My new job

Today is the day. I begin my new job with the McConell family as their new caretaker. It's been so long since I had a job like this, I was both excited and nervous. Technically, they had posted the ad looking for a governess - whatever that is - and I got the job. I watched the scenery fly by me as I drove to their house. The road curved through a large, dark forest and trees dappled the road with shade. I was enjoying the drive, hoping that my new employment would be just as enjoyable. After cruising along for about 20 minutes, I arrived at a driveway that fit the description I had gotten for directions. I turned onto the long, winding driveway and it seemed the trees on either side created a tunnel and everything got a bit darker. It was beautiful but a little odd. I drove a few minutes down the driveway and came upon a massive old manor. It must have been gorgeous in its heyday, and while it was still pretty now, it just seemed old and delicate. The colors weren't as bright, the shutters hung a little too much; nothing quite in disarray but almost as if the house was exhausted from staying up for so long. I parked my volkswagen in the circular driveway and got out to take everything in. Gardens stretched for what seemed like acres in every direction, the sun didn't shine as bright and there was a pregnant silence filling the air. I walked to the huge wooden door (how did they get black wood?) and noticed a large brass door knocker in a gargoyle's mouth. I picked it up and let it drop. The booming noise coming from within startled me and I dropped the knocker on accident the second time. My eyes must have been the size of quarters when the door opened. A small man, 5'3" on a good day, opened the door and smiled unnervingly at me. His complexion left a bit to be desired and his smile showed uneven teeth.

"Hello, you must be Vivian," he said in almost a practiced way, grinning. His smile unsettled me for some reason, it didn't quite reach his eyes. I nodded in response, swallowing past the large lump in my throat, telling myself it was nerves.

"Yes, Vivian Williams, sir. I was hired as the new caretaker," I replied, feeling small for some reason. He furrowed his brows in confusion. "The new governess," I added, remembering the wording from the ad. He nodded in realization.

"Yes, Miss Williams, right this way," he said, turning and starting to shuffle away from the door. I followed him inside and put my hand out to close the door only to find it had already closed on its own. My surprise didn't stop me for long and soon we were passing through an ornately decorated hallway, filled with gargoyles and potted plants that looked like they had seen better days. We came upon a large room that was ceilinged with glass and had dozens of gnarled plants and shrubs in it. In the center of the room were two people talking quietly amongst themselves, one trimming the plants and the other sitting comfortably in an adirondack chair. They turned to face us as we approached, and the woman's face split into a welcoming smile. The man nodded his acknowledgement to my arrival. I curtsied and stood.

"Hello, oh Vivian, I'm so glad you could make it here, you didn't have any trouble finding the place, did you?" the woman asked in a warm tone. I smiled and shook my head.

"Good to hear! It would be a problem if our governess couldn't find us," the man chimed in, chuckling.

"Yes, I had no problems locating your house, and you do have a stunning house," I replied enthusiastically. Mrs. McConell smiled.

"You are so sweet already! Come, you should meet the children," she said to me, then raised her hand to the short man that answered the door. "Ivan will show you to their rooms and introduce you to the children," she said pleasantly, her voice almost a song. I felt sad to leave her, but I wasn't sure why.

"Yes, mistress, of course," Ivan said eagerly, then turned to leave the room. I followed him back into the grand hallway and we walked for a little bit before Ivan turned to me.

"Would you excuse me for a moment? I have to check on dinner, the master and mistress can get cranky if dinner isn't served on time. I'll only be a minute," he said, then scuttled away through one of the archways to the side of the hall. I waited patiently, marveling at the decorations in the hallway. It all seemed so old and antique. I heard a very high pitched voice say "hello!" and I whirled around, trying to find where it was coming from. No one was in the hallway or archways. I glanced around, waiting to hear something else. I heard it again, seemingly from my left. I looked over and the only thing there was an old pedestal column with a potted plant on top. As I stared at the plant, one of the flowers on it moved and I heard the voice again. I walked closer to the plant, convincing myself I was being silly. Upon closer inspection, the plant was a venus fly trap and as I stood there, one of the "flowers" opened and closed, repeating "hello!". I stared at it in bewilderment.

"Hello?" I said quietly, not wanting anyone to overhear and think I was crazy. The plant sighed and spoke again.

"Oh good, you can hear me, I was beginning to worry you were deaf!" it squeaked out, and my jaw dropped. The plant was talking to me. I wasn't crazy. I did the only thing I knew how to do.

"I'm so sorry, I'm Vivian, how do you do?" I said clumsily, realizing I was introducing myself to a plant. The plant nodded its little jaws in my direction.

"You sound like a lovely little lady, so I want you to know this: stay away from this family and their mansion. There are dark things that occur within these walls, and you don't want to get caught up in it," the plant said matter-of-factly. I stared in shock.

"What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly alarmed. I glanced up and down the hallway again but it was empty.

"I mean, I was the previous governess, and as you can see, things didn't turn out so well for me," the plant answered, woefully.