Subj: Petofi's Maze chapter 11
Date: 2/24/99 4:56:35 PM Central Standard Time
From: miranda

Chapter 11

Quentin almost fell over his own feet as he stumbled down the cellar steps in Collinwood. For the first time in over seventy years hope beamed a warm glow in his heart. He studied the bottom step and ran his hands over the cold stone. There was nothing here to indicate it was different from the others. He pushed and then pulled on the stone with no results. One thing remained. Quentin scanned the dim basement and let his eyes rest on a sledgehammer that lay covered in cobwebs against the wall. Quentin grabbed it with both hands and positioned himself over the step. He swung it over his head and thought, "I hope Elizabeth forgives me for this." With a swoosh of the air he applied a mighty blow to the concrete. The step shattered and when the dust cleared it revealed that the step was actually hollow inside.

Quentin got down on his hands and knees and examined the inside. There was a lever inside. He pulled on it and although it obviously hadn't been utilized in years, it gave easily. With a mighty rumble the far wall started to move. So much dust filled the room that Quentin had to shield his eyes with his arm. Dust filled his nostrils and caused him to gag and cough. When enough of the dust settled Quentin was able to make out the dark gape in the wall. He peered inside and shouted, "The maze!"

Jamison's tale was indeed a reality. An elated Quentin shared his discovery with Barnabas, Julia, Beth, and Chris. They all rallied together to explore and map the maze which seemed to stretch out for miles in every direction. They decided to work in pairs and take the precautions of tying rope around whoever was doing the exploration along with marking the walls with chalk. Elizabeth agreed to keep the basement door locked so the ever inquisitive David would not wander into the maze and get lost. With only days remaining before Petofi took over Quentin's body everyone decided to work in shifts around the clock. Hopefully, they would discover exactly what it was that Petofi had hidden inside that scared him so much.

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In the early evening hours Carolyn and Jeb strolled down by the docks on their way to the Blue Whale. They were speaking about Jeb's latest book entitled "The Secrets of Witchcraft". Jeb was by no means a practitioner or even dabbler into the occult. He simply had an insatiable curiosity to understand what the practices consisted of and what those associated with the occult believe. This started out as a hobby, but turned into a lucrative business for him. Recently, he started attending school in order to someday be a professor on the subject.

"It's just a belief in folklore and superstition. I've never seen anything supernatural myself and I've been researching this stuff since I was a kid," Jeb explained.

"My family is filled with stories of the supernatural: the weeping widows, the ghosts of our ancestors walking the halls of the Old House," Carolyn added.

Jeb stopped walking. "I know we haven't known each other for a very long time Carolyn, but I feel like we were meant to be together."

Carolyn smiled and stared up into Jeb's eyes. "I feel the same way."

A bubbling in the water interrupted the moment. Distracted, Carolyn looked down over the edge of the dock. In an instant Tom Jennings leaped out of the water and pulled Carolyn into the cold night water.