The Haunted Pages

Chapter 1-2

A silence fell upon the assembled group after that. Daniel wanted something to happen. To break the tension, he gulped down his drink to give himself something to do. His stomach knotted with dread, like being in one of the most awful places in the world – the dentist"s waiting room! Often, when faced with really difficult situations, Daniel would ask himself, "Is this worse than the dentist"s?" The answer was invariably "no" and this always gave him a curious surge of confidence and reassurance. This meeting, however, played differently. For the first time in his life, he began to suspect that there might be worse things than a visit to the dentist.

Like death, for instance.

Like death, for instance.Daniel blinked. Where had that thought come from? Of course death was worse. He knew that! First his mum then his grandma. Nothing could be worse.

A sudden cough brought him out of his reverie with a jump. The little man with the bald head had begun to speak.

“First of all, thank you for taking time out of your busy schedules to attend this formal reading of Frau Fichtner"s last will and testimony …”

The man"s voice droned on and Daniel frowned deeply. "Frau Fichtner"? Daniel had never heard her referred to as that before. As far as he knew her name was Stone, just like his and Dad"s. Something wasn"t right; the solicitor had got it wrong. Daniel looked at his dad for reassurance, but Dad just sat there, motionless, eyes glazed over, staring down at the papers. He hadn"t even flinched at the mention of the strange sounding name.

Daniel, intrigued, leaned forward to continue listening, “…to my surviving nephew, Karl, I leave in totality the brewery and associated businesses.” The long, thin man, who had come in as part of the couple, sat forward, his face suddenly lighting up with excitement and joy. He pressed the hand of the woman next to him and she gave such a grin that Daniel thought her head would split in two.

“Now to my son …” The solicitor paused and looked at Daniel"s dad for the first time. Dad"s eyes came up, empty of emotion. Daniel, on the other hand, could hardly bear the suspense. Not looking at his dad, he wriggled further forward in his chair, waiting. Something was coming. Good or bad, he didn"t really care. He simply wanted to know. The way his life had panned out these last few months, he found all of this endless talking meaningless. He"d had enough; he wanted to hear what his gran had to say. The little man continued, glancing across the paper he read from, “…I leave my house in Launceston, which I wish him to sell and give the proceeds to the charity of my choice.” The man produced a slim looking sealed envelope. “The details are in this document, Mr. Stone. They lay out your mother"s desire to–”

“I know what my mother"s desires were!” said Dad, his anger seeming to boil over suddenly. He stood up, his face reddening, all patience gone. Daniel gaped at him, horror-struck. This was just too dreadful. Dad steamed. “This is so typical of her! What are we supposed to do now?” He glanced at as son, and Daniel could see the tears welling up in his dad"s eyes.

her“Mr. Stone, if you could just–”

“No, I can"t "just" anything! This has been a total waste of time. "Things to your advantage." What a load of old bull that is!” He jerked his head at Daniel. “Come on, let"s get out of here.” He pushed back his chair hard and made to go towards the door. Daniel hesitated, sensing that there was something more to be heard.

justThings to your advantage“Mr. Stone.” The little man"s voice rang surprisingly sharp. “If you would just sit down, I have not finished reading the will.”

A heavy silence settled over the group. Daniel was staring at his dad, willing him to sit back down. It was awful, all of Daniel"s fears coming true, his dad making such a scene, causing him such shame, such embarrassment. “Dad,” he said at last, “Please, sit down.”

Dad closed his eyes and let out a long, steady breath. “All right, but let"s hurry it along, yeah?” Dad slumped back down in his chair. The little man smiled, probably more in relief than anything else, and reshuffled his papers. He coughed again and resumed.

“Now,” he glanced around him, “as I was saying … "Further to this, I leave to my son my house in Bavaria …" ” He paused, and Daniel and his dad both gave a collective intake of breath. “ "This is a substantial property, within its own grounds. There are sufficient funds set aside to keep it in perpetuity, and it is my wish that all of my servants and workers remain in employment there. Additionally, I wish for my loving grandson, Daniel …" ” here he looked at Daniel meaningfully, “ "…to receive a first-class education. A place has been reserved for him at the International School of Fussen. I have set up a trust fund for Daniel to the sum of five hundred thousand pounds, which will ensure his future despite what his father may do." ”

Five hundred thousand … pounds? Daniel stood up, light-headed and giddy all at once. Had he heard correctly? Perhaps Daniel had dreamt this, or he"d gone mad. How could his gran, his sweet, dear gran have so much money? And a house, in its own grounds? Madness, that"s what it was, sheer, utter madness. From somewhere, the man continued speaking. Daniel had to force himself to concentrate on the words.

Five hundred thousand … pounds?in its own grounds?“My one condition is that my son, who has for so very long been lost, return to his painting. He must rediscover the wonders and beauties of this world. I wish him to paint and to display his paintings at a local gallery within one year of taking up residency at my house in Bayern.”

The man coughed again and gathered the papers together, “I am instructed to inform you, Mr. Stone, that sufficient funds have been placed in your account to maintain the house and provide food and clothing for yourself and Daniel for that one year. I myself will be visiting you soon to see how you are settling in and then later to see whether your mother"s wishes have been carried out. If they have not,” he stacked his papers together again, and looking at Dad square in the eye, “you will lose it all. Only Daniel"s trust will remain.” He began to put the papers into his briefcase. “All of this is completely legal, Mr. Stone, worked out meticulously with lawyers in Bavaria. It is watertight, I can assure you. You must adhere to its principles, or you will gain … nothing.”

Outside, the weather had changed for the better, mirroring how Daniel felt. Everyone chatted at once, but he wasn"t listening to any of it, his mind still thinking of those wonderful numbers, five hundred thousand. He shook the couple"s hands and waved goodbye. Of the third stranger, there was no sign. Daniel had seen him in a whispered conversation with Mr. Spencer, the solicitor. The short, little man never mentioned him at the reading and Daniel wondered, not for the first time, what had brought the stranger here. Dad hadn"t seemed in the least bit interested when Daniel had asked him for an explanation of the man"s identity. Dad had merely patted Daniel on the arm and gone over to a nearby telephone box and settled himself into dialing a number. Daniel wondered why he didn"t use his mobile, but shrugged, dismissing the thought almost as soon as it came into his head. Probably out of credit, he mused, then turned to look at a little rugby scrum of pigeons fighting over some food scraps just as the curious stranger in question came into view. Fury distorted his features, and he glared straight at Daniel. The atmosphere fizzled with tension all of a sudden. Daniel franticly looked around for his dad, who he spotted still leaning into the phone, gesturing wildly. Suddenly the big man loomed up close.

five hundred thousand.Probably out of credit“You must be he, yes? Daniel?” he asked, in a thick German accent.

Daniel nodded meekly. The German gave him a measured look, and then shot another towards Daniel"s dad. “My name is Grüber. Tell your father we will meet again, and very soon. You understand me? History is our enemy, Daniel, it always has been and always will, but we must not allow it to hold us back.” His eyes glowered as he leaned forward, and Daniel felt as if his very soul were being scrutinized. He took an involuntary step backwards and then, without a flicker of emotion, the man turned and strutted off down the street without another backward glance.

With the big man"s departure, Daniel slowly began to relax, but the man"s words worried him. “Meet again? History must not hold us back?” What exactly did the man mean by all of that?