Secrets of the Past

Darkness shrouded the empty halls; the tattered carpet reeked of smoke and the feasts of yesteryear. Jarod explored his latest purchase with a flashlight in hand.  Who would have thought that exploring the woods would lead me to this? From the outside, it’s a weather stone relic covered in moss and vines. The interior is a time capsule.  Another medieval Manor waiting silently for someone to love her. What secrets are hidden behind these walls? 

The solid timber doors groaned as he pushed them open, their moans echoed through the main hall. Pieces of the once bright patterned wallpaper hung over the stained wood panelling below. The walls were littered with the ghosts of paintings long since sold at auction. An ornate timber staircase invited visitors to the third floor. Moving slowly, the treads creaked with each step.

Heavy velvet curtains covered in dust and cobwebs blocked the light. Jarod pushed aside the drapery; the filtered light revealed the room’s personality. Blue fibres blended with centuries of dust clung to his palm. Peering through the water-stained glass, he gazed down at the overgrown gardens. A dense carpet of ferns engulfed the central fountain. Stepping back from the window his eye was drawn towards an old pipe protruding from under the curtains. He scanned the room for other treasures; the dust particles hung heavy in the air making him sneeze.

Moving from room to room revealed more of the same. The colour scheme changed, with each space having its special ambience. The occasional piece of once-loved furniture gathered lint in the corner. Three floors of decorated chambers of various sizes each needing a unique touch.

Jarod entered another grand room on the third floor, but this one had an extra door in the back wall leading to the middle of the Manor.  Why does this room have an extra alcove?  Peering into the total darkness his flashlight revealed a small room with no windows. A cloakroom? A stack of boxes partially hid an old carved desk in the corner. One would dismiss this room as nothing more than storage. But something on the floor caught his eye. Curved scratches started at the wall and disappeared under the tattered floor covering. Pulling back the rug; he could see the full arc of the scratches. Something has been opened leaving its mark over and over again.

The curved marks met up with the side of a four-foot-wide bookshelf. Could it be a secret chamber? His nerves started to tingle at the thought. How do I open it? Grabbing the shelf, he strained backwards but the shelf didn’t move; pushing achieved the same result. He ran his hands along the dusty empty shelves; still nothing. Shaking the fluff off his hands, he scanned the shelf's border. He started pushing panels and knocking on the framing surrounding the unit. His pace quickened with the anticipation of finding a lost treasure. The top corner moulding had a carved wooden rose like the other decorations in the room but this one had a button in the middle of the petals. It moved a fraction; he pushed harder to the point where his fingers changed colour. A clunk resonated from behind the wall. The shelf moved forward an inch. He dropped his arms taking a deep breath.

His heart was pounding as sweat beaded on his brow. The real estate agent said nothing of a hidden room. Gripping the shelf he heaved, leaning back with his teeth clenched. Slowly it gave in to his will. With a gap open wide enough for him to enter, he shone the light into the dark void. Ghostly shapes of shelves and stacks of books stared back at him. Large sheets of cobwebs arched between the structures glistening in the light. He gave a restrained jiggle as he pumped his fist, “Yes!”

Opening the hidden door as far as it would go, he stacked a box against it. I don’t want to get trapped in there. Breathing heavily he cautiously crept into the room his flashlight scanning everything. His eyes widened as the room revealed shelves of books in all directions.  The walls were lined with shelves and more ran down the middle of the room, “This place is huge.” He scanned for a window but couldn’t find any, “I need more lighting.”

Quietly he pushed the shelves closed stacking the boxes over the scratches on the floor before he returned to his car. His thoughts raced with the possibilities of what he could find.

***

After speeding back up the drive he reached into the boot grabbing the large box of lighting. The hardware salesman gave him a strange look as he rapidly unloaded their shelves of lamps, torches and batteries.

Working his way into the forgotten library he randomly placed lights on everything. Standing back, he panned the room trying to take in the bigger picture. The dark wooden shelves were bursting with books, leather-bound journals, and piles of stained paper tied together with string. Where do I start?  Carefully taking a book from the top of a stack on the floor, he peeled back the cover. Nib ink writing was scribbled across the page. I'm not sure if it’s the bad handwriting or it’s in another language. I can’t speak Latin. Returning the book to the stack, his eyes had already moved to the next item.

Flicking his thumb through a separate bundle of yellowing papers revealed old sketches of animals and more unknown writing. He couldn’t focus on one thing for too long as his mind wanted to know what was in the next book. One shelf unit had a collection of ornate leather-bound books. He recognised one word the titles all had in common, “Bible.” Each book was decorated differently with hand-painted drawings and calligraphy. His hands trembled at the sight of the gold leaf. “Have I stumbled on the old Lord's private collection?” Why wasn’t this emptied when the building was sent to auction?

Searching the endless library, Jarod progressed deeper and deeper into the room. Reaching the end of the shelves the space opened, revealing a long timber table covered in broad sheets of drawings. A wide range of fantasy-looking machines, cars with bat wings, odd devices with cogs in all directions some drawn in pen and ink, others in charcoal and pencil. The wax from burnt-down candles stuck the pages together.   What went on in this room? While gazing down at the sheets, I have seen drawings like this before.

