CHAPTER 7: THE W.B. MANOR - 2

The next day, I woke up with a knock on the door. I tried opening my eyes drowsily with the sunlight hitting my bare face. I check my phone to see it’s 8 am already. Even though I decided to wake up early and wander around the mansion, I slept like a slug. There’s another knock and a faint voice calling my name while I take tiny steps towards the door to find Martha with a small tray.

“Good morning!” She greeted me with a bright smile.

“Good morning” I reply while rubbing my eyes.

“I’m sorry, did I wake you up?”

“No! It’s time to wake up anyway, thank you”

“Coffee is here” she gets in and places the tray over a medium-sized table in front of a couch. I’m not comfortable with such amounts of coffee-first thing in the morning but I couldn’t reject her, I just have to let them know later that it wasn’t necessary. For now, I’ll just drink this and try to wake up completely. The coffee was pretty bitter and strong, I forgot to add sugar but continued to drink in one big gulp. She looked at me with confusion at the way I drank my coffee.

“Breakfast is ready, the dining hall is towards the left on the ground floor, do you want me to wait for you?”

“It’s okay, I’ll be there by myself in twenty minutes”

“Alright, come soon, the repairs will be starting in a while” she left the room in a hurry as if she remembered something. I took a shower real quick, the fastest one ever in my whole life. I can’t make them wait for me. I put on some random clothes as quickly as possible and made my way down. I ignored my surroundings and just dashed down until I reached the ground floor. I held onto the handrail of the staircase and caught my breath. Adjusted myself well and started walking to the left of the staircase. The daylight showed me that this mansion isn’t spooky or anything, just like my room, the walls of the corridor were filled with tapestries as well, beautiful portraits too this time. I kept walking straight passing rooms or hallways until I reached a huge one-eighty degree wooden arch. I was about to enter the dining hall when I heard a loud noise coming from inside like a loud shatter like something’s been broken. As I entered the dining hall, the first thing that caught my eyes was the food. My stomach was growling at me like it had been waiting for the food all day, given the fact that I hadn't eaten anything the day before. I hear some chatter from two faint voices coming from the arch on the other side of the hall. I took steady steps towards the other end which was actually pretty far, the room was quite long and I saw Chiara coming in and Martha following her from behind. Their eyes quickly went over me and put on a smile over their frowning faces.

“Good morning dear!” wished Chiara

“Good morning, Uhm, Is everything okay?”

“Yeah yeah! Why do you ask so?”

“Well, I heard a loud shatter just now and…”

“Oh! Martha just broke a ceramic bowl by mistake”

“Oh! Are you okay?” I asked while facing Martha

“Yes yes I am”

“Come on, let’s have breakfast, take a seat” Chiara pulled out a chair for me.

They both sat next to me, three of us had breakfast together. I remember last night’s conversation about Chiara’s husband going back somewhere and I guess he’ll be back later. I have to meet Mr Harlow, maybe he could answer some of my questions but I haven’t seen him till now. I decided to ask them.

“Uhm, I have to meet Mr Harlow, where can I find him?”

“Oh! He’s not here yet, he will be arriving tomorrow and then you can meet him” Chiara replied

“Oh? You guys were here early? To take care of everything?”

“Yes, as you can see, the manor isn’t in that good of a condition, so some preparations are required”

“Marcello will be arriving with him then?”

“Yes, Marcello will come back with them”

“Them? How many of them are exactly?”

“Oh! You must’ve not been acquainted, uhm, like you said sir Harlow and his son will be arriving, he also has a daughter who’s studying in Paris”

“Okay, thank you, please let me know when they arrive”

“Sure, dear!”

The rest of the meal was pretty quiet apart from the clacking sounds of our spoons and forks. The breakfast was really tasty or maybe I was hungry since yesterday and it tasted amazing. After the meal, Chiara went inside through the other arch just like the one that I entered from, to do some chores. Martha followed her with all the dishes as well. Couldn’t get a better chance to look around here. I came back to the corridor through the same arch I came in and decided to explore everything. There are about eight rooms only on this side of the corridor. I wonder how many rooms there are in total. I slowly tried opening the first room and it opened immediately to my surprise. The room looked pretty empty apart from a small seating area, maybe some leisure room. The next four rooms were the same, furniture covered in white cloth and paintings all over. Maybe I should start from the other side, from here, it looked pretty gloomy for some reason or maybe I just haven’t been to the other side of the mansion till now. I made my way towards the other side of the corridor’s end. I suddenly heard a thud and a crash like someone fell and an “ahhhhhh” from one of the rooms but didn’t know which one. I looked around and saw that there were five rooms around and the sound is somewhat faint and distant so I am assuming it must be from the fourth or the fifth room. I rushed to the last room at the end only to find an empty room smelling of fresh paint but found a guy on the floor in the next room. He was laying on the floor next to a long silver ladder. He must’ve fallen while painting the walls, so I quickly went towards and helped him get up. He was tall but not that tall, just taller than me and was wearing a brown overall with paint all over the dress.

