Her Haunted Mansion : Emily's Journey, 1

My name is Emily. I won't bother giving you a last name… for some reason, my first name stays the same, but when it comes to my last name, it changes every time I… well, I'll get to that in a moment. I'd rather start at the beginning. That's how most stories start, don't they? And I don't think you'd believe me if I just blurted everything right away. So we'll start with my first life… or at least, the earliest one I can remember. With the way things have been going, I wouldn't be surprised if I've managed to block some lifetimes out.

My apologies, I'm rambling. Now, my first life was in a very small village that lived next to a forest. Winter took up most of our time, and there was snow on the ground more often than grass. My mother died giving birth to me, so it was just me and my father. He made a living raising hunting dogs, and selling their puppies. I helped out every chance I could get, and I loved each dog like they were a member of the family. I always believed that whenever we sold a dog, the owner would take excellent care of them.

Every year, it got colder, and the crops became harder to manage. Those who could hunt the wildlife of the forest became the richest folks in town. We came to desperately depend on them, and I was constantly worried about how we would manage to feed our dogs. When I was twelve, the best hunter in the village came knocking to our door. His name was Johan, and he stood as tall and thick as any tree in the forest. I always felt I had to lean back in order to see his entire bearded face. I answered the door, and father came up behind me, happy to see Johan. Johan had never bought one of our dogs before, but he told us his oldest hound had recently died. He was interested in buying one of our puppies, and was willing to pay any price.

Father led him out back, and I quietly followed them. We had many puppies that were ready to be purchased, and we were keeping them with their mother in a small little doghouse in the backyard. They scampered around as we came close, happy to see us and nipping playfully at our heels. Johan laughed deeply, shaking his black beard back and forth, and complimented us on raising such healthy animals. He picked up the one closest to him, and cradled him in his big, strong arms. "Yes, this one will do very well." Even his voice was strong, and commanded attention from all around.

Though I trusted Johan, as I had trusted everyone who had bought our dogs before, I spoke up as I had a small request. "Are you going to name him, sir?" I always insisted on hearing the owners name their dogs before they left, as if to officially start the pups on their new life.

He looked down at me, and shared another belly shaking laugh. "I have never been too good with names, little miss… why don't you give him one?"

I liked Johan a little more for that. I looked at the puppy in his hands, and though the puppies had no names yet, I knew them all apart. This was the youngest of the litter, and his bright fur made him often made him stand out in the snow. He was the most playful of the bunch, and even though I knew I shouldn't have a bias against any of them, he was definitely my favorite. I reached up to stroke his long black ears, and he licked my fingers, yipping merrily. It was difficult to imagine him as growing up into something as big and burly as a hunter, but I wanted to have faith in him. My education wasn't great, but I recalled the great dog beast that guarded the gate to the underworld in some books I had read. The names got mixed up in my head, so I said the first one that came to mind. "Pluto. He'll grow up into a great, big Pluto."

"Pluto!" Johan laughed once more, and the newly dubbed pup rolled over in his arms, enjoying the shaking sensation. "Such a creative miss you have there, my friend… she will make a fine wife someday." I blushed, and kept my eyes on Pluto, not knowing how to handle such a compliment. I was happy that Pluto would live with such a kind man. There were papers to sign and money to exchange, and soon enough Johan and Pluto had left. I missed the young pup deeply, but I tried to console myself with the knowledge that he was in good hands.

A year passed before I would see Pluto again. The winters had gotten worse, and less people were coming to us to buy our dogs. We began to worry that we wouldn't be able to feed our latest litters. When the latest batch was born, father told me to go see Johan and see if I could persuade him to purchase another pup. I eagerly took on the job, delighted that I would get to see my little Pluto again. Johan had brought plenty of wildlife to the village, so Pluto must have been doing a good job. I snuck a bone into my dress as a treat for him and followed father's directions.

I had never been to Johan's house before, and was surprised at its humble simplicity. It only occurred to me now that he lived alone, save for the dogs he bought every now and then. How lonely he must have been, I thought, and in my youthful naivety, I thought about how he had said I would make a fine wife. Perhaps someday I could join him in this house… Johan, me, and Pluto, one happy family. These romantic thoughts swam in my head until I got closer to the wooden house as a horrid smell met my nose. I had to cover up my nose with my hands, and bile began to rise in my throat. Curiosity overrode common sense, so instead of knocking on his door, I tried to find the source of the smell. Perhaps I could dispose of it, and Johan would compliment me.

