Bir yolda ko\u015fmuyordu ya da bir tepe t\u0131rmanm\u0131yordu, merdivenleri t\u0131rman\u0131yordu. Hala malikanenin i\u00e7indeydi! Ve basamaklar\u0131 \u00e7\u0131k\u0131yordu!<\/p>\n
Dudaklar\u0131ndan insanl\u0131k d\u0131\u015f\u0131 bir \u00e7\u0131\u011fl\u0131k koptu. Hemen yukar\u0131da korkun\u00e7 bir \u00e7\u0131\u011fl\u0131k \u015feytani zaferin bet borusunda y\u00fckseldi. Durmaya zorlad\u0131 kendini, arkas\u0131na d\u00f6nmeye \u00e7al\u0131\u015ft\u0131 korkulu\u011fun \u00fczerinden f\u0131rlay\u0131p atlamaya bile \u00e7al\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Dayan\u0131lmaz ac\u0131 \u00e7\u0131\u011fl\u0131klar\u0131 kendi kulaklar\u0131nda \u00e7\u0131nlad\u0131. Ne fayda ki, iradesi parampar\u00e7a oldu. Yok olmu\u015ftu. \u0130radesi buharla\u015fm\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Fenerini d\u00fc\u015f\u00fcrm\u00fc\u015ft\u00fc ve cebindeki silah\u0131 da unutmu\u015ftu. Bedenine s\u00f6z ge\u00e7iremiyordu. Bacaklar\u0131 gergin bir bi\u00e7imde hareket ediyordu, beyninden ayr\u0131 ba\u015fka bir mekanizman\u0131n par\u00e7alar\u0131 gibiydiler, adeta ba\u015fka bir iradeye hizmet ediyorlard\u0131. O y\u0131rt\u0131n\u0131rken, ayaklar\u0131 onu merdivenlerden yukar\u0131, \u00fczerinde par\u0131ldayan cad\u0131 ate\u015fine do\u011fru ta\u015f\u0131d\u0131.<\/p>\n
“Buckner!” diye ba\u011f\u0131rd\u0131. “Buckner! Tanr\u0131 a\u015fk\u0131na yard\u0131m et!” Sesi bo\u011faz\u0131na doland\u0131. \u00dcst kata ula\u015fm\u0131\u015ft\u0131. Koridorda sendeliyordu. Isl\u0131k yava\u015f\u00e7a s\u00f6nd\u00fc ve durdu ama etkisi onu hala s\u00fcr\u00fckl\u00fcyordu. O belirsiz par\u0131lt\u0131n\u0131n nereden geldi\u011fini g\u00f6remedi. Kayna\u011f\u0131 belli de\u011fil gibiydi. Fakat onu do\u011fru gelen silik bir fig\u00fcr g\u00f6rd\u00fc. Kad\u0131n gibi g\u00f6r\u00fcn\u00fcyordu ama hi\u00e7 bir insan evlad\u0131 onun gibi sinsice y\u00fcr\u00fcyemezdi ve yine hi\u00e7 bir insan evlad\u0131n\u0131n surat\u0131 onun ki gibi silik bir cinnetin portresi olmazd\u0131, o y\u00fcz\u00fc g\u00f6r\u00fcr g\u00f6rmez \u00e7\u0131\u011fl\u0131k atmaya \u00e7al\u0131\u015ft\u0131, havada ki pen\u00e7e benzeri keskin \u00e7eli\u011fin par\u0131lt\u0131s\u0131n\u0131 g\u00f6rm\u00fc\u015ft\u00fc, ama resmen ta\u015f kesilmi\u015f dili tutulmu\u015ftu. Sonra hemen ard\u0131nda sa\u011f\u0131r eden bir g\u00fcr\u00fclt\u00fc koptu, g\u00f6lgeler arkalar\u0131na d\u00fc\u015fen korkun\u00e7 bir fig\u00fcr\u00fc de yakan alev dalgas\u0131yla b\u00f6l\u00fcnm\u00fc\u015ft\u00fc. Hemen pe\u015finden ac\u0131mas\u0131z, insanl\u0131k d\u0131\u015f\u0131 bir ciyaklama sesi y\u00fckseldi.<\/p>\n
Karanl\u0131kta kopan o b\u00fct\u00fcn parlamada Griswell dizlerinin \u00fczerine \u00e7\u00f6kt\u00fc ve elleriyle y\u00fcz\u00fcn\u00fc kapatt\u0131. Buckner’\u0131n sesini duymad\u0131. G\u00fcneylinin omzuna dokunan eli onu bu bayg\u0131n halinden uzakla\u015ft\u0131rd\u0131.<\/p>\n
