The Endless Night

Chapter - 2

Two beautiful little girls were playing in the backyard. One slightly taller, pointed towards the trees and said "Let's go play around the trees." They both started to play hide and seek. Each hid behind a different tree when it was their turn to hide. They kept playing and playing for hours.

Little one counted till 20 and said loudly "Here I come" and moved deeper in the woods to find her sister. She got tired calling out to her, she couldn't find her for 3 minutes. She stood in front of wide barked tree. An unexpected "Boo" came a loud sound as her sister came out in view from behind the bark.

Little one screamed while the other one laughed.

"It's just me Stella" says the elder sister.

"Don't panic, IT'S JUST ME STEL..." Hannah yelled in my ear while shaking my arm. I woke up from my deep sleep in the plane jerking my head.

"Did I scream?"

"Yea a little"

Airhostess was standing beside Hannah's seat glaring at us holding with the breakfast trolly. I realized she was waiting for our order and Hannah has swapped seats with Jay.

I faced towards Hannah asking "Why did you shift seats?" She instantly muttered back "First tell her what you want, non-veg or veg?"

"Um whatever you want, take two. Just keep it here. I'll be right back." I replied as I got up. I proceeded saying "Excuse me" and airhostess moved back a little giving me space to walk out. I got strange looks from few people.

I returned back from washroom and Hannah pulled me down to my seat to ask "Stelly, You were such a mess. I shifted seats wondering if you were okay." Her tone suggest 'Are you okay now?'

I nodded "I just had a tough time sleeping" I replied.

"It looks like you were up all night".

"Maybe I've been".

"Stay strong, girl! Remember what Granpa used to tell us? We both are most courageous girls". She whispered "Don't lose it please".

"Hmm, I'll remember that" I replied in a slow voice with a nod.

"Hannah, why didn't we see him all these years?"

"I don't know, dad himself doesn't have answers"

I glanced at dad, he wasn't eating anything. He surely is bottling up all the emotions. Mom by his side trying her best to make him feel better. I see her trying to feed him by her own fingers.

Within an hour, we landed at Wakefield. A car was waiting for us to take us to Richmond Ville, the beautiful place with all the villas and mansions built. Rosemary must've hired someone to pick us up. Wakefield look exactly the same, the way it was 5 years ago, when we left. I felt like I've never been out of this place.

We were passing by the riverside road. Sense of serenity filled me on seeing the river. We entered the street of Villa's, Richmond Ville.

Finally we reached Montezville. The car moved slowly inside and stopped right infront the huge entrance gateways. I stepped out of the car with the view of St. Lawrence river on the opposite side. I turned around to look at the Villa I've been longing to see.

Ah I missed this jewel of a riverside villa.

The lawn around the fenceless house stretched over 50 meters, was so green and perfectly maintained. It was surrounded by bushes behind the layer of tulips which were behind a layer of lillies. The windows and doors so tall and graceful, and all the doors and windows had the pair of same old copper oil torches hanging on it's sides. The exterior walls made of bricks. Plaque on the wall read 'Montezville'. I felt a little proud to see that it belongs to our family now.

'Montezville' previously named as Asgill House. This 19th century palladian villa on Richmond lane was built by Sir Robert Taylor as a summer parkland villa for Sir Charles Asgill, who was the Lord Mayor of Wakefield in 1761-62. Later Asgill house was leased from the Crown Estate as a private residence.

It was returned to it's original appearance by removal of Victorian extensions in a reconstruction of 1969-70 by well known English Architects Donald Insall, Anderson Montez and Harrison Montez for Mr. Fred Hauptfuhrer.

My Grandfather, Harrison Montez bought Asgill house from Mr. Fred few years later who fondly knew my great Grandfather Anderson Montez. This royal house now belongs to the Montez Family.

Here is a pretty good heritage and history of our own.

It was three times bigger than our house in Montreal. The huge parking shade was on the extreme left was still intact but the Villa had different charm back then. Something was off about it, I couldn't figure out what apart from the fact that it kind of looked worn out.

Dad hurried inside. The manservants rushed on seeing me and Jamie carrying the bags, mom instructed them where to place the luggage. Hannah was no where to be seen.

"Where's Hannah? She couldn't possibly go inside in that speed?" I asked Jamie when I didn't see her anywhere.

"Well, you know since she hated plane's washrooms after watching the movie 'Snakes on a Plane', She had to keep it in all the way till we reach here" Jamie chuckled. "She could go inside on a speed of rocket to go the washroom" He said dropping his bag infront of the open porch, to have a view of what 5 years has done to this place.

