Happy Birthday, James.
Happy Birthday, James
December nights came quickly over London. The sun hovered shortly over the horizon, than vanished out of sight. The clouds came at once, first covering the sky in a purple light but then cloaking the city in darkness. Now only the street lamps on the main streets resourced the people of London with light as they went on their traditional Sunday walk. People from all classes assembled in the streets. It was a time you could find everyone with a reputation, or who wanted to get one. On this night, one could meet friend and foe, show of the family and present their recently gained accessories as well as gather the latest gossip and talk.
The masters of Elizabeth-Jane, a young housemaid of twenty years, also went on their route. The route normally took them around two or three hours however today they'd probably take longer for it was the first time that they allowed their baby boy to join them. Elizabeth smiled as she thought of the happy face the boy had when he had run towards her so he could tell her the news. She had served this family since he was born four winters before, and ever since she had watched over him when his parents were busy or when they were on one of their monthly holidays. She grew to love him without a limit and tomorrow was his birthday so she planned to use the time alone searching for a little present she could give him.
She searched her whole room and finally found a small toy she once got from her mother before she passed away. It was a small box made out of silver, which if you open it a little girl pops out and starts to turn to the melody of Bach. She turned the key to start it and listened to the wonderful melody that swung in the air.
Slowly she walked down the stairs, humming the melody of the just heard song. She walked over the nightingale floor without making any sound. Ever since she started working here she had taught herself to do this, walking over the parts that didn't make a sound. Something she taught herself to not disturb her master and mistress while sleeping. She had just reached the bottom floor as she suddenly heard the floor sing. Had her masters come back already? That seemed weird to her, it had only been an hour since they where gone. But maybe they had trouble controlling their son?
She hurried towards the sound.
"Master? Miss? Is everything alright? Can I bring you something?" she asked when she got near to the luring figure in the shadows. But the only answer she got was a deep laughter that she had never heard before. "Master, is that you?" she asked and came to a halt two meters away from them.
"No…" came the response. Her eyes grew big.
"What do you want?" she whispered with a shaking voice.
"Nothing much," the man whispered, slowly stepping out of the shadows, exposing a long scar running down his face. "Only a little money, some valuables, and…" Elizabeth-Jane never heard the rest of the sentences for she had long turned around and ran. The nightingale floor sang like never before as she ran through the hallway, throwing down whatever stood in her way. But the man was faster. Soon he caught up with her. A scream echoed through the house as his hand captured her wrist…
Some hours later Elizabeth-Jane's Masters entered their in darkness cloaked house, the boy cradled in the mans arms. Not a light shone in the windows. They found this weird, for normally Elizabeth-Jane stayed awake until her masters were back, especially today they thought she'd still be awake, they knew how exited she was about the fact that James was allowed to join them at their walk. Slowly they entered the house.
"Elizabeth? Elizabeth-Jane?" her master called out. As no answer came he, put down his child and went to a little table were a lamp stood and illuminated it with a match from his pocket. His back was turned towards the hallway, but his wife saw the chaos and gasped. He turned around and gasped as well. The whole hallway lay in chaos. The mirror that normally hung on the wall lay shattered and broken across the floor. The vase and the table it had stood on were thrown through the hallway. "Elizabeth!" he now screamed and ran through the hallway, searching in every room. "Mary! Bring James into his room and stay with him." He told his wife as he heard his son wake-up and ask what happened.
"Y-yes… alright" she replied as she stumbled and took her boy into her arms, dragging him upstairs.
Mary still heard her husband search the lower forms, his calls still echoed through the house. She wondered what had happened while they were gone. Left and right she saw the broken mirrors, vases and tables leading the way to the last room. The tension lay in the air. All of a sudden she slipped on something wet on the floor. Nearly falling over she quickly regained her balance, still not letting go of her little boy, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Slowly she looked at the floor. Something shimmered there. She bent over and touched it. This wasn't water. It was sticky and seemed thicker. Slowly she brought her finger towards her face. Red. Her head snapped toward the door next to this puddle. Time seemed to have frozen over as she reached toward the door and pushed it open. A scream hollowed through the house as she fell onto her knees and held James in her arms, forbidding him to look into the room as he woke up and wanted to look to where his mother was looking. Her husband heard the scream and ran up the stairs to where he saw his wife. Before he even reached her he recognized the look of horror in his wife's face and he asked what happened. But she couldn't answer him; she only pointed one of her long fingers into the room. Her husband followed it to the place it pointed to.
