Chapter 4
Several years passed… Old, but still quite in good condition, Renault rolled along the sloping, hilly terrain, jumping from bump to bump every now and then. In his back seat were two teenagers, the oldest was about 16, the youngest 11. The mood was absolutely not.
– You will see, – began the father of the family, – you will definitely like it.
– How much longer? – Liza asked with displeasure. She was very tired from a long trip and did not like this unexpected move at all. However, she did not hide her claims. – And you had to move so soon? Why didn’t you like our old little house?
– I understand, you are tired. – Mom reassured, intervening in the conversation, – but be patient a little more… We have almost arrived..
– No! You do not understand! There … «» she paused for a minute, restraining herself, `` all my friends Max, Jane, Gulya… all…
– You will find new friends … – Dad did not give up.
– Friends don’t change like gloves! – snapped Lisa.
And then the car braked sharply, hitting another bump and was completely exhausted, and smoke, black in soot, floated out of the carburetor, and began to smell.
– Well, everyone has arrived … – issued the silent one all the way, the younger. «You’re always whining and you’re unhappy with everything.» She jumped out after him. The fuss began.
– Stop both! – shouted at them mom.
– Why does he imitate me all the time?
«Be-be-be!» Serik made a grimace again and hid behind his mother’s back.
– Here I am! – Lisa tried to catch him again and almost grabbed his T-shirt, but he dodged again.
– Enough! I said enough! They will drive me crazy … – my mother sighed and turning to her husband asked – How long is there left?
The father of the family rummaged in the carburetor, realized that he could not do anything. His face and hands were completely covered in soot. Then he took the map and looked at it, smiling broadly:
– We have already arrived. But the father of the family seemed to read their thoughts, adding:
– All looked around, there was an impenetrable forest. And where is Home?
«There’s a house around the corner.
Everyone took their bags and walked a little along the broken asphalt and really saw a turn and then a huge, old mansion and gasped, some from surprise, some from despair…
– Cool! – said Serik admiringly, whistling.
«Utopia,» Liza said almost crying.
– Well, come into the house! – suggested the father of the family and walked forward.
The dull, neglected castle created a gloomy impression, and the garden overgrown with nettles and weeds did not paint it at all. The huge black eye sockets of the windows seemed to follow them wherever they went, wherever they hid. The ugly, time-cracked windows were visible from everywhere. Lizzie, as she liked to call herself in the English manner, even saw in one of them the outlines of a thin girlish figure hiding behind an old, velvet curtain on the second floor.
– Does someone live here? – asked Lizzie
– No. – the owner sold the castle long ago. It has been empty for some time. There is absolutely no one here. «» An elderly, but rather sweet madam answered, meeting them at the very entrance. – there is only an old gardener. – she smiled sweetly. – But he comes here early in the morning. You see, he has been looking after this garden all his life and now it is simply a pity to throw him out into the street. But don’t worry. He is completely harmless, albeit sullen in appearance.
Digging at this time at the other end of the overgrown garden gloomy. a hunched, bearded old man suddenly emerged from its depths and, muttering something in their direction, passed by.
Alexey Ivanitch, stretching out his hand to say hello, awkwardly pulled it back and was embarrassed.
– Y-yes … – he mumbled.. – Well, please, our new home – he smiled as if nothing had happened, l trying with all his appearance to make it clear that nothing in general had happened and offered to enter the house. Although the house was old, it still retained its splendor: ornate marble staircases climbed to the second floor, marble, Italian tiles, albeit battered in places and faded, high ceilings depicting mysterious paintings of the Renaissance, doors made of turtle shells, beautiful sculptures of paradise maidens with bowls, meeting them at the very entrance and a boy with a gold fish at the fountain, in which there really was no water now. And the whole mansion itself was covered with a thick layer of dirt and dust, and in some places mold was in full bloom.
`` A little repair and it will shine. «» Father encouraged him enthusiastically.
– yes … – said Lizzie. – it only slightly touched the plaster and it crumbled almost all over, covering the entire space with itself.
– That’s all we have. – the father answered quietly.
– He’s just super! – said Serik in delight and quickly with the speed of lightning flew up the stairs to the second floor to look for his room.
Chapter 5
The old dilapidated castle was not at all happy with the arrival of new owners, rather, on the contrary, he resisted this with every particle of it, every creaking board underfoot on the second floor, a dark attic impenetrable to light, where, in addition to the old, thick cobwebs and black, fat spiders, yes bats have never existed and nothing. After the first owners, a little more than a whole century passed. This is quite mature enough for a castle of this type, which contains many secrets and ghosts. And now, as soon as Serik entered the house, he sighed heavily in a gusty cold wind that burst through the suddenly opened shutters of huge, gloomy eye-sockets-windows. He worried and hesitated, staggered slightly to the side and creaked with each of his floorboards, and impressive cracks appeared on the clean, polished marble. These cracks crept from top to bottom on the walls of the upper floors, and through them seeped black, smelly, like oil, slurry, which seemed to boil with rage and indignation at those who disturbed their peace. But all these changes have remained unnoticed by the new owners. As it remained unnoticed, that disgusting suspension also leaked from the pantry located under the first floor and tightly locked by a weighty old lock through the crack and followed the boy. Chasing him on his heels, and where she crawled everything washed away a little bit preserved white and colored patterns on the walls were covered with black and green mold with a corresponding damp stench for her. For a minute the boy stopped, feeling someone breathing behind his back, as if someone was standing quite close to him and breathing Serik right into the back of his head. He turned sharply, but he saw nothing but old mold on the walls and a beating cobweb on the high ceiling. «Strange,» the boy thought, «I thought there was definitely someone here, but where is he?» He walked a couple more steps back and looked around, but saw no one. On this floor he was completely alone. He shrugged his shoulders and a minute later forgot about this incident, jumped up and ran on, humming an unpretentious song: «Yoh-ho-ho!»
Lizzie didn’t care what room she was in. She was depressed and just slowly climbed up the old, creaky stairs. Then she walked along the dark, long corridor, looking now and then into her smartphone. But he’s dead. Wi-fi did