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THE SECRET HIDING PLACE (A Story)

By; Lavina Burgess


It was in October the year of 2003 about two weeks before Halloween, my husband and I had purchased this big beautiful 19th Century house. I fell in love with the house the first time I laid my eyes on it. It just made my heart skip a beat. It was located in the country, and the house was set on a big hill. And next to the house, to the right was a huge cemetery, it was beautiful. There were fresh flowers put on each side of the head stones, someone must come every week to make sure the flowers were fresh. The huge gate to the entrance of the cemetery was strong and beautiful with a big pad-lock with a big chain dangling, making a noise as it hit the gate. I guess the pad-lock was to keep everyone out.

The trees all around, were trimmed ever so neatly. There were oak trees with its branches spread out like they were going to grab you and swallow you up in their branches. It was such a big tree and pretty scary looking, especially at night time.

Beyond the grave was an old barn that looked like it was hit by lightening or someone had tried to set it on fire. It was sad to see the barn like that ,years ago I'm sure it had animals and children playing with them laughing and running around. But now the old barn was abandoned and ready for a face lift.

As I walked back towards the house, there seemed to be a step that was replaced one time or another. I bent down to touch the step and to my surprise, it moved. I pushed it open and it looked like there was a button. "Wow",I pushed down on the button and the whole floor opened up before my eyes! There was a hiding place or some secrete passage way right in the floor of the porch. It send chills up and down my spine, who would want a secrete place like this? And who lived here before we bought the house? Questions and questions, how come we never heard about this and why didn't someone tell us?

I just stood there, and did not know what to do. Brian had went out of town for a day or two, and I really did not want to wait to see what was down there. I made up my mind, I was going to see what was down there on my own. So I slowly went to the passage way to open what seemed to be a small door. I looked around and there was a flashlight hanging on a hook. That was very cleaver, and that sure came in handy, I guess that is why it was there in the first place. I started to walk down this narrow path, it was quite damp and dreary. Then there was another entrance, it was a little different from the first entrance. There was a door, a big huge door with three big initials M.A.D. on it. Now that scared me! What am I doing here? I should not of come down here by myself! It was dark ,cold and scary!

I started to run back, but I slipped or tripped on something. I think I scraped my knees, it started to hurt and it felt wet with blood. When I tried to get up, something or someone grabbed my leg. I screamed but could not move, "oh God", where is the flashlight? I must of dropped it when I fell!

This is weird, its not possible, this can't be happening to me! I tried to get up again, but there was something holding me down. I felt around to see if I could find the flashlight, "oh good", I found next to my feet. I screamed, and then I blacked out ! Because when I came too, I was in the house and in my bed.

There was water on my night stand, I took a big gulp, I was so thirsty .I got out of bed and looked around and went to the window, it was just beginning to get dark. I looked towards the big rod-iron gate to the cemetery, it looked like a shadow of someone. I think it was a man, he was just starring towards the house. And then he just vanished towards the cemetery. I know he could not go into the cemetery because it was locked.

Now my head started to spin, what is happening around here? Where and when is Brian coming home? No way am I leaving this house at this time of night! He said he would be just gone a day or two.

I looked around my room and was so proud to be the owner of such a beautiful place. So quiet and peaceful, or maybe just a little too quiet! "Oh stop it Lavina, your getting yourself scared"! Oh great, now I'm talking to myself!

The house with its great rooms and ceilings so tall, with huge mirrors hanging on the walls. And behind each huge mirror in each of the five bedroom was a safe. Not that I need to fill each one, but it sure comes in handy. And each bedroom was decorated differently; two bedrooms were done in 19th Century, one was done in Italian, one was done in Spanish and the last one was done in modern. Each bedroom had their own bathroom, mine is one of the 19th Century, and mine has the four claw bathtub and a very weird sink, but elegant, trimmed with gold, that's what attracted me to the house, and because of the 19th Century look.

I looked towards the doorway, I thought I had heard a sound. I turned my head to listen again. There, I heard it again, I jumped off the bed, and ran towards the door. As I opened the door, I saw a shadow go into the bedroom next to me. I got to the door and opened it slowly, then went inside the bedroom. I let out a scream,( and I thought I would of jumped out of my skin, this time I did not black out.) and ran to the door, to get to the hallway, but as I tried to open it, someone grabbed me again. This time I did not try to run away. I turned around to face my fear. But there was no fear, it was just a young girl about eleven years old! She did not show any fear at all. I asked her where she came from and she just looked at me with her big brown eyes. I grabbed her arm this time and asked her again, "Where did you come from, what is your name?" And still she did nothing. Then her hand went to her mouth, she opened it wide and I saw her tongue was half gone. I must of screamed again, because she stepped back, like she was afraid! I told her I was sorry that I has scared her. I just could not believe my eyes. The poor child did not have but half of her tongue!

