2 A Haunting In Oregon by Michael Richan Read Free Book Online Page B

slow going. Beyond the history of the
place, the stories were meant to titillate readers and give them a thrill. Having
seen what Steven had seen recently, the descriptions of moaning spirits and the
like bored him. He would rather be reading Roy’s book, but Roy was reading it
himself, searching for more on portals and private passageways. Bored, he had
walked the grounds of the manor, familiarizing himself with the various
sections and the outer buildings. The place was huge and the way it had been
expanded over the years was truly strange, with what must have been different
architects and clashing styles. After his survey he took a nap and rose just
before dinner.
    Roy walked into his room through
the adjoining doors they had agreed to leave open.
    “I may have a way to trace it,”
Roy said. “A signature. Whoever creates this portal is likely to leave a
signature. If I can detect it, we might be able to track down who is creating
it.”
    “How will you do that?” Steven
asked. “What does a signature look like?”
    “I don’t know for sure. It won’t
be on the outside of it, I’m sure of that. I’ll have to look for it at the end
of the tunnel, where I might be able to see the inside. Then I’ll use this,”
Roy said, producing a round mirror.
    “Wait, did you pull that off the
wall in your bathroom?” Steven asked.
    “Yes!” said Roy. “If there’s a
signature, it’ll only be visible indirectly. We’ll never see it staring at it
normally. I’ll use this once we reach the end of the tunnel to look into it and
see if I can detect a pattern.”
    Steven frowned at Roy for ripping
his bathroom apart, but inside he smiled at this news. There was a good chance
that tonight’s surveillance would yield some answers that they could use to
shut down the portal. And just in time, with guest arriving the next day.
    -
    Precisely at five minutes to two
Steven and Roy turned off the flashlight in the basement and awaited the
opening of the passageway. Roy had decided to not go into a trance, feeling he
could detect the tunnel by just slipping into the flow. Since they would have
to navigate up the stairs and who knows where from there, Steven would remain
out of the River and help guide Roy through the house.
    Steven waited, worried that the
humming might not come again. He wondered if it appeared each night at
precisely the same time. He imagined an anal retentive mastermind somewhere,
obsessed with creating the portal at the exact moment every night.
    After several minutes of silence,
and just as Steven was beginning to fear that it would not return, the humming
arrived and Steven felt his skin crawl. Roy began to walk, and Steven walked
with him, turning the flashlight on and keeping it focused immediately in front
of Roy’s feet. Roy took small steps but there was an urgency to them. Roy’s
mind was in the River, and he was just mechanically moving his legs, trusting
Steven to make sure he didn’t walk into something or fall.
    They reached the staircase and
slowly marched up it, Roy in the lead, Steven keeping his hand on Roy’s back,
and shining the flashlight down at their feet, carefully maneuvering each
stair.
    At the top of the stairs, Roy
turned and moved down a hallway. Steven followed. They were moving in the
direction of the central rooms, where the dining room and kitchen were located.
They slowly passed through each, and Steven saw Roy turn down the corridor that
led to the south wing. They walked down the hallway until Roy came to a stop
near a door.
    “You need to see this,” Roy said.
“Jump in.”
    Steven entered the flow and
immediately saw the glowing tube proceeding back down the hallway behind them.
Roy was floating several feet away, further down the hall. He joined him.
    What’s going on? Steven thought.
    Just watch, Roy replied.
    Nothing happened for a moment. He
kept his focus on the opening of the passageway, and after a few seconds he saw
a creature emerge. It moved like an