Anne’s Collection

Anne opened the plywood cupboard above the stove and took out a single cup and saucer together with a bowl of brown sugar. The Kettle furiously whistled on the coal fire stove which had seen one too many winters, but Anne ignored its call. She proceeded to slowly placed the cup in the saucer, tipping two and a half teaspoons of sugar into the cup together with a tea bag. The Kettle’s call grew louder and began to sputter and spit in frustration, without a seconds thought she grabbed the boiling hot Kettle and poured the water slowly into the cup. The Kettle scaulded her hand searing her flesh but Anne maintained a Doll like smile, she did not react, she did not scream in agony, she did not feel pain. He face remained still as if made out of porcelain.

She placed the Kettle back on the stove and sat down to stir her tea. As Anne sipped her tea her mind wandered to happier times, thoughts raced around her mind of the days when she was a young lady, attracting the attention of many wealthy suitors only for her to cut and run after she had had her fun. She kept memento’s of each of her conquests in the observatory upstairs so that she may revel in her conquests. Despite Anne’s eery smile time’s scars were evident upon her face. Each wrinkle told a different story, each blemish and imperfection in the skin had a reason. She thought of the afternoon’s at the Mckenzie’s lake house and her exquisite dinner parties she threw to impress the neighbours and to attract men. The neighbours had all but gone now and Ivy Lane had been forgotten by most people. It was sort out by the rich as an exclusive place of privacy and tranquility but it lost its allure. Anne tried to remember what had happened but she couldnt for the life of her remember anything after the summer of ’76. Her memories elluded her. “Why cant I remember?, she said to herself shaking her head violently from side to side as to shake the memory loose from some forgotten corner of her mind.

She suddenly remembered that she had guests who had arrived from Winchester and she had almost completely forgot about them. One of the guests was Archibald Heatbee, a Maple Syrup Baron who Anne had taken a fancy to and which she intended to add to her collection of male suitors. Pouring another three cups of tea she set them upon a silver and gold serving tray and place a plate of biscuits and cake besides the cups. She walked towards a large mohogany door which seemed to be rotting and falling apart but she paid no attention to this and pushed the doors. Still with the smile fixed upon her face she made her way into a large dining room where three figures, three men, could be seen sitting at the far end of the grand table motionless. She called out in a soft tone “Tea is served, It is impolite to leave tea sitting”, and placed each cup before her guests. Her guests however remained silent and only the creek of the redwoord floor beneath her feet greeted her words, cold and dead. The House like Anne had lost most of its beauty. Cracks had formed in all the floor boards and the roof was damp due to the leaky roof and broken second floor windows. The once golden gates which adorned the entrance to Exathor manor were now covered in dirt and the driveway once kept clean and pristine had been reclaimed by nature.

“Well Mr Heartbee what do you think of my prize horse Natty?, a beauty isnt she ?”, Anne said. Mr Heartbee sat silent and motionless neither acknowledging her question nor paying any attention to the tea that had been placed before him. Puzzled by the silence Anne exclaimed “Now Mr Heartbee dont be impolite and ignore me, I asked you a question ! What say thee?”. Still Mr Heartbee and his associates remained lifeless and in the eyes of Anne they were being very rude. Her smile disappeared and was replaced by a snarl, “I do declare I have never been so offended in my life”. Anne felt a sharp pain surge from her spine to the side of her head, the silence of the house was replaced by the thunderous roar of what sounded like a locomotive. She shook her head once again as she had done in the Kitchen and the noise stopped, everything was still and finally Mr Heartbee spoke. “Now was that so difficult Mr Heartbee ?”. Anne, whose smile had returned, and Mr Heartbee talked for hours and hours, she laughed and smiled at Mr Heartbee’s attempts at humor which she had all heard before. Mr Heartbee had a strange feminine voice, but that did not detract Anne. All the while Mr Heartbee’s associates remained silent and motionless.

