The Party (a Paranormal story)

 

1

Rein Morrison was against the idea of keeping the White palace as it had been for the last couple of centuries; standing tall and high and proud with the silhouetted mountains behind it and the forest line at the slope of the hill at its west, which had grown tall and dark and wild with the welcoming absence of human interference.

 

The inexplicable attractions for mysteries and the unexplainable connection of human interest to the history of their ancestors had made the place a favorite one a long ago with its safe and pure wilderness amidst growing bushes, a deep blue lake and wild yellow flowers all around the property covering a huge area of 500 acres. And for the last fifty years, it had almost become a tradition for the people in the little town to spend their weekends in peace and tranquility of the White Park, as they called it; so close to the town yet far from the hustle and bustle of the city heart. With too many open grounds for the kids to play around, the beautiful view of the wild yellow flowers grown in abundance all around the place, the chilling breeze flowing in from the mountain ridge, the color blast of various plants and bushes on the slopes of the hills, the place had an irresistible appeal. And most importantly it was open for all.  

 

However, one thing was for sure that no one dared to trespass the un-inhabiting white palace gate. It always remained locked with an aura of mystery caved inside. Without any living heritance to claim, the palace naturally became the responsibility of the city council. They had to spend a budget, however little it was, to keep the outer part clean and mowed. But they themselves didn’t bother to clean the interior which was believed to be haunted by the souls still attracted to the place they used to be living in till their deaths.

 

But, the city people were okay with the haunted souls, if there were any, as long as they were residing inside the palace. There had never been any report of any harms done by any supernatural elements in and around the area. And there were the senior citizens who believed that the palace owners were good people with great hearts for the well-being of the people of the county. And there were no reason for them to turn hostile against the people they once loved, if their souls freed from their bodies a century ago would still roam around the palace. So, people, since the last three generations, never stopped spending their beautiful family times in the place around the palace and more interestingly, people from the adjacent towns and even from the faraway places started visiting the place for the historical appeal, mystified stories linked to the palace, and for the pure and serene beauty amidst the wilderness; still undisturbed.

 

2.

It was kept going on like this until one fine morning when the manager of a famous construction corporation came to the office of the Mayor with a modest and alluring proposal. The spreading interest of people outside the county drew the attention of the corporation to turn it a popular tourist destination by blending the beauty and the mystery of the palace and by harnessing the wilderness in favor of their monetary interests.    

 

Rein Morrison was the Mayor after all. And most of the city councilors were backing him for the business gain; both for the prospect of a sky-rocketed tax revenue and for the personal commissions they were secretly promised by the manager of Hide Valley Constructions Inc. And the promised commission was an unbelievably huge one; way beyond their imaginations. And all was just for their consent and signature on the approval papers for turning the White Palace a Five Star resort including the blue lake, the forest line and the open grounds in the property area.

 

There was an uproar against the decision among the little number of people who had happened to come across the exclusively secret approval in progress in the mayoral office. And Estella Merion was one among the councilors who protested against the decision. But everything was under the absolute control of the mayor, as the majority of the councilors under him had given their support in his favor. The signing ceremony was about to be happened in a grand style with a proper match of a five star facility. A majestic party was thrown from the construction corporation and the venue of the party was none other than the White Palace itself.

 

Even without the official approval signed, the corporation, with the consent of the mayor, started their work inside the property. Under the guise of a routine renovation work, the site had been closed down for two weeks and within this short time, they inspected the interior for a rough layout plan and got the grand hall of the palace ready for the party. The invitees, all being so exclusive and special and the heads of the city, were requested to attend the party with promises of surprises and the commissions of course.

 

3.

Estella Merion was not in a position to make it public until the approval was signed. Until then it was a matter supposed to be kept as a secret among the members of the city councilors as a part of their oath. And the mayor had a reason, well enough, for the approval. A large amount of revenue would be collected and numbers of new business opportunities would be opened up for the city, which was going to be gone past the status of a quiet and calm town with a few thousands of original inhabitants in total. Something big was going to be happened with the expected flood of people from everywhere and the city would no longer remain a little town.

