(Banyon Sisters 7) Farschole Castle
Not long after their exciting discovery in the library, Emily and Lindsey were called to the kitchen for lunch by Jasmine. She had fixed them soup and sandwiches and then headed off to find Mr. Timmons.
“Me ave to ask Timmons ta trim da vines round deese windows ere” she told the girls, pointing at the kitchen windows. “eets getting soze ya cann even sees da garden no more!” she said, and left the girls to eat their lunch alone.
Emily and Lindsey were glad to see her go, while they loved Jasmine’s company during lunch; today they had secrets to discuss.
“Who do you think those girls are?” Emily asked, looking past the kitchen door and to the hallway beyond to make sure they were alone.
“Ghosts Em, they’re ghosts” Lindsey replied.
“Well duh!” Emily answered sarcastically. “I know they’re ghosts, what I mean is…who, do you think they were?” She asked.
“I don’t know, maybe they lived here once?” Lindsey suggested.
“Then we’re related to them maybe?” Emily said. “Like distant cousins…or great great great aunts?” Emily suggested.
“Maybe” Lindsey replied. “Dad said that Banyons have lived in Wallace house for almost a century.” She added.
“Do you think maybe they have our stuff back in that nursery?” Emily asked.
“Maybe” Lindsey replied again. “You want to go back and find out? You’ll end up in diapers again probably.” Lindsey said with a giggle.
“Well I would like to get our stuff back without having to conjure it all up again wouldn’t you?” Emily asked.
Lindsey blushed. “Well yeah, of course I do…but what makes you think those ghosts will just give it back?” She asked. “They stole it, and they treated us like babies…clearly they have other plans for our stuff.” Lindsey said with a look of frustration.
“Well maybe we can come to some sort of an agreement with them?” Emily suggested. “I mean does it really matter if we play babies in our room or with ghosts in a magical nursery?” Emily said.
"Well, no, I guess it doesn’t matter…and as much fun having a magical nursery would be, I really don’t want to get trapped in one by ghost nannies…they let us out once, but we don’t know what they want or if they would let us out again. Lindsey said.
“Well like I said, maybe we can make a deal with them?” Emily suggested again.
“You want to try negotiating with ghosts?” Lindsey said, looking at Emily as if her sister had just fallen off a turnip truck. “When have you ever known a ghost to do what the living ask?” Lindsey asked. “Even Mom and dad can’t control ALL the spirits that show up here…if they could, we probably wouldn’t have any ghosts!” she added.
Emily sighed; she knew her sister was probably right. “Well at least we should try and find out who they are and what they want?” She suggested. “It can’t hurt to at least see if the nursery is still there?” Emily said.
“Well…I guess it can’t hurt” Lindsey replied. “But this time I’m pooping on the toilet before we go in there” She said.
Emily giggled.
“Let’s eat and then we can go through the magic passageway to the third floor.” Emily said.
Lindsey nodded her agreement. The girls ate quickly and after using a simple spell that Jasmine had taught them to clean up their dishes, prepared to step through the wall to the third floor hallway. Emily giggled before they entered the passageway causing Lindsey to pause before walking through the wall.
“What?” Lindsey asked.
“I thought you were going to go poop?” Emily said, giggling again.
“Well…I don’t have to.” Lindsey said, giving her sister a look.
“You sure?” Emily giggled, giving her sister a playful swat on her behind.
“Cut it out! Yes I’m sure!” Lindsey said in a huff. “Now let’s go get this over with.”
She grabbed Emily’s hand and the girls stepped through the wall together. They arrived instantly in the third floor hallway, and to their dismay, no magical doorway appeared on the wall opposite the passageway they had arrived through.
“That’s the spot.” Emily said, pointing at the wall in front of them.
“Yup, and no door.” Lindsey said, nodding her agreement. “Maybe it moves?” she said, looking down the hall in either direction.
“Let’s look around.” Emily said.
The twins walked up and down the hallway hoping that a doorway would appear on either wall, but after walking the full length of the hall in either direction, there was no sign of the magical doorway or nursery. They returned to the library in defeat and sat across from each other at the study table.
“So what do we do now?” Emily asked, placing her elbow on the table and propping her head in her hand.
Lindsey thought for a moment. “You know…the girls in that painting looked a lot alike.”
Emily looked up at her sister. “Yeah?” she agreed, not really sure what Lindsey’s point was.
“You know same age, height, hair color…” Lindsey continued.
