Olaf House Deep in the gloomiest area of the southernwoods lived the Olaf family. Though they were large in numbers they lived scattered throughout the land. Long ago they were a prestigious family, one that rivalled all others, now they were forced to hide amongst the trees like rats. It was none of their faults that creditors crippled them. A sly salesman had promised to bring them great wealth in a foolproof scheme. The man turned out to be nothing more then a rat in disguise and the Olafs turned out to be the true fools in the end. They were forced out of their homes and set to live in shacks that they could barely afford. The troubles took a large toll on many and strife soon finished the latter off, leaving only the remaining few still living in obscurity, awaiting their return to high society. On that solemn night Mrs. Olaf stood upon the pouch of their rickety home, a building that was even older then she and should have been condemned ages ago. She watched the skies as she prepared her plans to take back what her husband lost all those years ago. Now with him long buried she had become known as a murderous matriarch, brutal in ways of dealing with those in the family that step out of line. She was a malicious old woman with a black heart. Her hair always pulled back in a tight bun at the back of her head and held in place by a pair of knitting needles, a black mourning gown cut to mid forearm showing her long wrinkled arms and hands to the world, its lace neckline hugged tightly around her thin neck, only her long withered face to be seen. Thought lines creased her brow as she squinted at the stars, reading them for some hint of the coming day. She was an old gypsy of sorts and knew a lot about the arcane arts and fortune telling. Tonight the stars seemed worrisome and their patterns intrigued the old woman. "Auntie?" A child's voice broke through the old woman's musing, "Is everything alright?" A small girl of merely thirteen years looked up at the woman with curious concern in her eyes. Her hair pulled to either side in pigtails and an oversized dress covering her frail body. A large bloodhound stood at the girl's side also watching the woman. The old dam turned her deep sunken eyes upon the child, "The stars tell me that a great evil is about to befall our lands." She simply remarked. The child glanced up at the stars and tilted her head curiously at them, "They do? Are you going to help stop them, Auntie?" She asked with huge pleading eyes. The old woman's laugher filled the empty woods causing many crows to scatter to the air, "My dear Alice, your innocence is so reassuring at times." She pointed up at the sky, "This evil is what we have been awaiting all this time. It will free us from our bounds and raise us back up to the height of nobility." She hissed, "It just needs a little help along the way." "Will me and Macbeth get to play too?" Alice asked patting the dog on the head. "We will all get to play soon enough my child." Mrs. Olaf rung her hands together greedily as she glazed across the yard towards the twinkling lights of town then down upon the child's curious face again, "I have just the job for you." She touched Alice's little button nose with one of her long nailed causing the girl to wiggle it, "Come with me." She signalled for the girl to follow as the old dam opened the door to the house with the girl and dog following. The door creaked in protest of being moved, its hinges long in need of repair. Inside was a single large room that served as a kitchen, dining area and den. The old woman walked across the room, her footfalls echoed upon the old floorboards, under which she had buried her old husband, a toothy smile playing across her face every time she treaded over the man's shallow grave. She only wished that she had killed the man earlier. She pulled out a chair from around the old table and placed it next to the fireplace at the far wall, where a large black caldron hung over a roaring fire. "What is that?" Alice asked plugging her nose from the smell that emitted as the woman lifted the lid off the caldron with a mittened hand. Macbeth sniffed at the air then yelped as if in pain and ran out of the room to lie upon the patio once again. "A special something for our noble friends." The old dam chuckled softly as she stirred her brew with a large wooden spoon, and then stood up to look upon the many jars that were set along the fireplace mantel. She grabbed jar filled with a brown powder and sprinkled a pinch into the caldron, "That should do it." She exclaimed with hideous glee. "That should do what?" A voice asked from the door. A rugged man with a large scruffy black beard covering his full face and a corncob pipe sticking out of his mouth stepped into the house, "I'm sorry to intrude, but your door was open." He carefully closed the door behind him. The woman turned to look at the man, "It is about time you arrived, Henry." She stated coldly as she pulled an empty glass jar off the mantle, "The day is at hand and I have a job for you." She spooned a large scoop of deep green goo from the caldron into the jar until it was filled to the brim and screwed the lid on tight. "I'm sorry, ma'am." The handyman apologized, "I was busy in town. There is a rather agitated mood to the folks today." He explained taking off his fisherman's hat, "Made my job rather difficult." "Well, the days of working for others are about to end." Mrs. Olaf stated as she filled yet another jar of the brew, "Alice, dear?" She called the girl to her side, "I want you to do something for your Auntie." "What?" The girl's eyes glimmered with excitement. The old woman patted the girl on the head, "I love that eagerness of yours." She said with a warm smile, "I want you to take this to the Holland Manor and break it upon the building walls. Can you do that for me?" She asked politely. "What is it?" She asked curiously gazing at the jar in the woman's hands. She was almost certain she saw something