Middleton Manor (The House & Concept)
. . . a haunted mansion!
Middleton Manor is another collaboration between my brother (Chester M. Guy) and myself. We really enjoyed working on this one together, as our mother’s birthday is Halloween, and “creepy , Halloween stuff” has always been a tradition for my family.
We wanted something off-the-beaten path, and I came up with the idea that “Old Man Middleton” (named after the maternal side of my family) was something of an oddity. For starters, he was an extremely anti-social individual . . . a trait I see, in somewhat diminished form, in myself. Additionally, he had a complete fixation on anything related to ornithology. While I do harbor a deep appreciation of birds, and their contribution to our world , I am not abnormally obsessed, in the manner of Algernon Middleton. He was so obsessed with them that he actually used one room in his house as an aviary, and designed features of his house with ornithological detail. Indeed, these are not normal Timber Frame Homes, take a good look at the staircase which features unusual batwing stairs (designed by my nephew, Keith Guy).
Many people have asked me how I came up with “the name Algernon” . . . that is the actual name of one of my cousins from Las Vegas, Nevada. Although he goes by “Al”, his name ( just like in Victorian times) is Algernon. I always like to keep an element of “real” in all my work. (In real life, however, “Al” is a really nice, friendly individual, and could never be described as “odd”.)
Anyway, back to this miniature anomaly . . . In writing the story of the most assuredly strange Algernon Middleton, I felt that I should portray him in an absurdly unique light without making him an outright villain. Odd yes . . . deliberately, no. His poor wife, Gracie, was the unwitting victim of the times and of convention. You will see her story on this website, and perhaps you will feel sympathy for her.
At any rate, I hope you will closely scrutinize the details of Middleton Manor, and come to know these singular occupants. It might just leave you wondering . . . what strange things am I capable of????
