"It's starting to get cold," Molly said. "If we don't get to the house soon we're going to have to turn back. At least the car can provide shelter from wind or animals."

"I haven't seen any sign that we're getting close," Billy said. "I was hoping that we would have seen a mail box or a driveway by now."

They trudged on in silence. With the way that the road followed the curve of the mountain Molly and her cousin couldn't see very far a head. Tall evergreens and the rock of the mountain itself obscured everything from view except the road directly in front of them.

"I'm starting to think this wasn't the best idea," Molly said.

Billy nodded in agreement. "But we can push on for a little longer," he said.

They rounded a bend in the road and two pillars came into view. Short pillars of brick with corroded brass orbs on top. They were thickly covered in moss. Between them was a driveway. Billy broke into a run when he saw them and Molly followed. Standing next to the pillars the cousins could see that a plaque, half covered in moss and tarnished to a molted black, clung to the front of one of the pillars.

Billy reached forward and brushed the moss aside. Underneath the brass was much cleaner. He stared for a movement trying to make out the parts still masked by age.

"I can't read the whole thing But I can make out VanKraft," He said. "This is the place. We've found the estate."

"I still don't see the house," Molly said.

"It's an estate," Billy said. "The driveway could be a thousand feet long."

"Than we had better keep walking," Molly said.

They set off but with a renewed vigor. The driveway was in better condition than the road but it had more branches and leaves on it than the road did. It also wound deeper in to the crevices on the mountain than the road had. It was more winding and the trees met closer overhead. The light dimmed quickly as the left the main road and moved deeper into the mountain. Even in the dim light, Molly could see her breath.

Out of the dark a shape rose through the trees.

"I think that's the mansion," Billy said in a whisper. "The VanKrafts made their fortune in logging originally. The mansion is supposed to be huge with a magnificent wooden staircase.

"There aren't any lights on," Molly noticed. "Do you think there is anybody living here? With the state of the road and all of the branches on the driveway... and I didn't see any powerlines coming up either. I don't anybody has been here in a long time."

Billy shook his head in the dim light. "If this place has been abandoned I would expect to see fallen trees in the road. But there aren't. And the driveway would probably in worse shape. Somebody still lives here."

They were almost in front of the mansion now. It rose four stories high with a long staircase up to the main entrance. Dark windows stared down at them.

"This place is amazing," Molly said in awe. "My old house would fit inside of it!"

"Mine too," Billy said. "I guess we should knock."

"I guess we should," Molly said. They both stood where they were. In the dark and cold the house seemed forbidding. Like it was willing them to stay back.

Billy Took a tentative step forward. Molly steeled herself and took her own step. Together they mounted the stairs and approached the door. Billy raised his hand and knocked. It was a solid sound that didn't go very far.

"You'll never get someone's attention like that." Molly and Billy turned to see who had spoken. A man stood at the foot of the stairs. "Plus, there's nobody there."

"Maybe you can help us," Billy said. "Our car has two flat tires. We're looking for a land line to call for a tow truck."

"So you can up a drivewaythat clearly hasn't been used in weeks only to knock at the door of a house with no lights on?"

"It was our only choice," Molly said.

The man looked them over a for a moment. "I have a land line you can use. It's back this way." he pointed along the driveway past the house. He turned and started waling in to the darkness.

Billy and Molly followed reluctantly. As the shadows crept closer the stayed side by side. To their relief a small house was hidden near by. Light shown from the windows and the door that the man held open.

"Right there by the refrigerator," The man said.

Billy thanked him and moved to the phone to call AAA about the car.

"I didn't think there was electricityout here," Molly said to the man. "I didn't see any power lines."

"Oh, the power lines coming out here were put underground long ago. The family that lived in the old mansion didn't want bad weather to slow their parties. The same is true of the natural gas line."

"Do you know a lot about the old mansion?" Molly asked.

"Yes," the man said. "My family has been here a very long time. Always looking after the mansion and the property."

"Then maybe you can help us," Molly said. "The reason we were driving up the road is because we're actually related to the family that used to live here. My great grandfather was born MartinVanKraft."

"Ah," the man said. "So you must be the descendants of that wayward son. And why have the great grandchildren of Martin the Liar come back to the old family home that he so despised?"