by Yirak, Laura
“Nothing! Hmmmm. Rubbish. This place is a load a rubbish.”
Alesta had never warned him about secret doors and rooms. But why would she tell him? She was full of secrets, he thought to himself.
“Well Alesta, I will find out, I will,” he muttered.
“Help!” he called. It was useless he thought; no one could hear him.
“Allister you drunk fool! Can’t you hear me?” Patrick sat there in the emptiness, feeling slightly hopeless.
The taxi pulled up in front of Judy’s flat.
She got in, “To McKenzie Manor House please. Thanks!”
The taxi pulled out and wound its way through the tree covered hills, till it hit the small gravel driveway to the Manor. A quiet whispering of a woman’s voice filled her ears. She pressed on her ears and wiggled her head a little.
“Did you hear that?” Judy asked the driver. “That’s the second time that’s happened.”
“Sorry there, I didn’t hear anything.” The Indian cab driver replied.
They entered the fancy oval drive in front of the Manor. She paid the driver and stepped out. Judy paused a minute as the taxi left and looked at all the plush green ivy cascading down the front.
“Beautiful,” she said as she then opened the front door.
She was a little early, but she figured that would be taken with regard. There was no one at the front desk. It was very quiet. She sat on the ornate wooden bench to the side of the entryway and waited. Patrick was probably busy with one of the guests she thought to herself.
Suddenly there was noise. It was footsteps creaking around above. Here he comes, she thought. Patrick is on time. The sound of the steps stopped, with no signs of anyone. Maybe a guest she thought. Judy sat patiently for a good fifteen minutes, looking at her watch occasionally and then incessantly and tapping the floor with her black leather boots.
“Where is everyone?” Judy asked, but no answer came.
Judy stepped up to the front desk and looked around. She decided to go ahead and hang up her coat. She looked around on the desk. There was a time schedule of guest arrival and a list of names as well as the meal schedule. She picked up the front desk phone and pressed the button that said “Patrick’s cell phone.” His voicemail picked up.
“Hello Patrick, this is Judy, I am here, if you get this,” she said worried and hung up.
The Great Hall was also empty, as Judy began her search. She looked out the windows outside, nothing but the quiet loch and a few fishermen on a boat.
“There’s something wrong.”
From there she went into the kitchen. A beige mat lay crumpled up on the floor, with a broom and dust pan full of cornflakes. She looked in the pantry, nothing. She left and went back out to the front desk and then into the living room. The piano sat silently and a gentleman with salt and pepper hair sat asleep in front of the fireplace. She felt the silver teapot next to him. It was cold. She pondered waking him and just watched him sleep for a minute, then decided to.
“Hello there?” Judy tapped the man on the shoulder. He lifted his head and made a grunting noise.
“What? Ehhh…..What time is it? He looked at his watch. Almost three. I must have fallen asleep. I’m very tired.” He looked up at Judy, who had her hands placed on her hips. “Oh, uh, yes, are you staying at this enchanting place?”
“No sir, I work here. I am looking for Patrick. Have you seen him? He’s tall, young, brown hair, and handsome.”
“Yes, he brought me tea earlier. But as you see I fell asleep. Oh, I’m quite hungry. Could you get me something to eat? Do you have a menu and more tea as well? Please,” Allister asked. “Oh and if you don’t mind, I would like it served to my room.”
“Yes of course,” Judy said calmly, but was silently freaking.
Judy gathered up the dirty tea tray set from the living room and called out Patrick’s name a few times as she went to the kitchen. She looked around for a menu, but couldn’t find anything. The upstairs library revealed no one and she knocked on Patrick’s bedroom door a few times calling his name. There was still no response.
“Where are you?” Judy said out loud. She was very concerned.
As she went back down the stairs to gather Allister’s requests, there was a jingle at the front door. A nicely dressed young couple entered, with unscathed luggage in hand.
“Hello!” Judy said, “Ah! Welcome to McKenzie Manor House.”
“Yes, we’d like to check in. Are we too early?” the young blonde man asked.
