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This is just a little short story I made. Please tell me how you liked it. Constructive critisicm is greatly appreciated.

The newspaper read as follows:
“A New England mansion and grounds for sale, 1,000 acres of beautiful, rolling green hills filled with barns, sables, and kennels. A large lake with plentiful game and sugar maple trees in the 450 acre forest area are included. Barns include an indoor track, housing for all livestock, the stables, kennels, pastures, outdoor track, runs, and other such areas for exercise for the animals. The grounds also include large kitchen gardens, apple orchards, and maple syrup production. The mansion has 100 guest rooms, 50 guest bathrooms, a full kitchen, formal and casual dinning rooms, music room (complete with grand piano), 20 powder rooms, 5 full cellars, ballrooms, banquet hall, foyer, living room, and tea room. There are two full fish tanks. One is in the casual dinning room as a traditional tank, the other serves as a wall between the living and tea rooms. The estate comes with all the animals, staff, and staff housing on grounds. The estimated price is about 5.5 million dollars.”

That was all that Elizabeth Cunningham was going to get –or so she thought. When Liz arrived at the front gates front her new estate, it opened and she was greeted by the heads of the staff. Mrs.Notingsworth, the head house keeper, was easily Liz’s favorite and most trusted maid. The head of the large animals was Kate Finnly with her boyfriend Brian Pederson who is the head of the smaller animals. The move was easy and before anyone knew it, it was Halloween.

There was a grand party at the estate that night and with it came the old story teller, Sarah Blitsington. She was an elderly lady (even older that Mrs. Notingsworth) with wispy white hair, heavily wrinkled face, and a kind, tender expression on her worn face. Sarah’s last story was one of the estate’s actually Histories. As the tale goes -and recited by Sarah in a raspy voice- the fine estate of today was founded by Edvard and Alexia Tenningford. For many a year, the couple held grand banquets and lavish balls, extending the hand of friendship towards all who where their guests. Eventually, they died and their children kept the tradition of the true for a few generations. Yet, the family became corrupt and not as hospitable as before. The Tenningfords saw this and placed a curse yet blessing upon the grand ballroom. For many years after, the ghost of the spirits of the humble beginnings haunted the room, so none entered. So, one year a young couple came for the annual All Hallows Eve feast. That would be Halloween, Sarah remarked to all who had the surprise looks. She continued with when the young woman left her partner. The music of some far off playing was attracting her. When she discovered the grand ballroom, she was amazed to see that it was unlocked –for once the curse of the spirits was found, it was locked. The young lover went in and saw a stout man standing at the door way, excitedly talking with a small group of people who weren’t waltz with the rest of the party. Quickly he came over and bid the young lover in; as she went in she lost all memory of the outside world. The morning after, the partner saw that his lover was missing and quickly looked over the whole estate. Once his efforts proved fruitless, he went to the old ballroom and opened the door. What he saw next was enough that he stepped in and didn’t even notice that the door slammed shut behind him. Neither of the lovers where ever seen again.

At the end of that story, the old story-teller cautioned all of the people of the house hold that that night was the 150th anniversary of the dreaded event. With that, she left and the party was done. Liz, of course, thought that it was folklore, not a real threat. Mrs.Notingsworth was of the opposite opinion and cautioned the new owner to steer clear of the grand ballroom anyways. The next morning was a fiasco. The most trusted of all the animals where acting up. Brian and Kate compared the cases at each other’s areas of the grounds. The two discovered that the behavioral changes where only in the most domesticated of all the animals. The day went by in a blur of action and discussing what to do. That night wasn’t any better. As Liz was in bed reading, Kate went in the house and to find something in the kitchens. Instead of opening the right door, she opened the left door and the music and laughter from within erupted. Kate was curious to see what was inside; unaware of this, Liz suddenly heard soft, eerie music drift up to her room. Just as suddenly, the music and laughter crept back to whence it came, leaving Liz alone in the silence. Liz took this as a sign of exhaustion and marked the book, then turn off the lamp.

