Chapter 3

Cluntsy Hall was located in a very secluded part of the town. The amount of trees that grew here seemed to make up for all the ones that had ever been cut down to build more modern things. But while the trees that lined the entire stretch of road were beautiful from a distance, the mansion looked anything but beautiful. It was ancient and falling apart.

Tonya stared, open-mouthed, at the enormous twin gates, jet-black and Gothic, that barred her entrance. A hefty amount of chains adorned the golden seal that marked the frontispiece. The letter 'C' was engraved on the plate, and a keyhole lay in between the black curve.

Rummaging in her bag for the key that Stride had sent her, she pushed it through the hole and turned the lock.

***

The area was damp, and weeds and shrubs grew in abundance on practically everything. Trees were gnarled and bent, old and tired. A sunken tombstone lay in a few spots here and there, the inscriptions upon them  having molded away years ago.

And then, there was the house...

The ridiculously large house must have been about five stories high. All the windows were boarded up, and the entirety of it was starting to crumble away.

Tonya thought it was beautiful, in a forgotten sense.

A large tree branch twisted and turned through the house and...

Author's Note

And that's the end of that. I do have a few other little notes and pieces jotted down. Such as how at one point, somewhere over here, I apparently intended on including a mermaid, something to do with there being a big body of water and shadows:

"The water was brown and murky. A few water lilies survived here and there, and...A shadow swished past and made the water ripple. Tonya took a step back, startled."

And here's a description of Grandad Cluntsy: "He was tall and handsome. His skin was pale and...see-through? He wore a waistcoat and cravat, and wore a pocket-watch in his right pocket, one he checked constantly from time to time."