Shadows in the Moonlight

As I wander through the corridor leading outside, I hear the quietness of the night. Owls hooting, Hedgehogs snuffling and Badgers hunting. The big old oak door creaks as I open it and I step out into the moonlit night.

I am free again, like a shooting star gliding through the night sky.

Walking towards the imposing rusty gates, I notice the shadows all around me. Cast by the light of the full moon on all the plants in the once beautiful garden. Turning in a full circle I take in the beauty of this untamed garden.

When I reach the gates, I turn back towards the house and see the shadows in the moonlight.

My shadows in the moonlight.

It will be my secret; no one else is to know. Only, there is no one to tell, the last residents of this big old house left years ago.

I can’t leave, I can’t even get past the gates, where so many have left never to return. The only others that live here are the old maid, Agnes and her husband, Richard.

So this will be my secret.

This is my uncle’s house. It has many big empty rooms that have layer upon layers of dust settled on the white sheets protecting what little furniture there is left. Me, Agnes and Richard have the ground floor to live in. There is the grand dining hall with the piano, the old kitchen and three big rooms with massive beds that have hanging drapes and silk curtains.

My room is an olive green with dark brown panelling. Behind the panels there is a secret passage, where spiders build their homes and the rats scurry in the dark. It’s my favourite place to sit and hide from the whispers and noises.

That’s my secret too.

No one knows about it except me and my uncle.

But I have a new secret now.

I have many secrets.