Episode 1

The house was old; all of them felt it at once, even while all they could see was its shape through the thick woods that surrounded it. Its outline was broken by castellations and turrets and dozens of chimneys.

"What a place!" Chas was already adjusting his camera, checking the light meter. "The rates must be a fortune!"

"That’s why the family want to open it to the public," Tarot reminded him.

"When we’ve got rid of the ghosts!" The laugh with which Mikki ended her sentence didn’t quite work. Tarot smiled "According to Mr Sweet, no-one’s actually seen a ghost, Mikki."

"So why are we here then, if there are no ghosts to get rid of? Not that I mind if there aren’t any." Chas peered around them through the rustling woods.

"People have heard things here at night. And things have happened they can’t explain. It’s all rather vague, but enough to put the family off the idea of living there."

"So why are they worried? If they want to open it to the public, I’d have thought a few ghosts and monsters would be just the job."

"It’s not just noises though, is it Tarot? Someone vanished." said Mikki.

"So they say. And they want to make sure there’s no danger to anyone."

"So we’ve got to find out. Terrific." Chas shuddered. "These woods give me the creeps for a start."

"Oh I don’t know, Chas. They’d be just the place for Ozzy!"

They had passed the last line of trees now and could see the house properly - a rambling gothic mansion, crumbled and ruined in places. Shuttered windows gazed blindly at them. They all stopped for a moment, staring at it. Chas peered through the viewfinder again and inspected his light-meter doubtfully. "Might just be bright enough," he said. There was a faint click as he pressed the shutter.

"Well," said Tarot, "shall we get started?" He and Chas stepped forward, but Mikki stayed where she was. Her anxiety communicated itself at once to Tarot. "Mikki?"

"You said it was empty, Tarot."

"Yes. Has been for years. Ever since the family left after ... what happened."

"But it doesn’t feel that way, Tarot, it feels ... occupied."

"Sure. By vampires and werewolves at least. Waiting to drink your blood my dear," Chas hissed, in his best Hammer Horror voice. But he shivered suddenly.

"Would you like to stay by the car, Mikki?"

Mikki looked at Tarot for a moment. "No." she said. "It’s just an old empty house."

"Good." Suddenly there was a key in Tarot’s hand. He strode quickly up the steps to the door, and tried to turn the key in the lock. "Blast," he said "It’s jammed."

"Unless someone’s holding it shut. Or some Thing." smiled Chas. "Something is all right - rust." said Tarot, moving to a window to the right of the door.

Chas and Mikki joined him.

"Looks promising," said Chas. "I can’t see a catch." He shoved at the window, but it remained firmly shut. Tarot’s hands moved swiftly around the sills. There was a quiet click and he stepped back.

"Now try."

"But you didn’t do anything!" Chas protested. When Tarot didn’t reply, Chas shrugged, stepped forward, pushed - and the window creaked open.

"Blimey. I’ll know who to ask if I lose my keys!" Chas peered dubiously into the black interior. "Er... ladies first?"

"All right." Mikki stepped forward. "Why not?" She climbed cautiously through the window and disappeared. Rather shamefaced Chas followed. Tarot gave a last long look at the waving branches and the clouds speeding across the moon’s face, and followed.

After the noise of the wind outside, the house was still and silent. As their eyes got used to the dimness they could see the shapes of broken furniture here and there, outlines softened by years of silently falling dust. There was a smell in the house, a smell of dead air and decay. The room they stood in was large, and dimly lit by a row of high windows that let in some of the feeble light from outside. It might have been a dining room once - the cobwebbed remains of a chandelier hang like a spider from the ceiling.

"I wonder if ..." began Tarot, when the sound began. A loud throbbing beat that penetrated straight to their brains, with a shrill screaming sound overlaying it. All three put their hands to their ears, but the sound only grew louder and more deafening. Mikki couldn’t think, and images flooded into her mind: moving shapes and lights. She opened her mouth in a silent cry as, behind the, e window slammed shut.

BREAK

"Mikki? Mikki? are you all right?" Chas was shaking her, his anxious face half visible in the dimness.

Mikki moaned and came to, blinking at Tarot and Chas as if dazed "What happened, Tarot? "she whispered. "What was that terrible sound?"

"I don’t think it was a sound at all, Mikki." Tarot said.

"You must be joking Tarot. It went right through my head" protested Chas.

"Perhaps. But it’s odd that such loud noises didn’t so much as stir the dust, or make the windows rattle."

"Anyway, whatever it was, I know what it wanted." said Chas "Us to go."

"You may be right, Chas."

"No." Mikki’s voice was suddenly strong and calm "We came here to find out if the place is haunted. We shouldn’t give up yet. In any case, we can’t get out that way." She pointed at the window, now firmly shut once more.

"All right," said Tarot, "then let’s go on."

Chas stopped him "Hang on a minute Tarot. That noise - was that what people heard?"

"People heard all sorts of things. Cries, noises of animals. The reports go back for years."

"And the bloke who vanished?"

"He stayed here for a night, for a bet - in the early 1960’s it must have been. He locked himself in, and when his friends came for him in the morning, all the doors were still locked. They had to break in - and there was no sign of him. He was never found."

"Crikey," said Chas in a small voice. "Never?"

"Well, as I said, all the reports are rather vague. Shall we explore?" Gingerly he pushed at the door. With a squeal of unoiled hinges, it opened, and the three emerged cautiously.

There was more light in the hall. To their left was the front door, with frosted panes through which the shapes of trees moved. There was a broad staircase to their right and another door ahead of them. Light filtered down from a large window at the top of the stairs, showing the staircase and front door clearly. A corridor to their right was a pit of dark. Leaves skittered across the floor in a gust of wind that found its way under the front door.

Tarot opened his mouth to speak, then stopped. His mind was suddenly swept by a new sensation. It was as if in some way the house was watching him. Like a spider feeling an unknown vibration in its web, it waited for him to come further in before it would act. He looked up the stairs, and the feeling of watchfulness increased.

"Upstairs first I think" he said, moving quickly and cautiously up them. He passed the window, turned the corner of the stairs and was lost to sight. As Chas moved to follow him Mikki held him back.

"Don’t you think we should check down here first?" she said quietly, "we don’t want our escape route cut off."

"I suppose so - let’s call Tarot back then."

"Wait Chas - what was that?" Was there a sound in the old house? A scuttling like rats in dead leaves, a muffled tapping like fingertips against fruit-soft walls?

"What sound? I didn’t hear anything."

"Yes, listen - it’s coming from in here." Mikki hurried across the hall and opened the door opposite.

"Hang on," Chas said, hastening to join her, "let me look."

She moved aside as he peered cautiously into the darkness beyond the doorway.

"Can you see anything?" she said.

"Not so much as a ghost," he smiled. He stepped out - into empty air. He half balanced in the doorway, grabbing for support - and Mikki shoved him. Hard. With a faint cry, Chas disappeared from sight.

Tarot’s voice came from upstairs. "What are you two doing down there? Is everything all right?"

Mikki shut the door quietly, and turned the key in the lock "Yes Tarot. Everything’s fine."

Mikki smiled.