Have Mercy On Us All #2

You're the Quarter, I'm the Well

Have Mercy On Us All 2

I really think I need to get a hold of myself. To tell the truth- there is a mysterious, "Clue"-like factor in finding a hidden doorway in your daughters bedroom. The library with that secret bookshelf to push. That candelabra that when pulled down, opens a passage to a crawlspace. Those eyeballs looking at you from the painting.

But a small door. In a little girls bedroom. This was not what I expected when my wife left for the weekend. The darkness scares me too. I knew my daughters paranoia came straight from her Daddy. For her sake, I will need the courage to investigate this with some sense of calmness.

The crest was straight out of Davey Jones locker. A crimson and gold chest, dressed perfectly, even down to the over-sized padlock on the front. The lock was undone. A flash of dust and soft light yawned from the chest as we opened it. A staircase, winding down into the well. Wet bricks and and dripping sound somewhere ten to twenty feet below. But stairs. Inviting stairs that called us down.

The water was only a few inches deep at the bottom and flowed down a short hallway. Every few feet there was a doorway. Wooden doors, two on the left and two on the right. The first one to our right was already open, revealing the edge of a table. This appeared to be a short, metal veterinarians table extending from the wall.

The doctor looked up at us.

"We mostly treat farm animals. Our specialty is horses. Rare breeds, race horses, prize winners." The doctor put both hands simultaneously in her lab coat pockets. 'Do you like horses little girl?"

Arlene's eyes widened at the question from the doctor. She grabbed my pant leg as I stepped forward to confront the woman at the table.