The Fate of the Estate

After Lord Grimmore arrived to receive the payment Shrill had signed over to him (the souls of Chill, Shrill, and their loved ones), he began to take control of his new possessions.  First, Shrill committed suicide when the full impact of his arrangement with Grimmore took hold.  True to his word, Grimmore committed Shrill's soul to the deepest sections of Hell.  Shrill would now be subject to the endless torment of realizing what he had subjected his dear friend Chill, as well as Chill's wife and children, to endure.  Grimmore enslaved the Chill family's souls and made them work for him forever--doing his bidding in matters of business and pleasure.  No free will, no wealth, no happiness for them any more.  No more the cheerful lord and lady of the manor, they would forever toil as soulless servants to Lord Grimmore.

When it came to Shrill's love and prospective wife, Celestia, Grimmore had other plans.  Once Grimmore saw Celestia in person,even his grim and gruesome personality recognized the external and internal beauty of the young woman. Her lovely face and figure enthralled him, and her sweet, loving demeanor touched his icy heart.  His original plan to condemn her to Hell with her beloved, no longer seemed like a good plan. Instead, Grimmore decided to keep her with him in the manor for eternity.  Knowing that she would not stay willingly, he rendered he took possession of her soul and saved it in a bell jar in the drawing room.  To make certain that her physical being would remain with him, he cast a spell on the manor so that Celestia would see the house as an endless labyrinth of rooms that she would roam through.  Celestia became a tortured soul who was fated never to see her beloved Shrill again.

Grimmore continued to work his spell on the manor and its lands.  The beautiful flowers and trees became shriveled and lifeless under his tenancy at the mansion.  Nothing thrived under his touch.  The very granite and mortar that formed the house began to slowly crumble.  The local citizenry began to avoid routes that went past the mansion; they no longer minded a longer trip if it meant they felt safely away from Grimmore's view.

So for 135 years later, from Chill and Shrill to the present, Lord Grimmore has continued to "steal" the immortal souls from gullible mortals who foolishly stray on to his estate by tricking them into "contracts" with an eternal payment clause.  When the wind blows on stormy nights, the townspeople say that you can hear a choir of moaning, shrieking souls.  It seems that there are always people dying to get into the manor!

Thus ends the story and legend of C-S E. In the next post we will have illustrations for Chill, Shrill, Celestia, Lord Grimmore and the environment. Have the good rest to your week!

An Introduction To Lord Grimmore and Celestia

As my last blog ended, Ezekiel's relationship with Lord Grimmore had just been explained.  Anxious to obtain money to pay off his company's debts, Ezekiel had signed  contract with Grimmore that would provide him with the necessary funds in exchange for...for what? Ezekiel had been so focused on the money that he had not read the contract carefully.  What had he agreed to pay Lord Grimmore? What had he committed both Alistair and himself to do?

Once the contract had been signed, Lord Grimmore turned with a flourish of his long, threadbare black cape and a tip of his tall, dented top hat and began to leave.  Ezekiel begged him to wait, to explain what the contract required.  Lord Grimmore pulled himself up to his full height and whispered menacingly, "Enjoy the next ten years when a world of plenty will be yours.  But be prepared:  Ten years from tonight, I will return for my payment and your souls and those of your families will be mine!"

Ezekiel felt a cold wave of panic wash over him.  His soul, as well as those of Alistair and their families, would be owned by Grimmore!  And his beloved Celestia--would Grimmore take her soul as well?  What fiendish plan could Grimmore have for them?

While Ezekiel was conducting his business with Lord Grimmore, his love Celestia was busy preparing herself for her conversation with Ezekiel. She sat at her vanity applying her lotions and arranging her hair.  Celestia was born and raised in Florence, Italy.  As a child, she had been orphaned when her parents died of typhus  After her parents' deaths, Celestia was forced to live on the streets, begging for food, and working for anyone who needed her.  She became an expert at stretching her meager income to pay for food and other necessities.  Celestia met Alistair and Ezekiel when they traveled to Florence looking for new business prospects.  Celestia was working as a waitress at an inn.  Ezekiel visited the inn to obtain food for Alistair and himself.  The moment that he saw Celestia he fell in love.  He spent every available minute visiting her at the inn.

