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MYSTERY AT MANDRAKE MANSION

by Munazah Alam
Shivers down your spine! This week we begin a serialised story a I tout a mansion with a differ ence
"You know whal." I said, "thiit Idea of yours was terrific. A picnic will be great funl"
I was speaking to my friends, Chris Calvert, and Jean and Diane, the Wykoff twins.
Chris and I were in the same school and 1 was spending the summer with her In her home-town. Marlow. She had invited me over and my parents had not put forward any objections.
So June found me In the small town of Marlow enjoying myself tremendously. A few days after our arrival Chris’ friends, the Wykoff twins. Jean and Diane, also arrived. They were unidentical twins of seventeen, about the same age as Chris and me. Diane was the taller of the two at five foot six and had black hair, while her sister, at five foot five. had blond hair and green eyes In contrast to her own brown ones.
Once we Rot Io know one another we got on Hke a house on fire. Chris' father wns (and still is) a detective and she too. with the help of the twins, had helped the law several times. Before long they had told me of all the mysteries they had solved. Listening to them I secretly began to wish that something would crop up while I was there.
So there I was. lying In the sun with the other three, drinking lemonade and making plans for the picnic the next day. Wc had decided to explore the grounds of Mandrake Mansion, now an empty place, but one which had once helped many Negroes escape lo the North before the CMl War
"How far 1s II from Marlow?" I inquired.
"What? Oh. Mandrake. Well let's see — about forty miles.'
"When do we start?" the question came from Jean. "We can’t get away until after nine. What with Mum and Dnd away our chores around the house have Increased "
"WciL" began Chris. "In that eaae how about tenT and con tlnucd aa Jean nodded. "It’ll take us the whole afternoon to explore all of It. so we ll take some snacks with us toe. You two take that and well take lunch — okay?"
"Sure," answered Diane. "Whal a pity the mansion Is private property or we could haw explored that too. I’d love to have a look al those hldcy-holes they used for the Underground Railway."
1 agreed with her. "Yes, that would have been fun."
Jean got up and turned to her twin. "Conic on DI. we'd belter gel moving; the groceries arc waiting to be bought nnd I still haven’t written to Mum and dad. ’Hye you two. Sec, you tomorrow."
Groaning. Diane got to her feel. "Ileek. I haven’t written cither, and there won’t be any time tomorrow," and turning to us. she added, 'Bye, sec you."
The next day Chris and I got up early and helped Mrs. Jameson. jbe Calvert’s housekeeper. lo prepare our picnic lunch. Mrs. Jnmcson had been with the Calverts since Chris was thirteen when her parents had divorced.
At len wc picked up Dlnnc and Jenn and started for Mandrake Mansion In Chris' yellow Toyota. Chris wns driving as she was the only one among us who was old enough lo have a license. After an hours’ chatting and laughing wc reached Mandrake. Chris packed the rar under sonic walnuts nnd wc got out and stretched our k-gs.
"Wow. 11 sure 1s dark In here," remarked Chris. "I’d heard ihal the grounds were more Hke a wood now, but I didn't think It would be this dense."
II wns as Chris had said — dark and dense. All around us were walnut trees which were blotting out the sun. Here and there, I here were patches of grass, and In between sometimes. a flower or Iwo peeped out al us. And it wns quiet — so quiet Ihal the silence vvnxd to be screaming nt us.
"Let's have an early lunch." I suggested. "Then wc wont hnvc to worry about coming bark to the car: nnd wc canl carry the- picnic box If wc want to enjoy ourwehreo.’
"Good Ide-al Yes. lei’s ent first — come on twin, he lp me get this out.'
As the twins carried the box out of the car Chris nnd I spread out the- rugs After the food had been sei out wc began to cal.
"Where shall wc start?"
Dlnnc asked Chris through a mouthful of chicken sandwich.
"Here of course: and we ll work our way through towards the mansion."
Helping myself to some-cheese I asked." is there any one living in the mansion at the moment?"
"None that I know of. Dnd told me- It’s empty when I asked him."
When wc finished wc pul everything bark Into the rnr and began to walk around, looking around us as wc did. We- had gone sonK-way Into the
wood and nol one of us had spoken since wc had k-fl the ear. Il was ns dark ns ever nnd It seemed as though the silence was forbidding us lo trespass into foreign territory.
Jean tried lo make conversation "Say. Chris." she began, "don’t you think this would be the perfect place to start hunting for n new mystery? Wc..."Shc didn’t get any further for just at the moment a bloodcurdling scream rang through the woodsl And then silence.
To be continued...