Chapter Eight: The Disguise

The nightfall embeds the entire sky in replacing the daylight, spearheading by the dim light of the waning moon together with the glistening stars of the cosmos. Nocturnal species prepare themselves in facing another wonderful cold night. The night consumed by ghost-quiet darkness except the variations of the nocturnal sounds that you could barely hear under your sensitive hearing. Packs of wolves growling alternately bound to other territorial allies. Bats, owls, and other creatures manifest themselves by flying and screeching under the light of the moon. Their sounds like an accompaniment of orchestra. It perfectly arranges tone by tone, and notes by notes, and that night mysteriously adorable.

Mrs. Clearwater demanded her maids to prepare a delicious dinner for all of them. Most of her requests are the family's favourite dishes and delicacies. On the other hand, the gardeners and maintenance assigned to clean and decorate the mansion. Each of them intuited about something special since its urgent and everyone working that very hour. Each of them rattles of accomplishing their individual tasks and everyone not resting that time.

Momentarily, Rita one of the housemaids in Clearwater’s residence phones the Finnegan’s mansion. She wearing her navy blue maid’s uniform partnered by a white apron and a pair blue flat doll shoe. She styled her hair in a ponytail and her face seemed like a mid-aged woman nearly to forty’s. She dials the dialer and reaching the mansion through her rough call. It takes few moments when someone picks up the call and answering it bluntly.

"Hello, may I speak to─" Rita greeted as she requesting for someone to speak off. Her tone is pleasing and calm, but she startles upon the unexpected response from someone over the phone. "Hey! Mrs. Baker is on the way to─ that…bloody mansion. Now if you care, stop phoning us back, and keep your mouth away from this phone─ understood?" Mr. Finnegan barks out over the phone. "Yes sir─ certainly" Rita replies calmly.

The feast will soon to commence. It manifested by the colourful decorations of balloons, scallop ceiling designs, flowers, and dessert stations along with the skirted tablecloths wrapped around the tables. Arraying folded serviettes, empty goblets and wrapped utensils organised over the tables. Candles in each candelabrum in every centre of the round tables illuminate. Lovely flowers in every vase placed proportionally between the two candelabras in the centre of the table. The crystal chandeliers fully brightened by blinding lights. The ceiling adorned by long colourful fabrics attached from side to side matched by some small lanterns. Everyone focuses their tasks to finish everything on time. Momentarily, everyone pauses upon hearing a thin lady's voice interrupting their hectic activities in the common room. They stare at her and everyone silences.

"Good evening everyone! It seems you’re glaring at the majesty. Yeah─ that's right …the boss is finally here!" Mrs. Baker announces confidently as she placing her both hands on her hips whist smiling. Their glaring sights transform into lovely smiles. Their unzipped mouths extend to each corner of their weary faces, altering by erect and energetic postures. "Oh wow! Look at you Mrs. Baker gladly to see you." Misila greets.

The common room fills by sizzling noises, giggles, chitchats, shouts and the like… Everyone warmly greet her like long lost friends who have met again for a very long time. Actually, Mrs. Baker was originally the head of all servants in Clearwater’s mansion. However, she transferred to Finnegan’s residence because of Mrs. Finnegan’s request. And for the favour, the Finnegan family sponsored the surgery operation of her late husband who had a stage four cancer that time.

After the surgery, she bought a little penthouse nearby in Finnegan’s mansion to look after her family. Her family moved to Lancaster after they bought a house and they started their new home more conveniently. Those times, Elizabeth was still toddler. She required full-time attention of a mother in which Mrs. Finnegan couldn’t provide. Because of her hectic schedule as a business woman since their business just thriving for a while they have to find a way to ensure Elizabeth’s care.

Nevertheless, Mrs. Baker was the answer. She played the role of a second mother to Elizabeth to look after her when her mother is out for business transactions. She became Elizabeth’s nanny for a decade and a half and they became closer as like a relationship of a biological mother and daughter. She acted like a teacher, friend, counselor and all the like that a child necessary to have, that’s why Elizabeth’s closeness is bold, because of her caring, protective and above all considerate attitude which amongst children worthwhile wishing.

Everyone hurriedly working, Mrs. Clearwater sneaks into a chamber near at the corridor. She rolls over the wheels chair prudently so that she could move in a distance and cloaks herself by her witting plan of putting everyone to work indefatigably. She utilises the preparation cunningly as a scapegoat to avoid any speculation of her secrets. Mrs. Clearwater likes surprises. She’s kind of unpredictable, but still brilliant and kind mostly.

At last, upon entering inside the secret chamber, it locks momentarily like an automated door in a laboratory. Thence, the chamber fills with collision between light and darkness. Many things can perceive by our naked─ eyes such as; bunch of cobwebs everywhere, a dusty wardrobe in one o’clock direction, some pieces of old parchments with some ancient texts, symbols and diagrams, in the left corner eleven o’clock from her position, a pile of ancient books at the right side two o’clock, also some ancient artifacts like: old maps, compass, skull of wild boars, thick fur of a grizzly bear, and some Neolithic weapons and tools, at the right corner five o’clock.

