The Phantom Manor: Ghost Gallery

[Evilgidgit]

Welcome, curious friends…

Every town has its secrets. Every street, every corner, every house. All houses experience death, but that does not mean that those who lived there ever truly leave.

The old Ravenswood Manor, in the township of Thunder Mesa, has a dark, eerie past; a tragic tale of romance, obsession, murder, and a terrible curse that cast a dark cloud over the town.

In the golden era of cowboys, frontiersman, outlaws, and the gold rush, the Ravenswood family had become well known in the west, their old home still standing on a hill overlooking the abandoned town. Our story is of a young bride, longing for her missing groom to home to wed her, and a malevolent phantom who robbed her of her happiness, dark and powerful in his menace.

Though the manor’s garden has overgrown, and its white walls have rotted over time, some say that the bride is still in the house, never taking off her wedding dress, or discarding her bouquet, in the hope that her groom comes for her.

Once thing is certain – beauty once lived in this house, and may still…

This is the tale of Phantom Manor.

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This is a project I've been writing for longer than I can remember. Phantom Manor is very dear to my heart, its delightfully spooky story and tragic, haunting atmosphere being an integral part of Disneyland Paris. This is my own take on how the story and history of Ravenswood Manor, Melanie, The Phantom, and Thunder Mesa played out. This has been an absolute joy to create, though I made revisions to tone down more darker or grizzly parts to suit this forum's standards. Anyway, I hope you have fun reading it as much as I had writing it.

CHAPTER ONE: THE LEGEND OF THE THUNDERBIRD​

Long before Thunder Mesa was founded and gold was found beneath Big Thunder Mountain, the land was owned by the local Shoshone tribe. For generations, the tribe has lived within the vicinity of the mountain in peace.

It was said that the legendary Thunderbird lived either within, beneath, or atop Big Thunder, slumbering for the longest time, but could bring about great storms and earthquakes if enraged. Beneath the mountain was a valuable treasure, and anyone who tried to steal it, or disturbed the Thunderbird’s sleep would be cursed to suffer a terrible fate. The Shoshone people did not venture to Big Thunder, steering clear of it if out in their canoes. If an earthquake or a thunderstorm did occur, the people would simply leave the area until the danger had passed.

Years later, pilgrims found Thunder Mesa. Some travellers befriended the Shoshone, others traded with them, or would fall into conflict with them. But, none of the travellers and pilgrims settled on the land, perhaps out of respect for the locals, or out of fear for their tales of the mountain. That all changed when a young man on horseback wandered over the hill and stumbled across the mesa, finding its beautiful blue river, local geysers, and ominous mountain, finding the place mysterious, adventurous…and profitable.

Rodney Burke was a man in debt. From Boston to Philadelphia, Burke had taken his gambling addiction with him. He didn’t just gamble at card games, but just about everything else. Jobs, women, businesses, horses, chickens, shady deals, you name it, Burke had likely done it. His hands were in many pockets, and though he had his charm, a slick tongue, and could likely talk his way out of a standoff, Rodney Burke was cursed with rotten luck. Everything he did seemed to backfire or come back to haunt him, and he lost money quicker than a cut can bleed.

His habit of betting and gambling on bad decisions or dodgy deals cost Burke a lot. And before anyone could find any hide or hair of him, Rodney Burke would be out of town and hitting the road. But, he couldn’t run forever. Sooner or later, some man with a warrant or a price would find him, carrying a bullet or a hangman’s noose with his name on it. He knew he had to make up for his losses, and find something extraordinary that would grant him a new lease on life.

All that glitters is gold, and gold was a pretty good way to get rich quick. Burke had heard of great treasures and gold being found in the west. Like any good man seeking riches, Rodney Burke headed westward bound to new frontiers.

It was on a horse named Cecil, which he had stolen from a drunken vagrant, that Burke came across Big Thunder Mountain. He had rumours of a vast treasure beneath the mountain, and by befriending the Shoshone natives, he was able to enter the mountain’s vast caverns and stole a large chunk of gold, big enough to clear his debts.

Burke would successfully escape with his large golden nugget, but a holy man named Blue Hawk warned him that he had been cursed by the Thunderbird. His destiny and that of his stolen nugget were intertwined with Big Thunder, and both, together or alone, would find their way back to the river. He was warned that the thunderous stampede of a thousand bulls would signal his death. Burke ignored these warnings, fleeing the land to what he presumed would be a wealthy life.

Burke used the nugget to clear his debts and make himself a little rich. He toured the States, developing a successful business as a stagecoach salesman. He would spend several years in Louisiana, but would misplace the last remaining chunk of his golden nugget. It would go from person to person, and wind up in the hands of a young showgirl and would make its return to the valley of Big Thunder years later, just as fate foretold.

And, so would Burke…

Many people asked him where he found the nugget, but Burke claimed he found in all sorts of places: On a riverbank somewhere in Mississippi, or found by chance after escaping a hungry bear, or even was given to him by some natives out of friendship. Of course, Burke’s slick tongue didn’t always work. Once when drunk, he informed a group of prospectors the truth about where he found his nugget, right down to its location. Needless to say, Burke’s hangover was one full of dread.

After many days and nights of travel, and just as many trying to avoid the destination, Rodney Burke and the pilgrims travelled up a steep hill and came across the familiar sight of Big Thunder. Almost as if sensing his return, dark, thundering clouds rolled across the sky, looming overhead. A great rumbling clap could be heard. Burke watched the sky in terror as the clouds took on the shape of a stampede of bulls racing towards him. In a flash of light, an ungodly blast of lighting pierced the clouds and struck Rodney Burke dead on his horse. Cecil survived, but took off to parts unknown.

Despite Burke’s sudden death, he was buried in what would become Boot Hill, in the first of many graves to be filled. The pilgrims were entranced by the beauty of the river and its surrounding mountainous landscape. The prospect of finding gold drew the men and women to set up camp in the area. This camp eventually grew into a small town, drawing others seeking fresh starts, new lives, and gold. The Shoshone natives once again warned them not to disturb Big Thunder itself or awaken the Thunderbird. At first, people agreed, but the lure of riches soon drove away their promises.

Thus, the town of Thunder Mesa was founded on April 12th, 1823. At first, it was just a small outpost, living in relative peace with the Shoshone tribe. But greed would soon consume the minds of the people, who would battle and chase the natives away to plunder their sacred mountain. And whilst Thunder Mesa would prosper through the success of its gold rush in the years to come, death lingered over the frontier town, said to be the curse of the Thunderbird.

Thunder Mesa was small at first, made up of the original settlers, but more travellers and frontiersman came over time. It would truly flourish when the Ravenswood family arrived, bringing with them good fortune, and eventual tragedy.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER TWO: GO WEST, YOUNG RAVENSWOOD​

The family of Ravenswood would become infamous with Thunder Mesa and their gold mining industry. But, long before Henry Ravenswood found his riches and built his manorhouse by the river, his family were neither rich, not did they even have their name.

Henry’s grandparents had the name of Forrester, originating from Cork, Ireland, in the 1760s. His grandfather was Corvus Forrester, who was by no means a good man. He was a sleazy, two-faced con man and thief. He would rob women of their jewellery, threaten widows with knives for their inheritance, pose as a highwayman, and swindle kindly vicars out of their poor boxes. As Corvus would say, “There are no depths I wouldn’t go to for money.”

Even the craftiest of tricksters run out of luck, and Corvus lost his when he tried robbing the carriage of a man who happened to be a policeman. Corvus was put on trial and found guilty, but rather than a hanging, he was sentenced to penal transportation for the American colonies. Rather than seeing this as a punishment, Corvus viewed it as an opportunity to start afresh, evade his servitude, and begin his career anew without being caught by the law. The New World was a big place, with bountiful opportunities to disappear. And he certainly wouldn’t be going alone.

Corvus framed his young wife, Elena Forrester, as an accomplice. Elena was pregnant at the time, but despite her pleading, this didn’t stop her from being dragged onboard a ship bound for America.

Perhaps it was by fate or divine intervention, but Elena would not have to put up with her husband’s schemes for much longer. A horrendous storm tossed the penal ship about in the sea like a toy. Lightning bolts struck the masts, setting the ship ablaze. Whilst the crew tried to evacuate the prisoners into longboats, only one boat would make it to land. Elena was one of the survivors of the wreck.

Corvus made his priorities clear when he rushed back down into the hull to retrieve a stash of money he had managed to smuggle onboard the ship, hidden within a barrel of spice. Elena leapt onboard the escaping longboat, and watched as the ship burnt and was lost to the sea, taking her greedy husband to a watery grave – the deepest depths he would ever traverse.

Upon arriving on American shores, fourteen prisoners and two crewmen had survived, all of the officers onboard drowning. With all paperwork of the prisoners lost, the survivors convinced the two crewmen to let them off, since most, if not all of them, had performed petty crimes. Elena took on a new surname of “Ravenswood”, posing as a distraught widow, whose husband perished at sea. Her pregnancy allowed her to gain favour with others quite easily. Elena moved to Philadelphia, where she gave birth to a son, Carmichael.

Carmichael was a sickly child at first, but was bright, teaching himself to read and write, and had a certain charm to him. Unfortunately, the promise of opportunities in the New World proved to be unkind to Elena. Her son’s early illness made life difficult, but she managed to find work as a seamstress, a maid, and then a governess. But, when her employer flirted with her and was rejected, Elena was discredited. She was forced to seek employment in a workhouse, the stress and misery leading to Elena to fall deathly ill. Before being taken into death’s shroud, Elena told her son to make something of himself.

On his own at the age of fourteen, Carmichael had to grow up rather quickly, working a number of jobs, including as an assistant to a shoemaker named Ivan Holmes. Though he found stable work as a clerk to a tradesman, Emmanuel King, Carmichael soon found out his employer was supporting smuggling in the Caribbean. Remembering his mother’s final words, Carmichael sold out his boss to the authorities. By chance, King’s goods at a Spanish fort in the Caribbean were destroyed in a fire. Rather than face the hangman’s noose, King fashioned his own. Carmichael returned to the employment of Ivan Holmes, whose small shoe business had become a larger shipping company. Carmichael became Mr. Holmes’ clerk, thanks to his prior experience.

By the time Ivan grew old and died, he had left his business to Carmichael, along with a pair of snake boots. During the American Revolutionary War, Carmichael reluctantly sold shoes and goods to both sides, but fully supported the Revolutionists, providing many shoes for them during snowy battles. His contribution was minor, but it allowed Carmichael’s business to survive and flourish in a new nation. Carmichael married Ivan’s niece Ursula, a socialite who had a long-winded history of rejecting suitors. Luckily for her, she found Carmichael’s charm and honest tongue to be a good match for her wit.

Together, they had two children, Henry Ravenswood in 1795, and Arthur Ravenswood in 1798. Arthur, the younger brother, had inherited his father’s childhood illness, and developed a dreadful cough that would haunt him all his life. Nevertheless, he was a sweet-natured, gentle, and very kind man, but by know means was he a weak man. He preferred negotiation and bargaining to be brash and dominating, reason and respect were his bread-and-butter. He married Gabrielle Chagney, a kind, soft-spoken woman, full of life though a little sensitive. They discovered that they would never be able to have children, but were happily married.

Henry, on the other hand, was a very different man. Although Henry was close to his brother and tried to toughen him up, he secretly envied the attention his parents shared with him, even if it was mostly to care for him. Henry did not have a particularly caring heart. He was arrogant, confident, capricious, controlling, and had a need to get what he wanted. Never one to take no for an answer, Henry could be very forward, aggressive, and demanding in what he wanted. He would reward those who pleased him, and was merciless towards those who crossed him. Henry did have charisma, capable of using words to weave either trust or discord amongst others. And if he couldn’t have his way, he would through more unscrupulous methods.

Henry did not have the best relationships with his parents, but did take his father’s words to heart. Just as his mother had told him, Carmichael told Henry to make something of himself and carry on the family name. Whilst Carmichael had led a life of hard work and principles, Henry only wanted power in all forms. Power in money, power in reputation, power over others. Everything he did would be based around a need to assert his control and authority. Even his marriage was not out of love, but one based on business opportunities.

Martha Worlaum enjoyed the finer things in life like tea parties, pleasant music, and crocheting. Her father was a rising industrialist, interested in developing business ventures out west. Martha was content with her cushy life in Philadelphia. Her marriage to Henry was not really a loving one, but despite much quarrelling, they did remain wed for many years. It took three times before Martha would accept Henry’s engagement proposal, since his often blunt and forward methods did not work. Instead, Henry would have to win Martha over before she agreed to wed him. But, it would be some time before they had a child, not that they struggled, but decided to wait.

Carmichael would pass away aged sixty-one during a harsh winter, leaving his business and fortune to his sons. But, Henry surprised everyone by passing responsibilities over to Arthur. Impatient and impractical, Henry knew if he took control of the family trade business, he’d find himself being talked down to by older, richer men who would spend their remaining years telling him what to do, and trying to control Henry from behind the scenes. Henry would not have it. No one would control him or tell him what to do. His father was dead, and his sharp-tongued mother would follow soon enough. Henry Ravenswood would pursue his own path in the world.

As chance would have it, Henry heard of the rising prospects and successes of gold rushes in the far west. He decided that it was on the other side of America where he would find his own little empire of gold. Leaving Arthur to care for the family business and their mother, Henry packed up Martha and headed out west for new horizons.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER THREE: THE GOLDEN AGE

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In the years following its foundation in 1823, Thunder Mesa was small and wasn’t even on the map. The tales of gold being discovered in the river and around Big Thunder drew miners and prospectors, cowboys and bandits, fortune hunters and just ordinary folk looking to make a new start.

Amongst these was Henry Ravenswood, arriving in 1832. Though having little experience in mining or exploring rugged terrain, Henry led an expedition to find the legendary treasure trove beneath Big Thunder, ignoring the warnings of the Shoshone. With some effort, Henry and his expedition of miners located gold beneath the mountain and began their mining work.

