…But nothing happened. Just a wash and that’s it. I rinsed myself off in the same water I’d foolishly tried to get back at for my personal hang - ups, pulled my pants up, and walked back toward the others like a blockbuster hero. It looked pretty pathetic, to be honest. I was freezing, pumped full of adrenaline, and the whole act? Not exactly epic.
But will the audience love it? Oh, for sure.
So I perked up a little and jumped in to help with the fire - we had wood and charcoal - and we quickly set up our mini camp. Shivering all over, barely fighting off hypothermia, we changed in the tent (no peeking, promise), and then crawled out toward the now blazing fire.
It was there that Odile, with his signature intense thinker - face, asked:
- Did everyone see the person waving at us from that big building?
Saying we freaked out is an understatement! But the camera was rolling, as always, and we had to perform, so I played it cool:
- .. What are you getting at, Odi? Should I call a doctor or something? He replied:
- When we were splashing around, I saw- under the ghostly moonlight- a dark figure, beckoning to us. As you know, I’ve got the eyes of a hawk, and they led me to some kind of Big. Like, castle.
- Whoa, fantasy already? Ghosts and castles? - I
But suddenly the fire didn’t feel like such a solid defense anymore. We'd never actually faced anything paranormal before, and I wouldn’t say I was thrilled about the prospect.
Still - Billions of views, baby.
Rational Adelgunda didn’t hesitate. She stood up and brushed us away from the comfort of the flames:
- This could be a huge Let’s check it out, guys.
- I bet it was just some homeless dude, - I muttered, rising - But yeah, worth a look.
Our loyal cameraman followed, and our trusty trio set off toward the building, geared up with the essentials. We had: pepper spray (for people), crossbows with silver bolts (for nastier things - handcrafted by Odile’s blacksmith uncle), and, of course, all the classic ghost - hunter gear: an EMF detector, a radio frequency scanner with recording capability, a thermometer, and other boring but useful tools for finding - guests from beyond. -
But what I really cared about - was safety. So I held my crossbow and spray can at the ready, swinging them as I ranted:
- So this is your castle? Hmm… looks more like some abandoned factory that’s been outta use for a century. Check out those window holes - no glass in And all that gravel? Scattered like a party gone wrong. This place needs a full - on renovation. -
- And that’s exactly why it might hold something truly unique, - Adelgunda shot back, defending the cameraman. - In this building, we’ll use every tool we’ve got to unravel the mystery - to understand how this eerie figure is tied to the lake… and this factory. Are you ready, folks? - She asked our audience, before gripping the cracked purple door handle and stepping inside.
And then gasped.
Odile and I followed, cool as cucumbers. And gasped too.
Because we were standing in the hallway of a real medieval castle!
This place had everything it needed to sell the aesthetic. And how could it not- this was a gloomy, majestic corridor, soaked in the dust of centuries.
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Tapestries hung on every wall, displaying the usual stuff: knightly tournaments, falcon hunting, and the whimsical joys of the medieval elite. Flickering flames danced from the torches clutched in wrought - iron sconces, casting shadows on the narrow, bricked - up arrow slits. The stone floor was covered with long, expensive carpets, muffling our footsteps, each one edged in golden embroidery.
But the air- that was the real thing. It carried notes of wax, wood, old fabric, and just a hint of damp stone. Every breath we took echoed deeper and louder in our lungs. We exchanged wild glances and rushed back to the door… only to find the same familiar snowy valley. We turned around- and boom- right back in this ancient space.
- The creatures of the night have welcomed us into their kingdom, - Odile announced, For the first time ever, I had nothing to say back.
Adelgunda coughed once, twice, a third time, and all she could muster was:
- Are you all seeing this too?
- And if we’re all seeing it- then the camera is too. Odile?
The cameraman groaned and slumped onto the icy floor, forgetting all about the risk of catching pneumonia. He was already frozen from the lake, and at this point, very little could rattle him- except, you know, being teleported into a medieval castle that shouldn't exist.
- I see it. The net’s been cast- and we walked right into it without even struggling. Shame on me, for being so gullible...
He bowed his head low, pressing his nose to the camera like it was his child, cradling it tenderly in both hands. To a stranger, he might’ve looked completely cracked- but I knew better. He wasn’t losing it. He was just feeling crushing guilt for bringing us here.
I didn’t know how to comfort people- but Ada? She was good at that. Sitting down next to him, my co - host ran the edge of her hand down the middle of his scalp and said softly:
- I’ve just drawn a boundary line, Odi. I’ve separated the bad from the Now you’re free from the pain, as long as this line stands.
- How does our pragmatic, business - minded Adelgunda always manage to shift gears like that- into someone so wise and kind? She’s unbelievable.
A sharp pang of jealousy stabbed through me. I looked at her- and at her temporarily rescued patient- with almost open hatred. Odile sat up straighter, smiled his perfectly even white teeth, and I swear I wanted to knock them out. I would've kept stewing, if not for the sudden wave of nausea, probably from the stress.
Time to snap back to reality.
And what was that reality, exactly? This medieval masquerade? Who the hell was it even for?
- We need to keep moving, - Ada - Until we explore this place, we won’t know what’s going on. And let’s not forget- where there’s mystery, there’s opportunity. Maybe even fame and fortune. Way more than we’ve got now.
- Every child and every adult in the world will be talking about us, - I whispered in All my bad thoughts just... vanished. Ahead of me loomed the Big Goal- and I was ready to kick Scrooge McDuck out of his gold vault and take a running dive into the coins.
As if reading my greedy little daydream, Odile decided to dump a bucket of cold water on the excitement:
- A place this magical might hold .. but also danger. Let’s not act like looters. Let’s do the right thing. Who knows how the owners of these things might react? I swear on my Royal Hamster Benny- we could be in serious trouble…
I nodded quickly, though I had been toying with some raiding ideas in the back of my mind.
- No arguments -
And Ada added, already moving forward:
- Even if there aren’t owners, there are still plenty of These walls and books could be full of mold. And that dust? It might be hiding fungal spores or bacteria. For example, Aspergillus or Penicillium spores can survive for centuries- and they can cause serious respiratory issues. -
- What the hell is this crap? Are we in a science lecture, nerd? My - blogger mode - kicked back in.
Miss Scientist shot me a heavy look and said calmly:
- Just don’t touch anything, That’s all. Actually, it wouldn’t be the worst idea to go back to town and get some masks, so we don’t inhale anything nasty. -
- Oh sure, and then the castle’ll just disappear. It’s probably not even here for - I chopped her sentence in half, and she just shrugged, sort of agreeing.
Yeah, the temptation was way too strong!
We were walking down a massive corridor, and I could swear the acoustics were so good I could hear every single third interval in the sound of my own hurried steps or Odile’s wide - legged wobble. Ada’s heavy breathing was loud enough to drown us all out, but that was normal for her- some kind of relaxation technique she always practiced. Hey, if it helped, let her breathe.
About forty or fifty steps later, we reached a pair of huge wrought - iron doors, one bolted shut, the other swung open like it was welcoming us. Behind them was a vast throne room that hit us right in the curiosity.
This was a place made for kings!
Even though we couldn’t spot the actual throne, there were so many flying buttresses, caryatids, arches, and other stuff Adelgunda kept naming that it made us dizzy. And standing inside, in two silent rows, were real suits of knight armor, holding weapons and shields.
- I have to touch this! - I declared. And, ignoring all of my friend’s warnings, I ran ahead toward the entrance.
But she didn’t stop me. The noose did.