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Katie couldn't decide what was to be done. Her own body shuddered at the thought and looking at Lucy just made her shiver in the not so chilly climate. A wet snake slithered up and down her spine. Should she console Lucy or be frightened. The house did have a sinister look that Katie noticed right away when she entered. But, hearing something like that, so boldly in clear daylight was not something Katie has ever heard of. She hasn't even read something like this in any of the books. A tight knot of something undefined captured her beating heart. 

Looking around, her gaze fell upon a rolling figure on the ground, few feet away.

Em was practically having the time of her life, laughing to her heart's content into her fits. One fierce look and Katie understood it has something to do with Em.

"Not fair, Em!" Katie said with gritted teeth.

"Oh, my..." more laughter, "did you believe it too?" more and more laughter.

Lucy turned around and let it all out in one breath. A frustrated sigh erupted from her lips and she shoved some dried leaves and twigs on Em with her foot.

"You shouldn't have done that. I am already fried to my bones and you..." Lucy said, close to tears.

"Oh my God; you should have seen your face," Em said in between laughter.

"Em, quit being a child. Playing a prank on someone is not similar to scare them to death. You know, how imaginative and sensitive Lucy can be."

With her fierce tone and the not so amused glance, Em did stop laughing but once again, she erupted into wild hysterics. "I am sorry." She said in between laughter, "I can't help it."

"Come on Lucy," Katie said affectionately to a crying Lucy who was leaning on to the rustic pole of the swing. Even though the swing's plank was broken, the steel base was still intact, and Katie made Lucy sat on it. "Don't worry. She was just pulling your leg."

"No, Kat, I heard something in the beginning after I saw the girl. I did hear something whisper or it may be the wind... but do wind whisper and howl in a word, like go?"

"You are already stressed while coming here thought this was your own idea, but, since you were scared in the beginning, you imagined the wind whispering as if it was a warning."

"Katie, please be rational here, there was no wind or breeze that touched you, did it?" Lucy was crying badly and Em felt really bad, for doing what was a tad bit too much, she thought.

Katie was really stumped.

Indeed, there wasn't any trace of wind when she entered and she did see Lucy standing by the gate, looking scared; but, nothing in bold light could do something like this. Even if ghosts, as stated in some books are real, they will only come at night; as per the books.

However, they are a bunch of hogwash fiction to lure people in and Katie knew it. She was not a girl who believed in irrational thing. And now, this, whatever Lucy claimed was being really childish and irrational. Wasn't Lucy always scared of ghosts and monsters under the bed when young?

"The Wind may blow in any direction at any given time Lucy. When you entered, there was a light fluttering of leaves above me, I heard, but I didn't feel it. Like I said, wind blowing couldn't be defined. You heard something are your own fears materializing into imaginations; hallucinations. Now be a girl and come with us. A quick round to the right wing and we are off for today. And I think it's better we forget about this house. There isn't much for us to entertain here, anyway." Katie said and waited for Lucy to sober up. 

No matter, how much she tried, she was still looking as white as fresh milk.

"And Em, please don't be a baby and do something as harsh as this again. Do apologize!"

"I am sorry dear," Em said in a very tiny voice which made Lucy smile weakly.

Once that was settled, they moved through the back yard to the right side of the house and each step further was getting harder since the wildness has grown without a governess to tame them. Getting through the backyard to the right wing was impossible but being the fun loving enthusiastic, Em strutted forth, taking down all the dried roots and branches with her bare hands.

Once, halfway through the backyard, Lucy suddenly stumbled and fell, yelping weakly. Katie and Em were quickly by her side helping her stand up. As Katie inspected Lucy, she saw something jutted from the ground that looked too weird for a stone.

Plucking away wild weeds that were too strong for her, she cut her fingers and felt blood dribbling out. Paying no heed, she continued plucking away wilderness to find what made Lucy fall. 

Inspecting the painful part on her shin, Lucy could see a blackish bruise forming which made her wince in pain. Em rolled her eyes since she has endured far worse than few bruises.

Finally, Em helped Katie and both of them were able to pluck out most of it that covered the ground and at last, Em dusted away dirt and loose soil from the jutted stone and looked properly to see the jutted stone was in fact, marble.

Finding it odd that, a marble was jutted out like that of tombstones from the cemetery. Of course, it was a wild guess but soon Em gasped to see that indeed the marble was a tombstone with an Angel carved over the name which was too engrossed in the soil to read. Since they realized it was a tombstone; they stopped digging and quickly walked away from there.

Lucy was very much affected by the little incident since she was the one who walked over the grave to fall over the stone. According to her; she has already disturbed the dead. And of course, she said that aloud to make Em roll her eyes which really hurt Em's eyes.

Katie was deep in thoughts.

It was unusual to find graves in the backyard of houses and certainly, Bridge Mansion wasn't any sort of house; they looked healthy and well settled. Her thoughts climbed the Everest in search of answers and soon she found herself restless.

They didn't realize they shot out through the rugged wildness and was in fact, standing in the right wing of the house which looked even more crowded with roots, branches, and death. Lucy felt as if she was being suffocated by too many spirits. She imagined all these shoots and branches were in fact, the spirits that once lived in this mansion even though she knew nothing about the history.

Her breathing grew shallow and she gasped for breath.

"What's wrong Lucy?" Katie asked concerned.

"I... I want to..." Lucy wheezed as if it was really difficult to breathe.

Em slapped on her back real hard and said, "Relax, you are overreacting. These hanging branches and all these things are not whatever you think it is and it is definitely not trying to get you. They are just dead tree remains."

Lucy felt good and she smiled sheepishly. Em knew her too well. But the overwhelming thought of someone watching her, and someone didn't want them here didn't leave her. With those thoughts, she did felt suffocating but she dared not show it. Lord knows what Em will make out it.

"Do you want to go in?" Em suddenly asked.

It then dawned upon Lucy that they have reached to the stone staircase leading to the house with the lions looking in between the dead browned colored hands. She looked away and nearly screamed. Because in the side of the gate stood the same girl, in golden locks looking at her with scared big blue eyes.

"Katie..." Lucy called her pillar of strength with so much fright that Em didn't have the heart to roll her eyes but she did blow out straight through her mouth indicating how frustrated she was with Lucy being the wet cat.

"What?" Katie asked affectionately.

"There..." Lucy pointed. Katie turned to look and Em said, whoa!

But as always, Em was pulling Lucy's leg and Katie turned around to look at Lucy with an annoyed glance.

"Lucy, stop playing games with your mind. At last, you will see demons crawling from the pit of the ground right here." Em said.

Though she said that for fun, and in mockery; all three girls heard a door slamming shut inside the mansion and a very swift wind knocking right through them. 

In their shock, they didn't realize that the leaves of the trees never swayed.

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Sorry for the GO part :D I had fun, holla!!! I think you enjoyed this. Much more to come! ;)

Until next update, bye.