This happened a long time ago when I was still an energetic young lady. Back when men went to fight the second world war and left us, women, behind with the burdens of our marriages. Unfortunately, my husband passed away with two bullets to his head. The British army sent a condolence letter stating how he died, and steps to access government provisions for a soldier’s widowed wife. Those days were tough, nothing was online, and every process took weeks to complete.
Knowing the news, my sweet little boy was saddened, his health started deteriorating. The doctors offered to provide basic treatment but a huge sum of money was required to get the entire treatment. I had no choice but to find a job to save my only blood tying me to this world. Every mother would endure any kind of hardship for their child.
So here I was, interviewing for a maid job away from my Village, and leaving my child’s fate in the doctor’s hand. It was an old mansion, surrounded by a beautiful garden. I was asked to clean the house and stay there for only five days from Monday to Friday. However, the money was unusually high for such a simple job. It could not only cover the cost of the treatments but also buy me 3-4 months of groceries! I wasn’t letting it down no matter what. After all, I had to get back to my sweetheart.
I reached the house and was greeted by a feeble old man. Right before he faced me, another lady was leaving the property. He handed me a suitcase, keys and an envelope.
“who’s the woman?” I asked him.
“Well, she rejected the job.” He said making it look trivial.
“Why is it so?” I questioned in a concerned tone.
“It doesn’t matter.” He said in a hushed tone, “make sure you check your letter box every morning.” and left immediately. Wait, so I was staying here all alone by myself? That was a shock. But I felt relieved. There’s so much I went through this past month. I needed some solitude, and this was a perfect opportunity. No sooner I realized that this would be the most traumatic experience of my life.
I went inside the house. Although its outside look was similar to that of medieval mansions, its interior was pretty well furnished. A two-story building with timber steps leading to the upper level. The living room had a lady’s painting, which looked majestic. On the bottom, it referred to her as, “Mrs. Payne.” It seemed like she was the woman of the house.
I moved my belongings to the first room on the left side of the wide passage on the first floor. The passage was angled on the right side, where two more rooms were fitted in. Surprisingly one of them was locked. I didn’t pay attention to it and went on with my day meticulously wiping whatever speck of dust I could find in an already cleaned house.
Later that night, I opened the envelope given by the old man on my arrival. It stated,
“Dear Melissa,
I hope you’ve adjusted yourself well. This mansion belonged to Lady Payne, the only daughter of the landlord of our village-.” Aha, Just like I guessed.
“She has been long gone, it would be her 50th death anniversary next year. Although this house is safe from any crimes, the woman might make an appearance here or there.” What do you mean? Is this man messing around? My heart rate suddenly upsurge but I continued to read further out of curiosity.
“To be safe, I want you to follow certain guidelines mentioned below. That’s enough to get you by this week.
Every Monday, go to sleep before 11:50 pm. If you feel any presence while you are asleep, don’t move, and keep your eyes and mouth shut.
On Tuesday, wear a blindfold that is provided in your suitcase and sleep facing the ceiling.
Wednesdays are romantic evenings but not for you. Cook some delicious food and set the table before 9:00 pm and stay on the balcony of your room.
On Thursday, after 8:00 pm, close the windows, pull down the blinds, lock every door and stay inside at all costs.
Finally, on Friday, bring in the goat tied in the backyard early in the evening. When it’s 3:11 am on Saturday, take her to the only locked room on the first floor. I’ve provided you with the keys. Open it and tie the goat to the hook of the window. This should be done by 3:14 am. If it takes longer, RUN to the gate immediately and don’t look back. I’ll be waiting for you outside the gate.
Hope you make it through the week. My apologies to you.
Sincerely,
Ralph Daegal.”