Moving along the table he shuffled the sheets revealing more creative designs. His eyes darted around trying to take it all in. The torchlight flashed up onto the back wall, his eyes widened as he stepped around the table. Multiple sheets pinned together lined the wall, showing a full star chart of the known universe. How did they know of the outer planets back then?

After hours of exploring his excitement and energy waned as his limbs felt heavy. Arching his back, he pulled the old timber stool out from the table and took the weight off his feet. Sitting quietly the lamps gave the room an old-world glow. Is this what it was like working here all those years ago? 

Scanning the distant back wall through the dim light, he noticed a dark shape on the wall. Jacob focused on the area as he arose from the chair. Weaving among the piles of books on the floor his eyes widened as he discovered another doorway. Another secret room. Shining the light into the opening revealed a set of stone steps spiralling down into the darkness. His heart skipped a beat as he froze. What is down there? The curve of the stairs revealed no more than four steps at a time. He cautiously navigated each step with his back to the outer wall shining the light on the steps below.

How far do these stairs go? It feels like more than one floor.  Deeper and deeper. The cold damp stairway smelt musty; the only light came from his torch. His pulse started pounding harder with each step. 

The last step opened up to a rock slab floor. Pausing at the bottom of the stairs he slowly moved the light around the room. It was smaller than the library. In the middle of the room another wooden table with two candle holders, the wax had run down the brass and over the table. An old inkwell sat at one end, the ink just a thin coating inside the bottle. What did they do down here? Writing in the darkness? 

He shone the light onto the opposite wall and with a deep gasp he grabbed the table. A ghostly human skull on a bench stared back at him in the light. His heart racing, he reached for his chest. Scanning the wall revealed more bones and a full skeleton tied to a frame.  He felt his consciousness leaving him as he dropped to the floor.

Awakening moments later on the cold floor, the torch highlighted the table leg beside him. Memories of the last few minutes came flooding back as he rushed to pull himself off the floor. A sharp pain stabbed the side of his head as he rose, he reached up to feel a lump in his hair. Grabbing the torch, “I’m getting out of here.”

Climbing the stars went faster than the decline. At the top, he slumped down in the chair gasping for air. This is getting too much. Who can I call? He sat silent for a moment, he reached for his phone in his back pocket. Alicia. She is a historian; she will know what to do.

***

Two hours later Jacob led Alicia to the third floor. She was interested in the whole building but her jaw dropped as she stepped into the library. Stunned and not saying anything she slowly gazed around the room.

“What is all this?” Jacob asked.

“No idea, it will take a team to work it out.”

“Why is it still here when everything else is gone?”

“World War II saw the military using this property for training. The owner was in the process of taking all the valuables to his country home but it was bombed, killing him in the process.” She said, “Some items were left here after that.  The Lord's brother collected the items he thought were of value and left the smaller items you see around the house. He must not have known about this secret room.” 

The lord didn’t even tell his brother of the library.

Jarod turned to Alicia, “What am I going to do with all this?” He slowly turned around gazing at the contents.

“It will have to be reported to the authorities. They will send out a team to catalogue it all.”

“Do I get to keep it?”

“That depends on how rare the books are and what the authorities say.” Alicia said, snapping photos of the shelves, “I don’t know what they will say. They may be a monetary reward.”

“I hope so, it can pay for the restoration.”

***

Jarod sat in the corner staring blankly at the bustle of specialists kitted up in gowns, gloves and masks examining each item. The occasional bickering over the origin of an item would break the boredom. Other countries have been getting involved now; as a few historians claim that some of the drawings are from Leonardo Da Vinci’s private collection. No wonder the previous owners kept it all a secret.

It’s been months and the historians have only scratched the surface. I have had time to contact a restoration team and they have started documenting the floor plan. Will I have the Manor restored before the historians have finished?

The undertaker was quick to collect all the human bones from the basement. They had to be taken away for dating and DNA analysis. Probably to check the last owner wasn’t a serial killer. For all, I know some of the skeletons could have been a previous owner, who knows what happened in these walls?

***

Coming up to two years; the only items left in the library are the shelves, the furniture and odd bits of string lying around on the floor. They did not attempt to clean up their work, unused labels and torn plastic bags sit among the dust and cobwebs. 

The bones from the basement were aged to the medieval period; the time of body snatchers. Someone found another door behind the skeletons which led out to the forest; a long-forgotten secret escape tunnel. A local archaeologist made his way along the stone tunnel but water erosion had caused the roof to collapse so he didn’t go any further.

The Manor renovations are well underway on the ground floor. There was a large reward paid for the library treasure, and I was also paid for a couple of television documentaries on the find. Camera crews just added to the chaos in the library at the time. I’m not sure what I will do with the library room. Maybe start a collection of my own. I was going to sell this place to cover the building costs but with that covered, I might live here and see what other secrets this place has.

The End