“No, no you’re not. What…. Uh…what is your name please?” Judy stuttered.
“Kelly.” They watched her intently.
“Yes, yes.” Judy pretended she knew their names and looked at the guest list Patrick had made on the counter. It indicated they were staying in the Red room. She turned around to see keys hanging on the wall under the same title.
“Thank god!” she whispered.
“Pardon!” the young man said.
“Oh, not to worry, here are your keys. The Red room is where you will be staying,” she said as she handed them the keys with a big fake smile.
“Yes and where do we go?” he asked.
“Up the stairs there Mr. Kelly, to the right, uh, down the hall.” She pointed as she tried to remember the tour Patrick had given her the day before.
His pretty little blonde wife nudged him, “Thank you, oh and could we have some coffee delivered to our room please?” he asked and his wife smiled.
“Yes. I will bring it up to you.” Judy turned and went into the kitchen.
“Goodness!” she said. She counted on her fingers, “Tea, coffee and lunch. What next?”
She called Allister from the kitchen phone hanging on the flowery wall.
“Yes, this is Allister.”
“Oh, Judy downstairs, I am afraid there is no menu.”
“No menu, well just bring me something, please. I’m starved.”
“Yes, yes I will be up soon, Sir.” She hung up quickly and opened the refrigerator.
“Bloody murder.” Judy rarely swore.
She found the ham that Alesta had cut earlier, and whipped up a beautiful ham sandwich with salad cream and a fresh wheat bread from the pantry. She placed some fresh fruit next to it on the same plate. Meanwhile the tea pot whistled on the large stove and she found some silver tea sets in a closet next to the pantry. She hurried around the kitchen while ignoring several phone calls.
“They’ll all call back,” she said as she carried Allister’s requests up the creaky stairs. “Blue room, Blue room.” She continued down the hall looking for signs.
“Oh, the doors are colored to match!” She knocked on the very last one.
Allister opened the door in a crisp white Manor robe, fresh from the bath. Judy looked away quickly, slightly embarrassed.
“Please on the table there. Thank you,” Allister pointed.
Judy sat the tray down carefully and Allister tipped her five pounds.
Judy quickly left and closed the door behind her. “Five pounds, five pounds! This place must be expensive to stay at!” She smiled and put the money in her black skirt pocket.
She put together the second request with milk and sugar and delivered it to the young couple, they tipped her as well. She was beginning to think it was all worth it.
Patrick had about given up his search for the secret knob. He contemplated his future, starving in that room, but figured Alesta would see the kitchen mat later and rescue him, that’s if Claire didn’t put it back when she arrived to make dinner for the guests.
“Sheesh,” Patrick whispered.
Then he remembered Judy. He had no idea of the time, maybe she was there or maybe she wasn’t. Patrick did not particularly care at that moment. All he cared about was getting out somehow.
“Blimey!” he said as he kicked the wall.
He heard a heavy moving sound and felt something poke him on his sore knees. He stepped back and fluorescent light lit the room from above, re
vealing small stairs.
“Yes!” He quickly climbed up and out through a small opening in the ceiling of his prison and back into the pantry. The trap door closed behind him with a quiet thump. He straightened out his kilt and looked down at his dirty knee high socks and tried to brush the black dirt off of his knees.
“I’m a mess!” He looked up at the kitchen clock. “Shite, 3:30, shite, Judy.”
Just as he said her name Judy appeared, “Patrick! Where have you been? My look at your face, blood! I’ve been outside looking for you everywhere.”
“Oh I fell, but I’m just fine Judy.” Patrick washed his hands in the sink.
“Don’t be silly, we must get you to a doctor,” Judy insisted as she put her hand on his arm.
“No, no. Alesta will be up soon, she’s a nurse. Anyways, I hate hospitals. No, I’m fine.”
“Well at least let me help you get cleaned up. You’ve dirt all over,” she said.
Judy got a clean towel and wet it in the sink with some tepid water and patted the blood off his face.