The smell led me to the back of his house, where a horrifying sight awaited me. Strewn across the snow where corpses of old dogs, their blood soaked fur now crisp and crackling when hungry flies swarmed over them. Rusty chains held the dead bodies in place, and my vision blurred as I tried not to vomit at the combined sight and smell. Amidst the buzzing of the flies and the screams in my head, I began to hear a faint whine, and I realized one of these dogs was still alive. Chained up to the side of the house was Pluto, my precious Pluto, beaten and bruised within an inch of his life, with labored breathing that caused him additional pain just to exist. I could see his ribs poking out in his once golden colored fur, and I let out the screams I had been holding in.

I ran to him and took him in my arms, sobbing apologies and rocking him back and forth in a desperate lullaby. He opened his eyes, and I could see recognition there. He faintly licked my fingers, and I wept and wept for him. Ignoring the smell as best I could, I desperately tugged at his chains as best I could, but I could not free him. I even took out the bone and smacked it against the chains in a fruitless effort. I did not stop until the bone was forcibly snatched out of my hands, and I looked up to see Johan leering above me.

"Little miss," he spoke, as cheery and friendly as when I had let him into my house. "What are you doing here?"

"What have you done to him!" I screeched, hugging Pluto around his neck. "What have you done to all of them! He's going to die!" Pluto's cries had died down and his body began to tremble in the presence of his master. These were shakes of fright, and I couldn't help but to share his fear of this large, powerful man.

"Dogs need discipline in order to become great hunters. This is not a place for little girls to play." He grabbed me by the shoulder, and his grip was so tight that even my bones began to shriek internally. "Go on home, my little dog wife. This one should still last me a long time." He then pulled me back hard, and I was forced to release Pluto. I moved to grab Pluto again, but Johan grabbed my hand, and made me rise to my feet. I became afraid of what he would do to me, and I frantically kicked at his leg until he let me go. I then ran as fast as my feet could take me, tripping every so often and eventually I wound up vomiting on my front lawn. The smell stayed with me, and I stayed on the snow, sobbing and retching at what I had seen. I blamed myself for putting Pluto in such danger, and I thought even then I could hear his pitiful whines.

When father found me, I told him of what I had experienced, and begged him to take Pluto back. Father would not hear of it, more concerned about our money than for the life of one dog. But I could not stand to leave Pluto with such a terrible man. That night, when I was sure father was asleep, I crawled out of bed, and grabbed a knife from the kitchen. The plan was to use the knife to cut Pluto's chains, and perhaps defend ourselves if Johan awoke. It was a very cold night, colder than many past winters had given us. I held myself tightly as the wind blew, and when I came to Johan's house, a strange sight was there to greet me.

In front of his mouse was a black carriage, with no riders but two horses just as black as the carriage. The horses were still, so very still, it was as if they were not breathing, but they must have been alive for their startling red eyes shone with life. The carriage itself was undecorated, with sharp horns poking out from different angles. I watched the carriage for any sign of someone inside. Maybe someone had stopped to buy or trade the animals Johan had hunted. I decided to risk the chance of being seen, and quickly made my way to where the dead dogs laid, and held my breath in anticipation of the smell. Once more I was taken by surprise, because Pluto was not alone.

By Pluto's side, kneeling in the snow, was a short man – a short mouse, once I got a better look at him, since it was impossible to ignore his large ears and that thin tail. He was dressed in the fanciest attire I had ever seen, with the richest of reds and the harshest of blacks. Yellow and black spiderwebs layered his robes, and a single golden bat-like figure rested on his top hat. He was dressed thinly, which was suicide in such a cold village. Yet he never shook or showed any indication that he might even be chilly. He stroked the top of Pluto's head gently, taking his fingers along Pluto's slim ears. "That's a good boy." He murmured, and now I could see Pluto gratefully chewing on a withered piece of dried meat. "And you'll get much more like it. Accept my invitation, and ya won't even remember what it's like ta be hungry."

