The Serpent of New Orleans by Alexander Semenyuk

Author:Alexander Semenyuk
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: World Castle Publishing, LLC
Published: 2024-07-04T20:27:40+00:00

Chapter Four - New Orleans Nights

Antoinette was a smart little girl growing up, but even then, anyone could see that she was a loner. She seemed to have absolutely no interest in playing with other children. The only times her wealthy parents saw her eyes light up and sparkle was when she conversed with writers, scientists, scholars, doctors, or travelers.

If anyone wanted to find Antoinette after her private lessons, a safe bet would be to go and look in a corner of the vast library by the fireplace. There, curled up, she could sit reading or studying maps for hours.

She lived in a large manor which was located near the swamps, but was also near the city of New Orleans itself.

When she was ten, Antoinette took an interest in sharing her maps, drawings, and reading with several slave children.

Her parents were not thrilled and banned her from these interactions; however, when she could, Antoinette would give those children something small, like a map from the page of a book or drawings of flowers.

When yellow fever struck, both of her parents perished. Antoinette was twenty years old at that time.

Two years later, Antoinette lived at the manor alone. She had manumitted all her slaves. A few women stayed on, paid by Antoinette to work for her.

Each night, they went to their own homes, wondering how this young, petite woman could be comfortable staying there all alone, especially at night.

However, this was the ideal life for her. Antoinette bought three dogs, who loved lying on the wool rugs in the library, guarding their mistress.

As she had when she was a girl, every night, she sat by the fireplace, reading and drinking tea.

It was on one particular night that her routine took an unexpected turn.

She sat in her soft chair reading as she suddenly saw something moving outside.

Antoinette closed the book and came closer to the window. Her eyes grew huge as she saw a glowing figure of a woman moving among the trees where the swamp area began.

She remembered the stories slaves had told her years before. They called this woman Sandou and said she was a ghost of the swamps, under some sort of curse, trapped between worlds, wandering and searching.

Antoinette glanced at her dogs. One lazily lifted his head and watched her. She was contemplating whether she should take them outside with her.

She chose not to. Antoinette threw on a coat and stepped outside of the manor into the deep, dark night. It was the first time she had been gripped by fear, but her curiosity was more powerful than her fright.

The fog had woven itself among the trees. Weeping willows hung above the water as if in despair. An owl cried out as the ghost passed nearby, with Antoinette following.

Sandou, the ghost of a woman, stopped from time to time to look at Antoinette, almost beckoning her to follow. As if hypnotized, the young woman continued despite the sheer terror that seized her beating heart.

Sandou stopped at the opening of a cave.

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