Soon, golden nuggets were coming out by the cart load, and Thunder Mesa began to flourish with its newfound riches. Henry Ravenswood founded the Thunder Mesa Mining Company, partially financed by Barnabas T. Bullion, who would later help install a mining train within the mountain. Bullion would help other frontier towns like Rainbow Ridge and Grizzly Gulch prosper with their own mines. Henry would later be assisted by Beauregard B. Arnold, who Henry regarded as a weedy simpleton who happened to be good with money. But, Henry did have a habit of underestimating people, as Beauregard was a lot more smarter and devious than he realised.

Thanks to the boom of the gold rush, Thunder Mesa grew and expanded along the riverside and across the valley. The Shoshone tribe were able to cling to a small patch of land east to the town, close to their sacred mountain, and continued their traditions from afar. The riverboats brought new traders, prospectors, adventurers, and families.
Many new businesses and restaurants opened in town. There was a funeral director’s, run by J. Nutterville, who would have quite the fortuitous business in town, and the blacksmith Jedediah Rose, who taught the tricks of the trade to his gorgeous daughter Lavinia. Fort Comstock, a US Ranger-run fort, would be built in the 1860s, and the popular and profitable Cottonwood Creek Ranch would provide a lot of agriculture and prime ribs for the town’s dining establishments.

The Silver Spur Stakehouse was the go-to place for the richer residents of town, and where Henry would often dine with influential people in Thunder Mesa. The Last Chance Café was a little more low class, and was known to attract a lot of unwanted customers on the run from the law. Shady deals would go down here, bounty hunters and smugglers could acquire information here, and the occasional high stakes poker match would draw a crowd. The most popular joint in town was the Lucky Nugget Saloon, opened in 1850 by Lillian “Diamond Lil” Hayworth, the lucky gal who had acquired the same nugget which Rodney Burke had stolen from Big Thunder. It is said when Lil entered town to build her saloon, the ground trembled upon on her arrival, bringing the nugget home.

Henry Ravenswood was proud and confident in his achievements. To commemorate his own success, Henry built a manorhouse on a high hill overlooking the river, the town, and Big Thunder. This beautiful, white-walled manor would become an icon in town, where Henry would spy on the residents from the high windows of the house. While Henry took care of the structure, Martha took care of the interior decorating and the gardens. If there was one thing Martha took pride in was her knack for detail and running a tight ship. Her gardens were filled with beautiful plants, trees, and flowers, and a private gazebo where she could have tea with friends.

Henry did add his own touches to the interior. Perhaps his strangest purchase was a grandfather clock, which was shaped to resemble some kind of monster or demon, with the pendulum doubling as a forked tongue. Martha hated the clock, but Henry was quite pleased by it, believing it could be used to frighten foolish guests. The salesman, Ulrich Sweitz, told Henry that the last owner had died of paranoia, convinced the clock was watching him. Henry dismissed such nonsense. But, when he noticed the clock had a thirteen on it in place of the twelve, Henry demanded a refund, only to learn that Sweitz had died in the night, found in his hotel room with a petrified expression. As J. Nutterville put it, “His ticker stopped.”

Henry and Martha were happy in their manor, attended to by their house servants: Jasper Jones, the dutiful butler, and his wife, Anna Jones, the family maid. Henry, having little love for Martha, struck up a secret romance with Anna, though it fizzled out after a few years. It was in 1840 when Martha became pregnant, and on April 12th of that year, she gave birth to her daughter, Melanie Ravenswood.

Melanie was the heart and joy of Ravenswood Manor. She was beautiful, kind, gentle, a romantic, and could make people stop what they were doing and listen when they heard her amazingly operatic singing. Several people suggested that Melanie could pursue a career in opera and theatre, but Henry shot down such ideas. He did not want to show his daughter off to the world like a peacock, sending her to the unknown corners of the earth, away from her family.

Though Henry displayed a rarely seen sense of love and affection towards Melanie, she, like everyone else, was someone he liked to control. Being his daughter, Henry was convinced this gave him even greater right to decide what life she would lead. But, controlling Melanie was like trying to contain a firecracker in a closed palm. His attempts to confine her to the manor were impossible, and each attempt just made his daughter more daring, and Henry more desperate.

Melanie, who hid a more rebellious side, would find ridiculous ways to escape her home and venture out into town and the surrounding wilderness. Melanie was a free spirit. She went horse riding, travelled down river on a steamboat, visited the Shoshone’s village, climbed trees, learned to paddle in a canoe, and even tried to use a pistol. Melanie was the life of the town, and very popular with potential suitors. Of course, no one dare hurt or mistreat Melanie, since they knew her father would come down upon them like a vulture. To complete the family, Henry adopted a young Doberman, who he named Goliath, to guard the manor’s grounds. Goliath turned out to be a bit of a dunderhead, easily swayed by food or Melanie’s affections, distracted by every squirrel and butterfly in sight.​

In 1842, ten years after moving to Thunder Mesa, Henry received an unexpected letter from his brother Arthur. Due to a number of mishaps, fraud, and economic turmoil, the Ravenswood business had collapsed, and Henry and Arthur’s mother had passed away. Feeling unexpected sympathy for his brother, Henry welcomed Arthur and Gabrielle to live in the manor, Melanie becoming very fond of her uncle and aunt. Arthur would come to aid his brother in running the mining industry. Together, the Ravenswoods lived in relative peace during the golden age of Thunder Mesa.

Yet, even as Thunder Mesa grew and flourished in prosperity, the legend of the Thunderbird’s wrath lingered in the shadows and discussed in hushed whispers. For over the next few years, a series of freak accidents, strange deaths, and unexplained terrors would begin to spoil the reputation of the town, culminating in a disaster like no other that rocked the town to its core.

 

[Evilgidgit]

Considering it is Halloween soon, I decided to continue posting about my ideal ghost gallery for the Phantom Manor.

CHAPTER FOUR: DICING WITH DEATH

The American frontier was, as you know well, a wild, adventurous, and often dangerous landscape. The wrong step or even the wrong word could send a fool to an early grave. Justice was swift, unpleasant, and unexpected by both lawmen and desperadoes at the same time. Stagecoaches were robbed, cattle rustled, and the most good-natured of men and women could become despicable varmints once drink, gambling, and crime were involved. The wild west was the Grim Reaper’s playground, and Thunder Mesa was his own gold mine of opportunity.

Like all western towns, the gold rush and promise of fortune brought cowboys, thieves, traders, hustlers, and vagrants to Thunder Mesa. Most could get away with their sinful actions since the town was popular, and the local law enforcements were a bunch of squirrelly so-and-sos. In the Lucky Nugget, all was fair, but all were equal as well. If a fight broke out, those involved had to take it outside. No blood would be spilt in Diamond Lil’s saloon. Not that it stopped the occasional itchy trigger finger from taking out a cheating card player.

One tale says that four dim-witted dealers learnt that they shouldn’t cheat the hard way. These four unnamed souls, who are all buried in unmarked graves on Boot Hill, arrived in town in the summer of 1851, passing through on their way to Dry Gulch. The four had a taste for good whiskey, smoked heavily, and had no trouble intimidating the locals. They swindled the patrons out of their money, and no one, not even the often unflappable Diamond Lil, dared to shoo them out of the saloon. The four had the run of the joint, spending the whole night playing cards, daring anyone to try and match them at poker.

The four continued their games long into the night, with everyone leaving them to their business, hoping they would be gone come dawn. As the four helped themselves to the drinks behind the bar, they failed to notice someone dressed in black, perfectly blending into the night, enter the saloon. This pale-faced stranger was welcomed by the men, who plotted to rob him blind. The pale man challenged them to a game of poker, winner takes all. The men laughed and accepted his challenge, claiming their success was so great, they could likely cheat death itself. The pale man simply smiled pleasantly.

The five sat down to play a lengthy game of poker. The four gamblers, though drunk, were able to put up a good game against the pale man at first. But, as the game went on, the pale man began to trounce the players, who found their hands grow worse and worse. As the game went on, something troublesome fell over the men. One by one, the life slipped away from the men and they lost their game to the pale man. The last played his final hand, slumping in his chair, and watched as his opponent delivered a perfect hand. When the gambler asked the pale man who he was, the spectre smiled and told him that no one could cheat him. With that, the pale man snuffed out the candle on the table.

By dawn, Diamond Lil summoned the sheriff to the saloon, having discovered the four men dead at their table, with no sign of the pale man, as only they had seen him enter. J. Nutterville studied the men, and simply concluded that they had just died. Some say nowadays, in a shady corner of the saloon, four unseen shadows can be seen playing poker together, though it is a game they can never win.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER FIVE: THE FECULENT THREE

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The American frontier would see the brief but memorable lives of great criminals like Butch Cassidy, the Sundance Kid, Jesse James, and the Hole-in-the-Wall Gang. Thunder Mesa had its own small collection of bandits and outlaws, though none would ever become as famous, and would all find their way to early graves. For a time, there was the Feculent Three, a trio of troublemakers who tormented Thunder Mesa for a short, memorable time.

Harry Boyle spent his youth working as an blacksmith’s apprentice, often abused by his drunken teacher, and any tools he crafted were claimed by his master. Eventually, Harry put his foot down, and introduced the burning odd end of a poker to his master’s gut. Gathering his fine tools, Harry travelled the states, punishing those who had hoodwinked their unappreciated employees, torturing them with his red hot pokers. He would soon earn the nickname of Red Hot Harry.

The second member was Shorty Smith, born Wendell Garfunkel Smith, a man dominated by his short stature. Everyone reminded him of his height, and Smith silently took the insults, mocking taunts, and being looked down upon with silent contempt. But, Smith could only take so much. He attacked his tormentors, leaping on them until they fell, and he would taunt them back, claiming they were now at his level, before killing them. Shorty Smith would go on to live a life of payback, robbery, and gunslinging, proving to be quite the crackshot with pistols.

The third member was Frederick “Fred” Drummond, who would later be known as Leadfoot Fred. Tall, lanky, blonde as a Greek god, and rather dashing, Fred was under the thumb of his controlling mother. A former professional dancer, Fred’s mother Loretta wanted to recapture her fame, and forced her son into a life of dancing and performing. At first, Fred was happy with his life, until he realised his mother wasn’t trying to make him a talented dancer, but rather was using him to relive her youth. His view of his mother changed, and he soon abandoned her, deciding to flee and live his own life. For him, that meant any rules would be ignored or defied. Fred would prove his own worth as a cowboy, turning his dancing skills into a talent for gunslinging. He never saw his mother again.

Harry, Shorty, and Fred would all cross paths after they all individually joined a travelling show heading west. Their union was born when Harry exposed their boss, Filmore Fletcher, as a cheapskate, who spent their pay on his own pursuits. Filmore met his end at the hot end of Harry’s fire poker. The trio fled down the railroad tracks, becoming close friends. They committed various crimes across the territories, primarily targeting people who were in the wrong, in a series of very ironic punishments and executions. Harry would kill them with his hot pokers, but would later start to brand them, believing death was too quick. Shorty would leap on people, beating them down to their hands and knees. Fred used to his dancing skills to outwit and outmanoeuvre enemies, allowing his friends to finish them off.

The Feculent Three would arrive in Thunder Mesa in 1852, finding the town in a state of euphoria during their golden rush. Harry struck up a brief but passionate fling with Lavinia Rose, the daughter of the local blacksmith Jedediah. Fred came to adore the Lucky Nugget, striking up a friendship with Diamond Lil, and gained his own act onstage, dancing to the joys of men and women alike. He gained many admirers, including one of the showgirls, Maisie Perry, who tried and failed to win him over. When spurned, Maisie quietly swore revenge and left. Fred’s fate would soon be decided for his own act of rejection.

Shorty was the only one who felt uncomfortable in town, feeling like everyone was looking down at him. He met Melanie Ravenswood whilst out shopping with her mother. Having never met a man of his size before, Melanie innocently laughed at him. Shorty took this to heart, plotting to get payback on her.

By chance, a tunnel collapse in the mines took the life of twelve prospectors. Before the concerned townsfolk, Henry Ravenswood effectively blamed the dead men for their own “recklessness”, reassuring the people that his mine was perfectly safe, as was his business. Harry was not impressed, finding Henry Ravenswood to be an unscrupulous man, regarding his own profit over the lives of those who worked for him. Harry decided to teach him a lesson, Shorty volunteering to help, whilst Fred got involved in a drinking game and was too inebriated to get involved.

Harry snuck into the Ravenswood manor through the wine cellar, and ambushed Henry within his study, heating up a fire poker, and planned to scar Henry’s face and then kill him. Meanwhile, Shorty clambered his way up onto the roof, with the intent on breaking into Melanie’s bedroom and frighten her. However, the climb up was a risky, clumsy one, Shorty knocking several tiles off the roof. This racket awakened the household, leading to Harry’s capture. Melanie, believing the noise on the roof to be a cat, flung open her windows to scare it off. She knocked Smith right off the roof, killing him.

Harry was arrested afterward, his crimes catching up with him. Though having a lawyer and putting up a pretty good case, Red Hot Harry was sentenced to death by hanging after his ill-fated attempt to kill Henry. He was buried alongside Shorty in cheap graves, J. Nutterville leaving amusing, poetic inscriptions on their wooden markers.

Fred did not last long on his own. Planning to pack up and leave town, Fred found himself confronted by Maisie and a gang of admirers. Maisie lied to Thomas that Fred had tried to seduce her, and had sworn revenge. Thomas, drawing his pistols, told Fred to start dancing. Fred began to dance, dodging Thomas’ bullets.

Just when it looked like Fred might have been able to escape the fates of his hot-headed friends, the youthful dancer tripped over a loose floorboard, and Thomas shot him dead. Fred earned himself the title of Leadfoot Fred. He was buried alongside his friends, but gained a more respectful grave, with flowers laid by his admirers. The Feculent Three would fade into obscurity – three lonely strangers drawn together by their own oddities, and found friendship together in life and death.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER SIX: THE RIVER ROGUES

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It was in 1857 that Thunder Mesa and its gold rush reached its peak. The mines and their precious gold had drawn all manner of people to settle in town. Major businesses, such as a sawmill, an oil field, and the riverboats expanded the businesses and trade in town. The prospectors grew rich and built their own townhouses, though no one dared to rival Henry Ravenswood in the mining business.

