Roxana's Dream

The sound of cards shuffling reverberated throughout the foyer. The mansion had dark walls that seemed almost black now that it was night. There wasn’t much to occupy the entryway to the manor; the only thing in the room was a card table. There were eight players now, although there had been ten before. The dealer sat directly in front of me. His large hands worked quickly to deal out cards to the players. To my left sat my little brother. He was staring down at the wooden panels that made up the large, round table. To his left was my little sister. She looked around aimlessly as if she didn’t understand what was happening. To the left of her was my other sister, closer in age to me than my other two siblings. She had the terrifying task of sitting next to the dealer, but she showed no fear. She had a look of sheer determination on her face. The dealer was a huge man, whose hands alone were the size of coconuts. His head was almost bald, but he compensated for it with a long beard and mustache combo that looked as if it hadn’t been trimmed in years. The dealer slammed the remaining cards down on the table. The sound thundered through the room and the game began.

We started playing cards. I’m not exactly sure what we were playing, but I got the gist of it. It was sort of like rummy mixed with blackjack. The hand progressed as cards were taken and discarded by the eight players. Everyone was shaking as they played, trying hard to concentrate, but at the same time so scared they were about to scream. Everyone’s face looked as if they were contemplating whether or not to run, I’m sure mine did too. At the end of the hand we all put down our cards face up on the table. The dealer studied the cards carefully then pointed to a boy who was sitting on his right. The boy yelled, “No, please! Give me another chance!” The dealer simply pointed to the stairs behind him at the right side of the foyer. The boy looked at the stairs for a moment, and then bolted for the door in the opposite direction of the stairs. He was so horrified that he tripped and fell at the threshold. None of the other players tried to help him, we knew what would happen if we did. That’s how the second player had gone.

The boy was scrambling to his feet now, but it was too late. There was a load noise like a ninety mile per hour wind blowing through a dense forest. The wind stopped suddenly as the boy went flying up the stairs. He got to his feet and, trembling, opened the door on the second floor landing. From the table I couldn’t see what was inside the room, but I could feel it. I could feel the evil, and the pain, and the torment, seeping through my skin. I was sure the others could feel it too, because they all cringed and the girl on my right even began to sob. Once the boy closed the door, the feeling was gone, and so was he.

Satisfied, the dealer retrieved all of the cards and began to shuffle again. The cards looked like they belonged to a doll in his monstrous hands. I began to formulate a plan as he made a bridge with the cards again and again. We had to get out of here, my brother and sisters and I. I didn’t know what was up the stairs, but I knew if we went up we wouldn’t be coming back down. The girl to my right was still sobbing. Once the dealer was finished, she picked up her cards, but she hardly looked at them. She had given up, and was completely distraught. I felt sorry for her, and for what I was about to do, but I had to put my family first.

I looked at her hand discreetly as she sobbed. The order of play was such that I could manipulate the deck and make it impossible for her to win. She just thought she was having awful luck, and sobbed louder and louder as her hand became more and more hopeless. When we put our cards on the table it was obvious that she had lost. The dealer pointed to her immediately, and she gave in without a fight. Slowly, she climbed the steps and opened the door at the top of the stairs. There was a piercing shriek, and then she was gone.

At first I felt triumphant, but then I considered the larger situation. What if we did win? The dealer and the evil wind and whatever was at the top of the stairs probably wouldn’t let us go. They had brought us here to do something, and I had a feeling they were determined to succeed. How we had gotten here I wasn’t quite sure. It seemed like we had just appeared in our seats at the table. I didn’t seem like I was forgetting anything, but I couldn’t really remember what was happening before we got here either.

I decided that winning wasn’t the answer. We had to escape somehow. This time I manipulated the game so that my hand was a bad one. I purposely discarded good cards and picked bad ones as often as possible. When the round was over, the dealer considered the player’s hands for a moment then turned to point at me.

I stood up proudly, doing my very best not to look afraid. I firmly ascended the stairs. At the doorway I stood staring at the old brass knob on the door. I took in a deep breath and entered the room.

It was hard not to lose all my will power with the dark and hopeless feeling inside the room. I now realized it was a bathroom. There was a sink on my left and a window in front of me. On the right of the window there was a tub covered by a shower curtain. Even with the curtain closed I could tell the tub was where the feeling was coming from. I stood for a moment, not sure what was going to happen. Eventually, I was overwhelmed by curiosity. Whether the curiosity was my own or an affect of the mansion, I wasn’t sure. I slowly pulled back the curtain to reveal the tub. It was rather ordinary, except it didn’t have a bottom. Instead there was a huge pit leading down into darkness.