Too soon for Ezekiel's liking, his trip to Europe ended.  Upon his return home, he began a long-distance courtship with Celestia by writing her long letters telling her about himself, Alistair, and Chill-Shrill Estate.  Celestia, too, had fallen in love and eagerly awaited each letter.  Their correspondence continued for two years before Ezekiel decided that he couldn't live without Celestia by his side.  He asked Alistair if he could ask Celestia to join him on the estate and explained that he intended to marry her.  Alistair, a happily married man himself, was thrilled that Ezekiel had found the woman that he wanted to spend his life with.  Ezekiel's next letter to Celestia included a marriage proposal, but he also told her to wait to respond until she had moved to the estate and had a chance to meet the other people she would be living with.  Celestia eagerly agreed to move to the estate.  Packing her best clothing and the few personal items that she possessed, she left to start her new life in New York.

Celestia and Ezekiel loved being together.  Alistair's wife was happy to act as a chaperone when Celestia and Ezekiel strolled the hallways of the mansion or had romantic dinners and picnics on the grounds.  Life at the estate agreed with Celestia, and memories of her difficult childhood began to fade away.  Soon she knew that she wanted to marry Ezekiel and start a family with him.  For his part, Ezekiel wanted her to wait until the annual gala on Halloween to give him her answer to his proposal.

As the day approached, Celestia knew that she wanted to make it the best day of hers and Ezekiel's lives.  She devoted a lot of thought concerning her wardrobe and hairstyle.  She planned the words she would use to tell Ezekiel how much she loved him and wanted to be his wife.  She was so concerned with her preparations that she didn't even attend the party; she stayed in her rooms making sure she was ready to see him.

Shortly after midnight, she heard a frantic knocking at the drawing room door.  As she ran over to answer the door and let Ezekiel in, she suddenly heard a horrible scream.  When the door opened, she was shocked to see her beloved screaming in about contracts and damnation and punishment. Celestia had no idea what he was talking about.  She begged him to explain, but he just kept telling her to go away and to forget about him.  Celestia cried to Ezekiel that she loved him and was ready to become his wife, but his only response was to tell her to go away as soon as she could.  Poor Celestia was devastated and confused.  She returned to her room and began to brush her hair--an action that she would continue for many days to come.

While all of this drama was unfolding, a lone figure walked away from the mansion.  Tall, gaunt, and creepy, Lord Grimmore made his way to his own house.  Occasionally, he would stop and laugh a horrible laugh that was low and deep, yet sounded a lot like a cackling witch.  What would he do next?

An introduction To Chill and Shrill

Hello all! Great to see you again!This post will be all about Alistair Chill and Ezekiel Shrill's history and Chill-Shrill Estate's rise and demise.

Alistair Chill was born in Tarrytown, NY in 1835.  His father was a shopkeeper, and his mother was a laundress.  Despite these humble beginnings, his parents raised Alistair to be a sophisticated, proper gentleman. His parents worked diligently to save the money to send him to the best schools, his mother made sure that Alistair developed gentlemanly manners. Their hard work paid off because Alistair grew into an intelligent man, who was able to recognize business opportunities and turn those opportunities into financial success.Alistair's area of expertise was real estate, especially the purchase and development of land.  His fortune skyrocketed.

Ezekiel Shrill was born in 1838 in Poughkeepsie, NY, to middle-class parents.  Ezekiel's father was the manager of the local bank, and his mother was able to stay at home to take care of her children and to oversee their part-time cleaning lady.  He studied accounting, but did not have the natural talent for moneymaking that Alistair did.

In 1860, Alistair hired the young Ezekiel as an accountant in his real estate firm. Ezekiel was far more naive than Alistair and had a difficult time handling the firm's complex financial dealings.  As time went by, Alistair and Ezekiel became best friends.  Alistair introduced Ezekiel to many important people and groomed him to be a junior partner in the firm.

In 1865, they established Chill-Shrill Estate, a beautiful castle and property on the Hudson River. Their neighbors shook their heads in disbelief at the sight of such a huge, beautiful mansion only a few miles away from their modest houses. As the mansion was built, the neighbors were awestruck by the stone towers that were constructed at each corner.  Decorative friezes and frightening gargoyles adorned window ledges and the roof line.  Stained glass artwork beautified the entrance hall. The mansion and grounds were more than large enough to accommodate both Chill's and Shrill's families, as well as the many guests that partied and visited at the estate.  The two men loved to hold lavish parties for their friends and their families.

On October 31, 1881, Chill and Shrill held their annual party to honor their partnership and success, and it was their favorite holiday. Chill's wife and children were there, and Ezekiel's girlfriend from Italy, Celestia, had come to the US to stay for a while as Shrill's honored guest. She was excited to give him her response  in person to his proposal of marriage that he had sent in his last letter to her. She looked for him at his desk in the study, but he was not going to return there until after the party.

