Crimson Cape...

The family was made up of a man, a woman, twin sisters, a young boy, a chambermaid and a gardener. A murder took place at their house four years ago. The victim was an old man who happened to be the man’s father. A mystery shrouded the house as the body was never found and almost evidences were erased from the crime scene. No bloodstains were detected, no murder weapon was found and thus no suspects were brought forward. The mayor thought that it was time to close the case for good as investigation was taking too long that the townsfolk began to believe that the old man was murdered by supernatural being. This brought about a cloud of suspicion and fear that the townsfolk were beginning to move away from the village.

A stranger arrived at the village not too long ago and was warmly welcomed by the mayor. He claimed to be a trader from faraway lands who wanted to find market in that village. The mayor offered him to stay at his cottage and he gladly accepted his kind offer. Soon, it became apparent that the town had become ghostly as more and more villagers began to leave. Strange incidents began to occur. Corpses were dug up from their graves and left to rot. The youths of the village were found hanged at their homes. The stranger began to question the mayor about the village’s dark past and learnt about the family. Ever since that incident happened, things has became from bad to worse. The stranger decided to solve the murder mystery and was determined to put an end to this nightmare. The mayor warned him about the consequences of having attachments with the family that whoever came close to the family has never come back alive. The previous victims were the town sheriff and the constable.

The stranger arrived at the family’s mansion as a guest in a carriage. He told the family that he wanted to investigate the murder that took place four years ago. The woman told him that his efforts would be in vain as four long years had passed and thus, finding evidences would be fruitless. He replied that so long as the remaining family members were still alive, any mystery could be solved even without evidences. He was later brought to the guest room where he would be spending the night. Nothing unusual happened that evening. Soon it was time for dinner and he asked the woman about the muscular gardener he saw through his bedroom window. He suspected that with the amount of strength he possessed, it was likely he could kill the frail old man with his bare hands. She told him that the gardener was a gentle and nature loving man who would never hurt even a spider. He noticed the twin sisters sitting opposite him. They were silent throughout dinner and never spoke a word. After dinner, he took a tour around the mansion attended by the chambermaid as instructed by the head of the family. After taking a look at the crime scene and visiting some rooms, he returned to his room, sat down on the chair and wrote, “The painting along second floor corridor leading to the twins room shows heaven and hell turned upside down” and “the chambermaid was young and beautiful yet I sensed something dark about her from her eye contact”. He went to bed and turned off the light.

Upon midnight, he noticed the gardener again. He seemed delicate while working on the flowers he thought. He approached him in his pyjamas and asked, “May I know how long have you been working here?” The gardener answered, “About eight years, the lady hired me back then.” The stranger continued, “Can you show me your palm?” He opened up his palm and the stranger sensed something was amiss. He later said, “You worked too hard for a gardener. Nevertheless, keep up the good work on those thorny roses.” The gardener smiled and returned to his work. The next morning, the stranger headed for the twins room. It was locked so he peeped through the keyhole. The twin sisters slept on different bed with their back facing one another. He then walked towards the painting and observed it carefully. Something was missing from the painting. He was sure that the heaven and hell represented the twins but there was no indication of the painter’s signature. He went to the chambermaid and asked her if he could take a look at her room. She was nowhere to be found but her room was not locked. It was located at the far end of the mansion away from the family’s rooms. He looked at the ceiling, walls, and floors and even under her bed. It was clean and there was nothing that caught his eye except the fact that the room was big enough to be shared by two people on one bed. He left the room after thanking her and made his way to the youngest member of the family’s room. The boy was sleeping soundly in the room. The room was located at the far end as well, opposite the chambermaid’s room. The room was small enough to be occupied by one person only. One thing was odd, why would a boy’s room be lit by such an antique chandelier. He spent the rest of the day questioning himself with why this and why that all over the mansion. At night he wrote many things.

An antique chandelier was in the boy’s room. The chambermaid’s room was on the exact opposite of the boy’s room but they had different room dimensions. The painting remained a mystery due to the absence of the painter’s signature. The rough palm of the gardener was not due to the roses’ thorns but it was due to friction.