As soon as I entered the massive hectogan hall of the house through white double door, it smelt different. It didn't excite me much this time. Chandelier in the center of the hall was wrapped with cobwebs. The walls had a beautiful hand crafted ancient art covered in dust. The frames hanging above the curved strairways looked darker. Stairways were as debonair as before curving round the corner of the walls.

Off the main hallway, to the right, is a sitting room. On the left to it is a library with a large shelf that covers up a complete wall, and the fireplace is situated on the interior wall facing east.

Apart from the hallway, sitting room and library and kitchen, the other end of the house contained six rooms out of which two bedrooms has a connecting room.

Jay stood in the hallway holding the wooden edge of an old style floral sofa set watching the glass painted windows. "I remember breaking this part of the window" He said pointing at a corner of the front window. I went closer towards the high table on which silver set of decors were placed, to get a clear view of silver frame behind them holding an oval shaped, black and white photo of Gran and Grandpa.

"Ms. Stella!" A familiar voice made me turn my head.

"Annie!" I called as I embraced her "How are you?"

Annie Gray, the caretaker of the house looks at me "I'm doing good. How have you been?" she asked with a warm smile that she usually gives on seeing us. She got slight wrinkles on her face by now. She must be in her mid 40's.

Hannah calls out "Annie! Rosemary!" walking out of the washroom through a small passway across the hall, covered with the same old beaded curtains with a sink just outside the washroom in there.

"Annie, it's so good to see you" Hannah embraced her as well.

"Nice to see you girls so grown up" She replied as she looked at both of us.

Mom joined us and repeated everything I did on seeing Annie.

After a while, Hannah asked Annie "Why does the whole villa looks so...um dull? Isn't anyone looking after this place? I found the toilet a little bit horrible!"

I added to it "Since when did these spideys started ruling this place?" I pointed the web on the chandelier.

"We do look after it. We clean everything. We just couldn't get hold of that scamp spider. Infact we cleaned everything yesterday. And this week Master wasn't even home & all the toilets were unused but we couldn't figure why it stinks this way" Annie presses on her words and then said "It's as if the house is in grief of Master's demise".

"Oh dear, we'll do something about it later" Mom said with concern.

"I'll get the web out right now". Annie rushed away.

I saw Rosemary speaking with Dad. Stern look on Dad's face implied they must be talking about Granpa.

Rosemary was an African-Caribbean cook and housekeeper who took special care of Gran & Granpa. She was well aware of everything in the house, everyplace outside the house and every information that we could need, except a few.

Annie and Rosemary were the two most trusted and dependable women. They're here in our service from about 20-25 years. All these years they did their job more than sincerely. They are like a part of the family now.

Rosemary informed "Mr. Montez, your dad have been getting weaker and weaker from about 4-5 months as I told you the last time you called. But from last month his health got worse. He was getting pale, wasn't eating properly, tiredness overtook him frequently. We did all that could be done. Nurse Martha was sent for his care as well.

Earlier this month doctors diagnosed it as the progressive nuclear palsy, a degenerative disease, it's pretty common that these kinds of things happen at 70's."

"Why didn't you call me?" Dad asked in a slow voice.

"I wanted to. I wanted to since the time I felt that he was slowly, very slowly slipping away and I was worried. I asked him if I should inform you about his health but he refused and said to do it when the right time comes"

"When was the right time Rosemary? When?" Dad asked gloomily.

"His death bed, he said" She replied.

"But why?" his brows tensed.

Not even dad has any answers.

"He never told us anything that was between you two"

He took a deep breathe. "Did he leave any message or anything for me?"

"Yes, the Will".

******** ********* ********

*In the Afternoon*

At the Normanton Cemetery, late in the afternoon I was standing there, controlling all my emotions around hundreds and hundreds of people who came to visit the funeral of the finest architect and a trusted advisor for the city developers in Wakefield. All of them stood in their black attire watching the well-known man, a millionaire of the city gone to dust. Most of the people present were outsiders I could hardly recognize. A couple reporters were clicking photographs.

As I watch the Granpa's casket lowering down inside the land and my Granpa being buried.

Within moments I felt warm tear on my cheek and my hands were getting cold. My dad was on his knees, bent over to the casket and making it wet with his overflowing tears. I have never seen him cry like this before. Jay was beside him holding his arm firmly. Hannah leaned on mom's shoulder. My eyes filled, making my vision blur. Right there, was a heart broken moment.

After sometime, people started to leave. There was an old man who stayed with us until the end. He seemed to be Granpa's close friend. He gave condolence to dad. While leaving he said "Take care of the house, son".

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