There she lay. Spread over the floor, blood spilling out her throat, her cloths ripped into pieces and stuck to her numb body and the floor around her. Streaks of her blond her was torn out of her skull and lay in bundles around her, her legs were wide spread. But what caught his eyes was the little box clutched in her hand, and on a small note it said:
"For James, Happy Birthday
Elizabeth –Jane"
The masters of Elizabeth-Jane, a young housemaid of twenty years, also went on their route. The route normally took them around two or three hours however today they'd probably take longer for it was the first time that they allowed their baby boy to join them. Elizabeth smiled as she thought of the happy face the boy had when he had run towards her so he could tell her the news. She had served this family since he was born four winters before, and ever since she had watched over him when his parents were busy or when they were on one of their monthly holidays. She grew to love him without a limit and tomorrow was his birthday so she planned to use the time alone searching for a little present she could give him.
She searched her whole room and finally found a small toy she once got from her mother before she passed away. It was a small box made out of silver, which if you open it a little girl pops out and starts to turn to the melody of Bach. She turned the key to start it and listened to the wonderful melody that swung in the air.
Slowly she walked down the stairs, humming the melody of the just heard song. She walked over the nightingale floor without making any sound. Ever since she started working here she had taught herself to do this, walking over the parts that didn't make a sound. Something she taught herself to not disturb her master and mistress while sleeping. She had just reached the bottom floor as she suddenly heard the floor sing. Had her masters come back already? That seemed weird to her, it had only been an hour since they where gone. But maybe they had trouble controlling their son?
She hurried towards the sound.
"Master? Miss? Is everything alright? Can I bring you something?" she asked when she got near to the luring figure in the shadows. But the only answer she got was a deep laughter that she had never heard before. "Master, is that you?" she asked and came to a halt two meters away from them.
"No…" came the response. Her eyes grew big.
"What do you want?" she whispered with a shaking voice.
"Nothing much," the man whispered, slowly stepping out of the shadows, exposing a long scar running down his face. "Only a little money, some valuables, and…" Elizabeth-Jane never heard the rest of the sentences for she had long turned around and ran. The nightingale floor sang like never before as she ran through the hallway, throwing down whatever stood in her way. But the man was faster. Soon he caught up with her. A scream echoed through the house as his hand captured her wrist…
Some hours later Elizabeth-Jane's Masters entered their in darkness cloaked house, the boy cradled in the mans arms. Not a light shone in the windows. They found this weird, for normally Elizabeth-Jane stayed awake until her masters were back, especially today they thought she'd still be awake, they knew how exited she was about the fact that James was allowed to join them at their walk. Slowly they entered the house.
"Elizabeth? Elizabeth-Jane?" her master called out. As no answer came he, put down his child and went to a little table were a lamp stood and illuminated it with a match from his pocket. His back was turned towards the hallway, but his wife saw the chaos and gasped. He turned around and gasped as well. The whole hallway lay in chaos. The mirror that normally hung on the wall lay shattered and broken across the floor. The vase and the table it had stood on were thrown through the hallway. "Elizabeth!" he now screamed and ran through the hallway, searching in every room. "Mary! Bring James into his room and stay with him." He told his wife as he heard his son wake-up and ask what happened.
"Y-yes… alright" she replied as she stumbled and took her boy into her arms, dragging him upstairs.
Mary still heard her husband search the lower forms, his calls still echoed through the house. She wondered what had happened while they were gone. Left and right she saw the broken mirrors, vases and tables leading the way to the last room. The tension lay in the air. All of a sudden she slipped on something wet on the floor. Nearly falling over she quickly regained her balance, still not letting go of her little boy, who was sleeping peacefully in her arms. Slowly she looked at the floor. Something shimmered there. She bent over and touched it. This wasn't water. It was sticky and seemed thicker. Slowly she brought her finger towards her face. Red. Her head snapped toward the door next to this puddle. Time seemed to have frozen over as she reached toward the door and pushed it open. A scream hollowed through the house as she fell onto her knees and held James in her arms, forbidding him to look into the room as he woke up and wanted to look to where his mother was looking. Her husband heard the scream and ran up the stairs to where he saw his wife. Before he even reached her he recognized the look of horror in his wife's face and he asked what happened. But she couldn't answer him; she only pointed one of her long fingers into the room. Her husband followed it to the place it pointed to.
There she lay. Spread over the floor, blood spilling out her throat, her cloths ripped into pieces and stuck to her numb body and the floor around her. Streaks of her blond her was torn out of her skull and lay in bundles around her, her legs were wide spread. But what caught his eyes was the little box clutched in her hand, and on a small note it said:
"For James, Happy Birthday
Elizabeth –Jane"