The following morning, he entered the twin’s room. The twins were missing. The room was decorated with black on one side of the wall and white on the other. It was said that the twins had completely different likes and dislikes. The room’s location was at the heart of the mansion which became the parallel wall between the western and eastern part of the mansion. It was also said that the one of the twins favoured their mother while the other favoured their father. The parent’s room was exactly above the twin’s room on the third floor. He entered the parent’s room. Nothing unusual was found. So, he entered the study room where the murder took place. He took the pen on the desk but soon realized that it had run out if ink. Why would somebody leave this useless pen? He searched the room for clues. The room was dusty indicating that it has not been used for quite some time. Then he saw a slip of paper sticking out between two books. It was a drawing of a boy and an old man. He took out the two books and strange enough, both of the books were entitled heaven and hell. He later entered the old man’s room which was just beside the study room. The room was empty and the walls were dull. Then, as he stepped across the room, he could hear his footsteps. He realized that below the floor, there was a hollow space. As he stepped harder, banged his feet harder, the sound got louder. He knew that there was something below the mansion that was why the ground floor was covered with carpet. But this room was left out because the murderer wanted to remove every clue. After collecting all these details, he worked to fit in the puzzle pieces in his room, burning the midnight oil. He wrote all he encountered.

The following night he gathered all the family members and asked them to remove the carpet of the ground floor. He found out that there was an underground wine storage with its entrance close to the study room and stretched from the eastern part of the mansion to the western counterpart. It was an ordinary storage and was no longer in use as mentioned by the man. He found a telescope, a shovel, a worn out slippers and an oil lamp. So he concluded something and announced it to the whole family during supper. He started, “I found something interesting. These slippers I assume did not belong to any of you. Its size and shape was designed to minimize noise and usually worn by an elder. So, here is something I believed happened. Our late Mr Marley used these slippers and used the oil lamp to travel around this wine storage. To make the storage accessible, Mr Marley asked the gardener to build another entrance under his bedroom. The gardener’s rough palm proved that he worked on the entrance all by himself using this shovel. Next, Mr Marley was close to his grandson as the boy made him this drawing. They visited the study room often as we all knew. I asked the chambermaid if she has been working here long. She was hired by the late Mr Marley himself as she confessed. Mr Marley grew fond of her and spent more time with her than to his grandson as time went by. So, he paid the gardener to extend the storage from the east to the far west without telling him why. All the gardener thought was money so he could not care less about his motive. I believed that the late Mr Marley had an affair with the chambermaid thus her room was made bigger without the family’s knowledge. This occurred so often that he asked his grandson to make it look as if he was in the study room with him by making him write with this pen till it ran out of ink while Mr Marley descended to the storage entrance to his lover’s nest, the chambermaid’s room. It occurred late at night so he believed nothing would go wrong but this secret leaked out. The only person besides Mr Marley who had access to the storage was his son. He knew Mr Marley had an affair. He confirmed it by taking a peek through his telescope from his room on the third floor. All along, he had used this telescope to be the peeping tom on the chambermaid when his wife was not around. His wife soon learned about this secret and they had a conflict. This conflict was witnessed by the twins themselves and thus they sided their mother and father separately. Months passed and this incident went on. The chambermaid was pregnant and Mr Marley decided to abort the baby. Instead, the chambermaid consulted to the Mr Marley’s son’s wife being a woman herself without Mr Marley’s permission. I have no idea about the baby’s whereabouts or what they did. But something else happened. Mr Marley’s son thought that he could blackmail his father by knowing his secret. So he asked him to write the will stating that all the wealth would fall to him when he died which he did with no other choice. The night before his death, Mr Marley asked his grandson to paint a replica of the heaven and hell painting. His grandson managed to complete it except that he had forgotten to put down his signature as he could not counterfeit his handwriting. Using a chandelier taken from Mr Marley’s room, his grandson painted his replica in his room and left it intact. Mr Marley had faked the will he wrote for his son. So, he hid the real will behind the real painting. His grandson then removed the real painting with the replica on the night of his death. So where is the real will? Only Mr Marley’s grandson knew.”

The boy did not reply. The stranger continued, “There is only one room left which I have not checked, the attic.”

