TALES FROM MORTIFER HOUSE - Stitchy The Travelling Entertainer
It looks as if it doesn't belong there and so I will need to tell you why it hangs amongst the family of cousins and distant relatives of the Mortifer clan.
This rather, at first glance, disturbing picture, is that of Stitchy, a travelling entertainer. A man who took his performance so seriously that he was never, ever seen out of costume.
His very first visit to Mortifer came one summers evening when Charles Mortifer was throwing one of his lavish parties that he enjoyed so much. The guests marvelled at how, despite the sticky heat of a humid August night, Stitchy never once took off his costume, not even to consume a glass of water.
The women eyed him nervously, standing in groups, discussing him with quiet whispered giggles. They would run off shrieking if he dared to approach them. The men on the other hand were happy to slap him on the back and applaud his attempts at juggling and basic magic. They would even pose for a portrait with him despite the unbearably long time they needed to stay still in the heat.
It was around this time that this very picture was taken, in Charles's study after one such party. He became a very regular fixture and enjoyed handsome payments from Charles for his loyalty to perform at short notice (unbeknown to Emma I might add)
He was also called upon at various times to entertain the children (Angus and Jane) and they would race down the stairs to greet him when they saw the familiar figure appear on the gravel driveway.
Despite the fact he never once spoke to the children and actually looked as if he would give them nightmares they were very attached to Stitchy. After he had entertained the children he would disappear into Charles's study and eventually slip as silently from the house as he had on arrival.
The regular visits went on for two to three years until one day he just stopped coming. Angus and Jane would sit in the nursery window seat cross legged for hours scanning the horizon for the familiar sight of Stitchy's suit. But he never came back. They questioned their parents on why he no longer visited.
'He's a travelling entertainer, I am thinking he has moved on. Now, no more questions about him please' Charles had said sternly and firmly on one of his rare visits to the children's nursery.
Emma had merely sighed and shaken her head. She had no clue where Stitchy had gone without so much as a note to inform them. But she did know that in the town there were many missing posters asking for his whereabouts.
It seemed it was more than just the Mortifers that were wondering where he was, he had become a familiar sight around the town too.
To appease the children Emma asked Charles to include Stitchy in the portrait gallery. Which he did, somewhat reluctantly, Emma noted.
The portrait gave Eleanor the shivers, she always felt it was watching her but Emma had always insisted it stayed, saying it was part of her children's childhood. Angus would merely grunt at this suggestion, but when Jane visited she would always check that Stitchy was still in his rightful place. So Eleanor didn't dare remove the picture.
Was there something more to his disappearance? Eleanor could only speculate, but something, or someone was causing the disturbances in Mortifer House. Could he have died horribly and come back to haunt Mortifer? Why would he do that given his honoured and well paid place within the household?
Eleanor had to accept that this mystery would remain unanswered, despite the fact that there were so many questions. For now...
Sarah Russell 2022
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