There were few nights like that in the Empordà, with winter determined to creep into every corner. The Mystery of Smells and Apparitions at Mas Torrencito
The fog covered everything so that the road to the farmhouse looked more like a horror movie tunnel than a simple country lane. Mas Torrencito, our farmhouse from 1412, had the appearance of a legendary castle in the middle of the landscape. The fireplaces were lit, and inside everything seemed a picture of calm and comfort… or so I thought.
Some customers were in the chill out, that area of the house where a 100-inch screen broadcast the “Pasapalabra” program as if it were a live show. Other customers, less interested in getting words right, chatted in the lounge or dined quietly in the dining room, each in the company of their beloved pets. Our dogs, Masto, Maky, Mastitwo and Mamas, ran between the rooms, making their territorial authority clear, albeit with the usual peace. So far the night was perfect for the farmhouse to give everyone a warm welcome.
But, as always at Mas Torrencito, calm has a limited time.
Blanca and Ramon. The Mystery of Smells and Apparitions at Mas Torrencito
-Miguel, have you already forgotten about Blanca and Ramon? Mireia reminded me, appearing from the kitchen with eyebrows that she only reserved for the occasions when I lost my mind. Blanca and Ramon were our trusted friends and customers, who religiously came to spend a few days, and we always picked them up at the train station in Camallera, the neighboring town.
I sighed and grabbed my car keys. Why lie, the journey in the rain and fog was not the most desirable, but the thought of returning soon to the warmth of the farm motivated me enough. Mireia dismissed me with a smile of those who wear an implicit “do it quickly and come back”.
As I walked through the foggy tunnel, I thought I’d seen it all at Mas Torrencito: dogs in superhero costumes, cats doing yoga on pillows, even ferrets behaving like the owners of the place. But nothing prepared me for what I would find that night.
When I arrived at the station, I recognized the silhouette of Blanca and Ramon under the canopy. We greet each other with laughter and hugs, as always. Blanca was cheerful and talkative, while Ramon maintained that calmness that seemed to hide secrets. I helped load the luggage, and when we got into the car, Blanca broke the silence with a sentence that surprised me:
-Miguel, have you noticed anything strange in the atmosphere? Like… a weird smell?
– A smell? I repeated, hesitating.
There was nothing out of the ordinary about the car, or so I thought. But as we entered the farmhouse, I understood what he meant.
A disturbing aroma .
Just walking through the door, we were hit with a strange mix of smells, like some sort of sulfur mixed with burnt cinders. It wasn’t unpleasant, but it was… disconcerting. Mireia was in the chill out with a couple of customers, and when she saw me enter with Blanca and Ramon, she approached, wrinkling her nose.
– Did you smell that, Miguel? “Looks like someone tried to make a roast with a rotten egg,” he said, looking at me with a mixture of revulsion and curiosity.
Blanca and Ramon joined in the comments, and within minutes, the aroma was the main topic of conversation among the guests. We could not find its origin. From time to time it seemed to intensify in the chill out, then disappear, and reappear in the dining room, like a culinary ghost.
— Isa and Vicent are about to arrive too, right? Mireia murmured.
Just then, I heard the sound of a car approaching and stuck my head out the driveway. It was Vicent with Isa, and of course his dog, a huge boxer who looked rather like a bull on the best of days. The boxer walked in smelling the atmosphere and immediately made a strange face, as if he had caught the mysterious scent.
– What is this stench? asked Isa, when she crossed the door.
We shrug. The dogs, including the boxer, sniffed every corner of the entrance. I tried to relax, thinking that, like many old houses, strange smells sometimes appeared out of nowhere.
The evening continued, and after a while, we all began to forget about the mystery. But it wouldn’t be long until the next incident put us all on alert again.
The first scare . The Mystery of Smells and Apparitions at Mas Torrencito
As we tried to get the strange aroma out of our minds, a high-pitched scream rang out from the dining room, freezing our blood. We rush to the place, and when we arrive, we find Mr. Gutiérrez, a man of about sixty years old, petrified and pointing to the corner of the dining room.
– I saw it! A shadow! It happened right here…with a cap.
We look at each other, some hiding a nervous laugh and others trying not to look too scared. Although Mr. Gutierrez was still shaking, there was no sign of the hooded shadow he claimed to have seen.
To reassure him, I said something that I didn’t quite believe myself:
– Surely it was a reflex, Mr. Gutiérrez. Shadows in such an old house can play tricks.
— No, it wasn’t just any shadow. That… it was someone – he insisted.
The customers returned to their activities, although the tension was palpable in the atmosphere. Mireia and I look at each other, exchanging a look that says “this is getting out of control”, but we try to stay calm. Our dogs, for their part, did not seem very willing to ignore the situation; in fact, they were all looking in the same direction Mr. Gutiérrez had pointed, growling low and with unusual intensity.
We tried to distract them, but their eyes were still fixed on the empty corner of the dining room, as if there was something there. Which only they could see.
A frustrating search . The Mystery of Smells and Apparitions at Mas Torrencito
In the midst of the uncertainty, another customer, a woman named Lourdes, appeared at the entrance of the dining room with a completely disfigured face.
– My dog! My dog Lolo is missing! he shouted, looking at everyone as if he suspected someone was to blame.
Lourdes was a frequent visitor to the farmhouse and her chiguagua dog, Lolo, was almost as famous as the house itself. her, and she never ventured out of the house, so her disappearance was as strange as it was unexpected.
We set out to look for Lolo in every corner, but after checking rooms, halls, and even the garden under the fog, we could find no sign of the dog. It was as if he had vanished, leaving only an echo of his presence, and a faint stain of hair on his favorite pillow.
With each new event, the atmosphere grew heavier, and the murmurs of customers began to mix with the most absurd theories. What if it was a ghost, what if the house was haunted, what if Lolo had been abducted by aliens.
As we returned to the dining room, I noticed that Blanca and Ramon, with that calmness that characterizes them, were too quiet, as if they had understood something that the rest of us couldn’t see.
TO BE CONTINUED…..
From Mas Torrencito we wish you a good day and may your dog accompany you!!!!
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If you want, you can see our vouchers for weekends, pensioner vouchers , at an incredible price… go to www.mastorrencito.com or if you want you can read more history and anecdotes that have happened to us at Mas Torrencito… Click here :