As midnight approached, the guests started to leave, say their good nights, and go home to prepare for the next day. But as they left, a lone figure was making his way to the Estate.  Lord Grimmore, for that was the man's name, was a tall, dark man.  He was slim to the point of appearing gaunt. People that knew him said that he wasn't trustworthy.  Others stayed away from him because they feared his piercing stare.  Children whispered that he never blinked.

Ten years ago this night, Ezekiel Shrill had first met Lord Grimmore.  Ezekiel was new to Alistair's company and wanted to prove his moneymaking skills.  Unfortunately, he made several poor investments instead.  As the firm's accountant, he was able to hide his mistakes for awhile; but he knew that he had to replace the lost funds soon--before Alistair found out.  Ezekiel spoke with other businessmen to find the name or names of men who could help him.  One of the men mentioned a Lord Grimmore, who had helped him make a lot of money in a short time.

Ezekiel contacted Grimmore and arranged to meet him.  When they met, the young man begged Lord Grimmore to help him.  Lord Grimmore said that he could help Ezekiel with his problem, but he would want to be repaid for his assistance.  Lord Grimmore pulled out a contract that was already prepared and had Shrill sign it. Shrill was so relieved to hear that his problem would be solved that he would have agreed to any repayment request. He signed the form with only a quick look at it.  Lord Grimmore explained that the contract would be binding for both Shrill and Chill, and Shrill agreed.  He was just so happy to have his problem solved.

If only he had carefully read the contract, he wouldn't have been so happy.  But that's a story for the next blog...

Humble Beginnings And Welcome

What’s the best way to start the New Year and a completely new week? Make your new blog, of course! Greetings friends! I’m Brendan McLaughlin, and I’m here to welcome you to the new year of 2016 and the first post of the newest haunted attraction of Cape Cod, Chill-Shrill Estate.

Before we become acquaintances, a brief history. I live in Harwich, part of Cape Cod, Massachusetts. As a lover of cartoons and the art of Voice Over, I started my career by having classes at Sandwich (MA) High school, going a VO workshop with Rob Paulsen in NYC in 2012, and training with the Lau Lapides Company in Wellesley, MA. I’ve also had a knack for audio editing, woodworking, sculpting, and animatronics. As most people could figure out, I LOVE Halloween, and make almost every effect and prop for decorating our front yard. Last year, I decided to create a much more elegant, dramatic, and ethereal haunted joint, which is called Chill-Shrill Estate,  with the eccentric, cabaret-esque, and life of the after-party, Lord Grimmore, Chill-Shrill Estate’s new owner and Master of the Festivities.

Backstory: In the mid-1800s, two childhood friends, Alistair Chill and Ezekiel Shrill, went into the real estate business, and their business was booming. So life couldn’t have been sweeter, and they both had their families staying with them. But on Halloween, October 31^st, 1881, a catastrophic chain of events happened. When all of Chill and Shrills’ guests raised their glasses to toast their new fortunate future, a portal to an otherworldly realm opened, and Alistair, Ezekiel, and their families just simply disappeared. One hundred thirty-five years later, Chill-Shrill estate has been taken over by ghouls, ghosts, and goblins who have been allowed by Lord Grimmore to live in the residence…FOREVER.

What happened to Chill, Shrill and their families? How is it that Lord Grimmore inherited/took over Chill-Shrill Estate?? As a matter of fact, who or what is Lord Grimmore? Is he a human or a demonic entity? Ghost? Zombie? Vampire? We don’t know. We honestly don’t know. But one thing we do know is that some brave souls must find a clue to what happened to Chill-Shrill Estate’s demise on that dark night long, long, LLLLLOOOOONNNNNGGGGG ago.

I hope that you have enjoyed the first post tonight. Those people who’ve read it must come to Chill-Shrill Estate’s reception on the evening of October 31^st, 2016. I hope to see you all again with the next post.

       Fun Facts:

-          Chill-Shrill Estate was inspired by Hanna-Barbera, who made my favorite cartoons of all time.

-          Lord Grimmore’s name is a play on the word ‘Grimoire’; a French word for a book of magic, spells, and sorcery, and his name was also inspired by characters from ‘’Corpse Bride,’’ such as ‘General Bonesapart’ and ‘Bonejangles’.