The Room of Arches

by Alice J Black

  Everything was pitch black, her headlights only illuminating the tarmac just in front of us. The house stood out like a beacon in the night, a lighthouse showing us the way. Almost every light was on and for a moment I wondered whether I’d gotten my days mixed up. Maybe she was having her dinner party tonight. I hoped not. It would be slightly awkward if I stumbled upon a table full of people trying to enjoy a meal and just announced I was going to cleanse the house of spirits.

  “Turn left here,” I instructed, pointing as the junction came up.

  Olivia indicated and turned the car. I heard the crunch of gravel beneath the tyres as she slowed to a stop and parked a short distance from the house. She stared up with a slack jaw.

  “It’s huge.”

  I nodded. “It is.”

  “Did she show you around?”

  “I saw most of the ground floor.”

  “Damn. That means I’m not getting the tour.”

  I grinned. “For someone who didn’t want to come, you’ve sure got a lot of interest in the place.”

  She turned to me and I was blessed with the death stare for a moment. “Come on before I change my mind.”

  We stepped out of the car into the cold night. I shivered as I hoisted my backpack onto my shoulders, suddenly wishing I’d brought a thicker coat. I had everything I could need for a cleanse. I just hoped that because we were cleansing only one room a whole clear-out wouldn’t be needed. Otherwise, I was wasting my time.

  I made my way to the front door, Olivia close behind me. I knocked once and waited, hand hooked into the strap of my bag.

  Christine answered just a few short moments later. Her eyes moved from me to Olivia and confusion crossed her face.

  “Hi Christine,” I greeted her. “I hope you don’t mind but I needed some help for tonight. This is Olivia.”

  “You’re from Stubbs and Oakley too, aren’t you?” she asked Olivia.

  “Yes, I am. Though this is completely separate from that.” Olivia answered and I felt the worry as it drifted from her.

  Christine smiled. “Don’t worry, I won’t tell.” Beside me, Olivia’s shoulders dropped. The woman’s word had been good enough for her. “Come on in.” She stood aside.

  Christine was dressed in a pair of blue jeans and a hoody. Despite the size of the house and the fact that she was obviously very used to the finer things in life, the woman was grounded. I liked that.

  “No Laura tonight?” I asked.

  “No. She’s having dinner with her husband.”

  “I was supposed to have dinner with Olivia tonight.” I pointed at my friend. “But I brought her here instead. A good substitute, right?”

  “If you like ghosts then I guess so.”

  I smiled. “We’re going to do a cleanse in your basement tonight and I’m hoping that will help the way you feel when you’re down there.”

  “Would you like a drink before you get started?” she asked.

  I almost clapped as I thought about the coffee she had brewed for me the last time. “A coffee would be nice.”

  She grinned. “You mean that special roast from the other day? Sure.” She motioned for us to follow her and Olivia skipped behind eagerly. Her hand caught my arm and I watched as her eyes widened and her face lit up. She was in heaven.

  It wasn’t long before the three of us were seated on the stools at the island in the centre of the kitchen. I had my mug clutched in my hand and my bag rested on the floor beside me. I could get used to this. Just three friends chilling and enjoying a brew together. I took a sip of my coffee.

  “So, do you think this cleanse thing will work?” Christine asked.

  “I hope so.” I nodded. “It’s usually the first port of call in any sort of haunting.”

  “Haunting.” She shuddered as she repeated the word. “I can’t believe my house is haunted.”

  “Well let’s not use that word. Let’s just say it’s restless. A cleanse can help spirits move on to the otherworld.”

  She bit her lip. “I can’t help but wonder why it’s just down there. Everywhere else feels fine.”

  “I have been wondering that myself, I have to be honest. I don’t have any answers for you unfortunately. But hopefully the cleanse should clear it all out and you should have no more trouble.”

  “You don’t sound too convinced.” She frowned.

  “The last time she did this it didn’t work. But that wasn’t her fault. Not really. It was her first go at trying to help someone and it needed a lot more than just a cleanse.” I didn’t know whether Olivia’s words were good or damning. I wished she’d kept her mouth shut as I watched Christine’s mind ticking over. She was about to throw us out of there and call the real guys in.

  “Well, any help you can give me I appreciate. I need this house to be clean and completely free of Tom before I can really move on.”

  “He was your husband?” Olivia asked.

  Christine nodded. “Yes, until he decided to screw around with someone else.”

  “Not all men are bad.” I glanced at my friend, wondering where the level of sage advice was coming from considering her lack of experience with men.

  “I know. I just want my own space for a while. I want to forget about him and move on.”

  “Amen to that.” I nodded. I’d had my fair share of experiences that I wished had all been part of a nightmare. John included. I thought about the way he went off at me as we sat at the small table in a huge room full of people. My cheeks flared with heat.

  “I didn’t figure you for the type for all this ghost stuff,” Christine glanced at Olivia.

  “I’m not really. That’s all Peyton. But she can’t do it alone and so I’m the backup.”

  “And there’s a friendship worth fighting for.” Christine smiled and sat back. “Laura is like that for me. She’s been there every step of the way with this whole thing with Tom. I don’t know what I would have done without her.”

