• The fire was burning down; almost all of the logs were gone. The maid tried to keep the fire going but it was no use. One of the windows was cracked slightly open because of the difficulty of closing it. So every once in a while a cold zephyr would make its way into the room disturbing the burning coals, putting them out just slightly. The stove in the living room the living room was decorated with an English style of red and gold carpet. The walls were painted off-white and if you looked close enough you could see the small places were tacks, and nails once held up pictures of untold memories. The hearth around the stove set the whole room off. It had a bright glow of cedar and the design was flowers carved into the brass that surrounded it. It was exquisite. If you stepped into the house you would notice that the architect had spent some time on the plans. It was a two story house. The stairs that wound to the top were soft fir, with a white hand rail. Along the stairway you would see paintings of people who once lived here but have now passed on.

    At the top of the stairs the carpet started again, but it wasn’t the red and gold type, instead it was a light sky blue with silver bells on it. The second floor held two guest rooms and a large bedroom for the person that lived there. The bathroom was in the corner of the top floor and it was decorated in jungle animals, which consisted of wild cats to small monkeys. Downstairs held the kitchen and the Dining Room. The kitchen was bland. It seemed as if it was the gloomiest part of the whole house. It consisted of a black and white tile toped island that was located in the center. The silver cabinets and sinks were oily and dark. The dining room to the left of the kitchen had a dark ten foot cedar table in the middle with a large candlestick holder in the center. The table was used to hold meetings between the President and his cabinet when America first started; now all twenty chairs were empty and forgotten.


    The outside of the house was painted with a soft peach with a white creamy trim along the sides. The windows were large with crosses in the middle. There was a porch all along the house with a roof above and a rail on the outside of it. The door was made of solid oak and had runaway designs along the sides. The ancient house was now a monument; it was about 400 years old. It belonged to the government. It seemed as if everything belonged to the government nowadays.

    As the maid picked up her things she started to dust again. “This place is never going to be clean enough.” She said to herself. As she locked the door and started to leave she noticed that a window was open on the second floor. “Hmm… I don’t remember opening that!” She thought. She reopened the door went up stairs and shut the window. Just to make sure that everything was okay, she went into every room check to see if anything had been disturbed. All the sudden she stopped in her tracks. In the distance she had heard footsteps. “Was someone downstairs?” she wondered. Terrified she crept down the steps trying to remember which ones would squeak or not. When she finally reached the landing she stopped. This time she heard voices. “Bet she won’t forget after this to lock the window.” Laughter exploded in the room next to her. She was terrified, what would she do now?

    Trying desperately not to make any noise she called her friend Madeline. “Madi? Hi it’s Jessie. Look I’m at the monumental mansion, and I need you to call the police for me. Yes, the police. Why? Because there are two robbers in here with me and I am stuck. Joking are you kidding I am in desperate need of the police. RIGHT NOW! Thank you, bye!” As she hung up the phone she thought of how she was going to fight off these guys till the police got there. One thing good was that she knew the place better than these guys and could get around more easily because of secret hide a ways and tunnels that were not shown to the public when the house was up for tours. Also she liked to carry knickknack stuff in her pockets and purse just for fun. She searched her pockets for anything useful. She went back up the stairs and hid in a bedroom. She laid out her items on the carpet. She also searched her purse for weapons or tricks that she could use against them. “Needle, a spool of thread, marbles, gum, a small knife, and a live tarantula!” She smiled. She always carried her pet spider with her, it seemed to be a daily thing that she did now. After she got her items organized and ready, she heard footsteps heading up the stairs. Quickly she gathered every bit of courage she had in her and smiled. “They will never be ready for what awaits them.” She whispered into the night…




    SECTION 1 THE MONUMENTAL MANSION.