The Haunting of Harrington Manor

The birds orchestrated a symphony in the trees, announcing the morning's arrival as the sun embarked on its daily ascent to the zenith.

Amidst this picturesque scene Lord Aaron and Valentina strolled towards the hedge maze while they passed a rose bush in the garden. Seeing the blossoming red roses Lord Aaron had an idea to find out if his Revitalization Binding was really working and he could trust it if he ever needed it. Valentina looked at Lord Aaron in bewilderment as he suddenly stopped at the rose bush. "Oh no, did you change your mind my Lord?" Valentina was grabbing his shoulders and shaking him, trying to win Lord Aaron's attention. 

"Don't worry, darling. This is just something I wanted to do" Lord Aaron laughed.

"I should be what you are doing right now," Valentina said desperately. 

"Just one moment," Lord Aaron responded and plucked the rose with the biggest and sharpest thorns that he could find.

He held the rose on its dark green stem pointing a thorn at his left thumb. While pressing his teeth together he stung the thorn into his thumb feeling it pierce his skin. After noticing a brief flash of pain striking his hand he pulled out the thorn that was now completely covered in a drop of fresh red blood.

Lord Aaron closely inspected the small wound on his thumb and how the skin around it immediately restored its shape back to the way it was, closing the small hole the thorn had just poked into it. Also the pain became numb in an instant and Lord Aaron was able to move his thumb normally. The wound was fully healed. 

"Fascinating!" Lord Aaron exclaimed excitedly. "This magic is making me invulnerable."

Valentina furred her dark well-formed brows in confusion, before Lord Aaron smiled at her with his brilliantly white teeth and held her hand, leading her to the hedge maze behind the mansion. "Now you have my undivided attention again," Lord Aaron assured as the two entered the shadowy maze.

As they walked deeper into the heart of the dense labyrinth Lord Aaron could feel his anticipation build up and he could hear his heart beating in his chest. 

But suddenly it was drowned out by high-pitched childlike crying echoing from behind the hedge walls.

"F**k, this timing is the worst ever…" Lord Aaron sighed and shook his head in annoyance over this unexpected interruption. "I was so close…"

Guided by her maternal instincts Valentina said "Oh, Lord Aaron. We need to help that little guy, what if he got lost."

After Lord Aaron followed the sound to its origin, he discovered a little boy sitting on the ground leaning his back against one of the hedges. The teary-eyed boy had a chubby face and a hat on top of his long blond hair. He was wearing a beige ruffle shirt and loose brown pants but no shoes.

"Oh sweetheart, what are you doing out here all alone? Have you been here the whole night?" Valentina rushed to comfort the little boy and wiped the tears off his face.

The boy stopped crying but he did not say a single word, despite the disturbed look in his widened eyes giving away that there was something on his heart. 

Suddenly Valentina remembered the face of the boy "Don't you belong to the Harringtons?"

The little boy nodded and tried to stand up, his knees weak and shaky. 

"How old are you?" Lord Aaron squatted down so he could speak eye to eye with the little boy.

The Harrington junior was thinking for a second, before he held up six tiny fingers.

Lord Aaron tried to cheer the boy up "Wow, you are almost a grown man. Did you get lost here? Do you miss your uncle?"

The boy quickly dismissed Lord Aaron's question and tried to walk away, before Lord Aaron grabbed him by his collar. He turned the little boy around and looked him intently into his eyes. "When I was your age I was just the same as you, but there was nobody who found me."

The boy rubbed his sleepy eyes and asked quietly. "Did you also get lost in a maze?"

"Something like that," Lord Aaron gulped. "Now tell me your name?"

"Clarry" the boy said before Lord Aaron picked him up on his arm. 

"This is Clarence Harrington, he lives in the next mansion with Lord Alistair Harrington. I heard the old Harrington adopted Clarry after the boy was left on the stairs to his mansion when he was only a baby" Valentina whispered the gossip she came across into Lord Aaron's ear.

"Why did you come here?" Lord Aaron tried to find out how Clarry ended up in the maze.

The boy suddenly started to shake and breathe hectically. "The voodoo man," the little boy said. "I was just trying to hide from the curse. I know this is not our land" the little boy was apologizing.

"It's ok, I won't be mad at you" Lord Aaron said empathetically and carried the boy out of the maze. „Let's bring you back to Lord Alistair."

Clarry's remark about a curse sparked Lord Aaron's interest. What most people would dismiss as the ramblings of a child, Lord Aaron interpreted as an indicator for supernatural activity that he could manipulate for his purposes.

After walking up a small street seamed by maple trees next to a meandering creek, Lord Aaron, Valentina and Clarry arrived at Harrington manor. The lawn was overgrown and ivy grew up the walls of the old neglected stone house. All the windows were covered by dusty curtains and spider webs. 

Standing in front of the heavy wooden door with several locks and chains Lord Aaron said "Can the old lord not afford some servants to take care of his house?"

"Uncle always says, he does not trust strangers anymore, all of them could be sent by the curse. "

Another young woman came gracefully walking up the road excluding an ethereal atmosphere. She had a cold Snow White-like appearance with black hair and pale skin. Her ember eyes were blazing with a glimmer of deep wisdom that contrasted her youthful face. She was wearing a dress with multiple layers of thin black fabric and lace as well as black gloves. After she saw Clarry she exhaled relievedly "Clarry! Never scare me like this again, we have all been worrying so much."

The lady hugged Clarry and gave him a kiss on his cheek. Clarry was looking much calmer and the lady turned to Lord Aaron.

"My name is Vanessa Connor. I am trying to help the Harringtons whenever I can. Thank you for bringing Clarry back, I hope he did not cause you too much trouble" she apologized politely. 

Stunned by Vanessa's mysterious aura, Lord Aaron was unable to speak, while a frail old man opened the door using all his weary strength to hold it open. He was wearing a black coat and had a long unkempt beard. "Clarence Harrington, come here!" he scolded the boy which made him cough. The old man was Lord Alistair, who weakly hit Clarry against his head with his wrinkly hand. The slap was not supposed to hurt but purely symbolic. "Now go to your room!"

"That boy will steal my last nerve…." Lord Alistair sighed. "Recently he is acting out, but who would not in his shoes."

Lady Vanessa nodded agreeingly "Poor Clarry, this is not easy for him."

Lord Aaron was still trying to make sense of it, "Are you speaking about the curse?" Lord Aaron was wondering.

Vanessa and Lord Alistair looked glum "So he told you?" Lady Vanessa asked.

"Clarry mentioned the voodoo man" Lord Aaron said, "Will you tell me what all of this is about?"

Lord Alistair looked to the left and the right of the door, inspecting every single bush and tree as if he suspected that someone else would be listening, before he said.

"I was once an explorer on the Dark Continent" Lord Alistair said remorsefully. „"I was owning a silver mine on the land of an ancient tribe. I haven't always been doing what was right. And now my name will need to pay for my sins. This spook does not only haunt me, it also hunts Clarry. Come inside, I will tell you all there is to know..."