Crypt

It’d lay hidden, seemingly far away

With secrets buried within the bones that lay

The Crypt was hidden deep within the woods on the now abandoned estate. It was put there for good reason. For people to never know it was there. For the bones that lay within to be forgotten about. As if there were secrets attached to the bones that lay within its walls. As if there were things amiss about the bones that lay within. Or the stories attached to them. Nobody really knew why. There weren’t any Death Records. Or any Records for that matter. None that were known anyway. Records that seemed lost to the sands of time. 
Nobody knew when it was constructed. Its near pristine condition meant it was taken care of to some extent. Unlike the abandoned Chateau that once belonged to the family that lay within the Crypt. Most didn’t think it was being taken care of at all. Most thought its pristine condition came from whatever it was made out of. That it was due to the location as well. That its surroundings were the reason it was in such pristine condition for as long as it’d been. Whatever  that might be. 
There was an ominous feeling that surrounded the Crypt. One that extended to the Chateau. They lay half a mile apart. Despite the fact the Crypt lay hidden away. In plain sight mostly. Hidden by dense enough brush that nobody knew even it was there. The entrance to it being hidden by a plethora of tree branches. Life had gone on for the rest of the world. Whilst the Chateau itself, along with the Crypt, was stuck in time. It was life that had stopped for the Avi family. Except for the fact it hadn’t really for the bones that lay within. 
Only the family knew about it in its entirety. Only they knew why the Crypt existed. It was their silence that spoke volumes. Their silence that some said killed them. A kind of silence that was Deafening. Silence that spoke louder than any speculation.  The mysterious nature meant the secrets were scandalous. In whatever it meant. There weren’t any surviving members of the Avi family to speak on what may have happened to them. The lack of Records didn’t help. It didn’t matter. Serendipity had a way about things. To reveal things. To unravel secrets. For the truth to get out even though lies attempt to keep that from happening. 
The family had kept it hidden for some reason. As if its location, amongst other things, was a key factor. As if life itself was dependent on it. As if death itself was evaded within that crypt. As if life itself lived within its walls instead of the stench of death. As if life flourished, somehow, within the hallowed walls. It was impossible for any of that to thrive, much less survive, within its walls. There is death among life however. Everyone around town seemed to know that. Common sense in many ways. Or so it was thought anyway. 
The estate itself seemed far more ominous. As if the secrets that lay within led to the crypt and its secrets.  The estate hadn’t exactly been in the best condition to begin with. Building records showed trouble from the start. That it’d been plagued by death from the very beginning. Evie Avi being the first to die whilst the very Chateau being built for her was collapsing instead of being built. The materials seemingly cursed. Despite the fact they were fresh from the factory. The entire project was plagued by death in some way. Plagued by a myriad of things that didn’t want them to live there.
The decrepit estate lay abandoned for the last one hundred years. It’d lay mostly finished. The project had stopped the day Mr. Avi died. Under mysterious circumstances. Azalea, Mickey, and Imogen left shortly after his death. They’d no reason to stay there. They already had lives that didn’t keep them tied to the estate. Nothing kept them tied down to it. 
The three siblings went on with their lives. To the best of their abilities anyway. In time, they’d all moved back to the Chateau. In time, they’d all eventually died under mysterious circumstances as well. Unexplainable ones at that. Much like their parents' deaths. Their deaths came from seemingly common things. Things their bodies, for some reason, couldn’t handle. As if they had some condition that attributed to their deaths they’d never revealed. 
Their bodies had been taken back to the family estate for burial. Except for the fact nobody knew what actually happened to their bodies. They’d disappeared after arrival. Nobody could account for who did what with the bodies. As if they’d come alive and walked away on their own accord. As if they’d risen from the dead. It left people baffled. People weren’t sure what to believe. They weren’t even sure what to do. They weren’t sure they wanted to do anything. Secrets they’d let lie. 
Everyone has secrets. Especially when those secrets  lay within the hidden crypt. Everyone knew there was a reason the bodies went missing. People knew they were likely nearby. People also respected that whatever happened to them happened for a reason. They didn’t want to know what actually happened to their bodies. It wasn’t a fact hidden away. Stories and legends were spun out of the myriad of speculation surrounding the Avi Chateau. Nobody had been willing to go investigating. It was out of respect more than anything else. To let the dead rest in peace. Despite the fact they didn’t always rest or rest in peace. 
The walls of the Chateau were unraveling the secrets of the crypt. Secrets that wanted nothing more than to finally be revealed. Secrets that were desperate to get out. Secrets that’d lay hidden within the walls of the Chateau along with the Crypt.  Secrets always have a way of getting out. Somehow. At some point in time. There’s always a way for them to be revealed. As impossible as it sometimes seems to be. Things have a way of unraveling the secrets willing themselves out. 
Runi had bought the Chateau with loans. She’d wanted nothing more than for it to be a BNB. A Bed and Breakfast. A place for weary travelers to have a different kind of experience. An experience within the walls of the Chateau where nobody knew its story. Where the mystique and mystery surrounding it further gave it the appeal some travelers sought. Travelers that were interested in the Paranormal in some way. Travelers that loved places such as the Chateau. 
It seemed too cliche. The storm that approached on what was set to be her first day renovating. She didn’t mind that happening. Everything seemed far too ominous for her liking. Something didn’t seem right. As if the grounds were letting her know she needed to leave for the night. As if the grounds didn’t want her around during the storm. A warning she’d chosen not to heed. A decision she wasn’t sure was the right one. Until she’d realized she no longer had a choice. Winds had downed several of the larger Oak trees blocking her way out. Oak trees that’d been hanging on by a thread to begin with by the time she’d arrived. Trees that were hollow on the inside. Their only use at this point being for firewood. She’d done just that with the remaining daylight she had. The few friends that’d stayed helping her to the best of their abilities. Their trucks were able to haul the firewood up to the Chateau where they’d put it all by the fireplace. They’d departed hoping she’d come with them whilst also knowing she wasn’t planning on it. 

