"Anastasia, Anastasia, calm down, it was only a dream," Mrs. Elga soothed.
Anastasia stopped thrashing and screaming. She slowly lowered her head onto the pillow. She tensed again when Mrs. Elga tenderly brushed her cheek with the back of her hand. She starred at the older woman, gray hair pulled back I pins, wearing a nightgown and bathrobe. She smiled back at Anastasia, her face weathered with time.
"It was only a dream my dear, a dream and nothing more," the old woman serenaded.
"I was falling," Anastasia said quietly.
Julian burst into the room, "What the hell is going on in here?!"
Anastasia rolled over to face the wall.
"She was having a nightmare, Sir."
"I can hear her screaming through the whole dame house! No one has been able to get a decent night's sleep around her since she got here, because of all her bloody screaming. Enough is enough; she is not a child and should not go on behaving this way. It is simply unacceptable!"
"Take pity on the poor girl, her parents just recently died, and the poor dear was nearly killed herself, she's entitled to a few bad dreams, not that I wish them upon you dear, such horrible, horrible thing that happened -"
"Mrs. Elga, that will be enough, I am very aware of the fate of my fool brother and his gold digger wife, I don't need the reminder! I'm just sorry I got stuck with their little brat!" Julian answered.
"Mr. Litchfield! She's a sweet girl! Give her a chance; she's only been here a few days." Mrs. Elga pleaded.
"See to it, then, that she stays quiet!" he ordered, storming out of the room, slamming the door behind him.
"And here is the music room," said Mr. Elga, the old butler. He was a wiry old man with thinning white hair. He had a kindly smile and friendly eyes.
"You are free to use it whenever you wish." The music room had a hard wood floor and an elegant grand piano. Shelves of music lined the walls, along with tall windows with sweeping green curtains letting in the gray dreary light from outside.
"Come along dear. Next is the green house . . ."
"Wait," called Anastasia, "What's behind the door?"
Mr. Elga sighed, "What door?"
"Behind the chair," Anastasia insisted, pointing to the back corner of the room where green, plush arm chair blocked a doorway.
"Oh nothing," Mr. Elga answered shortly.
"Well, may I at least look?" she asked walking toward it.
"NO!" he shouted. Then quieter he went on, stepping in front of her, and directing her out of the room. "No, it's the forbidden tower."
"Why is it forbidden?" she questioned.
"It just is, and that's all you need to know,' he told her, pulling her by the arm out of the music room. "Next on your left is the green house where you can go out into the garden. It's not really much to look at this time of year, but I trust you'll enjoy it during the summer.
"Ah, here we are the kitchen, nothing too special about it other than the trap door under the rug there, it leads to the cellar and a passage way up to your room on the second floor, so that might come in handy for you if you want to grab a midnight snack," he winked at her kindly.
"What's in the cellar?" Anastasia asked.
"Just full of questions, aren't you?" Mr. Elga laughed.
Mrs. Elga, who had been washing dishes, turned away from the sink. Grabbing a towel from the counter, she dried her pudgy hands answering, "Oh nothing dear, just storage, and the fruit cellar."
"Don't forget about the secret room!" Mr. Elga added with a very serious tone in his voice.
"Oh hogwash!" Mrs. Elga scolded, swatting her husband with the towel. "There is no such thing and you know it. You needn't worry you're pretty little head about it dear."
Mr. Elga laughed heartily, "She's right, don't listen to an old coot like me. Around the corner you'll find the dinning room and the billard room. The second floor, I trust you know you're way around up there since you're bedroom is up there. There is a ballroom on the third floor, but that hasn't been used in a long time. Would you like to see it?"
Anastasia smiled politely, "No thank you, but I believe I should be returning to my room now. I have a lot of work that the school sent for me to try to catch up on; I'm supposed to start school tomorrow. Thank you for the lovely tour Mr. Elga."
She turned and walked out of the kitchen leaving the Elga's to stare sadly after her.