G\u00f6zlerine do\u011fru tutulan \u0131\u015f\u0131k onu k\u00f6r etti. G\u00f6zlerini k\u0131rp\u0131\u015ft\u0131rd\u0131 ve kapatt\u0131, Buckner’\u0131n surat\u0131na bakmak i\u00e7in \u0131\u015f\u0131k \u00e7emberinin d\u0131\u015f\u0131na e\u011fildi. \u015eerifin beti benzi atm\u0131\u015ft\u0131.<\/p>\n
“Yaraland\u0131n m\u0131? Tanr\u0131m, yaraland\u0131n m\u0131? Yerde bir kasap b\u0131\u00e7a\u011f\u0131 var.”<\/p>\n
“Yaral\u0131 de\u011filim,” diye m\u0131r\u0131ldand\u0131 Griswell. “Tam zaman\u0131nda ate\u015f ettin, iblis! Nerede? Nereye kayboldu?”<\/p>\n
“\u0130yi dinle!”<\/p>\n
Evin bir yerinden sanki \u00f6l\u00fcrken k\u0131vranan ve bo\u011fu\u015fan bir \u015feyin korkun\u00e7 debelenme sesleri geliyordu.<\/p>\n
“Jacob hakl\u0131yd\u0131,” dedi Buckner amans\u0131zca. “Kur\u015fun onlar\u0131 \u00f6ld\u00fcrebilir. Onu vurdum, tamam m\u0131? Fenerimi kullanmaya yeltenmedim, yeterince \u0131\u015f\u0131k vard\u0131. Isl\u0131k \u00e7almaya ba\u015flad\u0131\u011f\u0131nda \u00e7\u0131kabilmek i\u00e7in neredeyse \u00fczerime y\u00fcr\u00fcd\u00fcn. Hipnoz etkisinde oldu\u011funu biliyordum ya da her neyse i\u015fte bu durum. Seni merdivenlerden yukar\u0131ya do\u011fru takip ettim. Tam arkandayd\u0131m ama yere do\u011fru \u00e7\u00f6melmi\u015ftim b\u00f6ylece beni g\u00f6rmedi, belki de yine yakas\u0131n\u0131 kurtarm\u0131\u015ft\u0131r. Ate\u015f etmeden \u00f6nce \u00e7ok beklemi\u015f olabilirim ama onu g\u00f6rmek \u015fok ge\u00e7irmeme yetti. Bak!”<\/p>\n
Fenerini koridora \u00e7evirdi ve art\u0131k net bir \u015fekilde ortadayd\u0131. Daha \u00f6nce d\u00fcmd\u00fcz olan duvarda \u015fimdi bir giri\u015f vard\u0131.<\/p>\n
“Bayan Elizabeth’in buldu\u011fu gizli panel!” Buckner bir h\u0131\u015f\u0131mla, “Hadi!” dedi.<\/p>\n
Koridorun kar\u015f\u0131s\u0131nda ge\u00e7ti ve Griswell sersemce onu takip etti. \u00c7\u0131rp\u0131nma ve d\u00fc\u015fme sesleri gizemli kap\u0131n\u0131n \u00f6tesinden geliyordu ve \u015fimdi o sesler kesilmi\u015fti.<\/p>\n
I\u015f\u0131k, duvarlar\u0131n i\u00e7inden ge\u00e7en t\u00fcnel gibi dar bir koridoru ortaya \u00e7\u0131kartt\u0131. Buckner teredd\u00fct etmeden i\u00e7eri dald\u0131.<\/p>\n
Feneriyle \u00f6n\u00fcn\u00fc ayd\u0131nlat\u0131rken, “Belki insan gibi d\u00fc\u015f\u00fcnemiyordur,” diye f\u0131s\u0131ldad\u0131. “Ama izlerini silebilecek kadar ak\u0131ll\u0131yd\u0131, bu y\u00fczden izlerini bu gizli noktaya kadar takip edemedik ve belki de bu y\u00fczden bu gizli paneli bulamad\u0131k. \u0130leride bir oda var, Blassenvillerin gizli odas\u0131!”<\/p>\n
Griswell hayk\u0131rd\u0131: “Aman Tanr\u0131m! Bu r\u00fcyamda g\u00f6rd\u00fc\u011f\u00fcm penceresiz oda, as\u0131l\u0131 \u00fc\u00e7 cesetle birlikte hemde- ahhhhh!”<\/p>\n
Buckner’\u0131n odada dairesel hareketlerle oynayan feneri aniden hareketsizle\u015fti. Bu geni\u015f \u0131\u015f\u0131k halkas\u0131n\u0131n ucunda \u00fc\u00e7 fig\u00fcr belirdi, \u00fc\u00e7, kurumu\u015f, buru\u015fmu\u015f, mumya benzeri \u015fekiller… Ge\u00e7en y\u00fczy\u0131l\u0131n k\u0131yafetleri i\u00e7indeydiler hala. Tavandan sarkan zincirlerden solmu\u015f boyunlar\u0131yla as\u0131l\u0131 dururlarken, terlikleri odan\u0131n ortas\u0131ndayd\u0131.<\/p>\n
