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Brian Hill and his new wife,
Betty, decided to honeymoon over Christmas on mainland Europe in the quaint
countryside of Transylvania.
Late last Monday evening, they went driving
in a rented car along a deserted rural road, on what had started out as a
typical rainy Transylvanian evening. An hour or so into the drive, it had turned
into something much more than just a typical rainy night; it was at this stage
raining cats and dogs - a virtual downpour. Lightening flashed, violent claps of thunder
shook the car, and the rain was coming down so hard, that Brian could barely see
the road in front of him.
Suddenly, and for no apparent reason,
the car skidded out of control! Brian attempted to steer out of the skid, but to no
avail. The car slid and swerved again and again before smashing solidly into an
extremely large oak tree.
Moments later, Brian was able to shake his head
and begin to clear the foggy clouds which were swirling around in his mind.
Still a bit dazed, he looked over at the passenger seat and saw his lovely new
wife unconscious. Her head was slumped to one side, and blood trickled from the
corner of her mouth.
Despite the thunder and lightening, and the rain and
unfamiliar countryside, Brian knew he had to move quickly and carry Betty to the
nearest phone. Yes, quickly!
So, Brian carefully picked up his precious
cargo, his gorgeous wife of but a few days that he worshiped and adored, and
began trudging awkwardly down the road. After a short while, he noticed a light
flickering in the distance through the woods. Although he was already exhausted
from the shock of the accident and the weight he was carrying, he headed towards
the distant light nonetheless, and presently discovered that it was coming from
an old and very large mansion.
On eventually reaching the main building,
he approached the enormous door and rang the bell. A minute passed in silence,
and he rang the bell again, then again. Finally, a small, hunched man opened the
door, and Brian immediately blurted out: "Hello, my name is Brian Hill, and this
is my wife, Betty. We've been in a terrible accident, and my wife has been
seriously injured. Can I please use your phone??"
"I'm sorry," replied
the hunchback, "we don't have a phone, but my master is a doctor. Do please come
in and wait here while I look for him."
Brian eagerly carried his
wife inside for treatment.
Looking up, Brian saw an immaculately groomed
and elegantly dressed man of very impressive appearance descending the huge
curved stairway that led into the great hall. He had obviously come down to
investigate the insistent doorbell ringing. Then the hunchback reappeared in the
hall and positioned himself a little to one side and slightly behind his
master.
"I couldn’t help but overhear what my assistant said to you a
little earlier, and I regret he may have unintentionally misled you." - the
master graciously remarked. "He is new here, and though I am a doctor, I am not
a medical doctor. I am a doctor of science. However, it is many miles to the
nearest clinic, and I have had basic medical training. I will see what I can do.
Igor, please take them to the downstairs laboratory."
With that, Igor
picked Betty up and carried her downstairs, with Brian limply following close
behind. Igor carefully placed Betty on a table in the lab. At that point Brian
suddenly collapsed from exhaustion and his own injuries; so Igor placed him on
an adjoining table. After a brief examination, Igor's master was unable to
conceal his concern - the worried look on his face said it all.
"Things
are very serious, Igor. Please prepare for blood transfusions." - the master
said.
Igor and his master worked feverishly for a long while over both
the Hills, but their efforts seemed to do no good. Brian and Betty Hill steadily grew weaker and paler;
and, try as they might, Igor and his master could not prevent the life from
leaving both of the Hills’ bodies as they lay there on the tables.
The
Hills' deaths appeared to trigger some kind of unspeakable sorrow in Igor's
master. Wearily, gaze cast downwards as though he was trying to peer into the
fathomless depths of his soul, and without uttering a single word, he slowly
walked out of the laboratory. Very gently, he closed the door behind
him.
Then Igor’s master climbed the steps to his conservatory, which
housed a great cathedral pipe organ. It was there that he always found solace in
times of trial and sorrow. Mournfully he began to play.
To begin with,
the music was slow, and sad, and so quiet that it was almost impossible to hear
from anywhere outside of the room. Gradually though it grew more vigorous, and
soon a deeply stirring, haunting melody swelled out around the whole area
surrounding the conservatory, so that everything in the
entire mansion began to
resonate with its immensely powerful and diverse range of energies.
Meanwhile, Igor was still
down in the lab tidying up. As the awesome music filled the halls, weaving its
soulful sounds into the laboratory, Igor detected the tiniest of movements out
the corner of his eye. Adjusting his head a little, he noticed the fingers on
Betty's hand were twitching slightly, in spasms. Stunned, he watched, and the
next thing one of Brian's arms began to rise! Then he was really taken aback
when Betty suddenly sat straight up!
Almost unable to contain himself
with all the excitement which was by now surging up inside him, Igor dashed for
the stairs. The metal studs in his boots drew fire from the stone steps as he
galloped upwards towards the conservatory as fast as his two legs could carry
him.
On reaching the conservatory, he directly applied all of his
considerable strength to quickly push the heavy double-doors forward, and bounded into the
room.
Then, at the very top of his voice, Igor
shouted:
" Master! Master! The Hills are alive with the sound of music! "
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