The House on the hill. Copy-write P. Audcent 2014
We saw it it from the valley, as I drove around a bend it was Marcus who yelled to stop and Francis leapt out to take a photo. What all the fuss was about I had not the slightest idea but those two seemed to know something I did not.
“Its the house that Marcus is thinking of buying, he saw in last weeks magazine and rang the agent yesterday. “
“You did not tell me this, all you said lets go for a drive, listen Francis I came out for a drive not a house buying trip.” But the other two just clambered back in and with pointed fingers to show me the small lane I had to take.
Well we eventually reached a set of gates wide open as if they were expecting us and once through we brushed past some overgrown rhododendrons and eventually reached a circular gravel drive with lots of weeds growing through.
“Surely not here Marcus, everything is overgrown!”
“Well maybe that's why the price was so reasonable.”
“Well I can't see another car, the salesman car!”
“Well they said the door was broken so just go in and take a look around then let us know if you are interested.”
Both Francis and Marcus got out and raced up the steps and through the unlocked door. Marcus won and gave a hoot. I waited, I had no intention of getting cobwebs all over me so instead I got out, locked the car and went for a stroll around the driveway. I noticed the weeds were rampant in many places and if they were annuals then a few seasons had passed from being cleared off. What's more the place smelt dank, probably the undergrowth by those Rhododendrons. Over to one side was a little stone gazebo with a glass framed rounded roof so I walked over there and found a curved seat inside. It collapsed when I sat on the edge so I hurriedly pulled myself up and went back to car and waited, and waited.
I looked at my watch and the two friends had been gone an hour, so how long does it take for the boys to look around the house and then a thought struck me, I had fallen when I destroyed that chair, what if they had had a similar occurrence. It was then I decided to go and seek them out. So I opened the car boot and fetched a tyre lever just in case.
I climbed the steps and opened the heavy front door, I looked down to see the latch had a key in it, so I turned and the lock clicked back. Funny I thought, leaving a house open to anyone. So I yelled for the boys. Not a sound, so I carried through the lower rooms which I must admit seemed well proportioned and clean. No one there as I reached the back hallway so I retraced my steps and climbed the staircase, as I did I checked the railing which seemed to be well polished, I called as I climbed and there was the faintest reply coming from somewhere far. After reaching the top I turned left and into what obviously was a sitting room and called, no reply. Eventually after peering into each room and checking I found another staircase climbing up to the loft, the servants quarters? So again I climbed and noticed the dust on the stairs had been scraped away, so I called again but this time I heard Francis call back.
“Up here Nick, we are locked in.”
Eventually I found the door way and indeed there was a key on the outside. So with the tyre lever in one hand at the ready, I turned the key and there they were, white faced and obviously scared.
“Don't come in Nick stay outside we are coming out.”
“Well what happened?”
“Somebody locked us in, we thought it might have been you, but Marcus spotted you going into that stone thing.” Francis pointed to the window at the back of the room.
I peered inside and I noticed the small metal bed was fully laid out so I gave the over blanket a whack with my hand and a cloud of dust filled the room.
“Strange that, just check on the other rooms will you?”
“Why” came the reply from them both, still not eager to get locked in so I pointed down the hallway and they did as I asked. Every room had at least one bed and some at the end had two. The boys whacked each bed with the same result a cloud of dust.
“So what?” asked Marcus.
“Did you not notice how clean the downstairs was, and yet here in the servants quarters every thing is dusty, lets go down to that sitting room on the second floor and have a think.”
So we descended the stairs and went along to the far end room which was obviously a lounge cum sitting room for the inhabitants of the bedrooms on that floor. There were two gigantic sofa's opposite one another with a large low slung oak table between, and I don't know why but we all plopped into the one with its back to the large window. I guess for comfort or safety or some such. So I asked Marcus if he was going to buy this property, And he shrugged his shoulders.
“Well Nick, what do you feel about this house?”
“Mausoleum” interrupted Francis, still a light shade of white, no doubt disturbed by their getting locked up.
'Well I'm sorry about that it was me.” Just then three little ladies appeared on the sofa across the table. Somewhat stunned I said,
“Are you sisters by any chance?” Francis had grabbed my arm in fright and I brushed him away, but Marcus had a faint smile on his face.
“Ah.” He said “I thought I smelt perfume up there”.
“Well that would be me I hurried up to stop Jane locking you in, but alas too late.”
“Well let me introduce you to my sisters and I. I am Myrtle the oldest, this is Charity the middle and that little miss is Jane.” Each bowed their heads as Myrtle introduced them.
