Featured by @fright for AAPIHM.
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A librarian gets sucked into a web of horror as she investigates a century-old disappearance in the new town she has moved into.
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Yvaine Agan had always led a quiet life and had expected to do the same when sh...
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It was a riddle.
"You who read this must know of the tragedy, And have thus begun your quest to uncover the truth, Take heed to my words, Trust not what says the world, That which seems most unlikely search there o dear reader, For gold is often found in tombs, and carrions in boxes of gold, Look beneath, look underneath and you shall find the truth."
Yvaine's eyes narrowed to slits as she read the neat rows of the loopy handwriting, spelling out yet another mystery. She flipped through a few more pages. There was nothing written and it seemed that the only thing that Paisley Rose had written in this diary was this riddle.
"What is it, Miss Agan?" Amberly peered over Yvaine's shoulders. "What is written there?"
"Paisley Rose has left us with a riddle," Yvaine sighed. "I can't make a head or tail out of it. It seems so vague."
"If you don't mind Miss Agan, can I have a look?" Oleander asked, moving closer towards Yvaine and Amberly.
"Yes, sure." Yvaine handed over the diary, rubbing her forehead right after. The three sat down upon the couches, and in the case of Oleander with the diary held right against his nose. His eyebrows joined together at an awkward angle making him look like a character straight out of a comic, as he frowned at the riddle and muttered something incoherent under his breath.
"Hey Miss Agan," Amberly whispered into Yvaine's ears, soft enough so that it would not disturb Oleander. "Is this a dead-end or what?" she asked.
"I am really confused," Yvaine replied truthfully. "I don't know what I had expected to find from this diary but surely I had not expected a riddle."
"Um, do you think that Paisley Rose might have lost her marbles?" Amberly said, eyes slowly widening. "You with her losing her sister and all. Maybe she went crazy and left us with all these," she theorised.
"Paisley Rose had not gone crazy, I don't think so," Yvaine answered. "We can't dismiss all the strange chain of events that followed Wilhelmina Andras's mur-disappearance I mean," the memories of the night before flooded into her mind.
Goosebumps emerged on her skin as she remembered the throaty whispers she had heard upon touching the knife. Yet she felt it would be quite silly to disclose this fact to the others and believe that Wilhelmina Andras was murdered with any concrete proof. But, there was a solid chance she was and by one of her brothers.
"Yeah, it is-" Amberly got stopped in the middle by a mark of exclamation from Oleander. The two girls turned sharply towards him with high expectations evident in their glowing faces and eyes.
"Ah!" Oleander beamed proudly. "I think I know this is! A riddle to solve the other riddles!"
"What? I don't quite understand you Mr Vescott?" Amberly made an astonished expression. "A riddle to solve all riddles?"