The stranger went to the attic and found the real painting and behind it, the will was attached and sealed. He read out the will to the family, “All my wealth will fall to Miss Falena.” It was none other than the chambermaid. “Before I continue, Mrs Marley, would you explain to us why and how you killed your father-in-law?” He said. She was shocked. “The chambermaid and your husband had no reason to kill Mr Marley because they thought all the wealth would fall to them. The boy was just following his grandfather’s wishes and had no ability to kill him. The twins spent most of their time in the room. I think you collaborated with the gardener and the chambermaid. You told the chambermaid to keep the baby till it was born; then you asked the gardener to kill your father-in-law. The gardener refused so you tried to frame him by telling me that he was a delicate man so as to make me suspicious of him. The reason why you asked the chambermaid to keep the baby was because you knew Miss Falena would inherit all his wealth due to their secret affair. You had plans to dispose her once she received the will so that you would be able to change Mr Marley’s statement and thus you would inherit all his wealth. In addition, being a pregnant woman, you would be able to play the role of midwife for Miss Falena to make it look as if Miss Falena died while giving birth. Both ways, you win. So, where is the body?”

The woman stood up and pointed at the garden. “So, I see, framing the gardener would be the conclusion as he knew about your plan to kill Mr Marley.” He added. She confessed that she killed him in the study room by suffocating him using the pillow. He commented, “So, that was why no evidence or bloodstain was found. A perfect plan I must say but I missed out something, the town sheriff and the constable. The mayor told me they did not return after investigating, what happened to them?” She smiled sinisterly. “We killed them all.” The man said. “All of us are part of the plan. Yes, me, my wife, my children, the chambermaid and the gardener. We planned it all along. Now, the truth shall die with you just like the two of them.”

The stranger was taken aback and said, “Oh, I forgot to tell you. I’m no guest here and I’m no trader from faraway lands. I am a vampire hunter. So now you know why I only went out of the room during daytime. The smell of blood lingered in the air at night. I knew vampire was around when I saw those tooth marks on those poor villagers you hung and the fresh corpses you dug up so that you could quench your thirst for blood.” He took out his crossbow and arrows and shot those pointed dart-like weapons through the vampires’ heart. None of the vampires survived for an efficient and experienced hunter was prepared all along. After that, he returned to the mayor and explained to him about the vampires and who he was. He told him about Mr Marley who was a human was buried at the family’s garden. He also stated that Mr Marley had an affair with Miss Falena who was a human as well but became a vampire shortly after giving birth. The baby was saved from the vampires and was brought to this village. “So, I guess, I know who inherited his wealth then. I have an adopted son. I found him on my doorstep four years ago. He must be from the Marley Clan and he is a normal human.” The mayor answered. “My job is finished here, it is time to wander to other places and slay the remaining vampires, farewell and I wish you well.” The stranger left as he walked out of the cottage with his crimson cape…

This story is purely fictional. This story is inspired by “Our Master, Fugue”, artist unknown.

The 12 Horoscopes...

Everyone in the hall waited for the arrival of Virgo, the only female among the constellation. Some were anxious, others were certain and confident that Virgo would choose them as her companion. Virgo came, dressed elusively in a pure, white gown, walked past the crowd and approached the centre of the dance floor. The crowd formed a circle around her and stood up with pride. Virgo then said, “Thank you for waiting. As we all know, in the coming three days, we will be celebrating the ‘festival’. It is time for all of you to prove yourself deserving to win my heart so that you will be able to spend the ‘festival’ with me. So, whoever among all of you here is able to find me and win my heart, I would willingly be your companion for the ‘festival’.” Virgo then walked out and disappeared, leaving the other 11 candidates pondering on where she would be but most importantly what would win her heart. The 11 candidates left the hall and dispersed. Each was determined to win Virgo’s heart thus working together as a group would create hindrance than benefits.

Aries travelled southwards to find open pasture where he could look for inspiration. Taurus, who was ever brash, began his journey to find Virgo, charging ahead with full speed. Gemini returned to his dwelling where he discussed the matter with his twin image. Cancer sailed to the vast ocean which hid marine wonders beneath to find the precious pearl which he intended to present it to Virgo. Leo with his pride had earlier announced that he would definitely be Virgo’s companion thus he did not bother much about putting effort to search for Virgo let alone looked for the object Virgo desired. Libra’s wisdom taught him to think rationally to solve the riddle Virgo had put forward and with some clues exposed, he balanced the importance of the object Virgo wanted and the urgency to search Virgo’s whereabouts, wondering which would provide him with the best solution. Scorpio headed west towards the setting sun to prepare a poison so as to eliminate his contenders. Sagittarius on the other hand headed east, hoping to bring down the sun with his bow and arrows because he believed that sun was the symbol of life and warmth which represented his true love for Virgo. Capricorn swam across the sea hoping to find the place where Virgo might be waiting as he thought Virgo preferred isolation so as not to be found. Aquarius looked at his reflection on the water and started to gussy up, practiced his speech and romance so as to win Virgo’s heart. Pisces gathered his marine scouts and commanded them to explore the whole ocean to look for Virgo while he would prepare an enchanting marine poem to be read out for Virgo.