swimming amongst the foggy green substance in the jar. "A gift." Mrs. Olaf explained gently, "Now I want you to be careful not to drop it." She picked up a basket from under the table, placed both jars carefully within before handing it to the girl, "Also, could you take your lonesome cousin Cecil with you?" She asked politely, "He broke three of my best plates and I really do not wish to see the likes of him for a while." She added in distaste. Alice nodded in understanding; "I think I saw him near the bog. I'll go find him." She took the basket in hand and skipped out the door, "Ceeeeccciiilllll!!!!" She called out for the boy. Henry Basset watched the girl's peculiarity, "What was that all about just now, ma'am?" He asked feeling left out. The old woman was filling yet another jar, "Just a concoction I've created to spice things up in town a little." Mrs. Olaf stated as she placed another jars gentle into another basket, "Is Lady Greystoke still planning renovations of the castle tomorrow?" She asked and gave him a smile that set a shiver through his spine. "Y... yes, ma'am." Henry answered nervously, "and I joined the work crew just as you asked too." The old woman's grin broadened, "Good, good." She picked up the basket and handed it over to the man, "Tomorrow Lady Greystoke will be in for a surprise." She stated with a light chuckle. "Come pick me up first thing in the morning. You will find your pay in the basket. Do not be late." She demanded. "Ah... Alright..." Henry anxiously stammered and scratched his head, "Whatever you say ma'am." He quickly left the house. Not sure if he should ask any more questions. **** "Cecil, Where are you?" Alice snarled in annoyance as the branches of yet another bush tugged upon the hem of her dress. Her innocent demeanour all but faded now that she was out of the earshot of her Aunt, "What does he find so compelling about this hellish brush?" She struggled with her garment getting increasingly frustrated, "Let me go!" She hissed and with one final tug the twig broke free causing the girl to stumble backwards and nearly trip over something. She managed to hold tight onto the basket as she regained her balance. "Hey!" A young boy of maybe fourteen years got to his feet, "Watch where you are goin'?" He snapped as he spun around to face the intruder to his domain. His eyes widened in shock as they fell upon his younger cousin, "Alice, what are you doing out here?" He asked in surprise to see the girl so deep in the forest at night. To say the girl disliked the boy would be a large understatement. She glared menacingly at the boy, glancing at his muddy trouser and torn shirt in disgust. Alice took a deep breath to calm herself, "Our aunt wants you to come to town with me." She stated with a sigh, loathing the idea of being with her filthy cousin. "Why?" Cecil asked, scratching his head in dismay. Alice shook her head and tried to cover her disdain, "Why can't you be more a gentleman for once. Are you just going to let a young lady go to town alone after dark?" She posed. "What lady?" Cecil inquired looking around the woods. Alice clenched her teeth, "Me, you fool!" She announced now seething with anger, "Fine, I'll just have to explain to our Aunt why I was forced to go on my own." She turned with a twirl and started towards town. Cecil stood watching the girl push her way through the trees. He milled over his options weighing both outcomes. While he did not really care what happened to his cousin he feared the wrath of his Aunt even more. As Alice began to disappear into the shadows the decision became very apparent and he started after the girl, "Wait!" The boy called out after his cousin, "I'll go with you." ****** Not far from Holland Manor a large old cemetery stretched out across the land, where many of the towns ancestors now lay. Travellers to the hall found themselves venturing closer to this hallowed land of the dead then they would normally dare. There always seemed to be a light fog drifting over the ground making it hard to see anything apart from a few headstones peeking out here and there. On that late night the Holland Twins wove their way through the many headstones. Their black clothes almost making them seem as one with the shadows. They crept sure-footed through some of the less travelled areas of the graveyard. All of a sudden the eerie silence was broken by the sounds of giggles in this dead land. "What have you found, Alison?" One of the girls queried as she jumped a small bush to come to her sister's side. "Nothing much Alex." The other girl announced, "Just an old friend." She stated pointing at a wooden cross sticking out of the ground. The cross-comprised of two pieces of floorboard and had a name carved hastily upon its surface. Alexandria smiled down at the sight of the cross, "Poor little Amanda. I wonder if she is doing well?" "Shall we see?" Alison suggested with a wicked grin while holding out a shovel to her sister. The twin took the tool in hand, "Yes, let's give the girl a little hello." She set the spade upon the dirt, placed her foot along the flat and gave a quick shove causing the blade to cut through the soil. It did not take them long before Alexandria hit something other then dirty. "I think I hit something." Alexandria stated pulling her shovel out of the dirt. Alison was the first to drop to the ground, digging at the soil with her bare hands, "I found her!" She called out in excitement as she uncovered a socked foot. "I thought for sure that we buried her deeper then this." Alexandria uttered slightly distressed, "Good thing a wolf did not find her." "A wolf!" Alison's eyes brightened with glee at the idea, "She could have been torn to shreds." A small giggle emitted from her lips. Alexandria shook her head at her sister, "You and your fascination with animals." At that moment Alexandria thought she heard a sound from behind her, "Someone is coming!" She exclaimed anxiously as she ducked low to the ground, "Bloody hell