myriad of details needed as they prepared to head off to Threlkeld and the Carroway Mansion for the first offi
cial project of their new production company.

  Liz Wonders What She Has Truly Taken On

  Lake District

  Los Angeles, California to Penrith, Cumbria, England

  November 2017

  After three nearly sleepless days and nights, Liz, Emily, and Sam felt they had covered all the logistics and other minutiae of the film project to be based in Threlkeld. With her dedicated and eager partners in place, Liz signed a final contract for the grant to fund the project. In her heart, she knew the small stipend was unlikely to pay for the entire project, but she was banking on her ability to keep their benefactor stringing along once they could present an initial version of what they had in mind. And if not? Well, she hoped she had enough savings to float them and if worse came to worse, send out feelers for new investors. She got permission from the current landowners of the Carroway to allow them on site to film for a few days…maybe even a week if she could sweet talk them into it. All that was left now was to coordinate with both Clara and Dean for their arrival in England.