“Blassenville karde\u015fler!” diye m\u0131r\u0131ldand\u0131 Buckner. “Sonu\u00e7 olarak Bayan Elizabeth deli de\u011filmi\u015f.”<\/p>\n
“Bak!” Griswell sesini zar zor anla\u015f\u0131labilir yapabiliyordu. “\u015eurada, i\u015fte \u015furada k\u00f6\u015fede!”<\/p>\n
Fener yava\u015f\u00e7a o tarafa hareket edip durdu.<\/p>\n
“Bu \u015fey bir ara kad\u0131n m\u0131yd\u0131?” diye f\u0131s\u0131ldad\u0131 Griswell. “Tanr\u0131m, surat\u0131na bak, \u00f6l\u00fcs\u00fc bile. Pen\u00e7e gibi duran ellere bak, siyah pen\u00e7eli bir canavarm\u0131\u015f gibi. Eski balo k\u0131yafeti pa\u00e7avraya d\u00f6nm\u00fc\u015f olsa bile, evet o da bir zamanlar insand\u0131. Melez bir hizmet\u00e7i ni\u00e7in b\u00f6yle bir elbise giyer ki acaba?”<\/p>\n
K\u00f6\u015fede yere serilmi\u015f korkun\u00e7 \u015feye bakarken, “Buras\u0131 k\u0131rk y\u0131l\u0131 a\u015fk\u0131n s\u00fcredir onun iniymi\u015f”, diye m\u0131r\u0131ldand\u0131 Buckner. “Bu ad\u0131n\u0131 temize \u00e7\u0131karacakt\u0131r Griswell, baltal\u0131 \u00e7atlak bir kad\u0131n, yetkilerin bilmesi gereken tek \u015fey bu. Tanr\u0131m, bu nas\u0131l bir intikam, nas\u0131l pis bir intikam! Nas\u0131l hayvani bir d\u00fcrt\u00fcye sahip olmu\u015f, vudunun i\u00e7ine iyice girmi\u015f olmal\u0131-“<\/p>\n
“Melez kad\u0131n?” diye b\u00fct\u00fcn bu deh\u015feti g\u00f6lgeleyecek bir korkuyu hissederek m\u0131r\u0131ldand\u0131 Griswell.<\/p>\n
Buckner kafas\u0131n\u0131 sallad\u0131. “\u0130htiyar Jacob’un z\u0131rval\u0131klar\u0131n\u0131 ve Bayan Elizabeth’in yazd\u0131klar\u0131n\u0131 yanl\u0131\u015f anlad\u0131k, tabi ki de biliyordu ama ailesinin kibriyle dudaklar\u0131 m\u00fch\u00fcrlendi.\u00a0 Griswell, her \u015feyi \u015fimdi anl\u0131yorum, melez kad\u0131n intikam\u0131n\u0131 hi\u00e7 bir zaman alamad\u0131 en az\u0131ndan bizim tahmin etti\u011fimiz \u015fekilde almad\u0131. Jacob’un onun i\u00e7in haz\u0131rlad\u0131\u011f\u0131 \u015feytani kar\u0131\u015f\u0131m\u0131 o i\u00e7medi. O ba\u015fkas\u0131 i\u00e7indi, hi\u00e7 \u015f\u00fcphesiz gizlice yeme\u011fine ya da kahvesine katmak i\u00e7indi. Ard\u0131ndan Joan ka\u00e7t\u0131, b\u00fcy\u00fcmek \u00fczere b\u0131rakt\u0131\u011f\u0131 cehennemin tohumlar\u0131n\u0131 da arkas\u0131nda b\u0131rakt\u0131.”<\/p>\n
“Bu- bu melez kad\u0131n de\u011fil miydi?” diye f\u0131s\u0131ldad\u0131 Griswell.<\/p>\n
“Onu koridorda g\u00f6rd\u00fc\u011f\u00fcmde, onun melez olmad\u0131\u011f\u0131n\u0131 biliyordum. Ve bu bozulmu\u015f \u00f6zellikler yine de bir gen benzerli\u011fini yans\u0131t\u0131yordu. Portresini g\u00f6rm\u00fc\u015ft\u00fcm ve yan\u0131l\u0131yor olamam. Burada yatan bu yarat\u0131k bir zamanlar Celia Blassenville idi.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
SON<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n\t\n
He was not fleeing along a road, or climbing a hill; he was mounting a stair. He was still in Blassenville Manor! And he was climbing the stair!<\/p>\n
