there.”
Returning to the castle, we saw that the owners sat in the new kitchen in the left wing of the castle, located next to the first tower. One of the wonderful things about such large structures is that we could walk around the whole castle, and the owners would not see us.
We left our things in our room and took a flashlight. After all, there was no electricity in the towers. I must say it was quite light outside! It was only 6:20 p.m,, but there was enough time before it got dark. However, we knew the towers might be blocked, given the count’s story.
“Where do we start?” I asked my wife.
I thought to myself that her haircut was not so bad and that she was the most beautiful woman in the world. I won’t get tired repeating it.
“We’ll start our journey from tower number four, a good number… and the owners will be far away.” “Yes, but it’s walled up,” I pointed out.
“I don’t think so. If so, why did they leave a door? It would have been blocked, too,” Nora said.
“Come on, Boss!” I decided not to argue.
Through the courtyard we headed toward the 19th-century living room. There we turned left and walked along the corridor. We passed the medieval-style dining room. Then we went into the kitchen. There everything was blocked with a wall.
“I told you so! It’s all nonsense. Everything is closed.”
The plan to reveal the secret of the millennium was falling apart.
“Damn it! There must be some kind of entrance. There just has to be!”
My wife was very upset, and I frankly did not understand why all this bothered her so much.
“Why are you so sure of that?” I asked.
“I don’t know. I have a strange feeling. It’s like I’ve been here before. I just know there’s something important in there.” Then in a half-whisper, Nora asked, “Do you think I’m crazy?” “I think you’re a dreamer,” I responded as I smiled back.
“Let’s go around by the street,” ordered my wife and cheerfully headed for the goal.
We went through the courtyard to the open floor under the chapel. The floor was great: it still had ancient castle tile, black and white, like in the movies about medieval knights.
We went inside. If you looked to the left, there was something like a shed where shovels and other gardening supplies were stored. There were also some hunting trophies on the floor. On the right was the beginning of the fourth tower. And there was a heavy, faded tapestry hanging on it.
Nora decided to check for a door behind the tapestry. She pushed it away, but there was a wall there, covered with dust. A minute later she stepped out away from the tapestry, cleaning dust off herself. Suddenly we noticed the owners coming out of the kitchen and heading into the yard.
“Hide! Quickly!” Nora whispered as she grabbed my hand.
We backed up behind the tower so that the owners could not see us. It was fun just like when I was a kid.
While we hid, we saw an open passage to the balcony. It’s not even a balcony; it’s more like a platform or terrace from which in the old days, apparently, there was a view of the moat.
As soon as the Duprés went outside, we slipped onto the terrace. What a picturesque view! It’s a pity the count didn’t bring us here… of course, it wasn’t safe because the balcony was low, and one could easily fall into the moat; but what a lively, historical panorama that opened in front of us! The old walls were partly covered with moss, apparently because it was wet there. We also saw caves in the moat below. It was quite strange as there should have been water in the moat. If you looked at the castle itself, it seemed majestic and huge.
“Look, Anton!” My wife pointed to the right. “An entrance! And a passage around the tower!”
“Indeed, it looks like a passage for gunsmiths. I think they defended the castle from here in case of a siege. Let’s go and see.”
We walked along a narrow corridor that led around the tower. I followed my wife.
“The door! Anton, here it is!” Nora smiled now. “But what is that?” she suddenly said.
A pentagram was carved on the massive door… not a very pleasant start.
“Latin inscriptions… God, why is that?” Nora whispered.
“A spell for tourists?” I tried to joke. Then I added, “My dear, I don’t like it.”
My wife did not pay attention to my warning and pulled the door by the massive handle. The door swayed but didn’t open. Obviously, it was securely locked. The owners did not want anyone to go in there.
“We have to open it,” Nora said firmly.
“You’re crazy! They will definitely find us!”
To be honest, I was not thrilled with the idea of making problems abroad instead of quietly enjoying my vacation. “Please, please, let’s come up with something!” My wife did not give up.
“Okay ….”
Then I remembered about the utility room. I went there to look for some tools. I found a bolt cutter, and five minutes later I was hacking into someone else’s property. After all, marriage is a dangerous thing. I have been warned more than once.
Soon I opened the door to the tower. It was dark from the threshold.
“Where’s the flashlight? Let’s go!”
My wife turned it on and cheerfully stepped inside.
“Maybe you shouldn’t…” I tried for the last time to make a call for common sense.
“This is a real adventure!” Nora exclaimed and smiled brightly again. “Come on!”
There was nothing I could do. A wife’s smile is more important than problems with the law.
Beyond the door was a spiral staircase leading up, just as in the third tower… and there were no catastrophic traces of destruction here. I must pay tribute to my wife: she was right.
The count lied to us… but why?
Chapter 5 Disappeared Children
Fortune rota volvitur; Descendo minoratus;
The Wheel of Fortune is turning I find myself at the bottom.
~Vagants’ poems about fate
Nora’s diary
11.09.2016
The count is definitely lying! It’s all weird, and I’m going to get to the bottom of it. I feel like I should.
This tower has left an indelible mark on my memory. I’ve never seen anything more heart-wrenching. We started walking up to the first room. There was a massive, carved, wooden door… however, a little worn out. Near it hung rosary beads on the wall. I wonder why.
We opened the heavy door and saw something incredible: the room did not look destroyed at all but rather neglected; and there was a feeling as if its owner had left for a while and would soon return. A huge bed sat against the wall to the right. There was a large fireplace. Everything was the same as in the other tower, but everything here was well preserved! There was a desk next to the window and an old bookcase along the wall to the left. A chest stood on either side of a table. A tapestry depicting hunting scenes hung on the wall near the bed. Everything was very dusty and dirty, but there was no doubt about the authenticity of these things.
I immediately rummaged