While Thunder Mesa had a mayor and a sheriff, Amos Calloway and Hector Hulstein were incompetent at best. It was Henry who was the king of the town, earning fear and respect from most folk in town for his controlling manner and often intimidating tactics to get what he wanted. He had deliberately built his manor to overlook his world, known to stare out over the town and river, like some sort of terrifying spectre.

The invasion of his house a mere year before by criminals had shaken Henry to his core. He grew paranoid over time, believing everyone in town was out to get him and claim his fortune. Worst still, they had tried to harm Melanie, his precious daughter – perhaps the one thing in the world he genuinely loved. Determined to keep his daughter safe, Henry had her placed under lock and key, preventing her from leaving the grounds – not that it stopped Melanie. Henry’s paranoid grew and grew, demanding loyalty from all he knew, truly only trusting his close family and servants.

Unwelcome in that circle was Beauregard B. Arnold, manager and accountant of the mining company. Short in stature, with a beaked nose, a receding hairline, and squinting eyes that forced him to wear glasses, he found little love in life. Coming from the Midwest, Beauregard lived an unhappy childhood, the eldest of six siblings. His father died from eating spoilt cherries, leaving his wife and children destitute. Beauregard was pushed around by his resentful mother and younger siblings, leaving him with deep resentment towards them. He did have his mind, however, and proved to be good with money, numbers, and accounting, working as a bank clerk in a small Kansas town. But, he was continuously passed over for promotions, ignored and bullied by his colleagues. To every man and woman that passed him, he may have well have been invisible.

He developed a passive-aggressive personality, acting kind and polite on the outside, but deep down, he resented others, plotting to double cross them eventually, or at least in his mind he would. He longed to walk out of his job, humiliating his colleagues in the process, and steal the incomes of those who looked at him like he was nothing. Of course, Beauregard didn’t. He didn’t have the stomach for such things. But, when the bank faced foreclosure, Beauregard took the opportunity, abandoned his family, and fled west.

Beauregard wound up in Thunder Mesa, first working as a bank clerk, finding the townsfolk refreshing and pleasant. His knack for mathematics and counting caught the attention of Henry Ravenswood, who need a new accountant to run his growing mining company, after the last one fell down a mineshaft. Beauregard proved to be reliable in terms of accounting, recording every piece of gold and every dime made through the mines. But, by no means was he Henry’s friend or confidante. Henry treated him just as he treated everyone, perhaps with even less dignity. Henry took every opportunity to mock Beauregard from his looks to his posture.

The final straw came for Beauregard when Henry invited him to a party at his manor, something of which he had never done before. It was Melanie’s birthday, Beauregard purchasing a large, ornate mirror for her boudoir. While Melanie was delighted with her new gift, Henry regarded the present as a warning sign. Henry grew concerned that Beauregard had eyes for his daughter; a desire that was in the minds of many. And anyone who sought the hand of his daughter was his enemy.

Henry slowly isolated Beauregard, refusing to speak with him face-to-face, instead sending insulting memos and letters about a lack of profit. He spread rumours about his colleague, Beauregard finding himself ostracized from Thunder Mesa. Fed up of being pushed around and belittled, he decided to get his own back on Henry Ravenswood.

The mining company had always faced the notion it may eventually run out of gold, and Henry would not let a single nugget slip past him. Every miner and prospector would be checked for any nuggets smuggled away in their clothes or bags. Nothing was left to chance. But, the richer Henry got, the more paranoid he became. If a mine collapsed, he blamed the men inside. If profit was lost, he would blame others, usually Beauregard. But, he never imagined that his mine’s gold would be smuggled out in the dead of night.

The River Rogues were just a rumour in Thunder Mesa. An unseen operation of equally unknown river pirates, the Rogues smuggled Big Thunder’s gold off the mountainous island in canoes or rickety barges, down the river, and hid them in hidden pockets around Thunder Mesa’s wilderness.

In truth, the River Rogues were a group of talented, unappreciated, and desperate men, brought together by ambition and a little greed. They had been around for years, though it wasn’t until they started smuggling gold out of Big Thunder Mountain, that they started getting attention.


Their leader was an unseen figure named Peg Leg McBrogue, a veteran pirate and smuggler, said to have descended from pirates who sacked the Caribbean long ago. No one knew exactly who he was, but they knew he was a shrewd operator, an expertise in smuggling, and knew many secrets about Thunder Mesa and its surrounding river, forests, and mountains. If he wanted to steal something, he would.

A series of calamities and accidents hit Thunder Mesa, all having a connection to Henry. A small fire occurred in Ravenswood Manor’s wine cellar, causing damage to the property, burning down the carriage house. Another occasion saw spooked horses nearly trample Melanie, Martha, and Gabrielle whilst on a countryside ride. The riverboat was left stranded in the river, due to the rudder chain being disabled.

The town’s beloved steam locomotive, the Lily Belle, dramatically derailed due to a fault in the lines. Unfortunately, a rather hapless railroad ticket salesman, Ezra Dobbs, was obliterated in his booth when the train careened off the tracks. With each disaster, Peg Leg McBrogue sent a taunting note to Henry. Henry refused to be outsmarted and humiliated by a faceless stranger, publicly challenging McBrogue to a midnight duel by the riverside that very night.

A cloudy moonlit night welcomed Henry as he waited patiently by the riverside for his phantom opponent. He vowed to wait all night if he had too, sending his concerned brother Arthur home to lead the family should he not return. It was just after midnight that Henry met his alleged phantom. To his surprise and rage, Peg Leg McBrogue turned out to be Beauregard. Beauregard had orchestrated all of the disasters, using them as distractions to smuggle gold out of Big Thunder Mountain.

Henry found himself a little impressed, amazed that the man who he had regarded as a snivelling snake would be able to deceive him so easily. Beauregard smugly took the opportunity to berate Henry for his loathsome mistreatment of him. Henry dismissed his underling’s rants, though did compliment Beauregard as not being as spineless as he thought. Beauregard vowed revenge on Henry, to haunt him so to speak for eternity.

Still, a duel was expected. Following the honourable method of a gentleman’s duel, Henry and Beauregard armed themselves with pistols, would turn their backs, walk three paces and then turn to shoot one another. This went according to plan, only for Henry to spin around on the count of two, fatally shooting Beauregard in the back. The blast was so loud and powerful, that is sent Beauregard flying off his feet, tumbling down the hill to lay dead in the river, quickly being carried away by the current.

By the time the disturbed citizens of Thunder Mesa found Henry, he claimed he had met and killed Peg Leg McBrogue, but was unable to retrieve his body for all to see. Although a few people noticed in the following months, no one brought up the absence of Beauregard B. Arnold. Perhaps they just didn’t care.

As for Peg Leg McBrogue, everyone assumed he had died, with J. Nutterville setting up a small wooden marker on the spot where Henry claimed to have shot him. However, the truth was that McBrogue’s smuggling days had ended years earlier, and others like Beauregarde, had merely used his name to continue spreading fear and mystery to the river pirates. For no one really paid attention to Catfish Joe, the elderly fisherman and former trapper, who owned a boathouse on the edge of the river, content with his dog, banjo, and pipe. No one suspected that he could be a famed, former River Rogue…

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER SEVEN: FROM REGIONS BEYOND

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Our journey returns back to late 1852, shortly after the invasion of the Feculent Three into Ravenswood Manor. Henry, Martha, and Melanie had been deeply shaken by their experience, and sought to get away from Thunder Mesa for a time. Together, along with Arthur and Gabrielle, the Ravenswood travelled to New Orleans, Louisiana for an extended holiday. Though Henry was a bit apprehensive leaving his town behind, he showed some sense of duty to his family.

There, they celebrated Mardi Gras, which twelve-year old Melanie particularly enjoyed, loving the music, partying, and freedom she had never felt before, even when her father was present. They attended a carnival, where Melanie was drawn to a dark purple and black coloured gypsy tent. Inside, she met a beautiful woman, a mystic named Madame Leota, a famed medium, spiritualist, and fortune teller. Leota had her own daughter, a mischievous girl named Little Leota, who shared her talents.

While Madame Leota’s true talent lied with communicating with the afterlife, or “regions beyond” as she called it, she also specialised in reading palms. Leota read Melanie’s palm, and told the young girl that she would find great love in her life and happiness, but when the time came for her to be “veiled in white”, she would be haunted by a dark shadow. Melanie had no clue what Madame Leota was talking about, assuming she meant when she died.

Just then, Henry strode in behind Melanie, startling the normally unflappable Madame Leota, causing her to knock over her crystal ball. After Melanie left, Henry sat before the gypsy woman and asked her if he would be able to protect his land and home. Leota confirmed this, claiming he would watch over Thunder Mesa for a long time, though what she meant was just as vague as Melanie’s fortune.

Henry then stunned his family by inviting Madame Leota and her daughter to move to Thunder Mesa, personally living in Ravenswood Manor. When queried by Martha, Henry reasoned Leota’s powers could benefit their welfare, and more importantly, his power. Of course, most Thunder Mesa townsfolk were baffled when the Ravenswoods returned home, accompanied by an exotically-dressed woman and her strangely cloaked daughter. It was like they had come back with a pair of witches.

Madame Leota settled in an old boudoir at the back of the manor, turning it into a dark, murky gypsy tent, a parlour for her séance circles and summonings. She brought with her a pet raven, Nevermore, an intrusive, sinister bird who seemed to appear and squawk at visitors and residents during a time of approaching doom or misery. Though she was not particularly comfortable with Henry showing her off like some ornament, she was always open to hold séances for those who wished to contact loved ones.

Little Leota was more of a wild card. She was mischievous, devilish, flirtatious, and as unladylike as one could be. She was rude, opinionated, and had no time for pursuing true romantic relationships, unlike her best friend Melanie. Little Leota was like a shadow to Melanie, encouraging her to be a little more rebellious and open about how she felt, but looked out for her like a big sister. If Little Leota did look for romance, it was for brief flings and to cause a little scandal here and there.

She was a devious prankster, wandering the manor’s halls and night with a lit candelabra, slamming doors and screaming, locking people in their rooms, and making it look like there were ghosts in the manor. The last straw nearly came when she spiked Martha’s prized tea set, leading to Martha and several of her friends being confined to bed for several days of terrible fevers. Whilst Henry and Martha wanted Little Leota out of the manor, Madame Leota convinced them (or possibly frightened them) into changing their minds.

Melanie remained curious about the world beyond Thunder Mesa, and the boundaries her parents had put around her. Whilst she was weary of the rogues and vagabonds who frequently passed through town, she was equally drawn to them. She wanted adventure, romance, and freedom beyond what her mother and father had planned, if they actually had anything planned.

Her tutoring was aimed at nothing specific, but she did notice a rise in history, mathematics, and the ways of business. Was her father planning to hand over the business to her in time? It didn’t seem right.

She knew her father well enough to know he’d never hand over something he had power over so easily, not even to his own family. It would be laughable, almost unfeasible, for a father to hand over a business to his daughter. More than likely, it would go to her uncle Arthur, or another business partner. What plans did her father have in mind for his lone child? Melanie had her own plans though. She wished to leave Thunder Mesa, or more specifically, her home of Ravenswood Manor.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER EIGHT: PLAYFUL SPIRITS

If there was one thing the Ravenswoods were known for, other than their gold and Henry’s wrath, was their knack for throwing parties. Grand balls and dances would be the talk of the town, Henry and Martha being able to throw such festivities during the golden age of Thunder Mesa. The last of these bashes was held in 1858.

Although Halloween was a relatively new holiday in America, it had caught on in Thunder Mesa. The townsfolk dressed up as ghosts, witches, and monsters, or took on more fashionable disguises, and even posed as cowboys and desperadoes. This allowed the more unwanted folk to blend right in.

On this occasion, Henry and Martha planned to go as George and Martha Washington. But, while Martha did indeed commit to her patriotic costume, Henry changed his mind. As guests chatted and danced in the manor’s ballroom, a storm was raging outside. Arthur sat down at the large pipe organ and played a mournful, haunting melody. With a flash of lightning, the ballroom’s windows flew open and a figure in a dark cape and hat appeared out of thin air. With a magnificent cackle, the intruder revealed himself to be Henry, sporting a silver, skull-shaped mask, and was met with relieved laughter and a round of applause. This was all part of a prank that the Ravenswood brothers had concocted, although their wives were rather embarrassed.

But, it was Melanie who once again drew everyone’s eye. She descended into the ballroom in a beautiful white dressed, sporting angelic wings, and a golden halo. Some even commented she looked like a bride, which thrilled Melanie and her mother. Henry did not say a word.

The party went on long into the night, and people were merry and loud, dancing and drinking the night away. There were to be a few surprises on that auspicious night. The local priest, Pastor Frost, got his hands on the blessed wine and disappeared under the dining table. Someone attempted to drive a hearse backwards into the room, but the intended attendee stumbled out of the back, dressed as a corpse, and fell head first into a punchbowl.

Martha had had little contact with her relatives on the east coast, but if she had a favourite, it had to be her cousin, Ebenezer Atherstone, better known as Uncle Pickwick, who had developed his own successful trade routes along several canal systems in Europe and along the Mississippi. Although a successful businessman, Ebenezer was an eccentric at best. He wore ridiculous coloured clothes, slept in his bathtub, wandered his home and sometimes even outside in pyjamas and a dressing gown, and had a strange collection of porcelain ducks, all deliberately damaged.

His oddball behaviour, yet amiable nature, made him an amusement for Martha. His visits to Thunder Mesa always brought some happiness to her often gloomy life.

Being quite the connoisseur for wine, Pickwick always enjoyed a good drink. It might have explained his eccentricities. Henry cautiously gave him a glass of wine, toasting to the future. It was after that which Uncle Pickwick would pull off his greatest and final stunt.

Though getting on in years, Pickwick was still pretty lively. Driven by wine, Uncle Pickwick dashed up to the ballroom’s second floor, threw himself off the balcony and managed to grab a hold of the chandelier. He swung precariously from it, bottle in hand, singing “Down By the Riverside” drunkenly.

