| Horror and Thriller Fiction posted November 22, 2024 |
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Children discover the answer to an unsolved mystery
An Unpleasant Thanksgiving
by HarryT
This year, the Hanover family gathered for their annual Thanksgiving dinner at an old family mansion, which was owned by Great Grandfather George, because he could no longer travel. The place was a grandiose relic of the past, filled with ornamentation of a European castle. It overlooks a river and a large medieval appearing forest. Jason, 14, Mariah, 12, and Jane, 8, had not been to the mansion, and were promised a tour after the Thanksgiving festivities.
The family gathered in the large library before dinner for appetizers, wine, and cocktails. The air buzzed with anticipation and nostalgia as family members shared stories and laughter. And then there was a moment of silence when Aunt Joan brought up the story of her Aunt Susan, who it was said had run off with her lover and was never heard from again.
After the sumptuous meal, featuring seven courses catered by three servants, everyone moved to the drawing room for coffee and desserts. As the conversation flowed among the adults, the children decided they would take a self-guided tour of the twelve bedroom mansion. The three, led by Jason, trotted up the marble staircase to the second floor, where eight of the bedrooms were located. They opened the doors but found nothing of interest. They went to the third floor. The first door opened into a large area that was once used as a playroom which was still well stocked with dolls, dollhouses and a hobby horse and toy tin soldiers and toy guns. The tin soldiers were slowly molding away. Mariah and Jane loved the room.
Jason wasn’t as interested and wandered back into the third floor hallway. Reaching the end of the hall, he discovered an undersized door. He pushed it open and found a narrow staircase. Reaching for his cellphone, he turned on the flashlight. He began his assent. His shoulders brushed against the sidewalls. When Jason reached the top of the stairs, he flashed his light and saw the attic was a labyrinth of shadows, an eerie space choked with dust and cobwebs. The air hung heavy and stale, with the smell of decaying wood. He flashed his light into a corner where a large black glob spilled from the corner joint of the roof. He immediately thought of mold, which he had learned about in his biology class. The entire attic rendered the thought of some place that was forgotten by time. His step produced an ominous creak. Like a warning not to continue any further. But Jason, driven by curiosity, continued into the attic, but he felt that each step he took whispered a warning. However, he continued flashing his light into the corners. There he saw a giant chest. He pushed aside cobwebs as he walked toward it. It was made of poplar wood. Jason knew the wood because his family's basement at home had a wall panel with the same wood. It had two leather handles that looked as if they would disintegrate if you touched them. It also had a large black lock. Jason approached the trunk, lifted the latch, and discovered it was open.
Meanwhile, Mariah and Jane had come up the stairs. He was so intense looking over the trunk that he did not hear the girls. Mariah touched him on the shoulder, and he jumped back, almost knocking Mariah over. “Holy cow, Mariah, you scared the heck out of me.”
“Sorry, what are you doing?” She said.
“Looking at this trunk. I wonder what’s in it.”
“Probably just old clothes.”
“Here, hold my flashlight. I want to get this open. I got to see what’s inside.”
He handed his cellphone to Mariah. He lifted the crown top, it cracked open, he placed his fingers in the crack and pried open the crown top.
Mariah shined the light, and there was a dress, but under the dress were raw human bones. Mariah dropped the cellphone. The three children panicked and ran back to the staircase. They rushed into the drawing room, where the adults were still engaged in conversation.
Mariah shined the light, and there was a dress, but under the dress were raw human bones. Mariah dropped the cellphone. The three children panicked and ran back to the staircase. They rushed into the drawing room, where the adults were still engaged in conversation.
Jane screamed, “We found Aunt Susan!”
Her father, Steven, approached her and said, “Now Jane, have you guys been telling ghost stories?”
“No, Uncle Steve,” Jason said, “we found bones in a dress in an old chest up in the attic.”
Steve turned to Great Grandfather George, who had turned a shade of ghost white and was grabbing his chest. The last words he uttered were it had to be done, and he slumped in his chair.
Aunt Joan called 911, but when the EMTs arrived, they tried to revive him with a defibrillator, but he was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital.
The mystery of Susan’s disappearance was solved. In Great Grandfather George’s safe, they found a confession that stated Susan was going to run away with a man he disapproved of and that he had killed her. He did not want such a man able to inherit the family wealth.
The Hanover family never again gathered the entire family for Thanksgiving. Shock, grief, and memory of the discovery overwhelmed them. The Hanover family made the decision to celebrate Thanksgiving within their own immediate families, creating their own pleasant memories of the holiday meal.
Thanksgiving Shocker contest entry
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