Three days had gone by and it was time for the ‘festival’. She was still waiting for the arrival of either one of the 11 candidates who would win her heart. Soon, she began to believe that the ‘festival’ would end up in failure. She would have nobody to share the ‘festival’ with. Virgo took out the magic mirror which reflected each of the candidates’ whereabouts.

Aries spent too much time painting the picturesque scenery of the open pasture that on the third day, he had just completed his painting but had no time to look for Virgo. Taurus had charged past Virgo the first time but did not realize that he had found Virgo; instead he ended up travelling around the world thrice. Gemini thought that he would rather find Virgo himself without consulting to his twin brother for personal glory but later realized that it was a huge mistake. Cancer found the precious pearl which belonged to Pisces and tried to steal it. He ended up fighting with Pisces for three whole days the two were both too exhausted to look for Virgo. Leo found Virgo by chance but his overconfidence and ego brought about his downfall as he was humbled by Virgo’s rejection. Libra found out that to balance the 2 aspects was an impossible task that he decided to throw in the towel and gave up his search for Virgo. Scorpio knew it all along where Virgo would be but his whereabouts was still unknown as it was not reflected on Virgo’s magic mirror. Sagittarius did manage to find the object Virgo would love to have but unfortunately, he was unable to bring his present to her. The sun proved to be too heavy to be dragged around as Sagittarius still needed to find Virgo, thus he fainted along the way and never found Virgo. Capricorn explored every isolated island and places but he began to realize that what he was seeking was not Virgo but solitude. Aquarius found Virgo and presented himself as a gift for Virgo, being a narcissist. Despite being a smooth talker as well, it was not enough to win Virgo’s heart. Pisces fought Cancer shortly after he received the news of Virgo’s whereabouts and had completed his poem. He would have met Virgo and won her heart should Cancer did not arrive to complicate his plans. One question still loomed, who won Virgo’s heart in the end?

Just then, from a distance Virgo noticed a figure among the fog approaching her. As the figure came closer, Virgo smiled as finally, someone had won her heart. It was Scorpio. Scorpio realized that it was wrong to use poison on his fellow contenders. So instead of using the poison on his rivals, he decided to poison himself. He staggered towards Virgo, barely alive and told her why he poisoned himself. He wanted to atone for his ill thoughts of poisoning his contenders. If he died, at least no one would know about his wicked plan. If he lived and found Virgo, he would be able to express his truest feeling before his terminal breath. Virgo thought that Scorpio had proven himself worthy by being altruistic. What Virgo wanted was someone who could give a fair and equal opportunity for everyone to win her heart yet being true to himself according to his given characters and abilities. Virgo spent the final minutes of Scorpio by celebrating the ‘festival’ with him. Unknown to Scorpio, the ‘festival’ included the ceremony of immortality. Scorpio then whispered to Virgo, “If only we could live twice, I would spend my second life with you. I would rather use this immortality for all of us to share than for my personal gain.” Again, Virgo was touched and decided to use the immortality with the other 10 failed candidates. Immortality transformed the 12 of them into stars in the sky where they shone brightly to lighten up the dark nights.

Perhaps, that is the reason why we often can see star formation of these 12 horoscopes at different times of the year so that each of them will be able to showcase their wonders for us to ponder what they really represent. Maybe, each of them is telling us their stories on how they try to win Virgo’s heart. So, when you stargaze on one starry sky just maybe the mystery of the horoscope is revealing its answers without you being conscious at all...

This story is purely fictional so regardless your horoscope, rest assured that the characters mentioned above are from the imagination of the author whether its credibility do exist or not at all. Special thanks to my brother who also contributed to the makings of this story.

This story is inspired by “Stars” by Switchfoot.

Snowed Under...

He sat alone that snowy night. He gulped down his whisky and ordered for more. The bartender simply granted his request and refilled his glass. It was his fourteenth glass then and the bartender said, “We are closing soon. You should go home and rest up.” He remained silent while the bartender walked away in pity. The man lifted the glass and once again he gulped the whole glass down his throat. Drowning his sorrows over alcohol became a habit ever since he lost the most important thing in his life, his family. It was just barely a month ago that he was spending quality time with his wife and two lovely children on his yacht. It was their first time out on the sea, enjoying freshly caught lobsters and fish, stargazing upon the distant stars that decorated gloomy nights and just being away from the hustle and bustle of city life. It was such a perfect holiday for his family.

