"Remember tonight...for it is the beginning of always.

The Path of Paradise, begins in Hell."

Dante Alighieri

We sat there in the darkness, holding our breath. Hoping, praying that whoever entered the room would not find us. The footsteps stopped and the wooden floors creaked. I closed my eyes and breathed out. I could feel my heart pound viciously against my chest. It almost felt it was going to crawl its way out. My entire body froze and I could feel the fear seep into my bones. I wrapped my trembling arm tightly around Senovio’s as sweat formed on the back of my neck. I let out another silent breath and bit my bottom lip. The fear bubbled through my veins reminded me of my childhood fears at night. You know, the fear of something being in your closet or under your bed? How about laying right next to you when you’re sleeping on your side? Or watching your sleeping face next to your bed, smiling a wide and crooked smile? That was the fear I was feeling.

“The Vargas children are not in their rooms,” a voice told them. “Have you seen them?”

“The children?” Stacy repeated. “Oh, we have not seen them since they had supper.”

“I see,” the voice replied. There was silence between them. The stillness came upon them like a storm. The paleness of the butler grew more grime. His skin grew paler than a full moon. The kind of moon that was still vigilant, lurking in the shadows. Cristobal looked over his shoulder. He was staring at our direction. My siblings and I croched even lower, hoping that the butler would not spot us. Cristobal gaze at the lonely wall, his grey eyes were like a cobra seeking its’ prey. And unfortunately, we were the prey. He looked back at the servants. “If you find them, request the oldest son’s presence. He is to be needed in the main hall. That boy is the only way of getting rid of the curse.”

“Cer-certainly, Cristobal!” Evie said, her words fumbled together.

“Well then,” Cristobal continued, “get to it and find him.”

“But wait!” Evie said, there was a long pause. “What should we do with the others?”

“That...” Cristobal replied, “I will take care of that.”

The footsteps vanished from the room. I looked at Senovio, and he looked at me. The room became deathly still. Silence ruled over us for a minute or two before we decided to emerge from our hiding place. As Senovio and I crept our way to the top of our hiding place. Stacy popped out of nowhere scaring us half to death. “Okay, now go!” Stacy hissed at us. My siblings and I flinched away from our homemade barricade. Senovio threw himself back. He let out a cry.

“Dude, why did you do that?!” Senovio shouted.

“That is not important,” Stacy replied. “What is important is that you attend the Mistress’s meeting. Which is located in the main hall.” I stepped in between the two of them, crossing my arms. I narrowed my eyes, staring at the old man’s ghostly face. “Not without Henry and I,” I retorted. I told them that I wouldn’t allow my brother to go see that woman without a logical explanation.

In the Vargas family, secrets were not allowed. Especially secrets that might put the family in danger. I wasn’t going to allow my brother to be caught up in some paranormal mess. Plus, mom would kill me. I could tell that Stacy wasn’t happy with my interference, but what else could I do? Senovio’s my brother. Although we argued most of the time, I wasn’t going to let something bad happen to him.

Evie fiddled with her hands and sighed. She looked at Stacy, her brows slanted. Stacy shook his head, mouthing the word ‘no’. The woman smiled weakly and faced me. “Cristobal believes that your brother can lift the curse,” she told me. I looked at her stupidly. I blinked a few times before I could find the words to reply to such a dumbfounded answer. “What curse?” I asked. I crossed my arms and raised a brow.

“After Matti died, God bless his soul, well... before that...” she replied, laughing nervously.

I listened to Evie explain the story in full detail. After Matti declared his love for Castilla, a strange earthquake occurred a week or two later. Castilla’s parents, unfortunately, perished in the accident. Although Castilla was heartbroken that she lost her parents. Castilla was happy that she was free from her father’s grasp. Or so she thought. Strange things began to occur in the Baudelaire Manor. It started off with the silverware disappearing and furniture being moved. Then it graduated to the rare objects disappearing, such as jewelry and crystal doorknobs. Castilla had no idea what was happening, but insisted that it was just the servants sporting with one another.

It was all fun and games until someone got hurt. Evie explained that one of the servants ascended up to the attic to retrieve a tuxedo for the lady. However, the man never returned, he just disappeared. He was missing for three days. It wasn’t until Stacy found him dangling in the wind with a lasso wrapped around his neck, outside of Castilla’s bedroom window. “Oh, it was tragic,” Evie said, wiping a tear from the corner of her eye. “The mistress was traumatized, she did not understand how or why it happened.”

“Do you know?” I asked, curiously. Evie shook her head. After the death of the first servant, more deaths occurred at the manor. Servants and guests were mysteriously being led up to the attic and found dangling outside the windows of each floor. The people of the town were calling it Suicide Manor. “Is that why there are so many graves behind the house?” I asked.

Evie nodded. “Many of the townsfolk refused to enter the estate to retrieve their loved ones,” she explained. “They believed, that if they stepped foot on the manor’s soil, they too would be cursed. Out of respect, the Mistress buried the dead behind the house. Giving them a proper burial.” After the Suicide pandemic, Castilla had fallen into a depression. She refused to talk to anyone even Matti. Once the suicides became a standstill and everyone stopped coming to the manor. The mistress wouldn’t talk to anyone.

She didn’t even acknowledge letters her friends sent her from El Leon. She mourned for the individuals who died in the estate. She broke down and cried until her eyes became parched and swollen. Castilla expected for Matti to leave her. In fact, she insisted. She knew that if he stayed, he too would perish. Dead and buried in the ground. However, Matti refused. A whole month, he stayed by her side. He even slept on the floor next to her bed, comforting her each time she had a night-terror. When the day they agreed to get married, it arrived, the final cord which sent Castilla into despair.

“Matti never came,” Evie retorted. “He retired into thin air. No one knows where he went. Or if he ever came.”

“That’s when Castilla started waiting,” I added.

Evie nodded. “And waiting and waiting. She was so excited to see him. She was dressed in the prettiest white dress, and her hair was so lovely. When news came to her of Matti’s departure, Castilla did not want to believe it. She kept denying and believed that her beloved Matti was coming. She refused to eat or drink.”

“What...happened to her?” I asked.

“She died...standing by the window,” Evie answered. “She died broken-hearted and alone. When she died...that is when he came.”

“Who’s he?” Senovio asked.

“Cristobal,” Stacy replied in a cold voice.