The most intriguing one is the ring attached to an erected old branch of a tree in the centre twelve o'clock from her direction. The ring placed perfectly in a magical god box covered by purple glimmering lights around it. Yet, the azure light originated from the ring’s stone shining, overpowering and conquering the entire chamber from its darkness.

It’s crucial for an average person to deal that mystical thing, but for her, it’s easy as a piece of cake. Before she claims it, she uttered these ancient enchantments “Annon edhellen, edro hi ammen! Fennas nogothrim, lasto beth lammen!” And the glimmering light fades away. Without hesitation, she clasps the ring up immediately by her right fingers and slowly inserting it to her left pointing finger. The light of the ring disappears and the whole chamber shades by spooky blistering pitch darkness. The zephyr wind scatters all around the chamber, bouncing back to her direction like a shock waves from an aircraft’s sonic waves.

The ring she wears perfectly resembled to the ring her husband worn on the painting at the edge of the corridor witnessed by Enrico. Now, the mystery revealed. The wheelchair left unattended whilst Mrs. Clearwater disapparated like a bubble without any trace of her presence. The light emitted by the ring altered by pitch darkness and the chamber completely consumed by ghost-silence in that very moment.

Another hour past, the common room became a hall of fame. It’s now fully adorned with elegant designs and colourful royal fabrics with the red carpet. The chamber’s setting blended the Shakespearian theatre theme and modernised Hollywood ceremonial awards like: Oscar, Grammy and so on so forth. If you would seemly observe the room, a golden Queen’s chair placed at the centre of the elevated platform leaning against the wall and another chair next to it for a prince or princess.

The entirety of the common room transforms into a palace. Designers as well the servants please of seeing the result of their collaboration. The head of preparation, Mrs. Baker appoints Rita to as head of the decoration committee and herself as the head of the food committee. Clearwater’s family trusted her so much for her loyalty to the family is truly immeasurable. Henceforth, she commanded one of the servants to check Mrs. Clearwater in her bedroom. Unfortunately, the maid came back to her without any word of Mrs. Clearwater’s presence. Thence, Mrs. Baker assigned Misila to search Mrs. Clearwater as soon as possible.

The telephone rings once more with unknown caller on the other line. Rita rushes in picking up the call and answering it immediately. After the phone conversation, Rita spots on a single piece of a note beneath the telephone’s edge at the left lower side. Her face disfigures in a grotesque unexplainable manner as she reading down the note. She intuits that Mrs. Clearwater wrote the note in order and the content still mystery like riddle poetry.

Please don’t attempt to seek,

Just carry on work being meek.

Surely I’m with you around one or two,

I’ll wake you up if I went through.

“Gordon’s beard! What is this? Oh dear …is this a note from─ oh no, Mrs. Baker must know about this.” She bulks her eyes whilst staring at the note. Rita scrambles immediately towards the kitchen to tell Mrs. Baker about the note she clasping in her hand. Upon entering the kitchen entrance, the lights disappear and the entire mansion clamouring, suffer from the total darkness because of the blackout.

The total darkness smothering them, each of them suffers enormously from their phobias, but it seems despite the darkest hour, some showcases boldness and bravery against their situation and that spirit can only be seen by those people who suffered most in their lives. Immune strongholds influencing others to stay calm laugh and relax whilst in the middle of darkness.

Almost three minutes before the candle ignited by a gardener named Jiovani Fischer. He’s a German refugee adopted by Sir Clearwater after World War II. He is a skinny mid-aged man wearing a gardener’s uniform matching by a blue old fashioned jumper, suited to his simple feature. They said that he has the ability of a night vision. Thus, his condition is rare that he could able to see in the darkness by means of his regulating iris and pupil that creates squeezing movement on his capillaries and his eye muscles to contract like the lenses of a camera. His eyes coloured in mixed olive green and egg yellow, sounds like the eye of a Siberian cat.

A few moments later, a silver cigarette’s lighter brought forth the light amongst the common room. Jiovani moves cautiously from his position despite the darkness hindering his vision. He literally fetches his lighter and snaps it up to ignite fire. However, few of the maids shouted by a surprise as spotting his creepy smile in which his silvery tooth glistening by the reflection of flame from the lighter. It looks like a scary pumpkin shaded by the light of the candle. Little by little all candles lighting up until illuminating through the entire mansion. Everyone smirking and laughing since the lights once again restored. Mrs. Baker shouted in a distance from the kitchen, as she turned her sight down.

“What are you laughing at? I’ve almost cut my─ wait that’s? Rita? Rita???” Mrs. Baker interrupted the laughing crowd seeing Rita fainted and collapsed on the floor in the very entrance of the kitchen whilst clasping a piece of paper in her left hand. Everyone startled as they coming forth to rescue her. As they inching her, they sighted a black butterfly hovering and landing on the kitchen wall entrance, this make them worry enormously for something might badly happen.