  I glanced at Olivia and smiled. I knew exactly how Christine felt. Olivia was like the yin to my yang. She balanced me out and kept me straight. Without Olivia I would still be drinking myself into oblivion and living life by the day, adding to the layers of cirrhosis that I’m sure was already building there. Now I had a future, a way forward and I was grateful for everything she had done.

  I watched as she drained her coffee. Her cheeks were flushed and I knew she was feeling uncomfortable with the conversation. She didn’t exactly do well with compliments although she earned every one of them.

  “Shall we get started?” I asked, changing the subject.

  Olivia was quick to nod and as I picked up my bag, I took the key offered by Christine. “We’ll be downstairs if you need anything.”

  “Likewise. I’ll be up here if you need anything. Though please don’t expect me to be in a hurry to go down there.”

  “Don’t worry, I won’t. Hopefully, after tonight you’ll have the full run of your house.”

  “I certainly hope so.”

  Turning to Olivia, I nodded toward the door and we made our way through the kitchen and back to the foyer and into the basement beyond.

  Olivia followed me without question, her unwavering loyalty something that both astounded and abashed me. I knew she was my best friend, my soul mate, and I didn’t care how mushy that sounded. As her feet padded down the concrete steps just behind mine, I smiled. I could count on her to stand with me to the end of time and I wanted to be the rock for her that she was for me.

  “How awesome is this house?” Olivia hissed as we moved out of earshot.

  “Tell me about it.”

  “I’d love to live in a place like this.”

  “All you have to do is marry a cheating millionaire.”

  “Hey, when I marry someone he is going to be so smitten with my good looks and charming personality that he won’t need to stray.”

  I snorted and heard her tut.

  “You think I’m ugly?”

  “It’s not that.”
I shook my head. “I just love your self-assuredness. Men are asses. Simple as that.”

  “Not all men.”

  “Oh, is that right? You’ve certainly changed your tune since your date. You must really be on the look-out for someone.” I nudged her gently.

  “Peyton, give over.”

  We made it to the basement and beside me I felt Olivia bristle. She could feel it too. We were in someone’s house about to complete a cleansing with the hope that it would rid the place of the spirits causing her no end of discomfort.

  “See that door down there?” I pointed.

  “Yeah.”

  “That’s where we’re going.”

  “Oh goody.”

  “There’s my girl.” I grinned and took the lead, key in hand.

  The basement was light but the whole place was so cold I felt like we were walking into a freezer. I shivered and for the second time that night wished I was wearing something warmer. Glancing behind, I saw Olivia had her arms wrapped over her chest.

  Taking the key from my pocket, I made my way down the corridor. Another flash of cold rushed through me and I shivered as goose bumps rose on my flesh. It seemed colder than it had the last time. I reached the door and took a deep breath and inserted the key into the lock, turning it and feeling the door give.

  I turned back to Olivia. “Are you ready?”

  “As I’ll ever be,” she replied. Her face was stone and she was preparing herself just like I had done.

  I shoved the door open and stepped inside, flicking the light on. It wavered for a moment and then finally the bulb heated, coating the room in a yellow glow. I saw the familiar circular room and the arches around its walls. I gazed around the room taking it all in before committing myself and stepping further inside.

  “What is this place?” Olivia whispered behind me.

  “I don’t know.” I shook my head. “Christine told me Tom, her husband, said there was just some junk in here.”

  “Something tells me Tom was lying.” She raised her brow.

  “Exactly. But why?”

  “Maybe he didn’t want her to come down here and get spooked. It’s pretty creepy.”

  “Maybe.” I scratched my head. “Anyway, this shouldn’t take too long since it’s a small room and there are no windows.”

  “And the fact that we don’t need to clear it top to bottom.”

  “No, but I brought some bleach and brush so we can clean the floor.”

  “Let’s get to it.”

  We set to work, scrubbing the floor with bleach and making sure we got every inch of the circular room. Then, opting to wait outside while it dried, we sat on the basement floor. Cold seeped through my jeans and into my arse but I didn’t care.

  “Let’s finish this cleanse and we’ll see if we have enough time to hit Amici’s.”

  We completed the ritual, making sure that we spoke Christine’s name loudly and clearly at the doorway where we left the bowl of water just to the side of the door. As I stepped over the threshold into the corridor, I stared back at the room, reached in and flicked the light off.

  “Do you think it worked?” Olivia asked. I turned to look at her and saw that she was staring into the room too.

  “I sure hope so.” I sighed. “Come on, let’s go say our good-byes.”

  We made our way back upstairs and I was glad that we left the basement and the cold behind. Up in the foyer, I smiled at the warmth that greeted me. For a moment I floundered. I didn’t know the woman well enough to go wandering around her house but then again, she wasn’t there.

  I led the way to the kitchen and found the lights blazing but the place empty. Olivia ogled the place before we made our way to the front room. There we found Christine lounging on the sofa watching TV, a glass of wine in hand.

  “Christine,” I made myself known and stepped into the room.