An inhuman scream burst from his lips. Above it the mad whistling rose in a ghoulish piping of demoniac triumph. He tried to stop-to turn back-even to fling himself over the balustrade. His shrieking rang unbearably in his own ears. But his will-power was shattered to bits. It did not exist. He had no will. He had dropped his flashlight, and he had forgotten the gun in his pocket. He could not command his own body. His legs, moving stiffly, worked like pieces of mechanism detached from his brain, obeying an outside will. Clumping methodically they carried him shrieking up the stair toward the witch-fire glow shimmering above him.<\/p>\n
“Buckner!” he screamed. “Buckner! Help, for God’s sake!”<\/p>\n
His voice strangled in his throat. He had reached the upper landing. He was tottering down the hallway. The whistling sank and ceased, but its impulsion still drove him on. He could not see from what source the dim glow came. It seemed to emanate from no central focus. But he saw a vague figure shambling toward him. It looked like a woman, but no human woman ever walked with that skulking gait, and no human woman ever had that face of horror, that leering yellow blur of lunacy-he tried to scream at the sight of that face, at the glint of keen steel in the uplifted claw-like hand-but his tongue was frozen.<\/p>\n
Then something crashed deafeningly behind him; the shadows were split by a tongue of flame which lit a hideous figure falling backward. Hard on the heels of the report rang an inhuman squawk.<\/p>\n
In the darkness that followed the flash Griswell fell to his knees and covered his face with his hands. He did not hear Buckner’s voice. The Southerner’s hand on his shoulder shook him out of his swoon.<\/p>\n
A light in his eyes blinded him. He blinked, shaded his eyes, looked up into Buckner’s face, bending at the rim of the circle of light. The sheriff was pale.<\/p>\n
“Are you hurt? God, man, are you hurt? There’s a butcher knife there on the floor-“<\/p>\n
“I’m not hurt,” mumbled Griswell. “You fired just in time-the fiend! Where is it? Where did it go?”<\/p>\n
“Listen!”<\/p>\n
Somewhere in the house there sounded a sickening flopping and flapping as of something that thrashed and struggled in its death convulsions.<\/p>\n
“Jacob was right,” said Buckner grimly. “Lead can kill them. I hit her, all right. Didn’t dare use my flashlight, but there was enough light. When that whistlin’ started you almost walked over me gettin’ out. I knew you were hypnotized, or whatever it is. I followed you up the stairs. I was right behind you, but crouchin’ low so she wouldn’t see me, and maybe get away again. I almost waited too long before I fired-but the sight of her almost paralyzed me. Look!”<\/p>\n
He flashed his light down the hall, and now it shone bright and clear. And it shone on an aperture gaping in the wall where no door had showed before.<\/p>\n
“The secret panel Miss Elizabeth found!” Buckner snapped. “Come on!”<\/p>\n