“You’re positive you don’t want to leave with us”
“Absolutely positive. The storm is good for activity”
“I know that but-”
“I know what you’re thinking. I’ll be fine. Don’t worry”
“I’ll always worry. You Heathen”
“You guys ARE welcome to stay and investigate with me ya know”
“I’ll pass. So many invariable-”
“I know, I know. Too many invariable factors for tonight. I am the one that’ll be living here either way which is another reason I don’t mind staying. All my stuff is here at this point also. So why not”

They knew they weren’t going to convince her after that. They’d known they’d be able to leave because of their trucks. It wasn’t like she was going to run off the property in the middle of a storm either. It was her intrigued mind that kept her there. She wanted to know what was there. She’d felt things there she couldn’t explain. Things within the paranormal realm she’d sensed that drew her there far more than before. As if it was calling her. As if those forces wanted here there. She’d realized how bad of a decision she’d made. She’d also known how helpful the storm would be in the same thought. She knew what kind of night she was in for. She was prepared for that. She knew things were going to happen that night. Paranormal oozed out of the walls of the Chateau after all. She knew she’d find out why she was meant to be there. She knew she was bound to reveal any secrets that lay hidden away. She knew she’d find out why there weren’t any records. There had to be records somewhere within the Chateau walls whether it was figuratively or literally. She knew she’d find them either way.  
She knew there had to be a Crypt, Mausoleum, something that entombed the bones, whatever was left of the bones, of the Avi family. Somewhere on the grounds. She knew it might very well be nearer than she thought. She also knew there might be an underground tunnel. Regardless of the distance.  There had to be. Somewhere. An option to be discreet depending on the circumstances.  An entrance somewhere in the house included. She had all night to find it. She’d left the majority of her things in the room next to the front door. She’d organized everything before anything else. The tour of the house she’d taken left her in awe. She liked that room though. She’d initially planned on it being her office. Until she’d decided to also make it her writing room. 
She’d found the crypt. The entrance anyway. She’d realized her accomplishment after taking a moment to fully understand how major her accomplishment was.  That she’d found more than just the entrance. Her next quest was to find the bones. She’d found the exit to the underground tunnel was found connecting the two during her excursion around the perimeter of the grounds. A moment that had come in the lull moment of the storm. She’d known it wasn’t going to last long. She’d decided to take advantage of what she could. While she could.  She’d realized how the bodies were transported to the Crypt without anyone seeing it happen much less noticing it happening. 
Azalea had been the one that noticed she’d found the Crypt. She’d realized what it’d meant. That Revelation Day was going to happen. That it was finally going to take place. That someone had finally found them. Their souls were going to be set free. At last. After all these years. After all this time. They were getting their freedom. Except for the fact she didn’t know if Runi would even figure anything out to begin with. All she seemed worried about was fixing everything up. For something called a Bed and Breakfast. Whatever that is. Until her interest in the Paranormal revealed itself. 