“Are you okay?” I asked him while helping him out.

“Uhm! Yeah, kinda used to such things” he says while getting up and adjusting his tools with a faint smile.

“Are you looking for something?”

“Uhm, No! I was just bored and decided to take a look at this mansion” I replied.

“Oh! A pretty old but sturdy one, isn’t it? I always wanted to work on something like this, finally” he sighs.

“Yeah! I wonder how it looks after having the power supply”

“I am sure it will turn out amazing because Sir Harlow asked us to reinstall everything without losing its roots, wait a minute you are???” Martha enters the room while he’s wondering about my existence.

“She’s Gabriel, she will be living here,” she says with a bright smile.

“Oh? Well Hi, I am Dylan, nice to meet you, looks like I won’t be working alone anymore, however, there isn’t much left, it’s almost done”

“Really, can we have power tonight?” Martha enquires him with wide eyes.

“Yeah! I guess, if not today then definitely tomorrow, well if you both excuse me, I have work to do so see you guys later” he says leaving through the door leaving me and Martha alone.

“Later? Does he live here or something?”

“No! Well yes, he and a few other people were asked to stay back here until everything is done” Martha replied.

“By the way, why are the rooms so empty on this side of the corridor?”

“Oh! I think the furniture will arrive today, Sir asked Marcello to replace the old ones”

“Okay, I’ll just take a look around, I am bored anyways”

“Okay! call me if you need anything, do not hesitate” She left the room real quick.

Everything is being renovated or being replaced here!!! What are the possibilities of me finding something about my father? I don’t think I will, but I cannot give up so soon, maybe I could get something out of Mr Harlow himself or something. I need answers for everything related to my dad, his life and his death. I just hope luck favours me this time. I understood that there was nothing on this floor and decided to go have a look at the second floor. I saw Martha carrying some boxes and walking towards the dining room as soon as I came out of the room. I think kitchen and dining supplies. Everyone is busy and there is no better time than now. I go back to the entrance and head upstairs to the second floor. I took the right side of the corridor this time and found the same number of rooms again. The first room looked like a big study room or a drawing-room because I saw covered desks and tables. The second room looks like a bedroom somewhat like mine but has a dull appearance than mine. I open the third room only to catch Dylan shirtless while he’s removing his overalls. He looks stunned at my entry and pauses whatever he was about to do and looks at me with a question mark. I was embarrassed to the core like I wished some sinkhole or something opened next to me and I could just dive right in. What was I even thinking of barging into rooms like this without even knocking? I immediately apologised with a “Sorry” and closed the door behind me and just stood there like an idiot while my hand was still holding the doorknob. I was completely flushed and embarrassed. The door then immediately opened from the other side and since my hand was still on the knob, I was pulled back while Dylan opened the door still shirtless and I just hit his bare chest with my face while falling back onto him. Ugh! The embarrassment!!! Why am I still alive??? He smelt of fresh and strong paint and I was always attracted to these smells since childhood. I realized that he held my hand while I was busy smelling him without even realizing it. I quickly pulled myself back and couldn’t even look at him straight. He then speaks,

“Gabriel, do you need something or were you looking for something?”

“No, I was just wandering around and didn’t know that this was your room, I am really really sorry for not knocking on the door” I apologised, still looking towards my feet. I can’t face him and on top of that, he was still shirtless for god’s sake.

“Oh! That’s okay, don’t worry, I bet you were bored, it’s totally fine” he replies with a smile while he grabs some shirt and puts it on. Ugh, finally!!!!!!!!!!

“Yeah, I am bored, well please carry on then, sorry for the disturbance” I turn around and walk fast towards my room and close the door immediately behind me. I fall onto my bed holding my head with both my hands while taking in all the embarrassment I can. I am never barging into rooms ever again. I look at my phone only to find it’s just 10 O’clock. I don’t want to go find another man on the third floor now or cannot sit idle in my room either. I should maybe go help Martha at least. I opened the door and peeked my head out while holding the door to make sure it’s empty and human free. Knowing that it was empty, I stepped out slowly without making any noise and started walking towards the staircase just when I heard a creak and yes, there he is, Dylan. Why am I being punished like this?