 

She contacted one of her friends from the university, who was currently working as a freelance journalist. His name was James Pattinson, a thin, tall and gentle looking boy with long curl hairs and an innocent pair of eyes. But, inside, he was the most daring badass and adventure seeker among all her varsity friends. She requested him to make a report about the historical value of the palace and the true feeling involved with the natural tranquility and originality of the place. And the secret party they were going to attend even before the signing of the approval and about how the residents were cheated by the mayoral office by closing the location in the name of renovation work.

 

This was going to be a breaking news on the front pages of the local newspapers with the pictures of the party in the White Palace. A big time news. And that was the best Estella could do without knowing the exact outcome of the plan.          

 

4.

As a part of the plan to keep the party a secret one, the special invitees were instructed to get there in different times, keeping at least a time gap of fifteen minutes from one another in reaching the spot, their dream project.

 

The first one was David Muller, a favorite to the mayor. An aspiring young politician in his first term as a councilor. In his royal blue sedan he was on his way to the palace. He knew the place well with so many happy moments spent together with his family. And he knew that he was going to spend even better times there in the near future with all those five star facilities. It would be costly and no more a free zone for each and every vagrant, but he would be able to afford that with the promised business opportunity.  

 

He crossed past the downtown in fifteen minutes in a dwindling traffic with more fifteen minutes of driving time left. And suddenly he felt all alone on the street going along the hilly ways in slopes and turns. But driving was not a difficult job in a moonlit night with a maddening flow of light over the hills, roads and the silhouetted forest line which would eventually meet the palace. He was lost in so many thoughts but was driving carefully with the trace of no one else on the road. And then the surprise took its turn. After taking a turn crossing past another hill slope, a dazzling look with colorful lights glowing the proud White Palace struck his eyes. The palace was decorated with lightings, putting on well a majestically festive look. He knew that there would be surprises waiting for them, but he didn’t imagine that they could arrange such a grand party within such a short time.

 

With surprise, excitement and an inexplicable disbelief in his eyes and with a chilling feel flowing across his veins, he drove along and entered the driveway after crossing the alluring, well decorated palace gate, without thinking that his driving time was shortened by at least three minutes. And he didn’t speed up for that.   

 

Followed by David, the other four councilors drove along the same road; each maintaining the fifteen minutes of time gap from one another, as specified earlier. On the same road under the unchanged magical effect of the glowing Moon, they drove past the downtown, the straight road up to the mountainous one and then a couple of turns until the dazzling look of the palace; now in a surprisingly bright, colorful, shining and sparkling decoration with lighting. And almost with the same kind of feeling identical to those of David’s, they drove past the majestic palace gate and entered the driveway following the familiar cars parked in a row.

 

And then came Rein Morrison, the pride and powerful mayor. He did the same like the other councilors, but with a little hesitance. He always believes on his own judgments and often makes or enforces others to believe in them too. Deep down his mind, he knew that the palace wasn’t supposed to be here. It took him a little earlier to get this far and he couldn’t miss the third turn. He might have gone absentminded for a few moments and drove past the turn in a flow. As a very rare occasion, he got a little bemused and tried to figure out an explanation. And after watching the cars, all known to him, he drove his black Cadillac past the grand palace gate and the other cars on the driveway to park his one at the nearest to the door.      

 

5.

James Pattinson, the freelance journalist and the friend of Estella, reached the town a little after the twilight and boarded on a motel as a new tourist to the town. After having an early dinner at the motel restaurant, he started heading for the palace in a hired car. He had been briefed well about the exact location of the place. He knew well about how to get there. There will be a serpentine road along the mountains after crossing about ten kilometers from the downtown on a straight road and then there will be more ten kilometers journey on a car with three turns on the slope of three hills. And he was counting well the landmarks he had been briefed by Estella. He drove past the downtown, the straight road before the mountainous one and then eventually the second turn. And then he got utterly surprised seeing the glowing grandeur of a palace standing high and proud, just about five hundred meters away. He got confused and rethought about the location. No, it was made clear that he must cross past the third turn on the foothill of a hill and about two hundred meters later the blue lake would come in the sight with all its sparkling glow under the Moon. So, he decided to keep driving along the road for the third turn to show up, ignoring the other palace in a party look.

 

He reached there eventually and found the palace in a festive look just like the former one he left behind, just like a prototype; but without any guests or any welcome note usual for such a splendid party. Two big guys, almost in the size and shape of gorillas, rushed to his car in an impatient look. The hired car was not near anything to match such a party or the special invitees. 