As I was taking in the pit, I failed to realize what was hovering over it. There was a ghost there. It was a silvery white figure with no real shape. The first time I looked at it I saw a woman in a wedding dress. The second time I saw a soldier in a U.S. camouflage uniform. The third time I saw the girl who had been sitting next to me at the card table. I knew the ghost wanted me to go into the pit, but I wasn’t just going to hop into the tub.

“Who are you?” I asked the ghost.

There was no answer. After a few seconds I repeated the question. There was a soft hissing reply, barely intelligible. The words sounded like they were made of mist, just like the ghost.

“I am the dead.”

“Like the Grim Reaper?” I figured I should prolong this conversation as long as possible. From the ghost’s reluctance to speak I assumed no one else had tried to talk to it.

The hissing sounded annoyed this time.

“Not Death. The dead.”

“Oh, I see. So, what’s in that pit down there?” I persisted.

“You know what lies in the pit.” The ghost said in an even more frustrated voice.

“Hell.” I said. It wasn’t a question. The ghost was right; I knew what was in the pit somehow. It was Hell. The dealer and the wind and the evil feeling and now the ghost wanted to send us to Hell.

“Come down. Descend into the world of dark.” The ghost insisted. “With suffering comes solace.”

“No!” I yelled. “I am not going to Hell!”

The ghost yelled as well as it could in its hissing voice. “You will be taken one way or another.”

The ghost was getting angry; I wouldn’t be able to keep this up much longer. The ghost started to move towards me, but just then the door to the bathroom swung open. My two sisters stepped inside the room.

“We tied for last.” Said the elder. “I’m so happy you’re still alive!” She hugged me. She obviously hadn’t seen the ghost yet. My younger sister looked at me.

“Why is that boy from downstairs still here?” She asked, her eyes fixed on the misty figure.

My other sister turned and saw the ghost. She stared at it with her determined eyes, but the ghost stared right back.

“Three is too many at once. You must go one at a time.” It hissed at us.

“Go one at a time where?” My youngest sister squeaked.

“The tub.” I told her. “It’s an entrance to Hell.”

Both of my sisters grasped and clung to each other. I still hadn’t figured away out of here, and the ghost was growing impatient.

“Enough!” It screeched. “It is time!” The ghost lunged forward and grabbed my littlest sister.

I didn’t understand how mist could touch things, but judging by how hard my sister struggled, the ghost had a pretty good hold on her. She screamed, but the ghost dragged her towards the tub. My other sister and I grabbed at the ghost, but our fingers slipped through it. I guess the mist was optional.

I was more terrified than I’d ever been since we’d entered the mansion. I couldn’t believe this ghost was going to take my poor little sister! I didn’t know what to do. I searched my mind for a plan, but I just couldn’t think. The ghost had my sister over the tub before the door opened. The ghost became distracted and my sister managed to slip away, running to my side. My brother came into the room, gaping at the ghost. Then it finally hit me. The window. It was a two story drop, but it was our best shot.

I ran to the front of the room and pried it open.

“Come on!” I shouted.

My siblings all clambered over and out of the window, tumbling to the ground. The ghost lunged after us, but we were too fast. I went out the window last, just before the ghost grabbed me. I smashed my head on the ground. Everything was spinning for a minute, but then I was okay. All of us seemed to have sustained only minor injuries, so I hurried all of them to their feet and then we were running.

We ran for a long time. First we were running down a dirt path, then a gravel road, then one paved with asphalt. Eventually we made it to a parking lot. I still felt like we needed to run, to get farther away. There was a lone convertible parked in the middle of the lot. I wasn’t sixteen yet, but I yelled to my siblings to get in anyway and I climbed into the driver’s seat.

The keys weren’t in the ignition, but after rummaging in the glove box for a few seconds I found them. I put them in and twisted them. Then I pulled the car into gear and we were off. I had no idea where we were going, just away. I don’t know how long we drove for, but eventually I started to see other cars on the road. A little while after that I saw a sign that said WELCOME TO VIRGINIA. I didn’t know how we’d gotten to Virginia, but then again I didn’t know how we’d gotten to the mansion. I had no frame of reference, so I figured it might be a reasonable distance.

As we entered the state I could see many farms spread across the countryside. We were all so tired. It was still dark, but the sun was beginning to lighten. I estimated it was maybe five in the morning. We drove for a while longer until I got so tired I knew we had to stop. I turned down a dirt road into one of the farms and drove up to a deserted old barn.

We got out of the convertible and went inside, huddling up together near the entrance. We looked out at the Virginia sunrise and I finally felt safe. The warm sun shone down on us and the night seemed to wash away. I knew everything was going to be okay. We would all get home somehow, and go back to our normal lives. One by one my siblings drifted to sleep, and by the time the sun reached above the horizon, I was dreaming as well.