“Uh huh” Emily replied, wondering what her sister was getting at.
“I can’t be sure…but I think they’re sisters.” Lindsey said. “Or maybe cousins” She added.
“What’s your point?” Emily asked.
“Well it’s like you said…maybe they once lived here, in Wallace House.” Lindsey replied.
Emily stared at her.
Lindsey sighed in frustration “Em…If they did live here…” She got up from her chair and walked over to the many bookshelves lining the wall behind her. “We can find them in these!” Lindsey pointed at the books.
Emily smiled, and leapt from her chair, racing around the table to join her sister. A half hour later the twins had managed to retrieve three books which they were sure would shed some light on the identities of their ghosts: A history of Wallace House, The Banyon Family History, and a book on famous hauntings. For the rest of the afternoon, Emily and Lindsey poured through the books, looking for any and all items of interest relating to the history of Wallace House and its ghosts.
As the afternoon grew late, the twins were just about ready to give up their search for information when Lindsey came across a picture in “The Banyon Family History” that made her gasp.
“Em look at this!” Lindsey shouted in surprise.
“What is it?” Emily asked excitedly.
“This picture…it’s the same as the one on the wall!” Lindsey said, pointing to the painting where the ghostly girls had first appeared. The picture in the book was of the same castle that remained in the painting on the wall after the ghosts had vanished from it.
“Where is that?” Emily asked.
“Farschole Castle” Lindsey read from the book. “Farschole Castle, built in 1014 (Netherworld), in the Northern Plains of Farsch, stood as the Banyon Family summer residence in the Netherworld.” She read. “It also stood as a protective retreat for the Banyon family during the war with the Drundell Army (See Drundell War, 1763 to 1770 Netherworld)”
“We have a summer castle?” Emily said with excitement.
“I don’t think so…” Lindsey replied. “Listen” she said and read on. “Most of the Castle was destroyed in the battle of Farsch during the war with the Drundell Army in 1767 (Netherworld)” Lindsey looked up from her reading momentarily and locked eyes with her sister. “Don’t think it’s there anymore” she said.
“Is there more?” Emily asked.
“Yeah…” Lindsey said and read on. “During the tragic battle of Farsch, several Banyon family members were killed as the castle was overrun. The surviving Banyons, twin sisters, Marissa and Megan escaped to Trulouxe in the western region where they were rescued by the advancing United Wizard Army.” Lindsey continued reading. “Shortly after the battle of Trulouxe, the two girls were reunited with their Aunt and Uncle, Felicia and Wallace Banyon in Trulouxe, but Farschole Castle was never rebuilt and its ruins still stand on the empty estate East of Farsch. No Banyon family members have been known to visit the Castle since the tragic events of the war, although it is believed that Marissa and Megan Banyon did return to the castle in 1772 (Netherworld) during the reconstruction era. Beyond this time, the sisters were not heard from again, and family records can not account for Marissa and Megan Banyon’s whereabouts beyond 1772 (Netherworld).”
Lindsey finished the page and looked up at Emily again. “Well…I’m guessing our ghosts are Marissa and Megan” She said.
“Wallace Banyon…our Great…Great…Great….maybe even Great…Great…Great…Great…Grandfather!” Emily said. “He was their uncle!” Emily added with excitement.
“Yeah, dad said he built Wallace House” Lindsey said.
“So Marissa and Megan are…” Emily started.
“Our great, great, great, cousins!” Lindsey said, finishing her sister’s thought.
“And they were twins too!” Emily said. She got up from her chair and walked back to the painting of Farschole Castle where the ghosts had appeared. She gazed at the painting hoping the ghosts would reappear.
“Marissa and Megan…if you’re in there can you hear me?” Emily spoke into the painting. There was no response.
Lindsey got up from her seat and walked over to join her sister at the wall. Together the girls looked into the painting.
“Marissa and Megan…we just want to talk…please” Emily said again.
The twins gazed into the painting and gasped as a light briefly appeared in a high castle window; “Come and find us baby girls!” said a girlish pair of voices, this was followed by the sound of the ghostly giggles, which soon faded.
Emily and Lindsey looked at each other in shock. Their ghosts now had names.
I love where you’re going with this. I read your reply to the last chapter, about how you originally planned on it being a series of small adventures but seem to be getting wrapped up in this one. I love where this adventure is going but I’m sure, after establishing the relationship between the sisters and the ghosts a bit more, that you could easily branch off into other subplots. This is a wonderful read, please don’t let it die anytime soon!