Anne glanced at the mounted clock above the door which lead to the Kitchen, the clock like the door was made from mahogany and had a pendulum which swung beneath it, The face of the clock read a quarter past two, “Good Lord is that the time ?, Mr Heartbee I insist you stay the night and your associates are welcomed to stay as well”. Anne stood up and motioned towards the Kitchen but stopped as if she had walked into an invisible wall. She stood still motionless, staring blankly at the door behind her. Confusion began swelling up inside her mind and she realized that she was standing in pitch darkness. “But why are the lights off?”. “Mr Heartbee is this some kind of tomfoolery?”. Anne turned around and saw the silhouette of the three men still sitting in their chairs. “I will not have this in my house ! I will not be made a fool of ! I can see you Mr Heartbee and I do not appreciate your childish behavior, please leave” she bellowed out. Yet the three figures remained motionless.

She made her way into the kitchen and picked up the lantern which was upon the kitchen table. Anne made her way back to the Dining room with the lantern in hand. The light from the lantern invaded every open space of darkness which had previously existed. The darkness receeded as if being washed away and she saw the Dining room empty and in disrepair. “Ah Mr Heartbee and his associates have left, good”. Behind her the Kitchen door swung open and shut violently with a menacing thud. Anne dropped the lantern and placed her hands on her mouth as to stop herself from screaming. “Mr Heartbee, why are you doing this ? I am an old women?”. The darkness returned and Anne’s mind began to unhinge, she did not know whether to run upstairs or to run for help. “Mr Heartbee is trying to kill me” she whispered under her breath. Her pulse quickened and her hands began to tremble. “These men just want to take my money, they want to use me as they always do,” Anne began to breathe heavily. “I wont be broken again I wont be hurt and violated by a man, any man !” she exclaimed in a gruff tone. Anne rushed back into the Kitchen and reached for the knife on the Kitchen table. The Knife was covered in dry blood, and was filthy, “Whose blood is this?”.

Anne did not know what to do, Mr Heartbee intended to hurt her, to steal from her. “Ill go up to the observatory, he wont be able to get in”. Anne headed for the staircase which was in the front entrance all. Each step Anne took was followed by another, she was being followed, she was being hunted. Anne began to run up the stairs, each step was followed by the creeking sound of old wood and the sound of another footstep. “No Mr Heartbee please please don’t , Please !”, tears began streaming down her face. She reached the observatory and opened the door. It was too late Mr Heartbee stood before her, silent and motionless. Anne without a moments hesitation planted the knife squarely into Mr Heartbee’s chest. She removed the knife and plunged the blade a further several times into the lifeless motionless figure before her.

“Misses, wat ar yer duing?, I put old man Heartbee up heer last week”, Anne spun around and saw Miranda’s portly figure at the doorway to the observatory, “he ded, last week” Anne was confused she did not know what was happening. Miranda was Anne’s house servant and took care of the essential running of the house. “O Misses yer ferget sime of the times” Anne’s mind raced and tried to grasp at any explanation for what Miranda was saying. “Ah Misses yer ferget yer meds, heer let me show yer”. Miranda flicked the light switch on the wall next to the door, Anne turned around andsaw an arch way illumninate with a sign above it, HACKLEYS TAXIDERMISTS. Mr Heartbee stood before her smiling and wearing his finiest suit, rigid and lifeless. The knife was still lodged in Mr Heartbee’s chest. “is this real?, who is Hackley ?” Anne looked puzzled. “Ye Misses ye Anne Exathor Hackley an we keep the bad men heer”. “What do you mean bad men?” Anne’s voice shrieked. Miranda waved in the direction of the sign and said “Go der misses yer will remember”. Anne hesitantly walked pass the arch and made her way into a large circular room. She dropped to her knees and realization swept across her face and so did the Doll like smile. She saw before her, in all its glory her collection of suitors, she saw each and every triumph perfectly preserved as if they had walked into Exathor Manor just yesterday. Each suitor was placed upright and dressed in the finest clothes. “Ye see now misses old man Heartbee has holes in his front, gonna take me all night to repair” Miranda sounded annoyed.. Anne got back to her feet and turned around making her way out of the observatory. Anne looked at Mr Heartbee and laughed “I got you didnt I?” She grabbed the hilt of the knife and wrenched it out of his hollow chest. “Miranda we will be having guests tomorrow for tea and I want the Kitchen and Dinning room spotless, My collection is not yet complete”. “Yes misses yer take yer meds or yer ferget again” Miranda still annoyed by Anne’s episode.

This is still a work in progress.