“Gabriel” He called while walking towards me.

“Yea-hhhh?” I fumbled.

“I am thinking if you can accompany me if you don’t mind?” he asked.

“But I can’t possibly be of any help I think?” I started wondering how I can be of any help to him.

“You don’t necessarily have to help me though, just accompany me while I work because it’s boring to be alone”

“Oh! Okay fine, why not?”

“Cool! Let’s go”

He was holding some toolbox in his hands, which seemed pretty heavy from the look of it. I guess he does all sorts of work from renovating to replacement. To my surprise he didn’t go downstairs, he took the staircase for the next floor. Which is exactly what I wanted as well. Maybe he can help me or something, he probably knows the manor well since they have been repairing it for a while now. We didn’t utter a word to each other. I just kept following him in silence until we reached the third floor.

“Have you been to this floor already?” he asked, facing me.

“No! I came here yesterday evening and it was already dark due to the lack of power and I was so tired so I didn’t really get a chance to look around”

“Oh! Well this floor and the next two floors are kinda creepy than the first two, not creepy just a different vibe I guess”

“Is that why you asked me to accompany you?” I wondered.

“Hahaha, you think I am scared to work alone? Hahaha no, we have been doing these works in all kinds of places, manors and all. This is nothing new to us, I am just bored and needed someone to talk to while working, that's all” he replied.

“Then where are the other workers who are here with you?” I wonder why he is alone.

“They are helping with the kitchen supplies which arrived today. You must have already seen them?”

“Yeah! Martha told she will be busy in the kitchen, I guess that’s that”

“Yeah! And few are working on the exterior as well” he says while taking the right turn of the corridor. The corridor looks pretty empty than the other two but with freshly painted walls and empty windows without curtains. He walks towards the third room and I can see that there are only three rooms this time. He opened the door and as I walked in, I couldn’t believe my eyes at what I witnessed. It’s a whole two-storeyed library!!! This is my first time looking at something like this, I mean I have been to public libraries or the ones from high school but this, right in the middle of a manor, a house, a place where I will be living for a while at least and that too much bigger than the one in my high school. I just stood there at the entrance with my mouth wide open. Dylan’s voice brings me back to my senses.

“Hey! Are you okay?”

“Yes! But, this library, study, Oh my god, I can’t believe this”

“Hahaha, It is a beautiful sight I agree, look this is not just a library, a study too like a huge writer’s office or something. It is spacious and as you walk in, the shelves do not seem to stop. This was my feeling when I first came into this room as well” he explains.

“What does it look like from upstairs?”

“Upstairs? Only after you take a look at it, can you talk about the view from above” he says, leaving me in suspense.

“Oh my god! There’s more?”

I quickly sprint towards the broad staircase right in the centre of the whole room. As soon as I reach upstairs, all I can see is a big portrait right in the middle of the wall. It’s a large wall-sized portrait of a beautiful woman. She seemed like she was from the ’80s or something because of her style and attire. She was really really beautiful with the most beautiful and perfect oceanic blue eyes. But it looked dusty and needed to be cleaned or something. This manor is really left unattended for a long time I guess. I look around to see more shelves but I can see tiny tables around, right at the tip of all the shelves with two chairs each. It looked much cozier than downstairs. Each shelf was named with genres and types of books it contains as Horror, Comedy, Drama, Fiction, Classics, Romance etc. It’s good that these books are divided into their respective categories.

“So what do you think?” Dylan calls from downstairs. I walk towards the circular railing and look at him from above and the view as well. The large vintage table at the centre of the room and the large wall-sized windows to the left looked like a scene from a Classic English movie.

“This is wonderful, I might spend all my time here”

“Hahaha, take a look around then, I will continue my work”

“Alright”

I walk through the shelves looking at the dusty books of all kinds of sizes. I came across a smaller shelf with newspapers, envelopes and some files. I quickly went through them hoping to find something but there was nothing. I squatted down in order to reach the level of the shelf, I stood up while dusting my hands and when I stood up, I found a small envelope which was way different from the rest of the ones. I looked into the envelope and found a small picture in it. There were three men standing next to each other. The picture was really old and half of it looked like it was burned or something, like super rusty. When I looked clearly I noticed that one of these men is none other than my father. I felt a stinging pain run across my chest suddenly. I started seeing all the memories once again, the sight of his pale body that I saw yesterday kept replaying in my mind, the room, the hospital and his injuries and everything has been recalled. I sat down slowly holding onto the picture against my chest. Tears kept rolling down my cheeks while I kept thinking about him. I quickly ran out of the library with the picture in my hand. I went into my room and fell on the bed while still sobbing. I thought I could get through this slowly but I realized I can’t do this. There is nothing left for me anymore in this world. Literally, nothing can make me feel better again, I feel the emptiness in my life, in my chest.