Marcus took control of the conversation and asked them about themselves it was Myrtle who replied telling us that their father had built this home some two hundred years ago, he was a merchant with connections with the East Indies, but alas his fortune diminished leading the family threadbare. All the servants had to leave, the gardens were still cared for by the sisters as indeed was the house, but one by one they all eventually died but not before when burying their parents they made pact to stay as long as they could.”
“Did you not marry?” I asked
“No all our young men, at least the really pleasant ones were carried off to war so our sweethearts were lost to us.”
“Now that's sad.” This was Francis who had decided to wake up from his trauma.
“”I'm sorry Francis you were obviously a bit shocked to see us, we meant no harm and Myrtle would surely have unlocked the door but she was watching Nick down by the Gazebo.” Charity smiled.
“Yes Nick and I expect you to mend that chair, we all love sitting in the Gazebo and listening to the birds.” Myrtle looked at me crossly.
“Indeed I will, but I wonder if Marcus is going to buy this place.”
“Well either he does or he doesn't but its common practice to ask the house if it wants to be sold.” Myrtle straightened up and looked directly at Marcus.
“Well Myrtle I would have to ask my wife if she would willing to move if I did want to buy the place, but frankly having four women trying to tell me how to run the place may be somewhat irritating.”
Myrtle leapt to her feet and seemed ready to throw a cushion at the smirking Marcus who had given me a gentle wink so off I went.
“And since Marcus is not going to buy it then I won't fix that crappy chair which I had the misfortune of falling over.”
The ladies faces had remained a slight hazy white but Myrtles had definitely coloured up until Charity laughed out load,
“I think the boys are getting their own back Myrtle.”
“Well I never.” said Myrtle instead of an apology.
“Do you have children?” It was Jane nodding to Marcus.
“No Jane we have not had that pleasure or I suppose blessing if you like kids.”
“We do Marcus, we've had several who come up the drive and through the house but they never stayed. Mostly in the autumn so we suspect they were after the apples and pears, but we never frightened them but just watch them climbing the trees.”
“Well thats not strictly true, Jane frightens them away by suddenly appearing and then disappearing, it tends to frighten the little ones off.” Myrtle gave Jane a frosty look. “But we listened to their voices and learnt how they talked.”
“And she locks people up for no cause, if I do buy this house and of course the house agrees, then Jane will have to limit her locking up to just the front and back doors at night. Well you three, can I buy the house then?”
“Well you have to ask your wife first then come back when we've had a chance to see her.” They all nodded but I could see that they were really hoping Marcus would buy the house and land.
“Well we will be off now to let you boys have a bit of a look round.” We all stood up as they slowly disappeared into empty space.
“Well now Marcus how do you feel?”
“Fine, but that was quick, I had imagined they would have liked to be left in peace, after all two centuries is a fair old time.”
“Well” I said as we got up to go, “I expect having three young men fairly well dressed and spoken may have helped these charming ladies make up their mind.”
Well eventually Marcus called on me to take him and his wife up to the house and she walked around and after a kiss on his cheek she said yes if the girls approved. At that instant we were surrounded by the three woman which somewhat startled Grace but give her her due she acted with composure so I suspected Marcus had told her all about this strange house beforehand.
And so time past and Francis and I rebuilt the broken Gazebo chair and placed a number of benches around the garden, which we dutifully cleared and replanted at Myrtles directions. Eventually first one baby entered their lives and subsequently two more. Marcus told me that Jane and Charity made excellent nursemaids and he and Grace eventually made the three ladies God parents to each child.
After a few years Marcus lost his job as he was not to keen on doing all the overtime his bosses wanted him so he called us all together and said he wanted to open up the house and gardens to the public and therefore work from home developing the estate.
There were old carriage buildings that could be turned into short term rental and would I and Francis like to do them up and in return have a holiday home each from the subdivision.
Well Marcus plans eventually succeeded and the house and grounds are now open for inspection by the public, for of course a small fee. And no I'm not going to tell you where it is, you will just have to visit every garden you can think of and if you see three lovely elderly ladies parked on the circular seat inside a stone Gazebo then you will know you have arrived. But please leave them alone as they do like their own company, after all they are two centuries old. Though I have to admit they do enjoy observing the public at large and you can sometimes listen in to their gentle chatter if you are nearby. But if they catch you listening a clip on the ear is the likely result, and how they do that without an ounce of flesh between them, I have no idea.
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