“You go get cleaned up and I’ll watch out around here. Everything is under control Patrick. I checked in some guests. I didn’t know what to do about payment. I figure you already had their credit card numbers to book.”
“Oh Judy, I’m so sorry I wasn’t here.” He rubbed his head and closed his eyes in pain.
“No worries pet, off you go!”
“I have a bad headache. I think I might lie down a bit and take some medicine.” Patrick left and went up to his room and Judy sighed with relief. She was not alone. Patrick undressed and threw the dirty work clothes on his floor. He was usually very organized with his own personal stuff but just didn’t feel like being so then. After a hot steaming shower and a good dose of aspirin, he laid down on his made white bed, towel wrapped around him and slept.
Patrick was back in the dark room panting, and clawing the walls. He was trapped again. He could feel death surrounding him and suffocating him. There was no air as he gasped and gasped. Red hollow eyes peered out at him through the black thick atmosphere. They moved closer and closer to him till he saw red himself. There was a sharp, intense pain at his neck as his heart slowly stopped beating. He was weightless. The eternal emptiness filled the pit of his stomach as he knew that there was nothing more to come. It was the end.
Patrick woke up on the floor of his room. He had been crying. He never cried.
“Horrible,” he said as he picked himself up weakly. “I need to eat.”
Patrick had felt so terrible earlier that he had forgotten. He had just wanted to get away from the kitchen. He warily dressed in a new crisp tartan kilt and white long sleeved shirt, and then went back down the stairs. Judy was minding the front desk.
“Patrick, you’ve only been away thirty minutes. That’s no nap,” Judy said.
“I’m hungry. I never ate breakfast or lunch. And I’m supposed to be training you,” he replied as if nothing had happened that day.
“Where were you? What happened?” Judy sounded concerned.
“Eh…..well….another time. You shouldn’t worry about me. Let me worry about you Judy. It’s your first day here and I want to give you a proper welcome. So if I haven’t already said, Welcome to the Manor, I do so now.” Patrick took Judy’s hand and shook it.”
“Thank you!” Judy said gladly.
“Yes, well, what was it, I was doing? Oh eat.” Patrick left and went into the kitchen. He fixed a sandwich and put the mat back over the secret door. He paused and stared.
“I’ll deal with that later.” The hair on his strong arms stood.
Judy waited. That boy has too much on his plate she thought. She often had the very same thoughts about her own daughter. Maybe it was their age.
“Youth!” Judy mumbled.
The door jingled in front of her and in stepped another thin young woman with bright red and very short hair.
“Hello, is Patrick here?” Claire looked confused. “I’ve seen you at church, you’re Mrs. Worth!”
“Ms. Worth please and yes, nice to meet you and you are?” Judy said as she stood to shake her hand.
“Claire! Are you working here now?”
“Yes, yes, it’s my first day. Patrick is in the kitchen.” As Claire stepped through the doors, Judy eyed up her perfectly pleated tartan skirt and wished she had one too. She then decided to follow after her.
“Hello Claire!” Patrick’s face lit up.
“It’s good to see you. The last time I saw you were at the New Year’s party that Alesta had for all the guests. Boy that was a busy night,” he said, sipping on his cup of tea.
“Yes and good tips,” Claire added. “How are you?”
“Oh fine, the same old, you know, school, working, nothing exciting,” Patrick lied. “How about you?”
“Same here, what’s on the menu tonight? Have you decided anything?”
“Well no.” Patrick looked over at Judy. “I take it you have met Judy. She will be working here as well. It’s her first day.”
“So she said.” Claire giggled and Judy stood there with a fake smile.
Judy did remember Claire and the fact that she rarely went to church and when she did had seen her playing with her cell phone many times. Youth! Judy thought to herself again.
“Claire is a fine chef!” Patrick continued looking at Judy. “She has impressed many a guest.” Patrick looked at Claire as she blushed over all those freckles. “The menu for the weekend is up to you Claire. You will find everything you need and more.”
