It was dark, too dark for Genevieve to feel at peace even if the strange corridor theyâve entered was part of her house. At that point the thought of giving up the pathway and returning outside, were the light was, made its way into her mind, but she wanted so badly to find out what happened to the manor. Why wasnât anybody answering their call? Why everything was shut tight as if the house itself didnât want them to enter? Yet this pathway was open,unused for generations, dark and full of moisture. Only God knows what else was creeping around and for that reason the Lady of the Manor felt grateful for the darkness around.
She stepped forward with caution, stretching her arms in front not to hit something. Then after a few moments, she felt a current of air brushing against her cheeks. No, there were two ways up in front, both covered in darkness, but she could still see them opening in front of her.
The silence was broken by Annabelle, Duncan and the servant who came in last. John Fisher appeared shortly after, lead by another servant.
âExcuse me, Lady Mayfair, but why are we stopping?â It was Vasile who asked the only question that was probably on everyoneâs mind by now.
âIt seems we have two ways in front, I donât âŠâ her words were interrupted by the loud crack of the wall-door closing in behind them. âknow which one leads⊠back into the house.â She continued trying to keep her calm. âNow itâs time to panicâ she thought. They were left completely in the darkness, with no way back. Lenard didnât wait for her orders and started to push the wall back with all his force, but to no avail. The other servants turned back up the stairs and started to help him, pushing and searching for an opening device.
âPlease keep your calmâ she said to the confused guests, trying hard to follow her own advice. She took a deep breath. âWe just need to step forward, please hold hands with one other and watch your step. Lenard and everyone else, stay here until you get that door to open! If you donât succeed in, letâs say an hour, come after us!â
"Yes, My Lady!" the servants said in one go. They were calm, as they've been always educated to be by the masters.
Genevieve learned about the secret passageway, other hidden doors and masked walls from the âStory of magnoliasâ , the only bedtime story her father used to tell her when she was a child. He told it over and over again to Genevieve and her brothers so that they would learn the secrets of Magnolia Manor in case they ever need a safe place. âBurglars could come in any momentâ he used to say âand wars start like fire in the savannah on a hot day: fast and without a warning.â But he never said anything about this: getting trapped, with no knowledge of opening the entrance from the inside. There were still secrets not even her father used to know, information passed down from generation to generation that somehow got lost on the way. Genevieve was sure she knew this pathway better than any other, but because she never tried it before, everything seemed hostile and dangerous.
âAt least I got the first step rightâ She chose to enter through the opening on the left. Emma, Vasile, Duncan, Anna and John were right behind her, one after the other, being the most eager to find a way out. When the naval captain stepped in, a massive stone wall crashed just seconds behind him, closing the exit.
âFor Peteâs sake!â Genevieve couldnât control her outburst. âNow this is just too much!â she shouted.
The next moment, the passageway lit up instantly. Everyone could see the torches burning on the moss covered walls, the light revealing the whole room. It was a round room, large enough to hold five elephants and a dog in it. The room was wide, but low, Genevieve could see the ivory ceiling just a few feet above her head. There were wooden boxes scattered around all over the place and some had a lot of rope in them and other old things: rusted iron, crow bars and even some construction material.
The others, Clarice, Byron, Helmut, Adelia and Maximilian were on the other side of the stone wall. Rays of light pierced through the cracks, reaching the other group. Genevieve came close and shouted back to her husband:
âByron, I donât think thereâs any way to move this! Take the others on the second path and weâll meet you inside the house!â She wasnât too sure about the last part, but where could the passageways lead if not back in the house? That was the purpose for which they were designed in the first place. At least, that whatâs her father used to tell her.
"Maximilian, I believe this is your field of work!" she shouted amused to the illusionist. "We have Emma on our side. Make sure you keep them safe!" Genevieve honestly didn't know why she said that and she regreted her words.
"The purpose is not to frigthen them, you dimwit!" she told herself before feeling the spirit of adventure empowering her to move forward.
âIt seems today weâll be explorers, my dear guests!â she said to the group behind her. âI guess you can start blessing the house from hereâ she continued, smiling to Vasile. Humor was better than panic, after all.
Genevieve moved forward to the other exit of the room. This one was guarded by an archway, decorated with stone roses and stone leaves, a beautiful relic of the old days, probably when the house was first build. Just on top of it here was an engraving.
âEQUILIBRUMâ Genevieve read out loud.
What awaited in front left her speechless. There was no floor after the archway, but a vast chasm in front, a dark abyss. She let out a scream of surprise, a short yelp, making everyone come by her side and see what she saw.
Of course there was a way to cross it, but Genevieve had no words for that. It was a strange contraption that looked like an enormous see saw. It was unbalanced, having the left side in line with the floor on the other side of the abyss, where Genevieve saw another entrance.
The right side of the see saw was somewhere high above Genevieveâs head and was slightly curved. With the right equipment, anyone could have pulled it in line with the floor at their feet. The only problem was how will they keep their balance? It was clearly that all of them couldnât walk on it in the same time.
âSomeone has to stay in the center and help the others get on the other side!â Genevieve said looking at them. ââŠone by oneâŠâ she continued pointing out the obvious. âAny volunteers?â