Of course, Uncle Pickwick could only keep his grasp on reality and the chandelier for so long. His fall to the ballroom floor brought both him and the party to a swift end. Rumours spread that someone had spiked Pickwick’s wine, though since no one knew what glass or bottle he had drank from, no one could determine if his demise had any murderous motivations behind it. One person who had observed the party was Madame Leota. Henry asked her if she had foreseen Pickwick's death. She merely answered with, "No one can out drink Bacchus."

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER NINE: MORTALS PAY A TOKEN FEE

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Henry did not have much value for love and family. His relationship with Martha was an unhappy one, and his love for Melanie was more out of control that fatherly affection. He and Arthur had a relationship of suppressed brotherly care, and the latter had suffered greatly from his depleting cough and inability to have children. This in turn had left Arthur’s wife Gabrielle often depressed and melancholic. Other relatives came and went, some prone to dying within the manor, such as Uncle Pickwick’s unfortunate if memorable end on Halloween.

Henry’s father Carmichael had worked for a shoemaker named Ivan Holmes, whose small business boomed during and after the Revolutionary War. Carmichael would marry Ivan’s niece Ursula, leading to the births of Henry and Arthur. Because of this, the Ravenswoods and the Holmes became a family unit. This gave Melanie a lot of relatives, who would visit every now and again.

Henry had a secret passion for music, and would welcome the prodigal to stay at his house. Arthur purchased a large pipe organ, which was installed in the ballroom. Henry developed a knack himself, his organ tunes being dramatic and passionate compared to his brother's more gloomy tunes.

Henry would invite several famous musicians to perform at his home, though most would not return, finding his presence overbearing. One family member who repeatedly visited was Theodore Holmes, Ursula’s brother, a successful actor, dancer, and performer.

Getting on in years, Uncle Theodore formed a band called the Mellow Men, a four man piece who performed a number of different types of music and performance. They eventually developed several comedy-musical performances, known for their knack for waxing lyrics, coming up with rhymes and songs on the spot, and for their impeccable way to entertain people. The group consisted of Uncle Theodore, Rollo Runkin, Phineas Pock, and Theodore’s cousin Alphonse (or “Cousin Al”).

During an Independence Day celebration, the Mellow Men performed for President James Buchanan. They gained much media attention. In a notorious moment of bragging, Uncle Theodore claimed that the Mellow Men would stay together until the earth pulled them apart.

Henry invited the Mellow Men to perform in Thunder Mesa. He was fond of Uncle Theodore, who had always encouraged him to pursue his desires in life, though perhaps not in the manner he had intended. Seeing the large Boot Hill in town, the Mellow Men decided they would hold a concert on a hill overlooking the cemetery. Henry and Martha were a little bothered, but considering the group’s success, they overlooked it. Boot Hill gave the men an idea to compose a new song, one of morbid humour and a twisted sense of the macabre.

The townsfolk gathered within Boot Hill itself, where the Mellow Men had set up a stage on the hill overlooking the town. They performed several of their known favourites, before finishing their show with their new melody: “Grim Grinning Ghosts”. Although some townsfolk would later dismiss the song as disrespectful and black humoured, the song proved to be a hit.

As soon as the song was finished, the Mellow Men held hands and took a bow. Just then, there was a loud rumble from beneath the stage. No one knew that there was a subterranean geyser close to Boot Hill, forgotten when compared to the larger ones on Geyser Mountain. The Mellow Men and the stage were obliterated in the geyser’s dramatic awakening.

The four singers were buried together in Boot Hill, which underwent some renovations, moving bodies and graves away from the dormant geyser, nicknamed the Big Surprise. Henry had four marble busts made to commemorate the Mellow Men, placed in the manor’s back garden.

Two years on, when the great earthquake of 1860 would happen, the busts would be damaged, with Uncle Theodore’s head falling off. Although repairs were made, the bust would fall apart every time a major death happened in town. This gave the Mellow Men another nickname in death, known as the Phantom Four.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER TEN: THE BALLADS OF BROKEN HEARTS

Edwina Ballad was a founding resident of Thunder Mesa, running the schoolhouse as a notoriously strict teacher, and would then become Melanie’s tutor. Eagle-eyed, self-reliant, and a critical perfectionist, Edwina was just as ruthless as Henry, and was an unpleasant tutor for his daughter. Her dark clothes, ever present watching eyes, and rigid appearance made some compare her to a vulture or a gargoyle.

Edwina was born with the family name Diggle, raised by her parents in Knoxville, Tennessee. Wishing to be independent and someone to look up to, Edwina left home young and would wind up in Thunder Mesa as a teacher. She married Frank Ballad, who ran a bookstore and fixed damaged books for a living. Together, they built and ran the town’s school. Edwina was known for her intolerance of any sort of mischief or disruption to her classes, and her disciplines for children were equally unforgiving. She disliked anyone questioning or challenging her authority, not even her husband.

Together, they had one child, Frank Ballad Jr., who would follow his father into the bookbinding business. Unfortunately, Frank Sr. was not the smartest man. He was conned into giving a lot of the family wealth to a man interested in having a rare book fixed. This turned out to be a lie, the con artist made off with the money, and Frank would drink himself into a an early grave.

Frank Jr. would inherit his father’s business, though it was Edwina who kept a close eye on the family purse from then on. She emotionally manipulated her son into obeying her, rather than just teach him common sense. Frank Jr. was smarter than his father, but soft-hearted and a romantic – something of which his mother did not approve of, compared to her own pragmatic path to marriage.

A leg injury would put Edwina’s teaching days to an end, at least in the school house. A sympathetic Martha invited Edwina to become Melanie’s tutor, lightening her load and allowing Edwina to focus on one child. Edwina accepted, though this made Melanie’s life a misery for a long time. She was often strict with Melanie, disciplining her with methods that would be considered abusive nowadays. Edwina tried teaching Little Leota too, who was having none if it, locking Edwina in a closet to spite her. The enraged Edwina lectured Madame Leota on her daughter’s troublemaking. Irked, Leota foretold that Edwina would die of a broken heart.

Edwina’s successor as teacher was Mary Murphy, a young, sweet natured and kind woman, who was the complete opposite of Edwina, using patience and tolerance to educate her students. Perhaps a little envious, Edwina disapproved, taking every opportunity to belittle and criticise Mary’s mannerisms and method of teaching. Mary, who had a sheepish demeanour, was left hurt by these comments.

Frank, on the other hand, was charmed by Mary. She often visited his store to buy or borrow books for her lessons, and they hit it off. Soon enough, Frank and Mary fell in love. Edwina was furious. No son of hers was going to marry someone as incompetent and foolhardy as Mary Murphy. Edwina forbade her son from being with Mary, but Frank silenced his mother, berating her cruelty towards Mary, describing Edwina as “heartless”. Though Edwina was livid, perhaps some part of her hurt by her son’s words.

In an act of impulsion, Frank and Mary declared that they would marry. Edwina would not allow this union to happen. One night, Edwina took Mary out for a walk along the riverside under Boot Hill, in an apparent act of good will. The two stumbled across an open grave. When Mary queried who it was meant for, Edwina proclaimed it would be hers. She walloped Mary across the head with a shovel, knocking her into the grave.

As Edwina tried to bury Mary’s body, Frank came across his mother’s crime. Enraged and heartbroken, Frank attacked his mother and they fought over the shovel, until it broke. Renouncing his mother, Frank declared that he and Mary had secretly married the night after announcing their engagement, knowing Edwina would try something. Losing her grip on her son and her sanity, Edwina shrieked like a vulture, striking her son with the broken shovel. He tumbled into the grave alongside his wife. Edwina, realising what she had done, abruptly died of a heart attack, just as Leota had predicted.

Frank and Mary were buried together as husband and wife. Yet, even in death, they could not escape Edwina Ballad, whose own grave was placed on the hill overlooking their own. To commemorate Edwina’s career, Martha had a marble bust of her crafted, placed in the Ravenswood Manor foyer. The sculptor crafted Edwina’s glare so well, that servants in the manor swore that the bust’s eyes would follow them as they went by.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER ELEVEN: THE FOUR SUITORS

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1859 saw a decline in Big Thunder’s mining operations. Harsh conditions, injuries, cave-ins, and a diminishing amount of gold led to Henry facing a crisis. Miners were threatening to quit if conditions did not improve. Henry could replace men, but he couldn’t run a business if there was no one willing to work for him.

The US Army had been building a military fort at the entryway to the town. This was Fort Comstock, which would see much conflict over the approaching years. Rumour had it that war was on the horizon – a civil war between states.

The slack in the mining business allowed other influential figures in Thunder Mesa to gain a bigger profit, which displeased Henry. Rowan D. Falls was admiral of the port and head of the riverboat system, and one of the founding residents of Thunder Mesa. He was a cheery, adventurous man, with a passion for nature, exploration, and good company. He oversaw trade along the river, though had done little during the apparent River Rogues scandal a few years earlier.

Barry Claude owned the nearby oil fields, immigrating from Britain in his youth in search of striking gold. Instead, he struck oil in Thunder Mesa. Being from Cambridge, Barry was an intellectual, gentlemanly, slightly snobbish, and often wore fine clothes. He preferred common courtesy and good conversations, disliking the more rugged men and cowboys of the town. Despite leaving England behind to find his fortune in America, Barry was not the most adventurous of men.

In spite of his silly name, Sawyer Bottom was the most formidable businessman in town after Henry. He owned the local sawmill, which distributed a lot of timber across the region, and had played a hand in the construction of Fort Comstock. Sawyer was a slightly arrogant man, confident in his ability to charm and woo others, an efficient businessman, but was not above bribing others to get what he wanted.

Ignatius “Iggy” Knight was the head of operations at the mines, though presented himself as an aloof, moody man, focused on his work and his men. In truth, Iggy was a soft-spoken, brooding introvert who found social interactions awkward, and he was preferred his own company. He liked keeping to a schedule, enjoyed a good pipe, a good book, and would visit the Lucky Nugget to get a small whisky after work. He had an angelic singing voice, though he hid it to avoid attention. And yet, his handsome looks were prone to attracting women, which he was able to tolerate. He was quite knowledgeable in using TNT and explosives, and had helped create the map and layout for the mines. He was bothered by Henry’s disregard for the safety of their workers, but Iggy could not be bothered to pick a fight, working behind the scenes to ensure the safety of his men.

The four men were not particularly friends, preferring to see each other as business rivals. Iggy proved to be the linchpin for their co-operation, since he was used to dealing with egotistical and powerful men. Per the suggestion of Sawyer, Rowan, and Barry, Iggy began his own business selling TNT and gunpowder.

Together, the four believed they could outmatch Henry as the most powerful men in town. Each disliked him in their own ways. Another thing that unified them was their affection towards Melanie. Each found her charming, beautiful, and attractive, despite the age gaps between them.

Rowan liked her sense of adventure and desire to be free. Iggy found her to be angelic and beautiful, perhaps the perfect mirroring to his own brooding lifestyle. Barry found her lovely, believing she would make an excellent wife and companion. Sawyer was confident he could win Melanie with his own charms alone, viewing her as a challenge of sorts.

Then, it was decided that the four men would have a competition of sorts. Each of them would propose to Melanie, one after the other, and see who she would pick to be her husband. This would also serve to insult and enrage her father, which they deliberately hoped to see have his feathers ruffled for their own amusement. The four suitors believed through Melanie, they could spite Henry a little and even take over his business and the town.

What they didn’t count were two things: The possibility of Melanie turning them down, and understanding the true depths Henry was willing to go to in order to protect his daughter, and crush those who insulted or defied him.

Over the next four days, Rowan, Iggy, Barry, and Sawyer romanced Melanie. However, none of them had the opportunity to propose to her, as someone or something disrupted them:

--Rowan took Melanie on a boat ride downriver, but an obstruction caused the boat to capsize.

--Barry strode through the manor’s gardens with Melanie. He came close to proposing, only to find the diamond ring he had purchased had fallen through a hole in his jacket pocket, so his opportunity was wasted scrambling around the dirt for “lost spectacles”.

--Sawyer took Melanie on a tour of his house, intending to pop the question in a bridal boudoir he had deliberately furnished for her. To his horror, someone had let a wild, very smelly skunk loose in the room, Melanie finding the whole debacle hilarious.

--Iggy came out of his shell, taking Melanie on an unlikely picnic in the countryside, where he even opened up to her about his singing. But, as soon as he opened his mouth to sing, his voice appeared to attract every single critter within a mile’s radius. An army of ants, snakes, spiders, and birds swarmed the picnic, forcing Melanie and Iggy to abandon their fun. Out of the four, Melanie enjoyed her time with Iggy the most.

The four, feeling foolish and dejected, spent a night drinking in the Lucky Nugget. Barry left early to track down his engagement ring, discovering it was in the other pocket of his jacket. He went to bed ashamed. Come morning, Barry awoke to discover the town in a ruckus, and his romantic rivals were all dead.

The details were scarce, but Rowan, Sawyer, and Iggy were all found dead. Rowan had been tied to a canoe, and sent plunging to his doom down a waterfall. Sawyer was tracked down to his sawmill, though the cause of his death was so ghastly, that it made the town’s funeral director J. Nutterville abnormally ill. Iggy’s remains were retrieved from a disused mine shaft, apparently blown up by misplaced explosives. It was no coincidence that all three had died. Barry knew why, and who was likely responsible. He had to get away.

Making a lame duck excuse about needing to attend a distant relation’s funeral in Kentucky, Barry hastily packed his bags and fled Thunder Mesa without saying goodbye to Melanie. He didn’t get very far. His frantic flight led him directly into the wilderness, where he ran into the path of a bear, a local who trappers had nicknamed “Ol’ Geyser”. The bear didn’t take kindly to Barry’s appearance, chasing him up a tree. Barry Claude’s body was not found for several days, or at least what was left of it.

