The House on the Lake by Holly Hill Mangin

Author:Holly Hill Mangin
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: ghost story, metaphysical mystery, psychological, ghost mystery, romance
Publisher: Holly Hill Mangin
Published: 2021-03-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 18

I can’t find Lyn, so I decide to go up in the attic once more. When I reach the top of the stairs, all is quiet. My eyes rest for a moment on the picture above the fireplace before they travel around the room slowly. My senses are heightened; my eyes spot dust motes in the air and my ears pick up on all the normal groans, thuds, and creaks associated with an old house. I blame my uneasiness on my scare up here the other day and straighten my shoulders. I’m determined to find some answers, and an echo of Ari’s words replay in my mind: Snoop away, Eve.

Stepping forward, my first objective is to open all the curtains to let in as much light as possible. On the way, I shake my fist at my reflection in the damned mirror that nearly scared me to death and laugh under my breath. I won’t be scared by that again.

Soft sunlight filters through the filthy panes as I throw back the curtains, and I raise my shirt over my nose while trying to open one of the windows to let in some fresh air. Only one budges a few inches, and I squat so my nose is level with the cool breeze. I allow my shirt to drop and take a few deep breaths while rising to take in the scenery. Unlike the blocked view of the last window, the view from this one shows more of the lake. From here, I could swear the house is suspended above the water, and for a moment, I feel dizzy—not by the height, but by the sheer volume of liquid I know surrounds me. Inhaling to calm myself, a musty, dank scent invades my nostrils. My nose wrinkles at the smell. It’s not enough to have me backtracking to the stairs, but it’s enough for me to sneeze a couple of times. I try to lift the window a bit more but soon give up and turn to the reason I’m up here in the first place. The boxes I looked through the other day are, of course, where they were before, and moving aside the ones filled with the swimming trophies, I squat and unfold the flaps of another.

It’s an assortment of trinkets.

There are various glass figurines, each individually wrapped in tissue paper. Unwrapping the first unveils a small, transparent deer that fits in the palm of my hand; another uncovers a transparent unicorn with a golden horn of approximately the same size. I unwrap several others before surmising the owner is a collector. I place all the tissue-wrapped items to one side and look at what else is in the box. A square, blue velvet case catches my attention, and I set it on my knee while I return the tissue-wrapped figurines. Once finished, I open the case to find a small, tarnished heart-shaped locket on an equally tarnished Figaro chain. Fumbling with the small latch, it takes several tries to open the locket.

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