The storm had been unexpected. It came from the west, a sheet of rain and clouds pouring through the mountain pass up ahead, washing over my car, the winds strong enough to shake my vehicle.
That morning, before I left the motel, I had checked the forecast. They had predicted clear skies all day and night. Still, I supposed, they said that the weather was unpredictable in the mountains. That didn't help me. I was four days into a cross country trip, from my old home to my new one on the west coast. My car was on its last legs and this sudden weather assault was more than it could bear.
"Oh fuck no!" I shouted to no one as the lights on my dash began to flash and the engine began to sputter as I lost power. I let the vehicle slow as I steered to a pull-off area beside the steep road. I gripped my steering wheel hard and sighed deeply. I was alone in the car. Alone on that road. With my wife, Rachel, back home packing up the last of our stuff before she joined me at our new house, I felt utterly alone in the world.
"What the hell are you supposed to do now, Drew?" I asked myself, speaking aloud, my own voice keeping myself company as it had these past few days. I scratched at my full beard, dirty blond slightly shot through with grey these days, a habit I had when I was perplexed or nervous.
I looked at my cell phone and groaned. I had no service and hadn't had any for hours here in the mountains. There was no way to call a tow truck with that now-useless hunk of plastic and glass.
With my headlights going out, the road was dark. Sheets of rain slammed into the windshield and poured down the windows. I could see maybe three feet into the darkness. I was in a bad space. I could see nothing ahead of me in terms of getting help.
I looked back over my shoulder and, though I couldn't see it now, remembered that I had seen lights, presumably a house shining in the darkness off the road maybe three miles back. I had noted it because I had thought what a nice place to have a home. Remote and secluded surrounded by wilderness. That might be my best bet, I figured.
Grumbling to myself I dug around behind me, grabbing a hoodie out of my bag and pulling it on. I took a deep breath to steel myself and opened the door to my car, getting out.
Instantly I was hit by powerful waves of rain and gusts of wind that I had to lean into to keep my footing. In a blink of an eye I was soaked, the hoodie providing no protection from these elements. My jeans felt like they sucked to my legs, and my leather boots filled with freezing water.
I pulled the useless hood up over my head, covering my short trimmed blond hair and began trudging back the direction I had come from.
I don't remember the details of that walk very well. When I bring it to mind all I get are flashes of discomfort and cold. Being wet and miserable. I don't know how long it took but it felt like it dragged on for hours and hours. I was wet, angry and exhausted before I came to a turnoff that seemed to be the right one.
There was an old iron gate across the driveway that seemed to be locked. I shook it and there was, of course no response. The bars were far enough apart, however, that I was able to push myself through them and get to the other side of the barrier.
At that point, due to the storm and the darkness I could not see the house I thought I had noticed before but I took it on faith that it was there, heading up the drive, under an arched canopy of tree branches that met above me transforming the driveways to a kind of green tunnel.
Trudging up that long curving driveway as fast as I could I could only think of getting inside and calling for help. My teeth had begun to chatter painfully and I had my own arms wrapped around me. Eventually I could see a dark shape ahead of me.
Sudden lightning flashed across the sky, a long jagged fork of electricity that lit the world, creating a dark silhouette in the shape of a large house in front of me. It was like a scene from a cheesy old horror movie and I laughed at myself for jumping in startlement.
Finally I was close enough that I could make out weak yellow light leaking through the windows in the upper level of the house.
The house was large. Three stories with steep gabled roofs. A large covered porch wrapped around it and there were several steps that led up to a large wooden door carved with an intricate floral motif.
It was all so gothic and over the top I couldn't help but smile despite my deep discomfort. I strode up the steps and sighed happily when the porch roof blocked the pouring rain. I was still shivering with cold but at least I wasn't being actively rained on.
I looked around for a doorbell to ring but did not see one. There was, however, a large iron knocker. I reached out to grip the swinging part but my hand paused just before touching it. I had never seen a door knocker quite like this one.
While you might expect, on a strange old gothic house like this, a knocker in the shape of an animal's head, the ring through its mouth, or even, a macabre human face, this one was very different. The pitted metal was rather large and in the shape of a nude female upper torso. The details were quite fine. Her eyes were closed and her head pressed back into the door. Her finely detailed face showed her biting her lower lip. Her back seemed to be arched and her chest was thrust out towards me. There were two knockers, not just one. A metal ring pierced each of her erect, iron nipples. I got the impression that the artist who created this wanted to give the impression that this iron woman wanted you to pull on the rings.
"I don't mind if I do," I muttered to the door knocker, the ridiculousness of the design making me feel silly.
I gripped both of the rings, one in each hand and lifted them. It was the rain and the darkness and my own discombobulation, I supposed, that made me imagine a woman's voice in my mind.
Yes - it whispered in my mind. - Yes. Pull on them. Pleeeease!
I chuckled at myself and tugged the iron rings.
Oh yes!! Don't stop! - The voice keened in my mind.
I had had enough of my own game and swung the rings down, causing a pair of loud bangs that I could hear echo through the door. I swung them again for good measure, in case whoever lived here was asleep, then released them.
I could have sworn I heard that same female voice whine as I released the rings but I could hear movement on the other side of the door so instantly forgot that.
As I waited impatiently for the sounds of deadbolts being pulled on the other side, I pushed back my hood and wiped water from my eyes. Finally, after what seemed an eternity, the door swung open with a loud creak.
*****
Dim light and palpable warmth flooded out of the door as it was pulled open. After the darkness of the night and storm it took me several moments for my eyes to adjust enough to see who stood in front of me.
Given all that I had seen so far, I wasn't surprised to see an old man in a very formal suit standing there one hand on the door knob looking expectantly at me. He had long, stringy white hair that hung to his shoulders, but the top of his head was bald and shone in the light from inside. His nose was so long it seemed to dip below his upper lip. His eyes were bright blue, but sunken in deep dark circles. His shoulders were hunched and the hand that rested on the doorknob was gnarled.
