The streets of Ravenwood were still the same; shrouded in that cold mist and shadows that seemed to rise from the cracks. Maggie still remembered them all too well. Since that day when 'it' happened to her, she has had nightmares that drag them into the maw of abysmal pits.
Maggie had survived hell recently. She had been confined to a psychiatric hospital after losing her only son. Oliver was only eight years old when he disappeared on the outskirts of Ravenwood. There was no trace of the boy; not a trace. Maggie's husband vanished as if the earth had swallowed him up and was never heard from again. Maggie was left alone, enduring torture in that lonely place.
A year later, she was finally free. She regained her life with the sole intention of returning to Ravenwood and finding out what happened to her son. She was afraid, but her purpose was stronger than her emotions. After packing her things to leave for that gloomy town, she looked out the window reflecting on her past, trying to find clues about those traumatic events.
Ravenwood was a small town with a facade that had not changed much since the 18th century. Its classic crumbling structures seemed to belong to a remote and distant era. It was located in the center of a valley through which it was difficult to travel, as the rocky roads and extensive hills hindered the passage of automobiles.
The people there have a different way of life. There is no electricity, no piped drinking water, and no media to inform the inhabitants of local events. The streets are lit by gas street lamps, and the roads are made of flattened stone.
Visiting Ravenwood is definitely like going back two hundred years because even the clothing of the inhabitants is trapped in that time. Maggie remembered everything about the place, but she couldn't remember how she got there; it was as if her memory had banished the reason for her visit to Ravenwood with her family.
The next morning, she arrived at the foot of the body of hills that overlooked the airtight town. He waited for a conveyance that might transit there. A very thin man with an unnoticed presence surprised her; he appeared to be in his forties, with slightly graying hair. He wore a black hat and a long cloak of the same color. His piercing gaze and a half-twisted smile flashed before Maggie's fearful eyes.
She was immediately startled at being startled by the coachman. His pale face reminded her of the apparition of a ghost.
"Are you Mrs. Ferdinand?" The coachman asked.
"Yes...it's me," Maggie replied after a few seconds.
"Sorry for the delay, but I had a late breakfast at my house." Excused the man.
"No worries, I understand," She replied along with a gesture.
While Maggie was distracted by the scenery, the coachman stared at her as if he was looking at the weirdest thing in the world. Maggie noticed and there was a clash of glances.
"Is there a problem?" She asked.
"No, none ma'am, I was just wondering why such a young, beautiful, and seemingly frail woman would want to go to a town like Ravenwood."
"It's a personal business..." Was all Maggie replied.
The coachman grimaced at such a response, climbed into the front, and motioned for his client to get into the carriage. Maggie took a deep breath, remembering how direct and nosy the people of Ravenwood and the surrounding area are.
After two hours of horse-drawn carriage travel; passing hills and rough roads in silence, Maggie could finally make out the town from a distance. In front of the boundaries of some wooden fences, the coachman dropped Maggie off a few yards from the entrance to the village.
"I'm sorry, ma'am, I can only drop you off here. My prejudices won't allow me to go any further."
"But it's only a few yards," Maggie replied somewhat annoyed.
"Please understand me, I rather did too much bringing her this far," She asserted the coachman as he chewed some tobacco.
Maggie didn't want to argue with him and got out of the car. She walked to the entrance and stood in the middle of the main avenue. She caught a glimpse of a huge gloomy house on a hill on the horizon, catching her attention. It was very cold and the fog was very thick; not even a glint of sunlight was showing over the area leaving a gray and gloomy atmosphere.
He was amazed that the streets were empty, he thought it was still very early and that people were still sleeping. She entered the first inn and noticed that it was also empty. A plump man with long, brown, curly hair, a bushy beard, and dressed in a tank top suddenly emerged from the bar.
"Oh, a stranger! Can I help you?" Said the manager.
"Yes, please, I'd like to rent a room. How much is it?"
"I have an offer for out-of-towners: for five nights it would be ten of your out-of-towner's tickets," The man offered. Maggie was surprised at the cheapness of the offer.
"Of course, here you go," Maggie said, leaving him the money. The man, with a smile, directs the young woman up to the room and hands her the key.
"Have a nice stay!" the man vociferated good-naturedly. "By the way, the offer includes breakfast and lunch; breakfast is served at nine o'clock and lunch at two in the afternoon, dinner you'll have to sort out yourself, as I don't risk going out at night. My name is Jacob, at your service."
"Maggie," She answered immediately. After the clarification, Maggie was finally alone. She unpacked her suitcase and began to do her writing. She carried an empty notebook in which she began to document her stay at Ravenwood.
It was ten o'clock in the morning on her watch. A bell rang from a distance. Maggie looked out the window and watched as people came out of their homes at the same time. Women, men, and children were walking the streets in the direction of the source of the bell's sound; she even saw Jacob walking among them.