His voice was very smooth, but while it was calming Pluto, it had the opposite effect on me. There was something terribly wrong with this man, but I could not put it into words. There was just a wrongness about him, a fear he created solely by presence. I wanted to speak up, I wanted to say he could not take my Pluto, but words would not form in my mouth. It felt like the more I looked at him, the closer I came to darkness. The wind was picking up, but my body was becoming numb to the cold. The moonlight shone over the man, and his shadow seemed to swallow Pluto whole in its size. Pluto licked the man's fingers, and he chuckled. "I guess that means yes. That's a good boy." He stood up, and now I could see his eyes – as scarlet as those eerie horses at the carriage.

Pluto went still for a brief moment, and then, with no more trembles to his limbs, stood up as well. He didn't make a sound, and his breathing settled into a more healthy state. He blinked once – and then his eyes became that same shade of unnatural red. His fur began to glisten healthily, and his muscles tightened and fattened, bruises fading off into the night. I dropped my knife as I saw the change occur, and it caught the attention of both the man and what I thought was my pup. Their similar eyes bore into me as if they could see through my body. It was a colder look than any wind had brushed by me. That was not my dog anymore. I didn't know what it was, but it was not my Pluto.

"Yer a lil' early." The man spoke, faintly amused. "But there's always room for one more."  The snow did not even crunch under his feet as he began taking carefully slow steps towards me. Pluto began to copy his movements, and a new stench overrode my senses. It wasn't just the smell of the dead – it was the smell of the event of dying, of skin rotting and fluids fermenting. I couldn't breathe, and the wind picked up even harsher. "How's about it, Emily?" He plucked out a small envelope from within his jacket, and flicked it back and forth in his fingers. "Will ya accept my invitation?"

I don't know what made my strength return, but before he could take one more step towards me, my legs came alive, jerking around and making me flee from that awful place. I could still feel those eyes staring at me as I ran, and I was horrified at the idea that they were chasing me, though I heard no footsteps. I didn't know what they were, and I didn't want to know. That was not my dog. That was not my Pluto. I made it home, and I threw myself onto my bed, telling myself it had only been a nightmare. Surely the next night I would go and save Pluto. I would take him away from all the terrible men in this village, Johan and that red eyed demon. I chanted it over and over into my pillow, and never slept.

Hours after the sun had risen, there was a harsh banging on our front door. I was scared that it could be the red eyed man, but then I heard Johan yelling. He was furious and roaring at the top of his lungs, calling us thieves and liars. Father and I opened the door together, and Johan stormed into the house, demanding compensation for the murder of his dog. He claimed that Pluto had died that night, and he held up the knife that I had dropped that very night. He accused me of killing Pluto, and demanded retribution. I argued that I would never harm Pluto. "You probably killed him!" I yelled right back, fresh tears spilling on my cheeks. "Just like you killed all the others!"

Father said he had no idea of how he was supposed to compensate for what had happened, trying to push me aside and silence me. "We have little money, and our dogs are not fit to hunt yet. There's nothing we can possibly give you."

Johan's once kind eyes turned ugly as he now looked at me, and the laughter I had once admired from him was cruel now as it left his moving belly. "Did I not say she would make a fine wife some day? Some day has come at last, my friend!" He tried to grab my arm, and father shoved him, saying I was far too young to marry. I became frightened for my father's safety, as when Johan went back into his roaring yells, he waved the knife around, now ordering father to hand me over.

"I won't let you kill my father like you killed Pluto!" I grabbed for his wrist, trying to wrestle the knife out of his muscular hand. "Pluto, my Pluto!" I hollered his name over and over, and Johan tried to fend me off with a harsh movement of his hand. I don't think he intended to harm me, since he so wanted me as a bride, but the knife found its way into my neck. There was screaming, and my vision distorted as I fell onto the floor. I could not speak, and it's here where my memory begins to blur as life bled out of me. But there is one clear thing I do remember before it was over.

I saw the red-eyed man in the doorway, looking down at me, with Pluto at his side. I tried to warn father about him, but all I could do was gasp and gurgle more blood. The man smiled at me, and though I could not hear him, I know he spoke.

"See ya next time, Emily."

And that was the first time I died.

End of Chapter One.