I couldn't believe that it was Thursday morning already, ever since Jamie had started High School Monday the days seemed to have disappeared. I'd been so busy with the 'Moon Harvest Committee' that I'd even had to postpone the delivery of our furniture from Sydney.
Driving into Braden I worried over what Jamie had told me this morning about an old man who'd been pestering him at school. I'd told him to report it to the principal but he'd ignored me. I felt guilty as I made my way to meet with the 'Moon Harvest Committee'; I should have been going to the school to lodge a complaint about this old man...what if he meant Jamie some harm?
Trying to dismiss my concerns I looked up at the gloomy skies. The last few days had been unnaturally stormy and, annoyingly, I knew that the topic of conversation with the committee would be the same as yesterday. The weather...the weather, the bloody weather!
Guess what? I had learnt that the success of the annual 'Moon Harvest Festival' depended on... wait for it...The Weather! Oh, and of course the full moon appearing in the sky. I don't know why the full moon came into the equation, I was so sick of hearing about the weather that it had never crossed my mind to ask.
Small town hicks, how do you deal with them?
I shouldn't be so unkind I reprimanded myself; after all I'm not exactly a city slicker. If only someone would answer my questions I wouldn't feel so frustrated.
Thank god tonight was free and I could spend the time searching for those missing pages of Eric's diary. I had to find them if I was ever going to put my fears to rest.
So far I'd failed miserably in my investigations, even the private investigator I'd hired when Eric had died had long gone from Braden.
Lost in my thoughts I turned into the street leading to the bus terminal. Suddenly Mag began to hiss loudly. Cursing I steered her into the curb thankful that I had a bottle of water for such emergencies in the boot.
Waiting for the engine to cool down I decided to explore an interesting Curio shop named 'The Witch's Den' nearby. I glanced at my watch. "Darn it, I'm going to miss that bus the committee has assigned me to meet." I muttered to myself. Shrugging my shoulders I dismissed it as providence.
All week I'd been searching for something special for Jamie's thirteenth birthday on Saturday and this bizarre shop looked promising.
Lured by its gloomy interior I wondered why I hadn't noticed it before, I'd been traveling this same route for the last few days.
Witches brooms swung from the rafters and shelves were crammed with dust-covered jars containing bizarre, grungy, creatures that wriggled disgustingly. Repulsed I walked over to one of the open crates jamming every nook and cranny. To my delight I discovered that they were filled with weird and wonderful looking dried herbs. Their scent was intoxicating and persuasive and I had to have some.
Whilst choosing my herbs I noticed a stack of dusty old paintings nearby and wandered over to look at them. Enthralled I found an early unframed painting of the abandoned Braden Estate on Apogee Mountain and tucked it under my arm. Jamie will be thrilled, I thought, he'd been intrigued with that old mansion on the hill overlooking his school since the first day we'd arrived.
I continued exploring the mysterious shop until my eyes caught on something in the far corner. I could hardly believe my luck! Last night Jamie had told me about the Wizard themed thirteenth birthday party that he'd been invited to Saturday. And wouldn't you know, an old witch's hat with the numbers 3 by 13 blazoned across it sat on a table with the guitar that Jamie had always wanted.
Delighted that I'd found the perfect gifts for Jamie so quickly I wandered around the dimly lit curio shop some more. Jamie would be in his element here I thought as I pushed my way through the cobwebs hanging from the rafters. The shop was true to its name, it was filled with unimaginable curios.
Just then a cuckoo clock on the wall beside me struck ten, reminding me once more of my busy schedule. Quickly I went over to the counter where a strange old man waited to serve me. His long silvery beard seemed alive with minute creatures as he spoke enrapturing me as his albino like eyes penetrated mine. The intensity of this meeting overwhelmed me and I had to turn away,
Hastily I paid for my purchases not realizing until I left, that the Wizard hat and guitar had been on the counter waiting in readiness for me.
I stopped dead in my tracks. Surely it was just a co-incidence, I told myself. After all how could anyone have known what I'd been looking for?
Dismissing it from my mind I returned to my car. I felt happy that I'd finally bought Jamie's birthday presents and was in a far better mood to tackle Mag's problems. Thankfully her engine responded to its drink of water and burst into life.