The four men were given a simultaneous burial together. Claude’s ring was found on his person, quietly smuggled to Melanie by a pallbearer. Though Melanie had no love for Barry, or the other three, she could appreciate the affection they had. She carried the ring with her, until it found another purpose. It was at the funeral that Melanie noticed the only mourner who appeared to be content was her father. It soon dawned on Melanie just how far her father was willing to go to keep her supposedly safe. She had known for a long time what kind of man Henry was. And she did not intend on forever being under his shadow.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER TWELVE: THE DUEL OF BLACK-EYED BART

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Henry was the true power in Thunder Mesa, with his hands in everyone’s purses. He was a member on the town council, owned the main source of income, and knew everyone’s secrets, even if they didn’t know them. On paper, however, the town’s lead authority figures were Mayor Amos Calloway, and Sheriff Hector Hulstein.

Calloway was the third mayor of Thunder Mesa. The first, Baxter Meyers, was the son of one of the town’s founders. His successor, Thulgood Weltons, was a popular figure, always welcoming to those who needed a bed for the night, and acted as a good mediator in debates. Unfortunately, he had a weak heart, tragically dying after a raccoon broke into his house. The task then fell to Amos Calloway, who was in his later sixties by the time he became the mayor. He came across as too woolly-minded to be a politician and leader.

The town’s sheriff, Hector Hulstein, wasn’t suited to be an officer of the law. Perhaps he would’ve been more happier and comfortable if he cleaned shoes or played the church organ. Instead, Hector chose the badge. Maybe it was out of some stubborn sense of pluck that drove such a knobbly-knees like Hector to become a law enforcer. No one could really understand why. Hector never truly elaborated, but he claimed it was what his older brother Wally Hulstein would have wanted, an enthusiast for the law himself. Wally had been eager to become a lawman, having the nerve that Hector lacked. Unfortunately, he had died some years prior.

The details were always left vague, though J. Nutterville, a vulture in human skin, let slip that Wally may or may not have had an accident with a pistol. Hector refused to use a firearm, even when trying to deal with criminals. They made his hands quiver so terribly. Hector lacked the fortitude and the guts to be the sheriff, though nonetheless he stuck by the job, happily stating that Wally showed him the ropes and guided his eyes.

Henry, Amos, and Hector kept the peace in town, but they were the men who stood in the way of Black-Eyed Bart, the most notorious criminal to terrorise Thunder Mesa. Though the west would spawn many infamous criminals, the history books failed to recognise the acts of Bartholomew H. Blackwater. The only reason people knew his name was through the written minutes for town meetings, wanted posters, journals, and other such methods of preserving the past. He was just about the only person not to receive a gravestone or marker on Boot Hill, though he is mentioned on Hector’s stone, appropriately beneath the sheriff’s name.

Rejected and abandoned by both parents, he was raised by criminals, who taught him that the only thing that mattered was money and how much one could get. So, without a saint or pastor to offer wisdom or guidance, Bart allowed greed to consume him. He would dedicate his life to stealing from others and making profit from what he took.

Cattle rustling, train robberies, bank robberies, highway robberies, tricking widows out of their inheritance, and pick pocketing were his bread and butter. No one would be spared from his avarice. But, there was another lesson his family of crooks had taught him – never to trust anyone else with their money.

Bart’s family, the Corbeaux Gang, let their greed get the better of them. One of their own, who would take on the dignified title of “Gracey”, made off with the entire fortune the group had amassed, disappearing in the direction of New Orleans. Accusations and fingers were pointed, and eventually, so were pistols. Bart escaped the carnage, leaving his bickering family to massacre each other. On his own and penniless, Bart had to start over again. He came across a cattle ranch, only for his attempt to re-launch his career to leave him to two swollen eyes at the fists of the very large ranch owner. He did manage to escape with a lone pack mule named Mordecai, an old fella, but turned out to quite the study and reliable companion.

Black-Eyed Bart arrived on the outskirts of Thunder Mesa not long there after, intending to rob the place blind. But, whether it be by the will of the Thunderbird or just dumb luck, this would be where Bart would meet his end. He would commit three crimes during his time in the town. Any attempts to rob the mines or even Ravenswood Manor were out of the question, upon learning what happened to the Feculent Three. His first act was to rob the Roses, killing smithy Jedediah at his forge, and stole a valuable ruby pendant. Lavinia became the town’s blacksmith that night, vowing to skewer Black-Eyed Bart with a red hot blade.

Then, Bart’s second crime would become his most notorious. Mayor Calloway, dull and dithering, appeared to going senile. Or, perhaps some deeper, darker side of his personality, which he had hidden under lock and key, had come to the surface. He had become a lot more charismatic, worldly, and developed a dark, grim sense of humour. Any newcomers into town, he would stand outside the saloon, tip his hat to them, and address them as “foolish mortals”. Even Henry was somewhat disturbed by the mayor’s behaviour. Not that this new side of the town’s third mayor would last long.

By the time Bart rode into town, Calloway had melted down the town’s golden ceremonial ornaments, transforming them into an enormous “key to the city”. Everyone knew then and there that Amos Calloway had lost his mind. Black-Eyed Bart cared not for the sense of a man, only seeing the gold he carried. On horseback, Bart charged the mayor, armed with a bayonet, and swiftly chopped his head clean off, stealing the giant key.

The people of Thunder Mesa had had enough. Arrest warrants and bounties were put out on Bart’s head, dead or alive. But, it fell to Hulstein to bring about justice. Bart made his third crime by attempting to rob the bank, loaded the tired old Mordecai’s back with mountains of heavy cash, before attempting to force the donkey to drag the safe right out of the building. Hector arrived to stop him, but his fear of using a firearm got the better of him. Bart mocked the quivering sheriff, drawing his pistol.

It was then that Hector suddenly found his nerve, drew his pistol, and fired. He missed Bart by inches. Bart shot Hector in return, killing the sheriff. Then, Mordecai, weighed down by the money on his back, keeled over, crushing Black-Eyed Bart to beneath his payload. The townsfolk surrounded the dying Bart, Lavinia fulfilling her vow to avenge her father, armed with a red hot blade. Needless to say, Bart’s end was most certainly painful. Hector was praised as a hero in the end. Most unusually, J. Nutterville noticed that the fatal head injury which killed the sheriff, was supposedly identical to the gunshot that had killed Wally.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER THIRTEEN: THE FURY OF THE THUNDERBIRD

​

Melanie Ravenswood, the darling of Thunder Mesa, and the crown jewel in his father’s golden kingdom, was restless. She felt trapped in her home, surrounded by loved ones, but also overwhelmed by her father’s controlling shadow. Anyone who tried to get close to her, to develop a true friendship or bond with her, often left, made excuses, disappeared, or died. And always, ever watching her make every move, was her father. He seemed utterly content with his daughter being alone as long as he had a say in where her life would lead. Melanie longed for companionship, to have and experience romance and love.

Luckily for her, her forlorn heart found someone of equal desire. Jacob “Jake” Marsh was a country boy at heart. Born and raised within Thunder Mesa, Jake lived on his father’s horse ranch, tending to the land and the animals that lived in the burrows and grasslands. He preferred animals to people, finding them too self-centred and troublesome to handle.

Jake lost his father and then his home. The land was owned by Henry, who was notorious when it came to tax collection. Not a single dime, if owed to him, would be left unchecked. Unable to repay the debts his father owed, Jake was booted out of his own home, his beloved horses sold off. He found work at Cottonwood Creek Ranch, keeping to himself and developing a severe dislike towards the Ravenswoods, envying them for living so high, whilst he had been robbed of his home. Yet, not even he could find it within himself to show any ill will towards Melanie.

For a long time, Jake had watched Melanie from afar, regarding her as an untouchable angel, assuming she was the perfect daughter for Henry Ravenswood. But, he saw a fire in her. Her rebellious nature stirred something in his brambled heart. She longed to be free of her restricted life. A lot of her adventures, including horse riding and wandering the wilderness, were chaperoned by Jake, since he provided the steads to begin with. Over the years, their acquaintanceship began to become more open. They shared stories and tales, talked about their lives and dreams, even trusting each other enough to tell one another their deepest secrets.

A ride on horseback across nearby prairies and an encounter with a rattlesnake, led to the start of a more intimate relationship. Before Melanie or Jake realised, they had fallen in love. The two young adventurers quickly grew inseparable, which was a difficult arrangement when under the thumb of Melanie’s father. Very few knew of their romance, with the crafty Little Leota making admirable distractions or diversions when they wished to meet. Jake learnt of Melanie’s fears, especially how she believed her father planned to control her life, to prevent her from doing as she wanted. There seemed to be only one logical choice – to take off across the wilderness and never look back.

But, much like a spider with many webs, Henry could learn of any secret no matter how hushed it was. Upon learning that Melanie was with Jake, the lord of the manor plotted to remove the young rancher from his daughter’s side. He orchestrated Jake’s dismissal from the ranch, leading to Jake being employed by the mining company. Henry arranged for Jake to work in the deepest, darkest, and most dangerous sections of the tunnels, hoping an unfortunate accident would occur to end the man’s life.

Jake was forever resilient and a hard worker, and Melanie was equally determined and incorrigible to be with her love. On one occasion, she dressed like a forty-niner, venturing into Big Thunder Mountain to find and work alongside Jake, much to his amazement and admiration. There would be nothing to keep them apart. Even when Melanie faced four ill-fate proposals, her heart remained devoted to Jake. By that point, Melanie had reached the end of her tether, convinced that her father had orchestrated the sudden deaths of her would-be grooms. She wouldn’t let him harm Jake.

With a little help from Little Leota, Melanie snuck out of the manor in the dead of night, meeting Jake in the nearby woods, where the Shoshone let their cattle graze. Under a shining moon, Melanie produced the ring that Barry Claude had intended for her, and asked Jake to ask her the ultimate question. Going down on one knee before his love, Little Leota, the Shoshone herdsman, and their cattle, Jake asked Melanie to be his bride. She accepted on the spot. The local holy man performed a ceremony to honour their engagement, praying for the Thunderbird to bless their union. A mythical bird was one thing, but a wrathful, controlling father was another.

Just as many men and women had learnt before, no one crossed Henry Ravenswood, not even his own child. When Melanie presented the ring on her finger and announced her engagement, Henry flew into a rage, his true colours surfacing for all too see. After much back and forth, attempts at persuasion, threats, and even physical violence, Melanie stood defiant in facing her father’s wrath. Henry, livid and unforgiving, refused to ever bless the marriage, which in his mind met that Melanie could never be wed.

Mediating voices of Martha and Arthur attempted to calm the argument, but Melanie let rip, accusing her father of being black-hearted, a merciless, cruel beast of a man who hurt others out of pleasure, crushing all others beneath his foot. She called him less a man and more of a phantom. Even if she had to elope, then she would, as long as it meant escaping Henry’s control.

It was at this moment that Henry Ravenswood declared an eternal pledge:

“In either life or in death, my child, I pledge that you shall never wed this man. You shall never exchange rings or vows. That you shall never leave this house or this town for the rest of your days, Melanie Ravenswood! You belong here, and it is here that you shall stay!”​

Martha managed to drag the infuriated Henry out of the house into the gardens to speak and bicker as they did. Then, the earth beneath them groaned and rumbled. Tremors shook Thunder Mesa with such ferocity, it threatened to topple every building in town. For many, the terrible earthquake of 1860 was a devastating experience. But, to the Shoshone, the old tales by Blue Hawk had come to pass.

The Thunderbird had been awakened, and its fury eclipsed Henry’s, for it controlled the very ground itself. Perhaps it had raged at Henry’s denial of his daughter’s happiness. Great fissures tore through the streets of Thunder Mesa, sending many plummeting to their deaths. The geysers erupted like volcanoes, sending boiling water cascading across the region, killing at least three people and scalding others. The profitable mines under Big Thunder Mountain collapsed, crushing every miner within, though Jake was not working on that fateful day. A passing locomotive was derailed, steamboats sank, buildings collapsed and nearly 300 people died or were injured on that day.

By far, the most shocking casualties were Henry and Martha Ravenswood. Melanie had last seen her parents arguing in the gardens when the quake struck. The ground beneath them had torn away, sending her mother and father plummeting into the earth, where they perished together. For all of his devilish deeds and desire to rule over others, Henry died a rather quick, uneventful death.

Thunder Mesa was left in a state of ruin. Melanie was devastated by her parents’ death, having a grand mausoleum built for them in the months after the earthquake. It took many gruelling months for Thunder Mesa to be rebuilt, with the mines too dangerous and unstable to use again.

Yet, a blessing came from the tragedy. Arthur, Melanie’s uncle, became lord of the manor and gave his niece his approval to marry Jake, though on the condition that they would not live together until the day of their marriage. The two would not set a date until 1862, as there was still much to do in rebuilding the town.

In spite of the losses in her life, Melanie finally felt free. She could do as she pleased and was going to marry the man she loved. Yet, the vow her late father had made seemed to linger over the manor and town like an unseen presence, as more woe and misery awaited Thunder Mesa in its final years of life.

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER FOURTEEN: THE GREEN OIL SALESMAN

In the destruction of Thunder Mesa, many commonplace utilities were in ruins. Fort Comstock had finished construction between 1961 and 1962 by US Rangers who favoured the Union, so the town remained mostly out of the American Civil War.

The earthquake and reconstruction effort attracted many people to the town, including greedy prospectors who hoped to dig through the collapsed mines to acquire any lingering gold. But, the near-societal collapse of the town’s infrastructure drew a lot of unwanted swindlers, carpetbaggers, and crooks, who hoped to exploit the desperate townsfolk for whatever pennies they could pinch. In the space of sixth months, at least seven crooked pharmacists and quacks tried to deceive the town, but all were either chased out of town or arrested.

Another pharmacist who headed for Thunder Mesa was Weyland Wassell. Growing up in Baltimore, Wassell was nicknamed “Doc” by his regular customers, knew them well, and his chemistry prowess was always reliable. Yet, in his forties, unmarried and lacking offspring, Wassell was bored of life and wanted new adventures. So, like any intrepid adventurer, he closed up shop and headed west to find new opportunities and customers. As one of his regulars had told him, “Doc, you are going to find nothing but empty promises and crooks over there.”

Both empty promises and crooks would be there to greet Weyland Wassell as he made his fateful journey to become Thunder Mesa’s new pharmacist. His train ride only got so far, before learning what fate had befallen the town and that the railroad was under repairs following the earthquake. Undeterred, Wassell went from stagecoach to stagecoach, wagon to wagon, and eventually made his way to town on the back of a donkey amongst some Mexican travellers.