I proceeded towards her, then asked her what had happened ? Then I gave her paper, and she wrote the whole story about what had happened ! Poor, poor child ! ;-(

That's what happened to the old barn, there was a fire and the girl was inside. A man was sleeping in the barn one night a few years back, (the girl then was only eight years old) he had escaped from prison, and he was hiding out in the barn. Well, the girl went to the barn to feed her pony,(her mother had given her, for her birthday) and to see the baby kittens before she went to bed. In the mean time her mother was in the house making the girl a birthday cake for her party the following day. But the girl did not get to have a birthday party the next day, because the prisoner went in the house and raped and killed her mother. And then he went into the barn where he found the girl, and was going to kill her also. The girl ran towards the door, (she thought it was her mom) but ran right in front of the prisoner. She tried to get away, and he grabbed her by the arm, and he told her he had killed her mother. She screamed and screamed, but she could not escape from the mean man. She was crying and so upset, he told her that he was going to cut out her tongue so she would tell no one about what had happened! He took out his knife and that's when he had cut off half of her tongue. She laid there bleeding, she must of passed out for a few minutes, because she could see the man lighting up a cigarette. Well he must of fell asleep, because all of a sudden there was smoke and fire near him. That's what happened to the barn, I knew it was a fire or something to that effect. Well he escaped again, and no one did find him.

Of course the fire department came and put the fire out before the whole barn burned down. And they rescued the girl, but later could not find her either. She was hiding!

Someone came to the house looking for the girl a few times, but she was so scared she did not let anyone in ! I don't blame her, I might of done the same thing. The only ones that new the secret passage way, was her and her mother, and her mother was dead.

While the girl was writing, I was reading what she was putting down on paper, and I just could not stop crying!

No wonder the poor girl was so scared to let anyone in the house. I asked why she was not scared of me, and she said she got to know me by following me around the house and outside. Sometimes she followed me to the barn. That's why I felt someone was near me that one day. I asked her why her mom bought the house, and she said her mom had fell in love with it the first time she saw it ! I laughed, because I remembered saying the same thing !

God, help this child, how did she take care of herself, what kept her alive all this time without her mother? Questions and more questions ??

Finally I asked the girl if she was hungry, and she shook her head, as if to say yes. I gave her a hug and we went to the kitchen to make us something to eat. She told me about her secret hiding place, and she wanted to show it to me someday. Now what? Is she now our tenant? Eleven years old, I just could not believe a child could go through what she had went through! And other normal child would of went bonkers.

As we were cleaning up the kitchen, we heard a noise, outside. I went to the window to look out, I screamed. I was face to face with a man looking right at me! I jumped away from the window, and then I heard a crash and a bang. I mean a bang -bang from a gun! I grabbed the girl by the arm, and we started to run. But where?... The girl then grabbed my arm and she shoved me towards the basement door. I stumbled, then she stumbled right in front of me. And down the both of us went! Hitting each step with a thump, thump and thump !

I looked back of me and there stood this man, he looked mean and ugly, the girl looked at me and tried to scream, but I knew she could not scream. I saw her face and the fear in her eyes,, and knew right then and there that was the man that had cut out her tongue! The prisoner, the escapee, the mad man!

"Oh God, help us!" As I said that, the man plunged out at the girl. I picked up something and I hit him over the head with it. I thought I had killed him. But he got up again, after a few minutes. In the meantime, the girl shoved opened a door, and that's when I found out where the girl was living all this time!

It was beautiful, the rooms was so well planned out, it was so big and comfy! The girl told me her mom had the secret passage way built in case of emergences. Like hurricane's or tornado's. Well it sure came in handy ! What a clever idea for someone to think of this. Well the house built in the 19th century's, lot of the huge house's and castles had special hiding places and passage ways or dark dungeons. This house sure was big enough for secret passages.

Everything was so modern, she had computers, electrical appliances, walkie-talkie's and cell phones, what a luck girl she was! She had a wonderful mother and a very caring one at that.