“Thanks Patrick.” Claire feeling the blush opened the fridge up wide and pushed her head in.
“Judy, let’s go get you a uniform. We have spares till we get you properly fitted. Oh and Claire could you do up the menu for tonight?” Patrick asked.
“Yes!” Claire watched after Patrick longingly as they both left. “Ah summer,” she said to the empty kitchen.
The supply room upstairs was small. It had all the clean linens, towels, toiletries and more. Patrick stepped in past everything and opened up a closet. He pulled out a beautiful green tartan skirt wrapped in a clear dry cleaning bag.
“It might be a bit long as Alesta wears this one sometimes, but lately it seems Alesta would rather play a Lady than look like the other staff. I’m sure she won’t notice.” Patrick handed the skirt over to Judy.
“Lovely,” Judy said pleased.
“It is the McKenzie tartan, worn with pride for hundreds of years. You can wear any top you like as long as it matches the colors. I would recommend a cream or white conservative blouse. I’ll let you change now in your new room.” Patrick motioned across the hall.
Of course Judy obliged and took a little extra time in her new space. The room was a perfect size with a personal bathroom and a walk in closet. Judy had always desired a walk in closet. Delicately crocheted white curtains outlined a stunning, yet mystical view of the loch. The same two fishermen sat out on the loch on a little boat. The water was like a vast mirror reflecting the sky above and the mountain on the opposite side. Judy had an urge to walk down there and just sit. She knew that although the sun was out it was crispy cold.
The tartan skirt fit well as it could be pinned to size, just a bit too long as Patrick had pointed out, but it matched her contours well and hid what need be hid. She wasn’t the tight curvy body she used to be. The bathroom smelled of fresh paint and the white porcelain tub and sink gleamed. Patrick must have scrubbed in here for her. It was all Victorian style but new. It couldn’t have been original, but as old as the Manor was time wore out a home just as it did a body. Judy fixed the white locks of her hair a little, smiled at her reflection in the oval vanity and went back out to work.
“My home,” she whispered as looked back at her new living arrangements. Judy felt content; she knew that she would never be alone again.
“Patrick, I’m all yours,” Judy said enthusiastically. “Show me the routine.”
Patrick decided to start with the l
ibrary, since they were up there anyway. They entered. The feeling of an old library is comforting. It’s as if the knowledge from all those books floats in the air and magically draws you in. This is the feeling Judy had when she was in that room. Patrick however was reminded of his exam and felt the urge to run. He instead sat in one of two big dark leather brass-buttoned chairs that overlooked the front of the Manor. Judy followed his lead and sat next to him.
“The guests are welcome to read any of the books in here and take them back to their rooms. They are not however allowed to leave with the books. As far as I know this collection started with the birth of the Manor, so some of the books are quite old and require a little extra care. They are in alphabetical order, by author. I check up here at the end of the day and file away any left out. Alesta takes pride in her collection and prefers it this way. That, and she doesn’t like clutter,” Patrick informed as he stared at the fountain that wasn’t on.
“But how can a library not be cluttered, I mean the very presence of all these books makes for clutter,” Judy said.
“Yes but it’s still an organized clutter,” Patrick pointed out. “And don’t say you think it’s cluttered around Alesta. She loves all these books. William McKenzie collected most of them. You’ve noticed his picture above the fire place downstairs?”
“Yes I have, it’s almost like he’s watching you. I noticed it when I was speaking with one of the guests. He was sleeping on the chair. I woke him up to ask him if he’d seen you. I was worried. I think if you had not been missing I wouldn’t have disturbed him,” Judy said.
“Well you’re right in thinking that. We like to let the guests relax as much as possible. It’s nice in the summer. We put out the lounge chairs and umbrella tables and the guests can enjoy the views. There are a couple of small fishing boats too out in the old stables that they can take out on the water if they want to. Sometimes if there are no guests I go out for a bit and catch some great fish. The loch has trout and mackerel; great for the odd supper. But there’s nothing like fish and chips from the chipee,” Patrick said.