On the way, he met who he thought was a fellow chemist, who introduced himself as Ernest Duqtrix, who rode upfront in a colourful wagon painted with the colours of the US flag. Considering himself a gentleman of rare talent, Ernest claimed he had developed incredible miracle elixirs which could cure anything from baldness to gout. Weyland was naturally sceptical, but Ernest had almost hypnotic charm, and Weyland had relied entirely on his father’s routine methods of making medicine, that he had never tried cultivating his own from scratch. He watched as Ernest appeared to perform his miracles on curious customers, from miners and gunslingers to both Union and Confederate soldiers. Ernest convinced Weyland to concoct his own elixirs, giving him supposed instructions on the ingredients for a hefty price.

Upon arriving in Thunder Mesa, still in the midst of reconstruction, Weyland set up shop in a new pharmacy. But, he failed to find a warm welcome from trusting neighbours. A number of con artists had already passed through town, robbing the desperate people blind of money and trust. Weyland proved his worth by mending broken limbs and performing the occasional bit of dentistry. Yet, Weyland was quickly overwhelmed by demands for ointments and potions, his normally careful process of making medicine grew slow and sloppy. He had to aid J. Nutterville in performing autopsies, and even served briefly as a war surgeon; a process which left him horrified.

Deprived of sleep, respect, and the normal supplies for his pharmacy, Weyland grew desperate. He turned to Ernest Duqtrix’s miracle elixir, but found the ingredients absurd, more like a witch’s brew than anything found in medicine. Still, he wanted to help. Weyland trudged through woods, swamps, and in rivers finding obscure plants and odd ingredients to make the elixir. He turned to a local holy man for help, but he assumed Weyland was mocking traditional Shoshone practices and dismissed him.

After much effort and frustration, Weyland finally completed the elixir. But, he was concerned by the hazy green colour it had taken on. Unwilling to test it on any patients, Weyland chose to try it on himself, hoping to cure his lack of sleep and rising joint pains in his legs. Shortly thereafter, a terrible, pained shriek came from his pharmacy. As locals ran in to help, they found their new doctor had died gruesomely.

The elixir clearly had backfired, for they found Weyland lying dead on the floor, his body contorted at unnatural angles. His skin had turned a sickly green, his hair white, whilst his face had warped into a mask of pure, agonising terror. Weyland was quickly removed by the authorities, but J. Nutterville found his body such a task to tend to, it took nearly a week to get him to fit into a coffin.

Weyland Wassell was buried on Boot Hill, a good man destroyed by desperation and a string of bad luck. However, Nutterville had been so irritated by Weyland’s post-mortem resistance that he gave him a basic wooden grave marker with the initials “W.W.” on it. Eventually, a more experienced chemist would come to town for the remainder of its existence.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER FIFTEEN: DIRGE OF THE RAVEN

​

The tragic earthquake that struck Thunder Mesa in 1860 tore the town apart, taking many lives and businesses. Yet, the town would survive for the next couple of decades, though it was never the same following the collapse of the mines. Like all terrible disasters, it brought the town’s community together like never before. With a new mayor and sheriff in place, the fort guarded by Union troops, and the approaching wedding of Melanie Ravenwood, the people of Thunder Mesa came together to rebuild their ruined town.

But, even the efforts for reconstruction did not come without conflict and tragedy, for it appeared the curse placed upon the land long ago was still lingering. Crimes of passion were not uncommon in town, but a death related to a love of music was as rare as finding golden nuggets in a bird’s nest.

Melanie and Jake had most of their wedding planned out by spring of 1862; Melanie’s dress was to be the crown jewel of the ceremony, the cake was confirmed, the guests invited. All that was left to arrange was the music. Melanie’s uncle Arthur, who would walk her down the aisle in place of her father, planned to have the wedding march played in the manor’s ballroom. However, Melanie wanted there to be a special performance with an original piece. She had always loved music, drawn to unique melodies, particularly those of violins and fiddles.

Luckily for her, Thunder Mesa had its own virtuoso. Jacque Shrillman was of Cajun descent, originating from Louisiana, before moving to Thunder Mesa a couple of years earlier. Raised as a serving boy for a rich plantation, Jacque knew what it was like to work hard for little, especially considering how the slaves were treated. Jacque was taught to play the violin by a slave named Hal Maguire, becoming popular with the upper crust, developing a real talent for the instrument. However, when war loomed and his employers starting mistreating their slaves even worse, Jacque joined the emancipation movement and fled his plantation home. Hal Maguire would escape his own chains through the underground railroad, finding freedom and family in Philadelphia.

Jacque performed and slept where he could, going further west, playing tunes everywhere from funeral homes to travelling sideshows, to every bughouse and gin mill he could find. It was by chance and happenstance that he wound up in Thunder Mesa, choosing to play his violin in the rowdy Golden Nugget Saloon. To his surprise, the entire saloon fell silent and listened as he played, captivated by his mournful melody, reducing a couple of men to tears.

Soon, Jacque became a staple at the saloon, later performing at the Silver Spur Stakeout, and then getting invited to perform at Ravenswood Manor for Christmas in 1858. He had finally found his place in the world, earning a permanent residence at Mrs. Henshaw’s Boarding House. When not playing, he taught music lessons and even mended musical instruments as a side job.

He gained many admirers, including Melanie of course. Amongst his biggest admirers was perhaps the most respected man in town. Before the Ravenswood came to power, the “first family” of Thunder Mesa were the Norton boys. Chandler Freswell Norton, his wife, and his two boys were amongst the first settlers in town, opening Nolan & Sons as the first shop in Thunder Mesa, a hardware store and trading post that remained in business until the town’s eventual abandonment. Chandler and his wife died during a particularly harsh winter in 1856, leaving the business to their sons, Cardon “Card” Freswell Norton and Spencer Freswell Norton.

Not much is to be said about Spencer, for he was a law abiding citizen, albeit not a very interesting one. His idea of a good time was sitting in a rocking chair, carving eating utensils. Cardon, on the other hand, could be just as charismatic, persuasive, and ruthless as Henry Ravenswood. He was everyone’s friend, but could be a man’s worst enemy if insulted or disrespected. The hardware store was never enough for him, for he became a man of refined sensibilities and knew how to make a lot of money. He saw business opportunities everywhere, soon becoming a secretly rich man, making choices and moves that never quite crossed the Ravenswoods. He had his finger in many honeypots, yet only stirred them when it was best suited.

Once the Ravenswoods were gone, Cardon made his move, earning his ways into the hearts and pockets of the desperate townspeople, rebuilding their homes and businesses with his own wealth. He soon came to have some ownership and influence in every surviving and new business in town, acting as a voice of wisdom and expertise. With the gold mine gone, Cardon believed there was a future in the growing railroad, helping to hasten the repairs to the town’s tracks to bring back in goods and visitors. The war would slow his attempts, but he was confident that it would end in a matter of years rather than say decades. He also had his eyes fixed on the Ravenswood Manor.

Melanie and her fiancé would leave town as they intended to explore the world; a sentiment that Cardon found particularly charming and suitable. Once Arthur and Gabrielle passed on, Cardon suspected that Melanie would have no interest in moving back home, and would sell the property – and he would become the new owner.

He made it his duty to become a friend and trusted confidante to Melanie, routinely invited to dinner at the manor, provided advice on financial issues, and came to Melanie’s aid when her uncle Arthur’s health began to deteriorate from a lingering chill. He developed an appreciation for Jacque’s talent, suggesting that the musician should try learning other instruments beyond the violin.

Jacque agreed to his fan’s request. He tried the pipe organ in the manor’s ballroom, but found it to be too intimidating, the music sending chills through his bones. He suddenly felt aged by several years as he played the keys. Instead, Jacque found comfort with Martha Ravenswood’s piano, located in the manor’s parlour. He had a wedding piece to craft. He chose to make it a slightly melancholic one, of longing romance, forlorn hearts, and a desire to find freedom in the infinite. Certainly a fitting piece.

To Jacque, it was to be his masterpiece. It would also be his doom, though not of his own doing. It would the beating of black wings and the pecking of a malevolent bird. If Jacque had a terrible sin, it was not creating copies of his compositions. So, one night when Jacque finished his work and departed to his guest room, Madame Leota’s raven Nevermore swooped down from the shadows and set to work. For years, the raven had nested in the parlour in the dead of night. Banished from his den by Jacque, the raven sought that darkest desire that apparently even scorned birds desired: an act of revenge.

Nevermore swept down upon the piano and viciously pecked a hole in the music sheets, before hammering one of the keys with such force, it buckled and was facing the wrong angled. No one saw the raven, nor heard his loud pecks, which surely someone would have been roused by in the silent house. Satisfied with his work, the raven retreated and none would be wiser to his revenge, save the Leotas.

The next evening, a confident Jacque strode into the parlour to play his piece for Melanie, Jake, and a small number of guests, including Cardon. To his horror, he found his music sheets had been sabotage, with several holes skewered through the paper. Yet, Jacque was a composer. He knew the rhythm, the tone, and beat of the music. His fingers would meet the piano keys and work their magic. It had happened with his violin and other instruments. As his audience gathered, Jacque prepared himself, failing to notice the misaligned key.

His performance would have gone off splendidly, had not for that key. Every time he struck it, a horrendous out of tune noise would emanate from the piano. This went on for four minutes, making it an often painful affair. By the time was finished, Jacque felt humiliated. Melanie was disappointed, though put the blame of the faulty piano, requesting for it to be fixed in time for her wedding.

Cardon, on the other hand, was not so forgiving. Being a patron of the arts, he felt enraged that Jacque had chosen to despoil his talents. The damaged musical sheets, the faulty piano, they were signs of neglect of a hack. Nothing was going to ruin Melanie’s wedding nor spoil his plans. Everything had to be perfect, and there was no room for a musician who did not properly prepare for his audience. Jacque had to go.

Later, Cardon was not entirely sure why such black hatred consumed him. Surely a little time would have helped Jacque better equip himself for the big day. It was Little Leota who presented herself as an ally, though not to murder Jacque, but merely to teach him a lesson for what she saw as an obstacle that had to be overcome. She recognised the handiwork of Nevermore, but it was Jacque who had left his composition out at night for the raven to destroy. Little Leota offered a plot to pull a prank that Jacque would never forget.

Little Leota claimed to Jacque that she had misplaced the wedding bands along the shore of the river. She and Jacque set out along a remote part of the river, accompanied by the Ravenswood dog Goliath to sniff them out. Tying Goliath to a wooden post by a chain so he wouldn’t run off, Little Leota pointed Jacque to check closer to the riverbank. The musician did so, only for his foot to snag in a hidden noose. Flung up like a caught animal in a snare, Jacque dangled precariously over the river from a rope attached to the wooden post. As he begged for help, Little Leota slipped away to return home, hoping a night hanging like a fish would teach the musician about punctuality.


What she didn’t count on was a rather nasty storm engulfing Thunder Mesa that night. A helpless Jacque wriggled and writhed to escape his trap as the river began to swell from the rain. Goliath barked and howled for help, but no one could here him under the roaring winds and piercing lightning. A sudden blast of lightning struck the wooden post. Jacque was sent flying into the river, whilst poor Goliath was electrocuted by the metal chain that bound him to the post.

Come morning, a search party set out to find Jacque after he did not return to the manor. Little Leota and Cardon found him first, having drowned in the river, as well as Goliath’s charred remains. Melanie mourned Jacque, wondering if she should postpone her wedding again. Cardon persuaded her not to, telling her that Jacque would not want her to. Feeling guilty for Jacque’s fate, Cardon paid for the musician’s gravestone on Boot Hill, burying him with his violin. Goliath, meanwhile, was buried in the manor’s garden, so he could be close to home even in death.

Jacque’s composition would never be played, as when someone went to retrieve the sheets from the parlour, they had vanished. No one really noticed or cared that Nevermore had moved back into the parlour, building himself a new nest, made out of shredded musical sheets. On stormy nights, people claimed to see the piano playing itself, or a shapeless shadow was desperately trying to remember a tune it could never finish.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER SIXTEEN: NUPTIAL DOOM

The wedding of Melanie Ravenswood and Jake Marsh was at hand, due to commence on April 12th, 1862. To commemorate the occasion, a portrait of Melanie was painted, depicting in her in a gorgeous dove white wedding dress. Although Gabrielle suggested wearing Martha’s gown, Melanie refused, wishing to wear a new gown, as she felt it would be wrong to don her mother’s clothes. The completed portrait was hung at the end of the manor’s painting gallery for all to admire.

On their last night together before becoming husband and wife, Melanie and Jake planned out their honeymoon, danced alone in the ballroom, and even managed to sit on the roof to do a little stargazing. Jake gave Melanie a golden heart-shaped pendant as a sign of their love, promising that their hearts would be together forever. With the hour growing late, the two returned to the manor and parted ways, safe in the knowledge that the next time they saw each other, it would be at the altar. Jake returned to his family’s horse ranch, whilst Melanie visited her parents’ mausoleum to wish for their blessing.

The next day, Melanie was the happiest woman in Thunder Mesa. She was going to be a bride. She donned her wedding gown, a process slightly hampered when Little Leota, who was one of her bride’s maids, was ordered by butler Jasper Jones to fetch some extra wine from the cellar. With so much to do, Melanie went on a parade around Thunder Mesa with Gabrielle, inviting everyone in town to the wedding as she intended. It would be a celebration for the whole town, so even the drunkards, prospectors, and oddballs could come to the party.

Finally, the time came for the wedding ceremony, which was to be held in the family ballroom rather than a church or chapel. A tower of presents were stacked up in a corner of the room, whilst the wedding cake stood proudly on a table in the middle of the room. The plan was for the marriage to occur in the ballroom, before moving out to the gardens for the dinner and celebrations, with parties happening in all of the town’s saloons and bars. However, when Melanie descended into the ballroom, she found a cold, awkward reception.

