We ran out of the room and into the hall, but before we could make our way to the stairs, the ceiling above us swelled and threatened to blow out.
“Back up, you guys,” Abbie called out.
The ceiling opened up and a flood of water spilled into the hall and into the room we’d just vacated. Wading through six inches of water, we backed away farther, fearing more flooding. How much more of the ceiling might fall?
The floor beneath our feet shook and soon, weaknesses in the flooring began to appear.
“We need to get out of here.”
From the other side of the pool of water, Ayra and Jai came up the stairs.
“Keely!”Ayra shouted over the gushing water. “Are you guys all right?”
“We’re fine, but the water seems to be streaming into these two rooms, and the floor is creaking like crazy.”
“We’ve already evacuated the rooms below,” Jai called out. “You guys should head back to the service stairs and come down that way.”
We did as he directed, taking the narrow stairs down through the old kitchen. Barely an inch of water was on the floor. But, with the sound of dripping water guiding us, we made our way to the dining hall, the water now six inches deep, and onward to the main hall where everyone stood looking at the sorry state of Moon Manor.
“How much damage is there?”I called out as I walked to them, swooshing water about with every step I took.
Cliff and Penny stood in the nearby hallway looking at the water that filled the ballroom.
“Oh, my,” I muttered. The chandeliers, the curtains, the wallpaper. Everything was ruined.
“Oh, Keely,” Penny said, tears in her eyes. “This is so awful. The drawing room, the dining hall and the front foyer are so heavily damaged.”
“I’d like to be optimistic and say that we could clean it all up,” Cliff offered. “But...honestly, I don’t think a clean-up will do the trick.”
Water continued to seep through where the ceiling met the walls. It did a good job of raising the wallpaper, strips of it hanging limp where the glue had been washed away. The sticky water then ran down the length of the wall where it pooled on the hardwood floor.
“No one was hurt, were they?”I cautiously asked.
“No. Everyone’s all right,” Penny assured me. “The crew and the cast have already run out to the guest house.”
“Okay, then I want the rest of you out of here,” I said. “We should all go out and join the others in the guest house.”
I turned to walk away and came face to face with my husband.
“Keely!”Hugh cried as he rushed to me and pulled me into his arms. “I had no idea where you were. Are you alright?”
“Yes. I’m fine. The creaking of the roof gave us ample warning of what was coming.” I looked at the damage around me. “Although, I really didn’t think it would be this bad.”
My heart pounded and I could feel a small wave of panic working its way into my mind.
“This is a disaster,” I said. My breathing grew sharp and short. “What are we supposed to do now?”
“I’m so sorry,” Ayra said as she came to join us.
Jai, standing at her side, remained quiet, his gaze cast down.
I suddenly felt awful for my unprofessional outburst. “Don’t,” I said as I reached out for Jai’s hand.
He looked up at me, a question in his eyes.
“Don’t you dare feel guilty for this. This is not your fault, Jai. You saw the rain out there. You saw the incredible amounts of water that poured down onto Moon Manor. I have no doubt that many other homes in the area will find themselves damaged in some way or another.I’m just...oh poor Moon Manor.I’m just glad no one’s hurt.”
He shook his head.