 

6.

The business magnet, Michael Callahan, the corporate head of the construction company and unquestionably the mastermind behind the plan, was the kind of person who never waited for chances to materialize. He just makes a decision and propels things turn in the favors required for the execution of the decision; exercising his power, brutality, money or whatever is required to cater to the desired consequences.

 

James was taken to him by the Bigfoots from the palace door.

‘And what the hell are you doing here and where is that bloody mayor. I have been waiting for his goddamn councilors for more than an hour,’ a commanding voice full of anger and impatience shot out of the mouth of Callahan.

James knew what he was going to deal with and he had his story ready.

‘Actually sir, I’m just a tourist passing by. I am fond of mysterious places like old palaces with interesting historical backgrounds. I just happened to take a night break in the town. As I was having my dinner in a restaurant by the bus stop, I heard people talking about this palace and the renovation works in progress. I was little curious and got some interesting facts out of them. I thought that there got to be people around here or may be camps for the ongoing renovation works. As I was planning to move on early next morning and had time in hand before throwing myself to the motel bed, I just wanted to pay this place a visit. I had no idea about two separate parties were going on in two different palaces within the range of a couple of kilometers. And in fact, I didn’t heard that there would actually two palaces to explore here and surprisingly both the palaces were decorated in the same grandeur and brightness,’ he finished his part of the story in just one breath.

‘What the hell do you mean by another palace within a few kilometers?’

‘The other one after the second turn on the way from the downtown.’

‘Are you kidding, kid? There is no trace of any other palaces within the range of 100 kilometers; neither in this county, nor in the nearby ones. Wait a minute, was it a palace or something else? Is it something to foil our signing party? Did Estella get the proposal leaked out and hence there is still no trace of the mayor and his goddamn councilors?’ 

 

The angered businessman overwhelmed by the thought of another party, probably in some makeshift tents out in the jungle to foil his plans, went just mad and outrageous. He shot out of the hall room in a second and his bodyguards, manager and the butler started running after him. And a puzzled James was left all alone in the large hall room with a dining table full of mouth-watering dishes, fruits, and the branded bottles of wines. And then he heard the creaking sounds of cars speeding away out of the gate.

 

With the general curiosity, not like that of a journalist, James started looking at the mind-blowing interior of the hall room, the large paintings hanging on the walls, the sculptures kept beautifully over a wooden cabinet and the precious artefacts. With the sudden turn to the event beyond his imagination and the aura ruling over the entire hall room, he started feeling thirsty. He went straight to the dining table, took an already opened bottle of wine, poured it down to a glass and gulped down the wine in one single sip. And the last thing he could remember was the sofa he was staggering to, swaying a little.

 

7.

He woke up the next morning with the bright rays of Sun peeping inside the room from the big window on the eastern terrace. It was already 8am in the morning and he was still alone inside the massive hall room, which was looking so different in the day light. The main door was still open. He went out of the room and threw an examining look outside the palace. A dozen of workers were waiting outside their tents set against the boundary wall on the western side. They all were waiting for the instructions from some commanding voices. And there was no one left in and around to give them one. 

 

James got on his car and drove past the gate, leaving all those puzzled looks behind. He himself was in utter confusion regarding what had actually happened last night. To connect the loose ends, he immediately decided to go back to the town and talk to Estella. But he was driving slowly with a careful look searching for the other palace he saw last night. He drove past the turn and then another one, without seeing any clue or trace of what he had seen on his way to the White Palace.      

 

It took him a little more than thirty minutes to get to the town, and the little more time was needed for his backward driving in the second attempt to locate the other palace. The town woke up too by this time with people at restaurants, on the streets and in the cars to commute to their works. But, none among them seemed to be in a hurry to trigger any deafening chaos. A group of people were seen passing some peaceful moments without any rush to chase the life at the park by the bus stop. No one with any knowledge of the changes made to the looming and lurking fate of the city. No one will ever know what was going to be happened with their lovely city by the hands of the mayor and the corporation. And no one will ever know how their mayor and his councilors got vanished in the air without any trace, understandable to human beings, left.

 

And James entered the town needing a new mayor and new councilors in its new dawn.   

© Atique R.