Not only were Madame Leota and Little Leota absent, worst still, Jake and all of his grooms were missing as well. At first, everyone assumed he was late. It was tradition after all. Then, an hour passed by, then another. People searched every room in the house for Jake, but he was nowhere in sight. A couple of guests swore they saw Jake enter the manor through the front door, but there was no trace of him. Men were even sent into town to find him, but they had no luck. Melanie refused to believe Jake had got cold feet and jilted her. There was also the question of where his grooms had disappeared too. Patrons of The Lucky Nugget swore they saw them drinking late into the night, so wondered if they had gone off on a drunken joyride.

Soon, morning turned to afternoon and then to evening. Guests began to make excuses and file away, until only Melanie and her family remained. Gabrielle prepared to take Melanie back to her boudoir to undress, but Melanie refused. She made a vow to wait for Jake to appear, never to remove her dress or discard her bouquet until she was wed. It was a vow made of true love, one that she would remain bound to for as long as she deemed it possible.

It was only at night did Madame Leota appear, looking pale and horrified. Unable to speak proper words, the fortune teller could only apologise to Melanie, claiming she had “opened a gate that would not close”. Melanie did not understand.

As for Madame Leota, she enquired about the whereabouts of her daughter. Melanie recalled Little Leota had been sent to fetch wine from the cellar, which was an odd request considering her role as maid of honour. When she confronted Jasper, he did not recall giving such a request. Leota disappeared to find her daughter as Melanie began her vigil, only for a shrill scream to come from the cellar, reverberating through the manor. Moments later, a wind as cold as ice swept into the ballroom, throwing open the doors and windows from the outside. The top half of the wedding cake was cast to the floor, and the presents scattered.

With a flash of lightning, a dark figure appeared through billowing curtains on the ballroom’s mezzanine. His wicked laughter echoed through the room, down the halls, up to the rafters, and down to the foundations. The Ravenswoods could not see his face, as it was silhouetted in shadows, but the intruder made his intentions clear. With words dripping with torment and delight, the figure tells Melanie that she will never find her groom, nor would she ever leave the manor again. After all, he made a vow that would transcend even death.

His statement spoken, the man vanished as quickly as he had appeared. The wedding was ruined, the groom had disappeared, and the bride was left mystified and heartbroken. Despite the intruder’s threat, Melanie remained steadfast. She would never remove her gown or throw away her bouquet, for in her heart, she truly believed that Jake would appear to walk her down the aisle.

Yet, a strange eeriness settled into the manor. A rot that would not go away began. It became as cold and drafty as a mausoleum, all shadows felt sinister, and hinges creaked in doorless chambers. The threat of the intruder hung over the manor like an infection, slowly bringing death and decay to the household of Ravenswood.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN: A VANISHING GROOM

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Henry Ravenswood had once made a vow to never allow Melanie to marry Jake, or leave Thunder Mesa with him. Perhaps it was the rare glimmer of a concerned, loving father, or the greed of a controlling man, but it seemed irrelevant when Henry unceremoniously perished in the earthquake of 1860. Despite his death, he hovered over the town like an unwanted blemish. Everyone believed he was gone, for better or for worse. But, not even death would deter him from preventing his daughter from escaping his clutches.

It was Madame Leota who may have enabled his return. For years, she used her séances to breach the boundaries between one realm and the next, whispering to the dead to soothe the hearts of their loved ones. But, the further she reached, the larger the hole widened. Some say it had started before Leota arrived in Thunder Mesa, back when the original settlers found the mountain and river, where Rodney Burke was supposedly spirited away by phantom riders.

Vows were immortal, curses would linger, grudges could be passed from one generation to the next. Like an infected wound, they could fester, putrefy, and corrupt, so that not even the dead could rest. Madame Leota’s actions had opened a door for the dead to come and go as they pleased, especially those that were the most driven to return.

So, it was on the fateful day of the wedding that Henry Ravenswood returned home, no longer a man, but a phantom. Stripped of whatever humanity has clung to his dark soul, Henry would rise from his grave, corrupting the very earth around him, so that the dead stirred. A harsh breeze blew as he stepped, his essence torn between man and bone.

It may not have even been Henry, but a dark, vengeful shadow that resembled his darkest impulses. The man feared and respected by all was gone, now just a thought, a memory, a feeling remained, that of hatred, control, terror, wickedness, and obsession. His love for his daughter twisted by death and torment. He remembered the promise had made, the declaration that he would have carved in the edifice of time itself. No child of his would marry beneath her station, nor abandon the home he built for her.

On the day of the wedding, Jake got himself ready, aided by his grooms and friends. He had no such family of his own, since his parents were gone and his home ruined by Henry. But, he hoped to start a new one with Melanie, as well as join her own – an act he somewhat found ironic, since he once despised the Ravenswoods.

His grooms were lifelong friends, amongst them former miners and fellow ranchers. He had four in total – Hickory Dean, hardworking in the day, drinking himself silly at night; the loyal Teddy Stanhope, who was deathly afraid of tight spaces; Carlos Cervera, a dashing Mexican gentleman who often had a new lady on his arm once a week; and Paul Marshes, an older rancher of Shoshone descent, who had a fantastic, deep voice which intimidated everyone he knew, even though he was a gentle soul.

Wishing to get a head start and see everything was perfect for his bride, Jake rallied his grooms at the crack of dawn to head for the manor. Hickory, Teddy, Carlos, and Paul had been drinking heavily the night before, so were sluggish and hung over. The five men went to the manor, only to be met at the foyer by a man they had not encountered before. His face in shadow, the man was dressed in a top hat and overcoat, claiming to be a wedding usher hired for the ceremony. The man welcomed the group inside, inviting Jake to inspect the wedding decorations. When Hickory yawned loudly, the usher suggested the grooms go to guest rooms to sleep before the wedding. Without much thought, the four men agreed.

Jake was led into a portrait gallery by the usher, who directed him to some “new” additions to the room. To Jake’s horror, the four new paintings were of the four men who had previously tried proposing to Melanie, revealing their fates. The usher revealed himself to be Henry Ravenswood, no longer a man, but a malevolent phantom, who made it clear that Melanie would remain a Ravenswood. As for Jake, he would not make it out of the manor alive, nor would he ever be found.

Before the groom could even shout, the Phantom silenced him forever, hanging him from the rafters in the manor’s forgotten attic. The act was slow and painful, the Phantom finding great pleasure in prolonging the agony. He left Jake’s body hanging in the attic, never to be found. Jake’s engagement ring was loosened by his sudden end, falling off his finger, disappearing through a hole in the floorboards below to be lost in shadow and time.

Jake would not be the only victim of the Phantom that day. The four grooms all took separate guest rooms to sleep off their stupors. But, when Hickory awoke, rested and ready to attend to his friend, only to find the door was locked from the outside. He tried calling for help, but no one care, for the Phantom had made it so. No one could hear him, or find him. Escape out the window was impossible too. The same had happened to Teddy, Carlos, and Paul as well. Teddy’s worst fears came true as he was trapped in a small room with no exit; Paul was trapped in darkness, screaming for a light; whilst Carlos almost broke his door down, only to find his room on the other side. By the time people thought to check the rooms for Jake and his grooms, they were empty, like they had never been occupied.

Melanie’s wedding day had been ruined, her groom missing, and the Phantom threatening her happiness. But, there was one more blow to the young bride’s happiness. A horrified scream came from the wine cellar. Melanie, her family, and servants raced to the cellar, finding Leota is a state of shock. Her daughter, Little Leota, maid of honour and Melanie’s best friend, had drowned in a barrel of wine.

Little Leota’s quest to retrieve a bottle of wine on orders from Jasper Jones, despite being the maid of honour, would be a fatal one. Wandering in the dark cellar with only a box of matches, Little Leota got the fright of her life upon finding the leering skull of the Phantom waiting for her. Seized by the Phantom, Little Leota was dunked into the wine barrel up to her ankles. When her mother found her, and her body was removed from the barrel, the wine had stained her dress a dark red and she had shrivelled down to the size of a ragdoll.

Madame Leota, consumed by grief, isolated herself in her quarters, glued to her crystal ball in an attempt to close the gate she had opened. Her attempts to repel and banish the Phantom’s evil ended in failure each time as Henry’s power grew and grew. Summoning forth all of her psychic energy, Madame Leota made one last effort to banish the Phantom back into the void. Her ritual was interrupted by the pesky raven Nevermore, throwing Leota off her incantations and focus in mid-sentence. Her spell backfired, sucking Madame Leota into her own crystal ball, trapping her there, unable to escape.

The many, many spirits that has crossed between realm, summoned by the medium, talked and whispered to her as she once did to them. Even with all her phenomenal power, Leota could only take so much, her mind eventually breaking under the strain. Lost in her madness, Madame Leota would spend her days of infinite torment acting as a gate and conduit, allowing endless ghosts to materialise once again in the mortal world. She spoke in riddles, referencing the tragedies that surrounded the town and manor. Yet, perhaps there was some reason to her riddles, searching the past for what became of Jake, and how to banish the Phantom back to the netherworld.

As for Melanie and her search for her missing groom, we shall return shortly to her final years and that of the once illustrious Ravenswoods.

Note: I did consider putting in photos/concept art of the Phantom hanging the groom, but chose not to so this thread doesn't suddenly get banned for violent imagery.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN: THE LUCKY NUGGET

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Thunder Mesa’s founding began with a large chunk of a golden nugget, stolen by Rodney Burke long ago. The holy man Blue Hawk had warned Burke that both he and the nugget would return to Big Thunder together or separately. Burke would return first, having misplaced the nugget during a trip to Louisiana, meeting his end as promised by the Shoshone. The nugget, however, would have a more fortuitous return to the river.

Burke lost his nugget after a night of heavy drinking and playing poker. What he did not remember was how he lost it, specifically in a game of cards against the card shark Tony Hayworth. Hayworth owned several saloons and gambling dens in New Orleans, in an amicable joint venture with tradesman T.K. Bitterbush, who had a long career as a bartender.

Hayworth placed the nugget within a vault, keeping safe just in case his business went to the dogs. In the years that followed, Hayworth had a daughter named Lillian (or Diamond Lil), a feisty, fiery girl, but carried her father’s knack for business, making sure their patrons remained on friendly terms. Bitterbush had a son, Benny Bitterbush, who was Lil’s best friend. He became a waiter and bartender like his father, though preferred the taste of his drinks rather than pouring them for others.

Eventually, Tony’s businesses did dry up, and unrest in New Orleans led to his patrons turning against him. Both Tony and Bitterbush were killed, though not before Tony instructed Lil to take the nugget and make something of her life. With Benny in tow, Lil chose to travel to France to start over. Finding the country to be romantic and lively, Lil hoped to find success in business and entertainment like her father.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t an easy road for Lil and Benny, losing much of their fathers’ fortune to scrupulous criminals, greedy landlords, and Benny’s drinking. Yet, Lil couldn’t deny she loved the showmanship and extravagant theatre shows that occurred in Paris. The saloons and bars in Paris were like stepping into another world of vibrant décor, spectacular music, and enough wine to flood the city streets.

It was in one of these saloons where Lil met Pierre and Paul Paradis, a pair of brothers who performed a double act, writing and composing their owns songs. Pierre played the piano, whilst Paul sung and danced onstage. Feeling unappreciated even in Paris, the Paradis brothers befriended Lil and Benny. Together, the four left France and returned to America, heading west to find a place to call home. Lil had one goal in mind – to open her own saloon, a one-of-a-kind place that captured the wonders of Paris, but was homely and welcoming to locals, where everyone was equal, and crime was not tolerated.

The four made their way to Thunder Mesa. It is said when Lil stepped into town with the nugget, the ground trembled, fulfilling the prophecy given by Blue Hawk. Through hard work and a little charm, Lil built the Lucky Nugget, which became the heart of the community. Benny became the bartender, whilst Pierre and Paul provided music and entertainment. Lil’s lucky nugget found a permanent place above the bar, regarded as the centrepiece of the saloon’s good fortune. Lil invited many entertainers from across the Union to perform at the saloon, employing her own group of showgirls too. Guests could drink, gamble, or enjoy more frivolous pursuits at a price.

As for the Ravenswoods, they made the occasional appearance in the saloon, since Henry typically thought it was beneath them. Lil always made sure to reserve a table for them. She had hoped Melanie would perform with her siren voice, but Henry forbade, refusing to allow his daughter to act like a showgirl. There was much joy and good times to be had in the Lucky Nugget, but like every sunny place, there were shadows. The saloon survived the 1860 earthquake, though the luck which the titular nugget had brought to the saloon began to run dry.

The town tried to rebuild itself, but people grew more violent and aggressive, struggling to deal with their losses and grief. The once neutral, peaceful grounds of the saloon were prone to nightly brawls, drunken debauchery, and gunfire ending the lives of reprobates and innocent men alike. The onset of the American Civil War only added fuel to the fire between the north and the south.

Pierre and Paul had always been close brothers, being near-identical twins, working off each other’s talents. The one thing they couldn’t share though was love for the same woman. Both brothers helplessly fell in love with Lil, who made it clear she had no interested in marriage or even romance, beyond playing the role of the welcoming manager. One night, after a round of heavy drinking, Paul found Pierre playing a melancholic tune on a piano. Pierre started singing a song for his muse, who Paul soon realised was Lil.

Enraged and upset that his brother loved the same woman as he did, the Paradis brothers came to blows. The fight ended in Paul’s death, struck over the head by a candelabra used by Pierre. Distraught and panicked, Pierre buried his brother in a pit on the outskirts of town, claiming to Lil that Paul had skipped town with a chorus girl. Unable to perform without his brother, Pierre fell into a depression, resigning himself to playing dull tunes on the piano. He became grey and gaunt in the years that followed, until he might as well have become a shadow on the saloon’s wall.

Thanks to the Phantom’s actions, Paul Paradis was not as restful as Pierre might have hoped. Pierre began to hear his brother’s voice in the corners of the saloon, until Paul’s eerie calls came from the piano. Before Pierre’s eyes, his brother’s rotting arm emerged from within the piano, armed with the disposed candelabra used to end his life, and did the same to Pierre in turn. When Lil awoke the next day, she found Pierre dead on the floor, with Paul’s decomposing body cradled in his arms. She had them buried in an adjoined grave on Boot Hill, together in death.