However, after just three days in the open sea, his floating paradise was ruined by Mother Nature. Skies darkened and storm arrived, casting blight on his little, white yacht. Waves became rough, strong gusts of wind were too much to handle and in the end, their lives were hanging on a string as nature had created its mighty onslaught. The following morning, everything he held on dear to; had disappeared, his prized yacht was reduced to useless pieces floating on the silent blue and he found himself fighting for his life on one of the yacht’s debris. He was later saved by a passing trawler and some kind-hearted fishermen. They gave him food, water, dry clothes and rushed him to a nearby city. When he learnt about his family’s deaths, he felt as if the whole weight of the world came crashing down on his shoulders. He found himself all alone, crying his heart out with nobody to turn to. His teardrops warmed the cold, concrete floor as he sat down still in a state of sheer disbelief that such tragedy has struck. How he wished, he was the one chosen to perish while his family members were the ones spared by the unforgiving storm. He found himself unable to move on and this led to the downfall of his lucrative business. Within weeks after that odious day, his business crippled and he was on the edge of bankruptcy. His riches soon reduced to rags. And he ended up spending money from begging on the streets on drinking at his favourite bar.

“Sir, I’m very sorry but we are closing right about now.” The bartender interrupted his moment of peace. The man handed him all the money he had. The bartender said, “Sir, we are still short of fifty dollars.” He walked away without replying. The bartender grabbed his arm, forcing him to pay up his bill. The man used his might and shrugged off the bartender, causing the poor fellow, falling to the ground. Waitresses around came to his aid, advising him not to pursue the man. The man pushed open the door out of the bar. The streets were decorated with happy faces passing every lane, brightly coloured lights and a few moderate sized Christmas trees. Christmas was here as suggested by the winter season, full of snow flakes and the chilling atmosphere. The man dragged his feet to move from places to places, leaving behind traces of his shoeprints on the white snow. His vision was blurry, his head felt heavy and his every move looked as if he was about to collapse any moment but he continued his stagger aimlessly. The drunken man had nowhere to go, nowhere to return to.

After sometime, he finally vomited as he tumbled down to the freezing walkway. At least now, he felt much better after throwing up what he had consumed. As he tried to get back on his feet, he noticed a family reunion through a small window. It was a family dinner on Christmas Day. They seemed to be having a hearty meal, filled with warmth, laughter and simply being merry. The elderly were smiling away, the adults were having chirpy conversations and the children were frolicking and making all sorts of loud yet cheerful noises. At that very moment, he felt so jealous, full of envy but soon he felt disheartened simultaneously. There was no way he could have what that family was having. Soon he continued his walk, leaving behind those warm sights of a family reunion to celebrate the Christmas spirit.

From a distance he noticed a bright sparkle of a star. He was sure it was the star of a giant Christmas tree so he began to search the area. After some effort, he finally found it standing proudly in the middle of the town square. Silver bells, colourful lights, decorative items and snow flakes adorned the tree. Looking at the top peak of the tree, the star of the night settled quietly spreading its rays through the dark night. He thought to himself for a while and closed his eyes, perhaps wishing by the tree. He knew that Christmastime was the most magical time of the year and maybe, just maybe his wish would be answered. He opened his eyes and sat on a wooden bench. He took out a photograph of his family taken shortly before the tragic day. A hooded girl approached him and asked, “Sir, would you like to buy a candle to brighten up your lonesome night?” He gave her a penny and told her that it was all he had. She then accepted his penny and handed him a candle. She walked away and approached other people in the compound. Just then he realized that his wish was already answered. The flame of the candle represented hope and someone had just offered him hope. He grinned. He felt lifted.

A simple gesture by a stranger had made him realize though he had lost everything, there was still hope. When love, serenity and happiness were taken away, hope would be there to accompany him through the times of difficulties against all odds. He placed the photograph back to where it used to be and carried the candle as he stood up. He realized that the past was painful and it would never disappear but tonight was Christmas, a time of hope for everyone. And nobody or nothing could take away the hope, the Christmas spirit that night. Nothing could make him snowed under, buried by the shadows of his painful past because every Christmas brought a new hope for everyone…

This story is inspired by “Snowed Under” by Keane.