The Haunting of the Secret Mansion

Luke Bronson finally found himself immersed in an activity that fulfilled all his childhood and adolescent sense of curiosity and wonder. Growing up, he had just never been able to take any of his scholastic endeavours especially seriously, despite being of above-average intelligence. All the classroom requirements just seemed boring and of little practical use. But after he set off for the university, he found his calling. A new program in web design piqued his sense of creativity and seemed far removed from anything else he had ever been required to slog through in school. And it was this outlet that provided him with a basis and system of support to follow what he saw as his true calling: urban exploration.Going into long-abandoned structures around southern England gave him one thrill after another, and it soon led to the creation of a blog that focused on all his finds, and before he knew it, he had a loyal and significant following. Luke loved the idea that the location and any other specifics of the places he poked through had to remain anonymous. It tied in well with his strong sense of being a lone wolf and relying on just his own wits and intelligence to unearth these things and then report on them to the world.But in a chance meeting, Luke ran into Molly Preston, an old acquaintance from his university days, and though his urban exploration forays did not come to an end, his days alone and isolated did. Once he and Molly reconnected, they were rarely seen apart unless Luke was out in the field on a project. After an especially long and gruelling semester as a teacher at the private school where she was employed, Molly talked Luke into them taking a holiday at the end of the summer before the new fall session began.They found a charming cottage to rent in the town of Widecombe in the Moor just outside the Dartmoor National Park. They planned to just relax and enjoy some time away from Bath with their dog, Baxter. But upon arrival in town, they got introduced to this local legend concerning this old mansion that had been built in the late 1800s. Some said it had been long ago dismantled, while others insisted it still remained pretty much as it had been, barring ageing due to weather and time. It was all Luke needed to get his juices flowing over a possible new project, especially when he heard the backstory that the original owner had experienced a tragic death there.He talked Molly into taking a hike into the depths of the park to take a look to see who in town might actually be right. She was not so keen on these trips of his but tagged along with Baxter all the same. However, their hike soon got them disoriented, and neither was sure of how to get out of the woods as night was quickly approaching. After some collaborative brainstorming, they agreed on a plan and began to walk out in the dark. But they soon got separated, and Luke felt panic take him over when he heard Molly calling him for help from deeper in the forest. He dashed after her and was stunned when he came upon the Greenlands Mansion pretty much fully intact.But Molly and Baxter were missing. He was sure he spotted her inside the old place, but once he followed the sounds, he found nothing...well...not quite nothing. But it was not Molly. Luke soon found himself way in over his head as his belief system in the tangible and rational was seriously challenged. Come along with Luke and help him search for Molly and Baxter and see if he has arrived too late to save them all...

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