Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  “You mean the safe haven for abandoned and orphaned kids?”

  “Yeah…is that something that still interests you?”

  “You know it does, Barbara…it dovetails nicely with what we just left, too.”

  “Maybe find a place big enough to offer that as well as living quarters for all of us as well. Would be great to be able to be on site and oversee it.”

  “Sure. But none of the rental properties are going to work for that.”

  “Maybe we can find something around here that might be good. I am sure there are options out there, we just need to poke around.”

  “Sounds good. You still feeling up to doing all this with the twins coming?”

  “Are you kidding? After some of the stuff we went through, a pregnancy is a snap.”

  Cole laughed with her and they flicked off the lights in the bedroom, both optimistic about what lay ahead for them, both with the new addition to their own family as well as this new professional endeavor.

  Safe Haven Search

  They arose the next day eager to begin their search for a building of a size that might serve as both the safe haven for the disadvantaged children as well as a new home for their growing family. Cole and Barbara drove around for days and spent hours looking at a myriad of options that might serve them well for both purposes. Wetheral and some of the immediate environs near the River Eden had possibilities, but in the end, none of them seemed quite right. Mostly, the buildings they looked at could have served for one function or the other, but not both. With all the properties they had a hand in already, both Cole and Barbara agreed that the last thing they needed was additional property to have to keep track of. If they could just find one place to house the children as well as themselves, they would take it on but they had decided early on that assuming two additional structures was out of the question.

  They explored as far north as Corby Hill, and even ventured across the river to Broadwath and Heads Nook. The further east they ventured from Wetheral the less they liked the lay of the land. Scotby, just northwest of Wetheral had some definite possibilities, but the proximity to the M6 just made the location too busy and noisy for their liking. Just as they were becoming more and more pessimistic that what they ideally wanted might not exist, Barbara suggested a side trip to Carlisle.

  She had not been in the area since she was very small, but the Carlisle Castle had always been one of her favorites. Despite the neglect and even deliberate demolition using parts of the castle walls for raw materials elsewhere in the land, the history and intrigue of the ancient bastion had thrilled Barbara as a young girl. It never ceased to amaze her that even after all the years and wars and other incursions, that a place originally built in 1066 by William II, son of William the Conqueror it was still standing.

  Carlisle had grown a bit since she had been there as a child, but the reputation she recalled of it in the 1990’s of high crime and impoverished living standards seemed to be gone. The city center had been redone making it nearly unrecognizable to Barbara from the dangerous narrow alleyways and shadowed tenements which had been advised to avoid at all costs when she was a little girl. A charming new pedestrian thoroughfare had been added as well and they strolled casually as they talked over what to do next. Cole could see that she was tiring as they walked along and he led her to a bench so they could rest and talk.

  “Seems like we are running out of local options, Barbara.”

  “I know. I had no idea it was going to be so challenging to find what we need.”

  “We don’t have to stay around Wetheral, you know. We can expand our search, I guess.”

  “We could, but I know how that part of the country is so special to us both. You ever been here before, Carlisle I mean?”

  “Oddly enough, no. Funny how such a well-known location, practically in your backyard just sometimes gets missed.”

  “You like it?”

  “Yeah, I do. Good sized town but not overly crowded. Lots of history and the charm of the castle? That’s hard to beat.”

  “I know it’s a bit out from Wetheral, but you think maybe there might be something here?”

  “Had not occurred to me.”

  “It has sure come up in the world since the last time I was here as a kid.”

  “Certainly would be worth looking into as long as we are here, I guess. Seems to be a lot of activities of interest to kids. From the safe haven we want to establish as well as our own horde.”

  After a quick bite to eat, Cole and Barbara piled back into the car and just began to aimlessly drive about, with Barbara acting as an informal guide pointing out what few landmarks she recalled from years ago. On the edge of an encroaching forest, just on the other side of Carlisle near Upperby Park, Barbara had Cole slow the car and pull over to a wide spot in the road.

  “Look at that would you?”

  She pointed across the way at what looked like the remains of an old stone mansion that was just barely visible through the overgrowth of trees and shrubs that looked as if they had not been cleared for some time.

  “That old pile of stones masquerading as a mansion, you mean?”

  “I do. I wonder what it is?”

  “Sit tight and let me take a quick look see.”

  Cole was becoming more and more concerned with how easily fatigued Barbara was getting as her due date got closer, so he jogged across the field to see if there was anything that might indicate what the dilapidated structure might be. It was certainly curious looking. The sun was beginning to drop away, but in the fading light Cole saw that the encroaching greenery was obscuring what must have been in its day a magnificent house. The drive was overgrown with weeds as well and all he saw was an old, splintered sign indicating “Shawc Hou”. The sign was as damaged as the house itself. Cole assumed the “Hou” was part of house, but he had no idea what the “Shawc” might refer to.

  He hurried back to the car as the last light of the day fell away to tell Barbara what he had found.

  “It was hard to see in the fading light, but it looks like an old manor of some sort. Has definitely seen better days, but it is large and the bones look pretty solid…at least from what I could see.”