It seemed strange to him and he recorded everything in his diary. "Maybe it's a church bell I can't see from this position," she noted, as she watched the wave of people walking in rows like cattle.
Late in the afternoon, Maggie was still concentrating on her memories, searching them for clues about her son. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door; it was Jacob telling Maggie that lunch was served. Maggie went downstairs with him and sat down at the table to eat. She had been served a nice pork stew and boiled potatoes, with spices that had a nice smell, and a pitcher of beer.
"Thank you very much, Jacob," Maggie said with a smile.
"At your service," Replied the kind man. "May I ask you a question?"
Maggie grimaced as she knew what the man was going to ask her.
"Surely you will ask me, what is a stranger doing in Ravenwood?"
"It's just that we hardly see many around here," Jacob asserted. "People here are a bit mean to outsiders, but don't worry, they won't treat you badly. I am very kind to you, your money is worth a lot here, even though I have to cross to the other side of the hill to change it." Jacob said with a laugh.
Maggie smiled at such a comment.
"Before we got to town, I saw a huge house on a hill and I was very curious, who lives there?" Maggie questioned changing the conversation.
"Ah, that's Blackrivers Manor, no one lives there anymore. It used to belong to a prestigious family that suddenly fell apart. The last owner hasn't wanted to return because he says his property is haunted. He says a curse fell on it because of occult rituals. No one dares go near that place."
"Is the last owner still alive?" Maggie asked in amazement.
"Yes, it's Mr. Adolf Blackriver; a rather deplorable-looking old man. He still lives here in Ravenwood. If you know how to take directions, I can tell you where he lives, if you like," Jacob finishes the sentence with a smile at the end.
"Yes, please, I'd like to speak to that man," Maggie said without asking any more questions. She didn't want to insist Jacob accompany her or anything like that, as she quickly understood that the people in that town had a certain dread about going out on the streets.
Although it seemed like a rule that couldn't be broken, Maggie waited until nightfall. She was guided by the direction Jacob gave her to the old man's house; a little confused, but in that small town one could not get lost.
She arrived at the front door, nervous and with her legs shaking. She knocked several times until finally, the door was opened for her. An old man, with a long white beard down to his chest, leaning on a cane and with a hunched back stood in front of her.
The old man looked at her with wild eyes. Maggie took advantage and forced her way into the house.
"You...! What are you doing here?" The old man shouted in fear.
"I knew you would recognize me, old man. That time you betrayed me while my son was taken from me. I'm not here for revenge, I just want him back. Tell me, where is he?" Maggie asked as she held the old man's arms tightly.
"You fool, you shouldn't have come back! Things will get worse now. I'm sure he already knows you're here."
"Who, the one who kidnapped my son? Speak up, you damn old man!"
"What I did that time was to protect you, but if your determination to find out the truth is greater than the safety of your life, then go ahead. You will discover all in my mansion, there all will be revealed to you..." The old man finished his sentence with an intriguing muffled voice that left Maggie in suspense.
The woman's eyes turned withering. Maggie bolted out of the old man's house and ran with giant strides to the mansion. Fortunately, she carried a flashlight to illuminate the dark, mist-covered path. She was breathing hard, adrenaline keeping her active and alert.
Her steps were cautious as she made her way inside the mansion. The place was crumbling, full of debris and vermin that roamed the ground freely. Maggie ascended to the next floor on stairs that seemed about to crumble. Her heart was racing, for she did not know what to expect. She heard strange sounds; though she couldn't discern if it was real or her imagination.
When he reached the next floor, he walked down a long corridor, and at the end of it, a portrait hung on the wall that caught his attention. Upon closer inspection, she was petrified and pale at the revelation before her.
It was a huge portrait of the Blackrivers family before their decline, and among them were her husband and son. Maggie took steps backward in fright until suddenly, someone grabbed her from behind and her vision blurred with darkness.
When she regained consciousness, Maggie was on a strapped table, surrounded by people carrying torches in their hands; among them was Jacob with a serious face like the others. Maggie was gagged, her eyes wrapped in tears, trying to free herself. Suddenly, people began to make way for a boy and a man, who turned out to be her husband and son.
Maggie could not believe it, she tried to scream at the top of her lungs until her throat was damaged. Maggie's son Oliver approached a rope holding something suspended and sharp as a huge steel blade. He began to burn the rope with his torch, Maggie shook her head again and again as her body writhed. Once the rope broke, the sharp knife fell on Maggie's neck decapitating her in an instant.
Eight years after what happened, another family of strangers arrived in Ravenwood, seeking to vacation in exotic places with archaic architecture and clothing like that intriguing town. They were a man, a woman, and a child; just like Maggie's family. Inside the Blackrivers mansion, in the huge portrait, the faces of the people in the painting immediately changed, indicating a new scatological beginning.