I found out the girl's name, it's Mary Ann, such a pretty name for such a pretty girl. And also a smart girl, She's like an eighteen girl in a eleven year old body!













She told me everything about how she survived the whole ordeal, for the past three years .Coping with infections and high fevers, and how lonesome it was without her mom. She told me she could not of done it without the computers and cell phones. She said she learned a lot from the computer, she said she wants to be a doctor some day.

"BANG-BANG", there's that gun noise again, he's trying to get in!"

Mary Ann told me not to worry, because no one can ever get inside, it was impossible. The doors was made of iron and steel and the walls are so thick even a bomb could not do damage. She said if the house goes, the secret hiding place would be still standing! Whoever had this house built, had to with lots of money and someone really important.

May Ann showed me where all the peep holes were, it was amazing, you could look out, but no one can look in! And if the electricity goes out, she has a huge generator to take its place.

The next day, it was beautiful out, we wanted to go out for a walk, but we didn't want to take a chance and get killed by a madman. He was out there somewhere, we saw him through the peep holes running around like a crazy man, trying to find us. " You can huff and puff, but you'll never blow our secret hiding place down!"~~~ " Peek-a-boo, we can see you, but you can't see us!"

"My house, he's trashing my beautiful 19th Century house!" Every room trashed ,my beautiful nick-nacks, all thrown around on the floor, stepping on everyone of them. How selfish and cruel he is! My beautiful bed-spread all ripped to shreds from his knife! Broken glass from my beautiful huge mirrors! " Oh good, he has not found the safe's! " He's probably so stupid, he don't even know they have safe's behind mirrors!" He spent so much time in jail, he wouldn't think of anything like that! Tomorrow, we will have to sneak out, he has to sleep sometimes.

In the middle of the night, Mary Ann and I thought we smelled smoke, coming from out of one of the peep holes.( I guess one of us forgot to shut one of the peep holes) The smoke woke us up, (it was just a small scent, enough to wake us) we jumped out of our beds, and both chose a peep hole to look out, we could not believe our eyes! The house was on fire, and there was yelling from two men. I looked out again and there was my husband Brian! I screamed and told him to get out of the house. He was so confused and wanted to know where I was. I told him again to leave, and that I am fine, once more screaming! The man came from behind him and hit Brian over the head, and down went Brian. The man came towards us when he heard me scream, (he could here us but could not see us.) Of course, I jumped back, ( not thinking he could not touch us) and screamed again! I saw Brian get up, he had a long piece of pipe in his hand, and then thump, down the man went, like limp green bean! In the meantime, Brian went down again, because the smoke was getting to him. Mary Ann opened the door and I jumped over the man, ( which I thought he was dead) but the man grabbed my ankle and pulled me down right next to him!

In the meantime, Mary Ann is helping Brian to get up so she can get him inside the secret hiding place with her! But, as I tried to stand up, I felt a sharp instrument, (I believe his knife) struck my leg! "Oh God," please help us!" I grabbed him by the arm, and as he tried to strike me again, I turned around, and there I saw his knife stuck in his chest. Good, I felt great, he was killed by his on knife, he deserved that! Amen!

I was chocking with all that smoke, and Brian and Mary Ann dragged me into the secret hiding place and that's where we stayed until the firemen came to put out the fire!

Of course all what's left of the house was ashes, but, Brian, Mary Ann and I was safe here in our secret hiding place!

It was weird, the only thing standing on the hill was this big ugly square concrete block! And that bunch of rubble and ashes was our beautiful 19th Century house! And where the bedrooms were, the safe's were there untouched!

The bad thing about where our house was, the ashes of the prisoner that cut Mary Ann's tongue out, will still be there. Just thinking about poor Mary Ann's dear mother, and thinking what happened there, just breaks my heart! Oh...the M.A.D. was Mary ann's initials!

There's a great ending to this story~~~

Mary Ann now is living with her grand-parents and still wants to be a doctor, and she will have an extension on her tongue,( and I'm sure someone is wondering why she did not go for help, especially with all the modern technology she had in her hiding place, but~~ it's my story ! ) so she will learn to talk all over again! And also, there's going to be a movie out in the near future of her ordeal, and she will co-star in it!

Oh, and another thing, Brian and I are building a five bedroom 19th Century house, in the very spot where our old house once was! And its going to be built right around the secret hiding place. We decided to call our secret hiding place...

" MARY ANN'S HIDE AWAY"

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