this is not good. We can't be caught here." Alison peeked her head out of the shallow grave, "It is perfect." She said with a malicious glint in her eye. She caught a glimpse of movement from the corner of her vision, "To your left." She whispered. She pulled a small dagger from the sash around her waist, then leapt out of the hole and darted between the stone with her sister moving with equal stealth right behind her. Within seconds Alison found her prey and was upon them. She sprung out of the shadows swiftly and her knife found her victim's throat with ease. She jabbed the blade deep into the person's neck and grinned in delight at the sight of the crimson that covered her hands. She pulled the blade free and ducked out of the way as her sister sprung from her hiding spot. Alexandria brought her shovel hard across the person's face with enough force to cause the person to fall backwards into someone else and send the lot of them tumbling to the ground. "Cecil!?!" A voice screamed out and the twins stepped forwards to face their new prey to find Alice struggling from beneath her cousin. "Evening Alice!" Alison merrily greeted the girl while wiping the blood off her knife with her dress. "Alice, it has been so long!" Alexandria exclaimed in excitement, "Where have you been?" She asked, offering a helping hand to the girl. "Hi Lady Alison, Lady Alexandria." Alice greeted the girls in a bit of a daze then blinked at her dying cousin and let out a sigh, "Stupid boy." She freed herself from under the boy, took Alexandria's hand pulled herself to her feet. She took on more look at her cousin and shook her head at the sight of him. There was a bloody smear where his nose used to be and an awful gash along the side of his neck, which was spewing blood; Alice felt it made quite an improvement to his rather ungodly face. He clenched at his throat as he choked on his own blood. He reached out his other hand towards Alice, "Agg...lic...sss" He stuttered with his dying breath. Alison looked down at the boy and cupped her hands over her mouth "I'm sorry...Was... he someone special to you?" She inquired, slightly doubtful of her actions, but not entirely. "No, Lady Alison." Alice answered bluntly, shaking her head, "Just my foolish cousin. I told him not to investigate those sounds. I knew it had to be the two of you." She stated still watching the boy's blood spill out over the ground and then turned to face the twin. "What were you up? Burying someone?" She asked as she eagerly peered over Alison's shoulders. "Just checking on someone." Alexandria stated nonchalantly, "What about you? Out for a nightly killing?" Alice let out a disappointed sigh, "No, Lady Alexandria. Unfortunately I was on an errand for my Aunt." Alice explained, she suddenly became aware that she was no longer holding the basket, "Oh no! Where did the basket go?" She searched around her cousin to find the basket had fallen to the ground not far from his head and the jars smashed upon a headstone. The brew completely absorbed into the earthen soil, "Oh no! Auntie is going to kill me!" Alison looked down at the shards of glass, "What was in the jar?" She asked curiously. Alice spun around to Alison, her face distraught with worry, "It is a potion my Aunt made for your family, Lady Alison. This is horrible." Alexandria stabbed the end of her shovel into the ground and set her hand upon the end, "There is nothing we can do now, however we should do something about him." She nodded towards Cecil. Alison clapped her hand together with glee, "We can put him with Amanda. They will not be lonely that way." She stated with a giggle. Alex scratched her head, "You are something else you know that." She remarked uneasy about her sisters increasing peculiar nature, "I will never understand you, even with you being my twin. Well, let us get a move on then." She stepped over to the dead boy and grabbed him by a foot, "Someone willing to help me here?" She pleaded. "I'll dig the hole bigger!" Alison exclaimed, grabbing the shovel from where her sister's had planted it and skipping ahead. "I guess that leaves me." Alice said with a sigh as she reluctantly grabbed a hold of her cousin's leg and prepared to heave, "You know there is a better way to dispose of him then burying him here, Lady Alexandria" She commented. "Burning him is out of the question." Alex returned coolly, "We do not want to attract to much attention so close to my home, now do we?" She inquired giving the girl a knowing glance. "Darn." Alice responded dismally. She enjoyed the way the flames crawled across a human body, but she knew that Alexandria was right. Alex had been the brain of the group of little killers since they first met three years ago, seeing as the twins were years older then Alice she respected their decisions when it came to who to kill and how to dispose of the evidence. She was just glad that they allowed her to be part of the fun. She found herself glancing over at her friend as they dragged her cousin's body through the graveyard. A blush came across her face as she realized she was staring at the girl when Alison's screams shattered the silence of the graveyard. Both girls dropped what they were doing to run to Alison's side. They found the girl standing before the shallow grave that only moments before they had been digging. She was pale white and shaking violently. "What is wrong?" Alexandria asked distressed by the look of fear that was etched across her sister's face, "You look as if you have seen a ghost." "I... h.. have..." Alison shakily said and pointed at the bottom of the hole in front of them, that which now stood emptiness. Were before lay the body of Amanda were now only signs of a person clawing at the edge of the pit and muddy foot prints could be seen leaving the hole. Alexandria and Alice exchanged fear filled glances as they wondered what could have happened to the body. **** To be continued...
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