On A Cold and Gloomy Night

It was a cold, gloomy night. The wind was howling and thunder could be heard often. It had been like this for several hours, yet there was no rain. Many shuddered but pretended to believe that it was only a storm building up. Why then did we all secretly believe that that night something extraordinary was about to take place? We, picnickers at an isolated seaside resort in the only hotel (or rather building) for miles around voted for a good night’s rest.

Suddenly, the telephone rang. That assured us that we were not in an all-that-deserted neighborhood and we rushed towards it relieved and even surprised to know that there was a phone. A low, husky voice informed me that one of the members of our party was in serious danger in an old castle five miles away. Then it dawned on me that my little cousin was not with us. Could he have been the one mentioned? The line went dead. No further questions could be asked.

Everyone was reluctant to leave the hotel, so a search party could not be formed. After much persuasion, I managed to find a young man to accompany me. We set off in an old battered car.

The moon was not up yet and there were no stars.

Everything was still and the occasional sounds made by unfamiliar creatures frightened us. We were convinced that ghosts were lurking. Yet the thought of my seven-year-old cousin all alone in a deserted castle kept us going. Suddenly, a scream was heard. I applied the brakes of the car and it screeched to a halt. Curious to know what had happened, we crept out of the car. There in the middle of the road lay a black cat – dead. Although the car was an old one, its headlights were strong and I felt sure that I had seen no cat around earlier. To make matters worse, it was a black one, symbolizing bad luck. What about the scream we both heard? That had still to be explained.

Deciding that it was wrong to dither at a time like that, we resumed our journey, We both knew where the castle was situated but has not been there before. How then could a seven-year-old who had been with us all evening have disappeared to this castle, notorious for the mysterious sounds heard at night? Few dared to visit it during the day!

We reached the strong iron gates of the castle. At its foot lay a small boy, shivering in the cold – my cousin. I rushed forward to get him; he was unconscious. Wrapping him in blankets, we turned to the car, thankful to have found him alive and not to have id to enter the castle in the dark. We reached the hotel with no further mishaps and were greeted by relieved smiles. It was the end of our adventure and it had ended well. We were all happy.

This baffling mystery remains unsolved. How had my cousin found his way to the castle? Even he was puzzled. Who had telephoned us? What about the scream we heard?