Going across to the small front porch, I saw a rocking chair across which was draped a blanket and a fawn cardigan.   Both of which were spotlessly clean, free of the decrepitude which seemed to wrack the house itself — showing that the house had obviously been in use fairly recently.

Walking across to the door I saw an ornate brass nameplate saying, “The Gables”, confirming that it was the house for which I searched.   Shaking my head in amazement I said, “At the bottom of the mountain!   I’m going to have to sack that incompetent lawyer!” while trying the key that I had been given in the lock.

The key turned easily, I swung the door open and stepped inside the house ….

And was immediately overwhelmed with dizziness.   My head swam for a moment as though I were about to faint — possibly I even did for a second or two.   When my head cleared I found myself walking through the doorway on my hands, my feet pointed straight up into the air like a circus acrobat!

When I tried to lower my feet to the ground, they were “pinched” tightly at the ankles as though a giant talon was holding them — the points of the claws digging lightly into my flesh.   However, when I struggled round enough to look up, there was nothing visible holding me.

I had walked three or four metres on my hands into the great entrance hall and was still peering up, searching for some sign of my invisible captor, when my ankles were suddenly released and I went tumbling to the hardwood floor with a resounding crash.

After a stunned moment I climbed to my feet and brushed myself off, then set out timidly to explore the mansion:

The first floor was laden with tables and chairs, cabinets and other furniture, all shrouded in form concealing dust covers, making them look like squatting ghosts.   In places the dust had piled up many centimetres, like a thick carpet that disintegrated upon contact with my feet.   The second floor was little better.   In one room I located a great ancient, floor-to-ceiling length bookcase and lifted out a large leather-bound volume.   Only to see the pages plop out as fine dust at my feet, leaving me holding the empty shell of the cover.