When Liz and the rest of the staff found out that Kate went missing, it was a shock to everyone, especially Brian. When she didn’t return to him after her midnight snack was when he was sure he noticed her disappearance. Brian has been looking since then. The animals where not as restless as yesterday, so the staff wasn’t as tired as before, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t there wasn’t any work to be done. Liz spent the whole day trying the find Kate with Brian. Checking every nook and cranny was tiresome, and the search for Kate was turning out to be in vain. As dusk rolled around, the beautiful sunset was setting over the countless rolling hills that where now laired with leaves of all bright colors. The dusk had made Brian go deeper into despair as he looked upon the sky. Dinner was a ghastly affair, for none had anything good to say about the day’s events. So when night came, Liz was once again reading (by this time it was storming horribly outside) when Brian went to search the house one last time. As he came upon the kitchen door, he looked across the hall and saw a huge cedar door. He was entranced and went slowly to the door. When he opened it, all he could do was smile and step right on it. The music and laughter once again slowly spiraled up to the master bedroom, and now Liz knew that it was no longer an apparition, but a real thing. This new sense of panic crept up on her to the point of turning the light back on (she was asleep when she heard the music).

When Brian was found missing, Liz had an eerie feeling that the music was connected with the disappearance of the young couple. Unlike everyone else, though, she wasn’t in panic. The maids where afraid that one of them would be next, opposed to the gardeners who feared that it would be one of them next. Only Mrs.Notingsworth remained silent on this matter, as if she knew where they where. Then it hit Liz. It was the grand cedar door that hasn’t been open for many years. Just then she knew what she was going to do, follow the music when it played again. The day was wet from the storm the prior night, but that didn’t help make the day go any faster. When it did end, though, it was a huge relief to Liz. While Liz was reading on a chair in her room, Mrs. Notingsworth was going about the regular rounds when she came upon the cedar door. A smile came slowly, to the old women’s wrinkled face as eyes remembered a lively past and the door swung open. The music tonight was that of a great waltz where mostly all where dancing with great grins on their faces and no fear or hunger or desperation or anything other than bliss. Mrs. Notingsworth stepped through and was missing. The music this time rushed to the top of the stairs greeted by an expectant Liz. As Liz got up to start her expedition, a smile played upon her face.

It took about ten minutes to find the source of the music (by then the music was long gone) and Liz was not at all surprised to see that the music was coming from the cedar door that lead to the Grand Ballroom. On the door, golden letters glowed brightly and said this:
“Enter at your own risk, for beyond this door lies perpetual happiness. Choose the opportune moment to enter. Impatience will earn you naught but loss and procrastination will earn one only confusion. Enter at your own risk.”

This took Liz by surprise because she had never once seen these words upon this door. Unsure of what to do, she went back to her room to think it over. It ended up being that Liz fell asleep and had the oddest dream of Kate and Brian dancing the waltz perfectly while Mrs. Notingsworth was standing to the side making small talk in a beautiful ballroom filled with spirits. Everyone was dressed as in colonial times as the musicians at the edge of the room on the far side where playing a slow number. There was a dashing young man that looked about Liz’s age and standing alone, as if looking for someone. That is when Liz woke up and knew it was time.

That morning was going to according the schedule that has been defined for the past two days. The animals where back to normal, oddly enough, and now the people are the ones panicking. Liz convinced everyone that she would search the house, not to worry, and look outside. So when the coast was clear and everyone was long gone, Liz went to the ancient looking door and slowly turned the handle, while staring at the luminescent letter. When the door swung open, she saw the room just as it was in her dream –perfect. There was Mrs. Notingsworth and Kate and Brian all laughing together. Then from aside the door, a stately looking man came out and ushered her forward. A smile crept on to her face as she walked up to the door way and as she stepped inside, her clothes changed into a perfect ballroom gown fit for a queen.