A New Journey

‘A New Home’

Chapter One

Seattle, Washington


At first sight of what was to be her new home, Anne was overwhelmed and frightened by its enormous size. It wasn’t just it’s enormity that frightened her; it was dark, bleak and scary, scarier than the orphanage where she had been left as a baby. The small, cruel looking windows appeared cold and foreboding. They seemed to dare any sunlight to enter and brighten either itself or its occupants.
Something had certainly changed this part of God’s green earth for there was none of its original beauty left. The isolated dark stone house sat in the midst of its ugly surroundings. Winter had stripped the maple trees of their green, red and orange colors. The only things left to bring life to this desolate part of the world were the scrubby Shumaker trees with their bright red leaves and the conifers with their somber hues of dark green. A winding stream lay ice bound and sterile white. The surrounding fields were brownish grey with patches of dirty snow. The weak sun was disappearing behind conifers leaving the house engulfed in a haze of foreboding mystery.
Anne experienced a powerful urge to flee to somewhere more inviting, surely there was someone who needed her in another part of the world. But having no other options at this time she paid the cab driver her fare, squared her shoulders, mentally chastised herself and bravely walked up the steps to the front door.
On her way Anne saw a small building setting apart from the main house making it even more isolated than the main house and wondered if it would be her living quarters. Even if it was small, she had never had a whole house to herself and thought it would bring a welcome change from the orphanage.
In an attempt to shake the mood of her surroundings, she mused jokingly,
“Wonder what the butler looks like, Dracula?”
She pushed the bell authoritatively and heard muted hollow sounds ring out, Bong, Bong, and Bong.
It seemed a long wait before the door began to open slowly and when it did, she first thought it opened itself. She gazed upward expecting to see a tall man and until she looked downward, she overlooked the dwarfish creature standing inside the door.
“Good grief,” she thought. “It’s a child.”
But no, it definitely wasn’t a child though its sex and age were hard to determine since it wore one of the weirdest outfits she had ever seen. The bright colors with their smooth satin finish seemed to mock the twisted body they clothed.
When Anne identified herself, the enigmatic creature drew back within itself and muttered,
“You’re expected.” Then turned abruptly and started moving away from her. Anne assumed she was to follow it and did so into a room like she had never seen before. Apprehension and anxiety filled her now as she was about to meet her new employer.
Anne was an orphan and after the death of her only relative, an uncle, she was without a home, armed with only a high school diploma and very little money. Her Uncle John located her just six months before his death and when he died, she was surprised to discover his bad investments had depleted all of his fortune.
She felt devastated but then fortunate when one of Uncle John’s friends, and family manager Alan, arranged her this new position. After living fifteen years at the orphanage and then three years with the Shellynn family her Uncle John found her.
She felt indebted to the Shellynn family who took her in as a foster child until she finished high school. Out of gratitude and respect she started using their last name as her own. She had never formed any good or lasting friendships, so she was not unhappy learning her new place was located in Seattle, Washington, thousands of miles away. She felt lucky to not only have a job but also a home awaiting her. At the tender age of eighteen she was to begin a new adventure, a new life, but without God.
Her new life had led her to this mausoleum like building, following an unusual person down a long and dark hallway wide enough to accommodate the large double doors at the end. It paused seemingly to redistribute itself, knocked softly, and then struggled to open the massive doors.
The room was nothing like she had ever seen or imagined, it was huge and dimly lit, and shadows abounded everywhere. There were objects on the walls and even the ceiling had things hanging down. Still paradoxically a warm, bright and crackling fire danced under an ornate mantle. A large darkish cat sprang up arching and spitting out a welcome. A long thin arm appeared out of a highbacked chair and pressed the animal down into an uneasy silence. Then a presence rose up claiming the arm and Anne almost fainted.
The sound of “Good afternoon, Miss Shellynn” revived her.
“Oh, thank you,” Anne whispered a prayer. “Its human.”
She felt relief flood her entire being but a bit foolish as she stood facing a very slim and elegant lady. Her grey hair was upswept in a regal style crowning a face with soft lines lying serene over a bone structure which defied age. “She could be fifty or even seventy years old,” Anne thought.
She considered curtsying when faced with such a queenly figure but instead reached out to shake her hand.
“Mrs. Vincent,” she said timidly and without meaning to slightly bowed her head. She wouldn’t have been surprised if the lady extended a golden scepter to touch her hand.