Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  It was mostly disembodied, just a floating face that came toward her with purpose. Sarah closed her eyes and pushed herself away from the bathroom as quickly as she could, still on her rear. She tried in vain to will the specter away, but when she opened her eyes it was just floating in front of her like it was magnetized to her. Realizing she was not going to escape the thing, Sarah ceased her movement and looked around for something…anything to defend herself with. But there was nothing she could reach. As terrifying and macabre as the image was it was nothing compared to the sounds.

  Arms materialized from below the face and reached out toward Sarah as the image murmured in a child’s soft voice, over and over.

  “Mummy…mummy…mummy…”

  Sarah felt like she was losing her mind. Then new voices joined in the chorus. From all parts of the house Sarah was overwhelmed with the sounds of children’s voices.

  “Mummy…mummy…mummy…”

  The voices echoed in her brain and Sarah clamped her hands tightly over her ears as she bent forward and begged for it to just stop. But the cacophony of voices was relentless. Sarah struggled to her feet and ran to the front door and pulled and jerked at the thick oak plank with all her might, but she simply could not budge it. The voices continued, growing in volume and making Sarah feel like she could take no more. Cabinet doors banged open and closed as did all the other doors in the interior or the house and the lights, once appearing nonoperational, now flashed on and off. The TV sprung to life as well, the volume at an almost ear-splitting level.

  Sarah was near the breaking point and finally curled herself into the fetal position on the floor, fearing for her life. Then, just like that, it all ceased as Sarah felt a strong set of arms grasping her, trying to lift her up…

  Lacey to the Rescue

  Sarah screamed again as she felt the arms around her and she flailed her own arms wildly in every direction to free herself from whatever it was that had her in its grasp.

  “Sarah! Cool it! It’s me, Lacey!”

  Sarah heard the words, but she was so caught up in what had just happened that it still took a few seconds for them to really sink in. She spun around to face Lacey and it was only the recognition of her face that made her relax and stop fighting. She felt all the strength go out of her body and she clung to Lacey like a drowning man to a life preserver. Lacey was now on her knees as she held Sarah, the pizza she had brought along askew in the box on the floor near the door.

  “Oh, Lacey! Thank God you are here!”

  “What the hell is going on, Sarah?”

  Sarah sat up, wiped the tears from her eyes and looked around wildly trying to see if her tormentors were still present. Lacey reached back, reset the pizza in its box and shut the door as the wind was blowing leaves in through the opening.

  “How did you get in? The door was locked…”

  “Just turned the knob and pushed…I heard you screaming from outside…”

  Sarah pulled her knees to her chest and buried her face in her hands, fighting off a new wave of tears. With Lacey’s help, she struggled to her feet and they walked to the kitchen and sat at the table, after Lacey put the pizza box on the counter. She took Sarah’s hands in hers to try and calm her friend’s continued trembling wondering exactly what it was that put her into such a state. The Sarah Howells she knew was a rock…not this quivering, mass of jelly in front of her at the moment. As Sarah began to recover, Lacey got up and brought her a glass of water, and Sarah began to go through everything that had happened to her that night.

  She described her interaction with the eccentric…even creepy…Peter who had hired her and then laid out each incident that had occurred since she had been alone. Lacey listened with the loyal patience of a friend, but her whole story sounded so incredible and wild, that she just could not get her mind wrapped around it. She had known Sarah only a short while, but this version of her friend was far from anything she had seen. Sarah was still wearing her coat, but as Lacey could see, the temperature in the house was about average for this this time of year. There was no evidence of the frigid condition that Sarah had described. In fact, the house felt a bit warm to Lacey’s taste, and she got cold very easily. As well, all the lights seemed to functioning perfectly and the TV was chirping along just as you might expect. As to the footprints, and strange sounds, and visions? Lacey could not say…all she had was Sarah’s story.

  As they sat at the table, Lacey looked over to see a dog pad into the kitchen wagging its tail. She smiled at him and he just wandered off. At least there was a dog that was real, she thought.

  “That Toby?”