  He told her of the cryptic letters remaining on the dangling sign at the entrance, but they meant nothing to Barbara.

  “It is getting too dark to see much more, Barbara, but from what I saw…and take this with a grain of salt…I wonder if this old place might be the answer to our search.”

  “What?”

  “I know…I know…it sounds weird, but that place might serve us. Let’s get a room for the night and come back on the light of day and take a closer look. Zady and Vince are staying with the Andersons for another day anyway. As long as we are here, why not?”

  “Yeah…why not?”

  ……….

  They returned the next morning to take a closer look at the stone structure that they had accidently stumbled across the night before. Cole drove them right up to the entrance and Barbara looked over the sign still having no clue as to what it might be referring to. In the bright sunlight, it was still hard to see all the outlines of the edifice. The impinging trees and unruly growth of shrubs and thorny bushes hid the overall features. They walked in past the weed-infested cobbles that made up a massive driveway that actually circled back on itself. Once they had passed through the entrance, the trees opened up a bit and the sun lit up the front of what Cole figured must have been at one time a very impressive structure. The lower level was heavily charred, obviously from a major fire that had not occurred not too long ago. The neglect in the drive as well as the house itself was peculiar, as this was the kind of place that Cole saw as having real potential to once again be magnificent.

  At the end of the drive, the building just sat, a sad heap of stones. Like an old toy that a child had no longer cared for and had simply been discarded. They went closer to find what had been at one time an ornate gate that led to the actual grounds of the mansion. Unl
ike the broken-down sign out front, this was adorned with a metal plate proclaiming “The Shawcroft House”. Suddenly the damaged sign out front made sense. Oddly, the plaque on the gate was the only thing that seemed unscathed by the years. They both froze in their steps as they gazed up at what they both saw as a charming multiple-story house that was just what they had been searching for.

  The upper levels seemed still relatively untouched by the fire that had destroyed most of the lower level, and that would serve as the perfect home for their family. Meanwhile, Cole was sure the damaged lower level could be restored to its former grandeur for use as the home for the orphaned and abandoned children’s shelter they had in mind.

  “What do you think, Barbara?”

  “It’s…well it’s…”

  “Perfect?”

  “With some work…yeah…”

  “You ever hear of the Shawcroft House in your visits to Carlisle?”

  “Cannot say that I have, other than it seems to me that I recall one of the mayors of Carlisle might have been named Shawcroft. Maybe an old family home of his?”

  “Could be, I guess…”

  They stood silent again as they took in the imposing, if somewhat rundown, building. They walked around the place, making a complete circuit as Barbara could not help but see gardens from a bygone day that had been let go to seed, much as the house. They talked about it and agreed that this made no sense. There must, they thought, be some reason that no one had brought the place back to life.

  “Maybe some sort of legal tangle?” Cole proposed as they returned to the front gate again.

  “Or a family squabble?” Barbara added.

  “Maybe the foundation is unstable and it cannot be repaired?”

  “Land seems too valuable for that. Wouldn’t you just tear it down and build something new?”

  “Sure seems so…”

  “Well…before we get our hearts all set on it, I guess we need to go into Carlisle and see who can tell us more about this place. We may be getting all excited over something that is not even for sale.”

  “It’s so perfect, Cole. I just know this is it…”

  Little Dark Lies

  Cole and Barbara spent the next day going from office to office in Carlisle asking about the run down and burned and apparently abandoned Shawcroft House. Though it was a matter of finding the right people to talk to, what they did find was that no one much wanted to talk about the old place. It was not that they denied knowing about it, but just that it was obvious that they had no interest in talking about it. There was a look in their eyes that let Cole and Barbara know it was a topic they chose not to discuss. Finally, they were steered toward the Carlisle Town Planning and Zoning office (CTPZ) where they were told they could get all the details on the property. They talked as they walked over to the CTPZ building.

  “Barbara…was it just me or were a lot of those people we just talked to today giving us odd looks about this place?”

  “I did not notice…what do you mean?”

  “Oh, I don’t know…like it made them uncomfortable just having the idea of the place being talked about? Just was this look in their eyes…hard to describe. Like they were being soiled by just the conversation?”

  “Can’t say I picked up on that. Maybe the fire there is still a painful memory? You know how small-town people are about their history…”

  “Yeah, I guess that could be it.”

  The CTPZ building was just a generic looking place that blended in with all the others along the street. Cole held the door for Barbara as she labored to into the lobby. The receptionist smiled as they approached her desk.

  “How can I help you?” she asked.

  “Cole and Barbara Caruthers to see Mr. Gerrity. I think he is expecting us?”

  “Oh, yes, of course Mr. and Mrs. Caruthers. Ted Rimpold over at the Treasurer’s office said you would be stopping by. Wait here and I will get Mr. Gerrity for you.”