Relieved I drove off chatting merrily away to Mag telling her about the great things I'd bought. It was only when I approached the bus depot did I realize that I'd forgotten to buy presents for Jamie's new friends who'd invited him to their shared thirteenth birthday party.
Darn it! What were there names again? I mused. Liam and Katie Powers, I think...funny how they all shared the same birth date as Jamie?
Cold shivers ran down my spine. I'd seen those names written in Eric's diary, they were the children of Eric's best friend's.
I jerked Mag to a halt. I had to stop and think. My mind was racing; it had to be just a co-incidence. However if what William Braden had written in his journal were true...
I must be going insane! How could I even contemplate such an outrageous idea?
At that moment the tourist bus from interstate Victoria that I was to meet drove past me and pulled into the bus terminal. Gritting my teeth I pushed my suspicions aside and drove Mag into the space behind it.
Ignoring the angry sounds of honking horns I left Mag to defend herself against the incoming buses.
Fixing a false smile of worldly charm on my face I hurried to greet the weird looking bunch of people all dressed in long black cloaks as they alighted from the bus. I tried not to squirm as their long bony fingers extending from their cloaks shook my hand.
The coldness of their touch made my insides flip and I hastily turned away only to be confronted by the last passenger alighting from the bus. He took my hand smiling as he looked deeply into my eyes. Shaken I recognized those dark piercing eyes; it was the man who'd turned to look at me and Jamie on the main street of the village when we'd first arrived.
How was that possible?
I stood there watching him as he walked away with the others to the waiting taxis. He turned and gave me a knowing look and hastily I averted my eyes. Just then the bus pulled away revealing Mag sitting there patiently and quickly I made my way to her.
Following their entourage of taxis I couldn't help but notice how heads turned to look at them as we drove through the streets of Braden. I had never been further than the center of Braden before and as the taxis turned off from the main harbour road and headed toward Apogee Mountain I began to feel uneasy.
I grabbed the brochure of the hotel Julie had given me from my handbag. Until now I hadn't given the hotels location any thought as Julie had simply told me to follow the taxis.
The address on the brochure said Mountain Rd. Odd, not even a street number...?
Mag groaned as the road began to climb steeply and slowed to a crawl. Soon we were alone on the old twisting Mountain Rd and I felt the muscles in my body tense.
The sky darkened and thunder rumbled menacingly as stormy clouds gathering overhead threatened to unload their burden. I felt a sense of dread as the road revealed its tortuous descent around a cliffs edge. Below the seas raged pounding against the rugged terrain stretching before me and silently I said a prayer.
The narrow road allowed no turning back and gritting my teeth I drove on.
At last my tortuous journey ended; there sitting on the edge of a precipice overlooking the turbulent sea sat a solitary hotel; it's menacing aging stone exterior facing directly t
he ruins of the ancient city across the oceans void.
Flashes of lighting silhouetted the hotel against the dark sky making me shudder as I sensed the malevolence lingering there. Its huge iron gates bearing the name 'Harvest Hotel' loomed ahead and reluctantly I drove through them into its sprawling car park by the edge of the cliff
One by one the convoy of taxis passed me by making their way back to Braden and I resisted the urge to follow. My eyes wandered over the creepy hotel as I parked Mag as far away those raging seas pounding the cliff edge as possible.
Pulling my flimsy jacket tightly around me I bravely faced the gale force wind whipping my little car back and forth. Shivering I walked along the long stone path leading to the hotel and climbed the circular black marble steps to its dark forbidding entrance.
A solemnly dressed concierge greeted me ushering me silently through the black velvet draped doorway into a long candle lit hall. Tall glided mirrors lined the crimson silk walls reflecting the magnificence of the towering vaulted ceiling decorated with images of other worlds in the blackness of deep space.
A strange outwardly melody played softly in the background as I followed the concierge past the glided lounges filled with ashen-faced people, their hollow eyes beneath their black hoods watching my every move.
The clicking of my high heels on the black marble floor alerted the guests climbing the floating ebony stairs and they turned and looked at me with disdain. I cringed under their piercing gaze and averted my eyes as the concierge led me on through large glazed doors into the hotels main lobby.
Here a myriad of candle lit crystal chandeliers hung from a black-mirrored ceiling bouncing their light in an eerie fashion over the centerpiece of crimson crystal moons hanging above the hotels registrar where the odd group of people I was to check in waited.
