Write An Essay About Jasper's Life

The air was crisp and cold, cold enough that Jasper’s lungs winced at each breath he took. His cheeks grew rosy as the wind whipped them, and he was barely shielded against the cold by his modest trench coat and newsboy cap. The strong , sour scents of industry and the deafening hum an early city morning had grown dull to him as he had become accustomed to the hustle and bustle of life in a city. Jasper now sped up his gait as he joined the masses of early industry workers marching off into factories and mills. Jasper, however, would no longer slave away as just another dot in the assembly line, he was off to bigger and better things.
Jasper’s commute finally came to a halt at the gates of the ancient Dumont Mansion, the home of a family
that had found success in the coal mining industry. The mansion seemed out of place amongst the high rises being erected around it, and Jasper struggled to explain his situation to the man at the gate.
“ I ‘m Jasper,” he started, in an attempt to be as polite as possible. The man seemed to find Jasper amusing. “ And he’s Bill,” the man said, pointing to a random passerby. “That doesn't mean that he's getting anywhere near the Dumonts.” he said. “Well, I ‘m the new houseboy.” said Jasper. The man stopped for a second to examine Jasper, and eventually opened the gates with a sigh.
The Mansion was even larger up close. Jasper gazed at it with the amazed eyes of a child by the sea for the first time. It was just then that he had noticed the well-dressed man walking towards him. A butler, who introduced himself as Credence, was sent to show Jasper to his room. Once settled in, he was put to work immediately.

Three tranquil weeks had passed since Jasper had first set foot into the Dumont Mansio. Life was simple and organized, and with Jasper’s new job, he was free to study and read as he liked when he was not on duty. Like many of his peers in school, Jasper had been pulled out of an education early to support his family. Living with and working for the Dumonts seemed like a better option to Jasper than working in a coal mine.
One a particular morning Lady Dumont, Lord Dumont’s aging mother, was the first to call for Jasper.“Good day Lady,” he greeted her politely. “Good day,” she replied. Lady Dumont was a kind and docile character, and asked only for Jasper’s company. She had been blinded and crippled by old age and needed constant companionship. This had been Jasper’s main task for the past three weeks.
The day progressed beautifully. The Dumont children, who Jasper was never permitted to speak with, returned from school and Mr. Dumont returned from work. Night eventually befell the Dumont Mansion and all of it’s inhabitants, and forced many an eye closed, except for Jaspers. Throughout the night, he had heard a child crying in the west wing of the house, but did not want to investigate because he was never permitted to leave the east wing, where his and Lady Dumont’s rooms were located.
Morning came, and Jasper’s eyes remained open.
He had heard the crying all throughout the night, and was determined to find it’s source. His plans were cut short, however, with the mournful news of Lady Dumont’s death the night before. Jasper likened the sounds of crying to the sounds of mourning, but when he asked when the body was found, and Lord Dumont answered five o’clock am, Jaspers head rung with curiosity. “Who was the child wailing at night, and how was he the only one to hear it?” was the most vivid question in Jasper’s mind. Jasper’s daily tasks eventually doubled as he began working under the new Lady Dumont, Lord Dumont’s wife.
The sounds at night did not end after the death of old Lady dumont, but seemed to grow louder as her funeral approach. Life had become increasingly hard for Jasper, who had not slept even the tiniest bit since he began hearing noises at night. His life became a slight bit easier when the house hired him a fellow houseboy, William.
William was no more than two years old than Jasper, and had dark hair and eyes that seemed too vivid for his pale skin. Jasper and William became friends immediately, and would tak of things only the two would be able to understand. William was a decent friend to Jasper, and Jasper envied him a bit, because William was rarely called to fulfill any of his houseboy
chores.
The next four days until the funeral were increasingly alarming for Jasper. His nights grew longer and louder, while his days grew colder and harder. Not only did jasper hear the sounds of children crying at night, but he would hear scratching sounds at his door, and the eerie sounds of organ music playing loudly, despite the fact that the only organ the Dumonts owned was locked away in the west wing.
After three tiring months of terror and turmoil, Jasper had experienced the worst night yet. The horrifying noises at night seemed to only bother Jasper, and even William, who slept just a room away from him, was unable to hear the same howls, wails, and shrieks that Jasper did. During the same night, a terrible storm hit that cut the power to the Dumont mansion entirely. Everyone, lord, lady, servant, and houseboy alike was gathered in the main hall to wait out the storm until it was to end.
Jasper did not mind spending the night with so many people around him, and felt comfortable in the company of so many.
This was the case until a certain picture caught his eye, and he could not help but ask who the handsome young boy in the painting was. At first, the maids refused to tell Jasper, but eventually, after being sworn to secrecy, Jasper was told that the portrait was of William Dumont, Lord Dumont’s half brother, Lady Dumont’s first illegitimate son. The story went as follows, “The first Lord Dumont was a cruel man with an agenda for everyone, including his own family. He had given all of his daughters away to be married off to some aristocrats and nobles, and was furious when he found out that his third daughter had run away with a different man than he had planned for her. In a rage, Lord Dumont sent his men after her and the pursuit resulted in the deaths of the young lady Dumont, her husband, and her child— who supposedly died the closest to the house.”
The story sent chills down Jasper’s spine, and a terrible dark feeling washed over him the more he stared at the portrait of the unfortunate child. The rest of the evening was spent huddled around the Dumont’s large fireplace telling stories. The room was still chilly despite the furnace, and Jasper wondered how anyone would survive the cold in the other parts of the house. When Jasper realized he hadn’t seen William, his friend, since the beginning of the evening. He began to ask everyone whether they had seen
him, but no one except for Jasper seemed to know who William was.
This distressed Jasper further, as the portrait he had been so focused on before changed, it’s eyes, which were surprisingly close to William’s, seemed to follow him around on his search for his friend. The sounds that once haunted Jasper echoed through the hall now, as each member of house staff began repeating the name “William” over and over again. It seemed as if the mention of the name shook the mansion to the very core.
“Who is William?” asked one, as the wind shrieked louder.
“ I‘ve never heard of a William that lived here.” went another, as the fire in the fireplace continued to grow but gave off no heat.
“There is no houseboy named William.” started one.
“There is no houseboy named William.” said another.
“There is no houseboy named William.” added another.
The house shook with one loud roar, and collapsed with no space for escape. Not one scream was heard from the Dumont house that night, but in the ruins of the mansion, a portrait of a young blonde boy with striking steely eyes and a cruel, innocent grin survived. None dare say his name.