Day 6 – The Ghost of Ashgrove Mansion

Transcript of Day 6 – The Ghost of Ashgrove Mansion

Day 6 – The Ghost of Ashgrove Mansion

Detective Sam O'Reilly was known for his no-nonsense attitude(1) and keen eye for detail(2). When he received a call about strange occurrences at the old Ashgrove Mansion in Tasmania, he decided to do some digging(3).

The mansion was for sale, but every time prospective buyers came for an inspection, they got cold feet(4) and ran away scared out of their wits(5). Sam knew there was often a logical explanation for such things and was determined to uncover the truth(6).

As he arrived, the mansion's eerie atmosphere gave him chills(7). The locals and the real estate agent had gathered to greet Sam and told him stories about seeing ghostly apparitions and hearing strange noises, insisting the mansion was haunted. Sam wasn’t one to believe in the supernatural, but he knew he should keep an open mind(8).

Whilst most of the locals were warm and welcoming, one of them, Karen, gave him seriously weird vibes(9). She was standing away from the others with a displeased look on her face, and she clutched what appeared to be a child’s toy. Whilst Sam thought it was odd and wondered why she was giving him the cold shoulder(10), he tried to pay it no mind(11).

As he started his investigation, he encountered a group of teenagers giggling as they were piss-farting around(12) on the bikes in front of the mansion. One of them couldn’t help taking the piss(13) as they passed him.

"Watch out for the ghost, detective!" the boy joked. “Better stay on your toes(14)!”

Sam wasn't amused. "Yeah. Thanks for the heads up(15). I’ll believe it when I see it(16), mate," he replied sternly.

While Sam was investigating the outside of the mansion, he came across its caretaker, Mr. Thompson, who was looking particularly under the weather(17).

"Looks like you need a cup of tea, a Bex, and a good lie down(18), mate. You all good?"

Mr. Thompson nodded in agreement. "I’ve been burning the midnight oil(19) staying up late trying to sort this ghost nonsense out recently," he replied.

"Any luck?(20)" asked Sam.

"Nah, diddly-squat(21)." Mr. Thompson chuckled. "I don’t have a clue(22) what’s going on, but I hope you can work it out." He continued.

"Cheers. Here’s hoping(23)," Sam said.

"I tell you what.” Said Mr Thompson. “You should have a yarn with(24) the realtor. I’ve tried getting help from her, but she seems to have been dragging her feet(25) the entire time.” He said with a tinge of frustration in his voice.

“Doesn’t seem like she gives a rat's arse(26) if this place sells or not.” He said. “It’s a big red flag(27) if you ask me.”

"Thanks for the tip," Sam said and Mr. Thompson gave a quick wave as he wandered off towards the mansion.

When Sam caught up with the real estate agent, he decided it was time to read her the riot act(28).

"What’s going on around here? I’m going to need your help sorting this ghost stuff out if you want to sell this place. No more sitting around twiddling your thumbs(29) and slacking off," he demanded.

The realtor, taken aback by his intensity, quickly nodded in agreement, and the once relaxed atmosphere at Ashgrove Mansion became tense.

"I do want to sell this place!” She replied. “But every time I bring a prospective buyer here, something creepy happens, freaks them out, and they run for the hills(30)," she said with a mixture of fear and despair in her voice.

"If you want to work it out, you’re going to have to spend the night here(31)," she suggested. "But there’s no chance I’m taking part(32). This place gives me the heebie-jeebies(33)."

"Alright, I guess I’ll have to take you up on(34) that," Sam said.

"There’s a spare room down on the second floor where you can crash for the night(35). God speed(36) and don’t let the bed bugs bite(37)!" she quipped.

That evening, Sam set up in his room, preparing for a long night. He had come armed to the teeth(38) and ready for anything(39) with his torch, a notebook, and his trusty camera. The mansion was so quiet that night you could hear a pin drop(40). The air was thick with anticipation.

As the night progressed, strange things started to happen. Sam began to hear creepy noises from up in the roof. It sounded like a series of short shrill cries that kept repeating. The hair on the back of his neck stood up(41). Whilst Sam felt on edge(42), he knew he had to get to the bottom of it(43) and investigate the source of the sounds.

Sam grabbed his torch and a ladder and climbed up into the ceiling space. He turned on the torch and as he peered through the darkness he saw a glow off in the distance. As he crawled on all fours(44) and got closer, he found a battery powered child’s toy was the source of the strange sounds.

“How’d you get up here?” Sam whispered to himself.

It looked like the same toy that Karen had been holding earlier. This was starting to look fishy(45).

The next day, he decided to interview the mansion staff to see if they could shed some light on things(46). No one seemed to have any idea about how the toy would have got into the ceiling. And when he checked the footage on the cameras, it had all been deleted. Something didn’t add up(47).

“I’m going to need more evidence if I want to catch this cunning culprit,” he thought to himself.

Determined to solve the mystery, Sam decided to pull an all-nighter(48) and stay up for night to see if someone would try to reset the trap. The night was long and eerie, but Sam remained vigilant.

“Patience is a virtue(49),” he reminded himself.

Around midnight, Sam heard footsteps inside the house. He crept out of his room and silently moved towards the sound, ready to pounce.

“It's now or never(50),” he thought.

As he walked into the corridor, he spotted a dark figure.

“Stop right there! You’ve been caught in the act(51), mate. The jig is up(52)!.” He yelled out.

He flicked the light on and found Karen, along with a group of locals, standing in front of him like stunned mullets(53). Karen was holding another toy and the others were carrying a ladder.

"Come on, guys. There’s no ghost," Sam sighed. "Who’s going to spill the beans(54) and finally tell me what’s going on here?"

Karen exhaled and said, "Alright. I guess it’s time to face the music(55) and fess up."

"We were trying to scare people away because we don’t want the mansion sold. In all likelihood, some developer will buy it up, knock it down, and replace it with some ugly-as-hell(56) apartment building," Karen said.

One of the locals also chimed in. "And that was going to happen over our dead bodies(57)!"

Karen continued, "We wanted to preserve the mansion as a historical site."

The locals felt ashamed but relieved that the truth was out. They explained to Sam how much the mansion meant to them and the history it held. They were willing to move heaven and earth(58) to protect it.

Sam sighed, understanding their sentiment. "I get it and it seems like your hearts are in the right place(59). But there are better ways to handle this. Let’s not beat around the bush(60). Let's work together to find a solution that keeps the mansion intact without scaring people off."

The group agreed, and plans were made to present a proposal to preserve the mansion as a heritage site.

After solving the mystery, Sam decided to take a load off(61). He found a cozy spot on the grass to kick back and relax(62) finally. He couldn't help but chuckle at what had happened. Ghosts or no ghosts, there was always more to a mystery than met the eye(63).