  She gestured to the bland-looking sofa in the lobby and Barbara was happy to get off her feet after having run all over town with Cole all morning. In just a few minutes a tall and lanky man approached them. He was actually about Cole’s age, they supposed, but he was not aging well. He was thin, almost to the point of being emaciated, and had just a few hairs remaining in his head looking as if they had simply not gotten the memo from their brethren that it was time to jump ship. His skin was pale and sallow and Barbara thought back to their work in the third world where they had encountered many poor inhabitants that looked better off physically than Mr. Gerrity.

  He shook their hands weakly and Cole could not help notice that despite the warmth of the office, his hand felt clammy to the touch.

  “So lovely to meet you both. Please come back to my office where we can talk in private. Could I get you anything…tea, water?”

  Both Cole and Barbara declined his offer and followed him down a poorly lit hallway and into a large, but sparsely-furnished office. Garrity returned to his chair behind the desk, sinking into the padding like he was thoroughly exhausted. Cole and Barbara took the two chairs facing the desk which appeared to be for visitors.

  “So…Ted Rimpold tells me you have some interest in the Shawcroft House out near Upperby Park?”

  “We do, Mr. Garrity.”

  “Matthew, please…how can I be of assistance?”

  Cole went slowly and methodically through their history since departing from Britain following their graduation from university. He laid out a basic overview of what they wanted to do now and how they felt like the Shawcroft House would be the perfect location to achieve their project.

  Garrity sat quietly as Cole went through his presentation. It was impressive, he had to admit. Their history as well as the ambitious plans for helping out abandoned and orphaned children. And God knew there were plenty of both in Cumbria. Through his contacts in the city and beyond, Garrity knew the social service system was more than overloaded with such children. Everyone, himself included would be thrilled that someone wanted to step in and not only ease the burden on government programs, but from what he had heard, offer a much better support system than anyone else was currently providing.

  At the same time, he was fully aware of the not so proud history of the Shawcroft House, especially when it had still been the Hellingly School. Garrity was newly in town, fresh out of his own university program when the truth about the Hellingly School became public knowledge. He, like most others in and around Carlisle, were still horrified about what had gone on there. And it was not just the moral outrage. Carlisle was suffering from the guilt and shame that they had let it happen. Sure…maybe when it was formed and just underway there might have been an excuse. But as time went by and public and government institutions were being held to a higher standard, it seemed inconceivable that it had continued unchecked.

  It seemed horrendous that it had taken a former resident, Sven Potter, the man responsible for making what was actually going on at Hellingly, to open everyone’s eyes to the truth. Garrity shuddered, he hoped invisibly to the Caruthers, as he thought back on the history of the Shawcroft House. He did not know if they were aware of the dark history that hung over the place and even though he knew he should reveal it, he was reluctant. In his heart, he knew to not disclose the story was possibly irresponsible and certainly unethical. But at the same time, he held out a hope that if the location could be utilized for such a worthy cause that this might cleanse the spot.

  Surely they had seen the blatant neglect that the property had endured for so long. It was a beautiful location otherwise and he was sure the questions were just forming in their minds as to why. Garrity was not proud of his decision, but in the long run he was hoping to remove this long-standing blemish from Carlisle. So, if they asked specifically about the place, he would not outright lie. Otherwise he would dance around the harsh reality of the old school. It was a skill he had honed with great skill since becoming a government bureaucrat.

  “What can you t
ell us about the property, Matthew? Seems like it has seen better days.”

  Garrity smiled and chuckled. They had given him the opening he had been praying for.

  “That it has Mr. Carruthers. It was a school at one time, long before I arrived in Carlisle. Went by the name Hellingly back then. In fact, they were trying to accomplish a lot of the same things you and your wife have indicated you have in mind. For disadvantaged children, I mean…”

  “I see…looks like it suffered a fire though.”

  “Yes. Back in the 1970’s, right after I arrived here there was a bad fire that damaged most of the lower level as I am sure you have already seen.”

  “We did. Shame. Such an imposing place. I am sure it must have been magnificent in its day.”

  “It was. Here are some examples of what it looked like in its prime.”

  Garrity hauled out an old book he kept handy that showed the highlights of Carlisle through the years that he often used for public relations purposes in his job.

  “Incredible, Matthew!” Barbara exclaimed as he pointed out the old photos of the Hellingly School to them. “So where did the name Shawcroft come from?”

  “After the fire, the owners and administrators did not want to continue on and they deeded the property to Cumbria, with CTPZ as its overseer. The current mayor of Carlisle at the time was Lawrence Shawcroft. It got named after him, though I am not privy to why that was. It was a sad time for all of us in Carlisle and no one has come along since with an interest in reviving the old girl. Until you two that is.”

  “Well, we certainly would like to talk to you more about this,” Barbara said as she looked at Cole seeing him nod enthusiastically back. “Would we just negotiate with you and your office then?”

  “For all intents and purposes, yes. Due to its location and age, the British Heritage Society has the actual deed as it was deemed with historical site status in the mid-1900’s. I will talk to them, fill them in on all your plans and then we can work up a sale contract through my office. Just a formality I assure you.”