  Her feet uncurled and she sat up straight, an expression of expectancy on her face. “Hey. How did it go?”

  “Well, we finished the cleanse so fingers crossed that works.” I lifted my hand and crossed my fingers to show I was serious.

  “Do you think it will?”

  “Time will tell.”

  “Well, thank you for your help.” She stood up.

  “Don’t thank us yet. Give it a week.”

  She grinned. “You have been a star. Both of you.”

  “All in a day’s work.” I waved my hand. “Now come on, chauffeur, let’s go for something to eat, I’m starved.”

  Olivia rolled her eyes, said her own good-bye to Christine and we left the house. We got into her car and headed back down the drive. But I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling that not all was finished.

  The call I was expecting came just the next day. I had hoped it would have at least been a couple, but it was Christine’s sleep-deprived voice on the other side of the phone as I answered the next morning.

  “Peyton, it didn’t work.”

  Shit. “What happened?”

  A yawn. “I’ve heard noises all night coming from down there.”

  “What sort of noises?”

  “Like moaning. Even something that sounded like a scream.”

  “Sure it wasn’t just your imagination? Or a dream?”

  “I know what I heard.”

  “Yeah. Okay. Sorry. I guess I just wanted it to be okay for you. Listen I’ll do some digging and get back to you.”

  “Be quick. I don’t think I can take another night without sleep.”

  The phone rang off and I slumped in the armchair in front of the TV without seeing the screen. We had worked so hard to cleanse the room and clear it of any spirits but she was still hearing stuff. And what’s worse is that it seemed louder and more persistent than before. At least before it just seemed like it was now and again and more of a curiosity that was keeping her going back to the room.

  I needed a plan and fast. I wasn’t in this for the money or the fame or anything but I had promised a service to this lady when she came to the solicitors’. So far, I’d done nothing but cleaned the room she never used. With a deep sigh I picked up the phone. It rang twice before it was picked up on the other end.

  “Hello?”

  “Sylvia it’s me.”

  “Peyton, how are you?”

  “Not so good. Are you free?”

  “For you? Always.”

  “Be there soon.”

  I made my way upstairs to get ready. It was time to seek some counsel.

  “So you think there’s something down there?” Sylvia asked, crossing her legs. Two cups stood on the table in front of us, steam rising into the air. In the more recent months my visits with the psychic had become more frequent and more involved. She had begun to boil the kettle whenever I set foot in the place. There was never coffee. Something about the woman screamed that she was all about the natural stuff. There was always herbal tea on the go and over time I found that I quite liked it.

  I nodded and took a sip of my drink, the peppermint smell hitting before the spicy taste. “I know there is. I tried the thermometer and the—”

  Sylvia shook her head with a smile. “That’s all well and good but you need to listen to your senses.”

  I sighed. “I got a pain in my head like I do when I can sense spirits but it was different this time. There wasn’t a lot of pain, it was more like a dull ache.”

  “Okay. What else can you tell me?”

  “I’ve told you everything.” I shrugged.

  “Close your eyes.”

  “What?”

  “Close them.”

  I did as I was told and closed them. My hands were folded neatly in my lap but I was all too aware that just across the table, Sylvia was watching me.

  “Now I want you to picture the room just as it is. You are standing in the centre of it.”

  I breathed in deeply and transported myself to that spot. I saw it just like I remembered earlier that day. The red brick arches and the concrete barricade that blocked each of
them up. The ceiling that was low, touching the top of each arch and the hard ground beneath the feet.

  “Tell me, what do you feel?”

  I took another deep breath. “I feel uneven.”

  “Why?”

  “The floor is sloping. Gradually.”

  “Are you leaning to the left or right?”

  “Slightly to the left.”

  “Does that mean the slope is toward the centre of the room?”

  “Yes.” My heart hammered. There was a slope in the floor. I hadn’t noticed it while in the room because I was too busy focusing on the rest of it, getting it right.

  “What else do you feel?”

  I took another deep breath and brought myself back to the centre of the room. Now I was aware of the slope. I let it slide into my mind where it slotted nicely and then became a nonissue. “I don’t feel . . . alone.” I hesitated at the word, all too aware of how it sounded as it slid through my lips. I was standing in that room completely isolated from anyone. Christine and Laura still peered at the door but inside I was alone. Yet I wasn’t.

  “Who is with you?”

  I concentrated. I couldn’t see anybody. I couldn’t feel a dark presence but I felt something and it was new to me. This one I found hard to put my finger on.

  “I don’t know.” I shook my head.

  “Concentrate Peyton.”

  I listened hard, honing in on the soft buzz that wound its way through my skull. It sunk through my skin, deep into my veins and brought with it a despair so thick I thought I might collapse right then. It snaked through my veins, following the flow of blood through my body and into my heart where it seemed to slow the very beat of the organ and then back through to my mind. Then it hit me in one dull thud that rocked me so violently my eyes flew open and I almost fell forward.

  Sylvia was waiting for me, her arms holding me steady. I took a deep breath, slowing the pounding in my chest and then I looked at her.

  “Who was it?” she asked in a soft voice.