The Lucky Nugget remained open in Thunder Mesa’s declining years, but the rise in violence and deaths took their toll on the staff. Benny, after seeing a particularly brutal punishment in which a cheater was dragged through the town’s streets by a horse, poured himself a drink of scotch and didn’t stop. Benny drank himself to death, though his final expression was one of tired cheeriness. The many patrons of the saloon paid homage to Benny by pouring entire bottles of whiskey, rum, and scotch into his grave. Some say that his grave reekd of alcohol and bad breath.

When the time came for Thunder Mesa to be abandoned by the surviving locals, Lil stood alone in her saloon, contemplating whether or not to stay, perhaps keeping the Lucky Nugget open for travellers or the local troops. As she went to retrieve the nugget that her brought her much joy and good fortune, Lil was attacked by a desperate thief. In the tragic scrap that followed, Diamond Lil was cruelly shot dead. But, perhaps in a last laugh, Lil dropped the nugget, which rolled across the floor and out the saloon. The thief crawled after it, only to be found by several cowboys. He was swiftly hung from the nearest tree.

The lucky nugget’s journey ended where it began, tumbling into a crevice that has appeared during the earthquake. The words of Blue Hawk, as told once to Rodney Burke, had come to pass.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER NINETEEN: QUOTH THE RAVENSWOODS

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The end of the Ravenswoods was said to have happened on the day that Melanie’s groom disappeared. Rumours spread that Jake had got cold fleet and fled town, fearing the responsibility he would carry by marrying into the Ravenswood family. Melanie was never seen in public after that day. It was suggested that Melanie had snuck out one night and eloped with Jake, racing away on horseback to a happy ending far away from town. That was not the case. Melanie remained in her home, wandering the halls, hoping her missing fiancé would return to walk her down the aisle. She refused to take visitors, never removed her wedding dress unless to bathe.

The Phantom’s presence drew increasingly prevalent within the house. Shadows moved on their own accord, whispering voices could be heard but no speaker would be found, and strange and frightening sounds echoed through the halls. Rooms would develop cold drafts and plummet to a temperature found in a mausoleum. All the while, the Ravenswoods and the servants found themselves being haunted by a maniacal, cackling entity, who wanted nothing more than to revel in their torment and escort them one-by-one into death’s arms.

The family’s oldest servants Jasper and Anna Jones died within a year of each other, both apparently scared to death by an unseen assailant. Since Henry’s death, his loyal brother Arthur had tried to uphold the integrity and fortune of the family. But, the responsibility took its toll on Arthur, who slowly withered away and grew increasingly ill as the years past.

Eventually, Arthur Ravenswood passed away, unusually peacefully, within his bed. Perhaps Henry chose to let his brother depart painlessly as a token of thin, brotherly love. However, this did not allow Arthur’s ghost to pass on from the mortal world. In the months after Arthur’s burial, the ballroom’s pipe organ began to be played. Gloomy, mournful dirges echoed through the manor’s halls and drawing rooms. The music would begin at any time, sometimes in the dead of night, or in the middle of the day. Melanie would rush into the room, hoping that player was Jake, finally arriving for his wedding, but there was no one there.

Gabrielle, Arthur’s devoted but soft-hearted widow, had withdrawn into herself. Her beauty had faded, her hair grey and long, whilst she permanently wore black clothes. One night, Gabrielle went to the ballroom to investigate the music, having barely slept since the organ began. She intended to smash the organ to pieces, if it meant ending the racket. Entering the ballroom, she found a man sitting at the organ, hunched over it. She recognised the top hat and cloak. It was Arthur, solemnly playing the organ.

Gabrielle, overjoyed to see her husband, called his name. Instantly, the music stopped and the organist turned. Arthur was no longer the handsome man she knew in life. He was ashen-faced and very dead, his bony fingers paused above the yellowed keys. From the pipes above the organ, billowing wraiths, shaped like skulls, rose up into the air, groaning and wailing like banshees. Gabrielle’s heart stopped at that very moment, the sheer sight of seeing Arthur’s ghost enough to snuff the life out of her.

It was hours until a wandering Melanie found her aunt lying on the ballroom floor; the last of her relatives gone. Her father and mother taken by the earth, her uncle died of illness, her aunt of fright, her best friend found drowned in a barrel of wine, and her fiancé missing.

Melanie would not give in though. She would never give in to despair, or lose hope that Jake would come for her. She would never abandon the promise they had made together. Most certainly of all, no phantoms would torment her or break her heart. Melanie Ravenswood would wait for Jake through life and then into death. No matter what.

​

 

[Evilgidgit]

CHAPTER TWENTY: FLIGHT OF BEAUTY

No one knew the fate of Melanie Ravenswood. She never left her stately manor when Jake vanished on their wedding day. She had attended the funerals of her relatives and servants, watching from afar on the veranda, still in her pristine wedding dress. On occasion, an eagle-eyed person who spot Melanie staring out a window from within the house, perhaps reminiscing on the adventures she and Jake were going to have, had they made it down the aisle together. There was always a mystery around Jake’s disappearance and that of his grooms. Rumours spread, from being wanted for money, to Jake choosing to not wed Melanie and jilted her, fleeing Thunder Mesa with his friends.

The last of the Ravenswoods servants either died or left, leaving the manor to be taken by the elements. It was like the house became infected with a supernatural illness. The white painted walls rotted, the shutters swinging from their hinges, the garden overgrowing to almost become a wild thicket. Harsh, chilling winds skinned at those who even passed by the closed gates. Howling dogs pierced the night. The curious dared to view the manor, wondering what had happened to Melanie, who was believed to still live alone in the house, committed to waiting for her fiancé to return.

Every now and again, people glimpsed the bride looking out the windows, or passing by them at night with a candle in hand. Yet, wherever she was, so was another. The Phantom would pass by whatever window she stood at, the shadow of his hat and high collar snuffing out all light in the house like a great shadow. His wicked cackle echoing across the grounds, into the river, through every doorframe and crack in the townhouses, and down, down into the deepest recesses of the collapsed gold mines.

By the late 1870s, it was decided to abandon the town. With the mines gone and the construction of the railroad proving to be a waste of money, the surviving families packed up their belongings and planned to depart. No one wanted to live in a town with such bad memories and a high death count.

Cardon Norton attempted to assert control over the townsfolk to keep them in Thunder Mesa, but he was outvoted. Cardon himself would leave the town his family had built, moving to Santa Fe where he started up a large trading business. Unfortunately, death came for Cardon in 1882, when a hapless worker in his employment knocked over an entire shelf of heavy crates, all of which swiftly landed on Cardon. Yet, even he was bound by the curse of Thunder Mesa, his ghost returning there to become the Phantom’s plaything.

Thunder Mesa fell silent and empty as the residents left it for new pastures and towns, leaving behind the ferryboats, the empty saloons and stores, and the ominous manor house looking over the river. People would visit the town to explore, steal, and occasionally squat. The train would still pass through, only stopping to let the curious soul off to wander around the abandoned frontier town. Not all returned.

Not even the Shoshone returned to the land, well aware of the dark shadow of death that hung over the town. The only reason they did was when they saw lights on in the manor, sending a brave deliverer to the door to drop off a basket of food for the lonely soul still living within the manor. Even that stopped over time.

Whilst the living had parted, the dearly departed were very much moving in. A new earthquake struck the town, this one even deadlier than the last. The ground created deep fissures, dragging entire buildings down into the abyss. The manor’s grounds and Boot Hill were torn asunder, unearthing the many dead. Yet, the dead were unnaturally lively, their bony corpses breaking out of their coffins and crypts to rise again. Men, women, and beasts arose to haunt the nights, under the thrall of the Phantom, who ruled over Thunder Mesa.

Melanie would not die for some time. Year after year, she stayed in the house her father had built for her. At first, the ghosts terrified her, most having a deathly pallor, caught in their own strange loops of behaviour, trapped in a never ending cycle of activity. Few recognised or acknowledged her, but those who did flew into an outburst of emotions, such as sorrow, grief, anger, or misplaced joy, as if Melanie had wed as she planned.

She never yielded from her decision to wait and wander. So she did, walking about the manor night after night, day after day, exploring every nook and cranny of her home in the search for her fiancé. The Phantom watched as well, amused by her foolish endeavour, knowing fully well that she would never succeed. Not even Jake’s ghost could materialise under his command, trapped within his decomposing bones until the end of time.

In a cruel act, the Phantom brought forth a wedding party of death. All the guests invited to the wedding, and many more spirits, attended the dinner of the damned. A mouldy green wedding cake sat on the table, whilst an endless stream of ghostly guests would enter and exit, carrying rotting presents which Melanie never received. It was a horrifying affair, which reduced Melanie to tears.

The years rolled by, time taking its toll of the young bride. Her hope slowly burnt out, her beautiful looks wrinkled, her red hair faded, and her lovely, siren-like voice grew weaker until she could no longer sing. She shed bitter tears for happier days. For her loved ones long gone. For the wedding that had never happened.

The Phantom, on the other hand, could not have been happier. His spectre was free of flesh and blood, his bones cold and harsh, and his wicked and cruel cackles rotted away the very walls of his home. He had imprinted his vow into the very fabric of the manor, his will absolute. But, Melanie, though aging and depressed, never broke her own vow. She would wait for Jake to come for her, even in death.

On October 31st, 1899, Melanie finally grew tired of her father’s clutches. Another earthquake struck Thunder Mesa, sending great fissures through the earth. Part of Boot Hill gave way, opening up a forgotten mine tunnel that ran beneath the burial grounds. Melanie saw it as a chance, an opportunity to escape the Phantom.

Fleeing the manor, Melanie ventured through the overgrown gardens. To her horror, not even the dead had been spared from the influence of the Phantom’s evil. Corpses, long rotten, were rising from their disturbed coffins and tombs, like they were rising from a long nap. Most wore tattered clothes, their remaining hair long and wild. Even without eyes, the dead had a sense of confused awareness about them. Ghosts rose from their graves, ashen-faced and terrifying. Melanie fled as the reanimated bones of Goliath barked and growled hellishly, blood red lights glinting in his skull.

Chased by her father’s hellhound, Melanie took a chance and dived into the dark tunnel, her wedding dress torn by clinging tree roots. Behind her, like a great howling wind, her father’s voice screamed at her to return. Melanie had only stepped foot into her father’s mines about three times in her life, finding the conditions dark and claustrophobic. Now, many years older and her body tired, Melanie could only wander through the darkness, managing to use an old oil lamp to guide her.

Jake had once told her of a rumour of a certain mine shaft, one used by the river pirates to smuggle gold out of town. It went under the river and emerged somewhere in the fields beyond. If Melanie could reach it, she had a chance to be free of the Phantom forever. She paused in the dark, wondering about the vow she made to wait for her beloved to come. Years had passed and he never did, nor would he probably. Melanie knew the truth, one which she had denied for a long time. Jake was probably dead and her father had killed him.

Would Jake have wanted her to stay and wait in her father’s prison? No, that couldn’t have been true. All their plans remained, to leave Thunder Mesa and explore the wide open spaces beyond, travel across the great ocean, and wander the unknown world together.

With what would newfound resolve, Melanie set off into the depths of the mines to find the way out. But, the Phantom was not far behind. For, even the deepest, darkest reaches of his domain, the dead and restless were under his thrall, sensing the bride’s echoes and whispered her trail to their master.

Melanie, without a map, wandered and grew lost in the mine shafts. Entering a cavern, Melanie found, to her surprise, untouched, amethyst crystals. They were beautiful and mesmerising. They also were reflecting light off an unknown source. Melanie turned, seeing a faint trace of light in the tunnel up ahead. A possible way out.

Before she could take a step, the Phantom swept down upon her. Insane, furious, and unforgiving, the Phantom screamed his daughter’s name with such malevolence, it blasted Melanie off her feet and straight onto the crystals. In her final moments, Melanie raised a pointed finger in the vague direction of the light and fell still in her beautiful place of rest. The Phantom could not remove her body, as her dress and hair had grown too entangled by the crystals. The entire town quivered and shook at the rage the Phantom unleashed that night, returning to the manor without his daughter’s body.

Her soul on the other hand, was bound to his will. For the moment she had perished, Melanie’s mind had fractured, right down to her spirit. She became disconnected from the flow of time, still bound to the grounds of the manor and her father’s curse.

Out of all the ghosts within the manor and town, Melanie’s was the most tragic, wandering through time, phasing in and out of her own doomed afterlife in the eternal search for her true love.

Never to find him, and never to be free.

And there, forever trapped in the boundless realm contained in the manor’s walls, are where nine-hundred and ninety-nine ghosts dwell.

The medium undone by her own gifts, summoning forth the spirits to come and go as they please…

The vanished groom, hidden away in body and spirit, within the clutches of death…

The ravishing bride, wandering the halls of her once grand home, waiting for the wedding that would never come…

The Phantom, triumphant and terrifying, in his kingdom of the dead…

In the decades to come, people would find Thunder Mesa and choose to restore it to it former glory, as the Thunder Mesa Historical Society. But, no one would dare step foot within the old manor on the hill, overlooking the town like a dark stain on the landscape. No plants grew in the grounds, whilst the sky around it was perpetually gloomy, misty, or stormy.

In the dead of night, an eagle-eyed person would see a glimmer of candlelight passing by the windows. Or a dark spectre with murderous red eyes, its very presence banishing away any intruders.

The legend of Ravenswood Manor became well known across the land, considered one of the most haunted houses in the world.

But, tales were told of a woman in white gazing forlornly out towards the sky beyond Big Thunder Mountain. A bride, young and beautiful in her dress, awaiting for the day her groom comes for her to wed her.

You may not believe it, but beauty once lived in this house…and beauty lives here still.

...
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I didn't meant to take so long to complete this project, but it is one I've been penning for several years, inspired by the old Magic Kingdom "Ghost Gallery". I combined the various mysteries and lore of Phantom Manor to create a cohesive and tragic story, but did not want to lean too much on the violence and gore. I hope you all enjoyed this story, and if you have any ideas or questions, let me know.