The Murder in Maour County

by Anna
(California)

The year is 1891. The day has started out strangely enough, but is yet to grow stranger. The sun has not shone this morning. In it's stead, bitter winds howl through the empty streets of Maour County. The wind seems to be warning the people, warning them of something that is going to happen.  

We skip ahead an hour to see Arana Later returning home from tea with her friends. Arana is the County's richest woman; she is an only child and has received everything from her deceased parents. We watch as she walks inside her house, only to meet her husband stumbling drunkenly around the living room. We leave the house, only to hear drunken ramblings and Arana's frightened screams.

Through the curtains on the windows, we see the silouhette of a dagger being raised, we hear one last bone-chilling cry... then silence. The silence is more deadly than the screams.  

We skip ahead to the present time... A young couple is moving into the house of the long dead Arana Later. We see them walk inside the house, unpacking their things. The young woman is Melissa Opure, a famous journalist. We watch as she lovingly sweeps the dusty floors of the empty house.

Melissa has begged her husband, Joe Opure, a banker, to buy this house for her. He consented wanting to please his beautiful wife. Melissa needs a good story to write. She has decided to write it on the history of her new home. The murder has long been forgotten, and Melissa wants to bring it back into the spotlight.

We watch her as she explores her large house. She walks upstairs into the attic, then into the kitchen, and finally, the living room where the murder took place.

That night, we watch Joe Opure climb into bed, exhausted from a long day of hard work. But where is his wife? We see Joe wander around the mansion, desperately looking for Melissa. Where could she be? Suddenly, Joe hears the creak of floor boards behind him. He turns, but sees no one. "Melissa?" he calls, but no answer.

Eventually, he gives up and goes back to bed. He doesn't sleep a wink that night, wondering about Melissa's mysterious disappearance. He knows she's still close, but in fact, she's closer than he thinks.  

Just as the sun rises, we hear a shout, and then a cry of pain. We see Joe lying on the floor, a dagger in his heart, the exact replica of Arana Later, the day she was murdered.

We look up at the face of the murderer. It is Joe's wife, Melissa, or as we know her, Arana Later.