I awoke to the songs of the blue jays. I dressed and left my sleeping quarters for the day. I stayed in tune to ritual and met Mother and Father in the breakfast hall. Brother joined and we relished our meal in laughter. All was well.

Mother curtsied and retired to her study quarters, while Father bowed and retired to the library. Brother and I were not to disrupt their studies. I was soon in the breakfast hall alone. Not a soul in sight.

I haven't the slightest thought to where Brother had gone. But life in the manor was seldom hectic. We were not expecting guests today so the house was intended to be silent.

I flt the overwhelming urge to go roam the gardens, stroll through the fields, and wander the premises. So I retired to my sleeping quarters one more. Awaiting me were my “outside garments”, as Mother had called them. Layer upon layer, I laced up each one. I pulled on my stockings; I still fumble with them. Next, I pulled on an older pair of boots. They are so worn, I would receive a beating if I were to wear such a thing in public. A young lady must be proper.

Today I forgot all about “proper” and “etiquette.” I found my way to the gardens where the elegant fountain gleamed with such a beauty unknown to most common-folk. In the gardens, curiosity flooded my emotions, completely taking over. “I must investigate such a peculiar shed. What the devil could be in there?”, I thought.

The doors opened with a great ease, though they stained my gloves in dirt. What an odd shed indeed. My attention was drawn to an aged trunk lining the wall.

I observed the trunk's contents, finding a deck of playing cards of great interest. I did not think of much harm playing cards could do. So what if the face of evil was on them. I was a kid, I was lacking in the field of intelligence.

I noticed this odd box in the corner next to the trunk. Faded letters read, "Place card here." on it's face. A pipe led to the ground from it's side. I opened the lid and placed the deck inside. I was most awed by the cards disappearing before my eyes, down into the earth. I was utterly baffled. I was so struck, I turned and left. I walked down the sloped pathway and was abruptly cut short by the rise and fall of the earth below me.

I paused to think but I was violently thrown to the lawn. I arose and pondered the situation. A head of a demonic beast had arisen from the Underworld. The evil was upon me. I reacted with a scream and leaped through the gardens with the beast too close behind for comfort.
Locking the gate was, somehow, of great importance at the time. I barreled through the door, bolting it behind me. I hear the demons, Satan's servers, mauling the door as I rush through the long corridors, navigating my way to the library. The library was, sadly, on the top level. A pang of breathlessness choked my shouts for help. My cries for Father were pointless and muted by my uncontrolled breathing. Tears soon rolled down my cheeks, smearing the powder that was ever so neatly puffed upon my face. Father rest forever on the floor of the library. May God take him to rest easy, my dear Father was short lived. Ambushed from a hole in the roof, evil servants slaughtered my father.

Time did not spare me. I left Father in search of Mother. It was agonizing knowing I wasn't alone in the manor. Dark evils lurked the corridors. Overwhelming fear enveloped my senses. I rapidly, and rather violently, searched the hall for signs of Mother. Suddenly, I am stopped dead in my tracks. Recklessly, I slammed into Derrick, the man of my dreams.

Derrick told me he had an urgent question for me. In turn, I grasped his wrists and pulled him into the foyer. He sat on a couch and pulled me onto his knee. I was lost in search for the dreaded evils that I could hear now, creeping ever so creepily.