He ran across the hallway and Griswell followed him dazedly. The flopping and thrashing came from beyond that mysterious door, and now the sounds had ceased.<\/p>\n
The light revealed a narrow, tunnel-like corridor that evidently led through one of the thick walls. Buckner plunged into it without hesitation.<\/p>\n
“Maybe it couldn’t think like a human,” he muttered, shining his light ahead of him. “But it had sense enough to erase its tracks last night so we couldn’t trail it to that point in the wall and maybe find the secret panel. There’s a room ahead-the secret room of the Blassenvilles!”<\/p>\n
And Griswell cried out: “My God! It’s the windowless chamber I saw in my dream, with the three bodies hanging-ahhhhh!”<\/p>\n
Buckner’s light playing about the circular chamber became suddenly motionless. In that wide ring of light three figures appeared, three dried, shriveled, mummy-like shapes, still clad in the moldering garments of the last century. Their slippers were clear of the floor as they hung by their withered necks from chains suspended from the ceiling.<\/p>\n
“The three Blassenville sisters!” muttered Buckner. “Miss Elizabeth wasn’t crazy, after all.”<\/p>\n
“Look!” Griswell could barely make his voice intelligible. “There-over there in the corner!”<\/p>\n
The light moved, halted.<\/p>\n
“Was that thing a woman once?” whispered Griswell. “God, look at that face, even in death. Look at those claw-like hands, with black talons like those of a beast. Yes, it was human, though-even the rags of an old ballroom gown. Why should a mulatto maid wear such a dress, I wonder?”<\/p>\n
“This has been her lair for over forty years,” muttered Buckner, brooding over the grinning grisly thing sprawling in the corner. “This clears you, Griswell-a crazy woman with a hatchet-that’s all the authorities need to know. God, what a revenge!-what a foul revenge! Yet what a bestial nature she must have had, in the beginnin’, to delve into voodoo as she must have done-“<\/p>\n
“The mulatto woman?” whispered Griswell, dimly sensing a horror that overshadowed all the rest of the terror.<\/p>\n
Buckner shook his head. “We misunderstood old Jacob’s maunderin’s, and the things Miss Elizabeth wrote-she must have known, but family pride sealed her lips. Griswell, I understand now; the mulatto woman had her revenge, but not as we’d supposed. She didn’t drink the Black Brew old Jacob fixed for her. It was for somebody else, to be given secretly in her food, or coffee, no doubt. Then Joan ran away, leavin’ the seeds of the hell she’d sowed to grow.”<\/p>\n
“That-that’s not the mulatto woman?” whispered Griswell.<\/p>\n
“When I saw her out there in the hallway I knew she was no mulatto. And those distorted features still reflect a family likeness. I’ve seen her portrait, and I can’t be mistaken. There lies the creature that was once Celia Blassenville.”<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
THE END<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
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