🌙 Chapter Five: The Whispering Stairs
The hidden staircase creaked beneath their feet, spiraling down into the earth like a coiled snake. The air grew colder with each step, and the sound of their breathing seemed to echo in the tight space. Kyle’s flashlight beam jittered across the stone walls, revealing cobwebs, old bricks, and what looked like an old pulley system.
“I feel like we’re in a movie,” Kyle whispered, clutching the flashlight like it was a sword.
“Yeah,” Georgia muttered, “a horror movie.”
At the bottom of the stairs, the passage opened into a small stone chamber, with a narrow wooden door set into the far wall. Above the door, carved into the lintel, was the same swirling keyhole symbol.
Rita’s heart raced. She reached for the latch—but the door swung open by itself, creaking on ancient hinges.
Inside was a dimly lit corridor, lined with bricks that seemed to stretch on forever. The air smelled faintly of old paper and ink.
Lane sniffed. “Is it just me, or does it smell like... a printing press?”
Rita’s eyes widened. “The newspaper office! The Carillon Journal! My grandpa said the old office used to connect to the tower back in the day.”
Georgia raised an eyebrow. “Wait—you’re telling me there’s a secret tunnel from the bell tower to the newspaper?”
“Looks like it,” Kyle said, shining the flashlight ahead. “Guess the headline tomorrow will be: Local Teens Discover Secret Passage.”
They followed the tunnel, which sloped upward slightly, until they reached another small wooden door. Faint light flickered from beneath it, and they could hear... music? No, not music exactly—more like the soft, rhythmic clinking of metal.
Rita slowly pushed the door open a crack—and froze.
In the dim light of the newspaper’s basement, an older man shuffled across the floor, a mop in one hand and a dustpan in the other. His gray hair stuck out in wild tufts, and his heavy work boots clomped as he moved. But the oddest thing was that every few steps, he’d pause... and ring a small bell on his belt, like a habit. Clink. Clink. Clink.
Kyle whispered, “That’s the janitor! Mr. Binks!”
Georgia’s eyes narrowed. “Wait a sec—does he even know he’s doing that?”
They watched as Mr. Binks hummed softly, the bell’s chime echoing in the empty space. He didn’t seem to notice the sound at all. His gaze was vacant, like he was lost in thought... or maybe something else.
Lane nudged Rita. “Do you think... he’s the ghost bell ringer?”
Rita’s mind raced. Could Mr. Binks, in his quiet routine, be echoing the old melodies from the tower? Was it just a habit—or was something pulling the strings?
She turned to her friends, a spark of determination in her eyes.
“This isn’t over,” she whispered. “We’ve got a mystery to solve.”
🎵 End of Chapter Five
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