“Are you really here to set us free?”
“I am. I want to know what happened to you and your family”
“We’ve been waiting for someone like you to come”
“Really?”
“Yes, really. For a century actually. For someone like you to help us tell our story”
“That’s a long time. I’m here to help. To the best of my ability”

Azalea was the only one willing to share. For the time being. Nobody had been so “brave” as to investigate much less want to know what happened. Nobody had done that before. Nobody had even considered doing so. Her and the family wanted nothing more than for their story to be heard. For people to know what happened. For people to finally have answers they sought. She shared her story with Runi. A sad song that never got better. Runi made sure to document everything. She’d made sure there was documentation for Azalea and the story that was her unique life. 
The majority of their lives were spent ill. All five of them. To some extent. With similar symptoms no less. Their deaths were a result of whatever illness they had. They’d just spent the last one hundred years trapped within the walls that entombed their bones waiting for someone to help. Their souls trapped by not knowing what was wrong with them. They’d been trapped by not knowing why they’d died so young. The timeframe they’d lived in did not give way to adequate diagnoses, much less doctors willing to find out what was wrong with them. The result being they’d lived out the rest of their days wondering when they were going to die. The time since their deaths wondering what more could’ve been done to diagnose what they had. 

“I think I may have some answers. Could still be anything. I kind of narrowed it down though”
“Really? We’ll listen to anything that you have. Whatever that may be”
“Nobody did anything wrong. I’ll say that much. I think you guys had an illness called Chronic Encephalitis ”
“Really? We want to-”
“I’ll tell you everything I know. It’s not much. Unfortunately”
“Something is better than nothing”

She’d explained everything she thought it might be. Everything pointed to having recurrent bouts of Encephalitis. Swelling of the brain. Something that could’ve happened from a variety of factors she knew she wouldn’t be able to ever determine. She also knew how likely it was to have been anything else. They were grateful she’d listened to them. They were happy they had answers. To some extent despite how broad it still was. She eased their souls by helping them as much as she had.
 The rest of the family shared their stories over the course of the next few days. Runi had shown what side. she was on. That she wanted the same thing they wanted. For their story, as individuals, as well as familial, to be revealed. That she wanted their story told. In full. She’d reassured them their story was going to be told. She’d taken the time to organize how she was going to share their story. She’d told them that little tidbit. As small as it was. She’d organized everything into sections. By their individual stories into their story as a whole. She’d told them how she’d laid out the book. How impactful it’d be to share it how she’d laid it out. They’d already agreed it was going to be good either way. They were leaving everything else in her hands. They were leaving the writing part of it to her.  

“Thank you, for everything you’ve done to help us”
“You don’t have to thank me. At all. We’re in this together”
“That’s why we’re thanking you. We’re in agreement with that statement”
“There’s no way our story would’ve been told otherwise”
“Serendipity. In every sense of the word it seems like. As if the universe-“
“Chose you to help us share our story”
“Exactly. That’s why I shed light on the paranormal the way I do. You’re just living your life a little differently now that’s all” 

She’d let them know what she was going to do with their beautiful home. That she’d planned on restoring it. They’d given her their blessing before their departure. They’d also made it known they’d be around from time to time. She’d made it known that she was okay with that. She still considered it their home after all. She was just the current Caretaker so to speak. That they were more than welcome to come back whenever they wanted to. 
She’d started fixing up the estate for BNB with her friends.  The Avi family had left her be amongst other things. Their spirits were finally at rest. Their souls, at long last, were set free by the truth being revealed. They’d show themselves at times. To the people they deemed worthy of seeing them. Usually people within the Paranormal community that wanted to know about the era they’d lived in. People that wanted to know their story. Told by them. Intelligent interactions that were on the unusual side of the spectrum. Something that lessened over time. 
Runi had made good on her promise to keep the history of the place alive by their request. She’d written down their stories. She’d compiled them into a book that could be easily distributed amongst the population. She’d written down everything the Avi family wanted people to know about. Their entire history. Their various points of views. Everything in every sense of the word. She’d made sure their story was finally heard. She’d wanted nothing more than for that to happen. Everyone deserves to have their story told after all.
She’d cut down the brush that surrounded the Crypt. She’d made it part of the tour. A normalization of death was talked about when sharing their story. That death is part of life. That death will happen to us all at some point. Regardless of what was going on in life at the time. She’d normalized the journey post mortem. That there wasn’t really a post mortem. That there was another journey in life we all go on that isn’t on the same plane. Runi normalized death in a way others saw it differently where they no longer feared death.