East Of Moy: A Short Story

Braeden and Seth walked up to the front door of the estate that their aunt owned in the Scottish Highlands, East of Moy in the middle of the forest. It was a moist and dark morning that the boys had been picked up at the airport by their aunt, Josie, and driven to the estate. The estate was a two-story piece of artwork, beautiful designs of stone, clay, and wood, and a three story tower in the west wing. The house was surrounded by groves and thicket with few high points of land and hills. When they got to the estate it was still a wet morning but the sun had finally come out and was shining brightly on the surrounding trees. Braeden and Seth had been sent to their aunt’s estate by their parents because they were going on their anniversary

He was not prepared for the chilly atmosphere of mid-June Scotland, he was more used to the hot, humid, heats of Florida. The two boys walked into the living room, the inside of the house was just as beautiful as the outside, intricate designs of wood interior pieces. The living room was elaborately decorated with a leather sofa, wooden tables made of mahogany, hardwood floor with an oriental rug over the top. A decadent chandelier and a fire burning in a fireplace surrounded by rock. This is the first time that the brothers had been to their aunt’s estate, they had only ever seen it in pictures and heard from their mother that the estate was ‘haunted’ she had said. The boys walked into the living room as Josie came in after then shutting the front door as she came in. Josie looks almost the same as she had in previous years that Braeden had seen her. She had a round face, curly brown hair that is beginning to show with age, blue eyes and a simple dressing outfit. Josie would come to visit in the United States every two years and visit for a month then come back here. “Alright boys, I’ll give you a tour of the house after I introduce you two to my friends,” she said as a door adjacent to them opened as an older man and a young girl came

She took a keychain out of her pocket and stuck a key into the keyhole. “I took this off the wall where Josie puts it- after we ate dinner. She said as she pushed the door open with a sight croak of old hinges. Moonlight shining in the large windows, flashlights lit- they plop into dusty wing chairs and marvel at all of the books. “There is a book around here somewhere that has stories and information about the estate past.” She said quietly as she skimmed through the books on the shelf. “I have snuck up here a few other times and have looked through so many books, it's amazing how many there is in this library.” She said as she continued looking through the books. “I’ve found it!” She said with excitement. Suddenly they heard footsteps coming down the flagstone hallway. The group jumps up instinctively and crouch behind a large couch. Marianne, startled by the sound of footsteps had dropped the worn leather book making a rather loud noise. Peering out over the couch notice James, lantern in hand, picked up the leather book and setting it down at a table, appearing to be studying it. He then stopped looking at the book and looked throughout the room, the group dropped down below the couch immediately, but silently. James analyzed the walls, the hallway, every point of the room. After what felt like ages, but was likely just thirty minutes, James returns the book to its shelf and leaves the room. Once the