The Girls Arrive

Thanks to some crazy traffic, Sophie and Karen didn't arrive at Breckenridge Manor until early evening. The entrance to the property was guarded by a large black iron gate, decorated with a pattern of interlocking shafts and rings. Ivy scaled the portions of the fence, all the way up to the sharp points of the 12-foot-high fence in a few spots.

After getting out and opening the gate, they drove along a long, winding dirt road through what felt like a forest. In the twilight, very little light pierced the canopy of the forest. Sophie got the distinct sense they were somehow removed from the rest of the world. Karen thought the woods looked spooky, but kind of dug the vibe of the dark forest.

After a good 10 minutes, just as they were concerned they made a wrong turn in the dark, the trees cleared and they found themselves off the dirt trail and driving up a gravel road hill to a gigantic gothic mansion. The exterior was made from gray stones, with bluish tiles on the roof. The main home was three floors, like with an attic at the top where the roof arched to a point. On either side, large round parapet bulged from the sides of the house, creating large bay windows on every main floor, and creating a tower room on either side. Running the full length of the house, from parapet to parapet, the front featured a large double-decker porch. On the first floor, dark red columns sprouted from the front bannister every 10 feet or so, propping up the second-floor observation deck.

Sophie parked their rental car, a navy SUV, in front of the house. There were no lights, but they could see fine under the bright full moon and an incredibly bright array of stars.

As they unloaded the car, they could see the Breckenridge property stretched out far beyond the house. Clearly it had once been a farm, though it was now simply a large field of grass. Off in the distance, there was a blue barn and a couple of scattered structures and a service road, though who knows where it went.

They were impressed with the scenery outside, but found themselves completely floored when they brought their bags inside. The front door opened into a massive two-story foyer with a giant crystal chandelier overhead.