Their eyes followed mine as shocked I stared at the symbol of twisted snakes embossed on their luggage...it was the symbol on the black cloak adorning the dummy in my attic.
I could tell they'd seen the look of recognition on my face and I quickly turned away. A thousand questions ran riot in my mind. Who or what were these people and why was that cloak in my attic; had Eric's parents been part of a cult and this ungodly hotel their meeting place?
Hurriedly I organized their rooms and as the porter collected their luggage fled.
Feeling eyes watching me as I turned the key in Mag's ignition I looked back at the hotel. There grouped on its steps were a dozen or so black hooded figures looking my way. Shivers ran down my spine and quickly I slammed my foot down hard on the accelerator and sped off.
My mind in turmoil I drove like a mad woman back to Braden all the while asking myself why the 'Moon Harvest Committee' had sent me there.
Deeply disturbed I drove into the car park of Braden's Town Hall determined to find out. I took a deep breath and made my way to the committee room where I was to help with the preparations for the 'Moon Harvest Gala Ball'.
The room was buzzing with excitement over these weird people's arrival and I soon learnt that they were the guests of honor at the 'Moon Harvest Ball'. I did a double take and tried my best to make light of it by jokingly asking my friend Julie if it was because they were warlocks and witches. The silence that followed was deadly, and all heads turned in my direction.
Julie immediately pulled me aside and told me to wait for her at the coffee shop next door. Within minutes she'd joined me chatting away as if nothing had happened. I waited for an explanation only none was forthcoming.
Soon Julie's idle chitchat turned into questions about my son and his friends. I began to feel uneasy; her interest seemed more than idle curiosity. As I sought to change the conversation she leant across the table whispering in a conspiratorial tone that the old man who'd pestered my son was not to be taken seriously; he was a homeless beggar, a simpleton with the mind of a child.
Dumbfounded I asked her how she'd known about Jamie's confrontation with the old man. However she totally ignored my question and went on to tell me that she'd known my husband and his family.
Taken back I wondered why she'd never told me this before.
"You know Stacey, strange things happen to those who lived at 'Braden Rest'. It's supposed to be haunted you know. If I were you I'd move out before something happens to you and your son." Julie said her look of concern belying the implied threat.
"What do you mean Julie?" I asked outraged.
"Well for one thing, Eric's father went bonkas just before he died. Everyone thought that he'd gone insane accusing the Mayor like he did. The same thing happened to Eric; didn't you notice how delusional he'd become? Maybe it isn't the house that caused their insanity, it could be genetic!" Julie declared looking at me strangely.
Furious I jumped to my feet; it was obvious that Julie like the others in this town had their own secret agenda going on. I knew that I would never trust her again.
Flinging money on the table for my lunch I stormed to the door however a little grey haired old lady blocked my path whispering insistently that she knew the old man that had pestered Jamie.
"Don't listen to that one my dear. She has her reasons for saying what she has. The old man you see is a Sorcerer and you must let your son go to him. Your son belongs to a higher power!"
Stunned I watched helplessly as she turned and left the coffee shop.
"Wait please!" I managed to stutter as I pushed open the door. "Tell me your name!"
She turned to smile at me, no longer a fragile old lady but a beautiful dark haired young woman, dressed in the elaborate fashion of centuries past.
"Isobelle." she called in a sweet lilting voice.
I blinked as once more she became a grey haired old lady, and vanished into the crowd.
"Who was that Stacey?" Julie asked grabbing my arm pulling me away from the doorway. "What did she tell you? You are as white as a ghost!"
Ignoring Julie I released her hold on my arm and fled into the street. I looked up and down the busy street but there was no sign of the old woman.
Suddenly I remembered how Jamie had said that the old man who'd pestered him at school was as old as Methuselah. No, what am I thinking! It couldn't be?
I told myself to calm down. However that was impossible. I kept thinking of Jamie's description of the old man...tall and stooped, with a long silvery beard and hair. And his clothes, how had Jamie described them? Ancient, with a long black cloak like Dracula! Oh. My. God! It was the old man in the curio shop.
Unable to control my panic I ran to my car and sped to Apogee Mountain High school.
Images of that weathered beaten sign swinging on its rusty hinges above the curio shop flashed before me. My blood ran cold; beneath the name of the shop had been the symbol of twisted snakes!