I fell asleep while trying to overcome the pain. I don’t even know for long I was sleeping. I woke up after a few unknown hours. I open my eyes only to find my surroundings and my room dull and dark. It must be the evening already. I see there is no power yet which explains the darkness. I slowly stood up and made my way towards the table and found the candles that Martha lit up yesterday when she showed me my room. She even left the lighter next to it, conveniently. I lit the candle and decided to wash my face to get rid of the drowsiness just when I heard a faint knock on the door. I am sure it was Martha checking on me. I opened the door and it wasn’t Martha, instead, it was Chiara.

“Hello dear! Are you alright?”

“Yeah! I just woke up, I somehow slept in the afternoon”

“Yeah! we assumed because you didn’t respond in the afternoon for lunch and we did not want to disturb you. I just came to let you know that Sir Harlow is here, he just arrived and has asked for you”

“Oh! I will meet him, where is he?” I asked.

“He is on the first floor talking with the crew”

“Okay, I’ll just wash my face and will be there soon”

“Alright then, I will let him know” Chiara left.

Okay, finally he is here, I kind of felt relaxed knowing that he is here, he is my father’s best mate and is really willing to look after me so at least I feel comfortable about it. I did a quick refreshment and brushed my hair before leaving because I really slept like a slug with all the baby hair sticking out. I turned the flash in my phone to go down but that wasn’t needed because someone lit up a bunch of candles here and there making the staircase look bright. I turned the flash off and made my way downstairs. I can hear someone talking in a nice deep voice and a few more people mumbling slowly and it must be the crew. I see a tall slant figure from behind facing Dylan and a few others. As soon as he heard my footsteps he halted his speech and turned around towards me. He looked just like how he was in the picture. I see no difference. He smiled at me while I went closer to him.

“Hello Gabriel, I am William Harlow, Nice to meet you” he brings his hand out for a handshake.

“Hello Mr Harlow, it is nice to meet you too and thank you for having me here” I replied, of course with a handshake.

“Come let’s talk in the dining room while having dinner”

“Okay!”

We walked into the dining room filled with too many dishes and ‘N’ number of candles which was almost hard to believe that there was no power in the first place. He pulled a chair for me and when I sat he took the chair just next to me. We slowly started eating and he asked me about the food and the stay.

“Are you comfortable yet? If not we can change your room or make changes accordingly to how you want it”

“I am yes, thank you for asking”

“Look dear, it was very unfortunate that we lost your father, my best friend of all time and he left you under my care because he trusts no one except for me. Things aren't going well for your father for a long time and you will know about everything slowly. I want you to be patient and wait for the time to arrive for you to know the whole truth. You are no less than my own daughter to me. Please feel comfortable and do not hesitate to talk to me about anything. Your father loved and cherished you more than anyone else in this world and you are just as important to us as you are to your father” he says while looking at me and holding my hand.

After listening to him, tears kept rolling again, this time because I am in safe hands and there is someone that I could lean on. His words brought so much comfort to me and I just couldn’t stop crying at what he said. Just like he said, I will wait for him to tell me everything. He pulled me into a side hug and asked me to not cry anymore. I really felt like it was my father who was actually holding me. I kept sobbing even more. He kept tapping on my shoulder until I stopped even though I cried for a decent amount of time.

Later we had dinner along with Marcello, Chiara and Martha. He asked me about my workplace and everything to divert me which of course didn’t work but I was grateful for that. If not for this invitation, I do not know what I would do with myself even though Pop’s and his wife will stand by me. After the dinner, he once again told me that he will do anything that he could to make me feel good again and that I belong under his care. I went back to my room after this and laid down again. But this time I wasn’t crying or sleeping. I couldn’t sleep because I slept too much in the afternoon. I went and sat on the couch near the window. The cool breeze hit my flushed face sending me slight shivers all over. The night sky was clear and there has been no more rain ever since I came here. After an hour or so of admiring the view and the moon from the window, I went back and tucked myself in the bed to feel cozy and slowly drifted into sleep without realizing it.