  “Yeah…he comes and goes. He’s been pretty skittish around me so far.”

  Something must have happened, but in the back of her mind, Lacey began to wonder if Sarah might be having some sort of breakdown or other mental health issue. It was just too bizarre to have been real. In the meantime, she just nodded and tried to support her and see how rest of the night went. The longer they sat and talked, the more Sarah seemed to return to the person Lacey knew. There was still a glint in her eyes that she was on guard against something in the house, but overall she appeared much better.

  “How about we have some pizza and just chill out, Sarah?”

  “Sure…sure…why don’t you zap some slices and I’ll find something on the TV for us.”

  Lacey watched Sarah walk off, wondering what she might have gotten herself into. She had never had any experience with something like this. If Sarah was suffering some illness, she sure as hell did not know how to handle that. But on the other hand, if what she had seen and heard was real? That was just too crazy to even consider…She popped the pizza into the microwave and got out some plates and napkins and drinks. She heard Sarah flipping through the channels in the den as she carried in the food and drinks, taking and then releasing a huge deep breath as she went.

  “Dinner is served!”

  Sarah looked up and smiled as Lacey set the stuff on the coffee table between the sofa and the television.

  “Sorry about all the drama, Lacey.”

  “No worries…that’s what friends are for.”

  With that, they both dug into the pizza, and what had happened earlier was not discussed any further. They settled on an old detective film in the noir genre, both agreeing that perhaps watching another horror movie was not the best idea at the moment. They ate and laughed and enjoyed the program as Humphrey Bogart as Detective Philip Marlowe tangled with Laureen Bacall in the film adaptation of the Raymond Chandler novel, Key Largo. It was entertaining and exciting and suspenseful without the blood and gore and terror that Lacey figured was not a good idea.

  Just as Marlowe broke open the mystery of his case, Lacey caught sight of Toby wandering in, apparently to join them.

  “Sarah…look who has deigned to join us.”

  Sarah sat up and leaned over to see the dog standing in the den doorway, wagging his tail and looking hungrily at what was left of the pizza on the table, his tongue licking at his mouth.

  “Sorry, pal…it’s got onions…no good for you I am afraid.” Sarah said.

  Toby whined in disappointment as he sat down, still giving them his best plea for a taste.

  “Wonder what made him so visible all of a sudden?” Lacey asked. “You said he’s been hiding out all night, right?”

  “Yep. I have no idea. Maybe he just smelled the pizza and it was a better attraction than me.”

  They both laughed and returned their attention to the end of Key Largo. Toby padded through the door and came to stand by Lacey. He looked up at her longingly and she reached over to stroke his head. Lacey kept her attention on the television as she went to pet Toby, but she kept extending her hand further and further down, realizing at last that she was not coming into contact with any fur. Curious, she sat up straight and looked down in utter incredulity as she saw that her hand was passing straight through the dog’s body. He never moved, but she could see her hand just passing through his
image and she went icy cold.

  For a few minutes, Lacey just froze staring at her hand sitting midway in the dog’s form as he looked up at her. She closed her eyes and opened them again, but nothing had changed. Lacey jerked her hand back and sprang to her feet screaming as the pizza and drinks went flying from the table as her legs bumped them off. Toby raced off in the midst of the commotion.

  “What the hell, Lacey!”

  “The dog…he…he…”

  Sarah looked at her face and saw that all of the color had run away and that she was now the one trembling.

  “Oh, he runs off like that all the time…what’s the big deal?”

  “No…you don’t understand, Sarah.”

  “Understand what?”

  “Sarah…I am afraid that I owe you an apology.”

  “Apology? What for?”

  “When you told me about everything that had happened to you tonight? Before I arrived?”

  “Yeah?”

  “Well…I didn’t say anything, but I…well…I kinda thought you might be…how do I put it…”

  “Just spit it out, Lacey.”

  “Well…it was just too bizarre, you know. I was afraid you might be…”

  “What…nuts?”

  “Umm…well…yeah…I guess so.”

  Sarah just nodded realizing how fantastical her story must have sounded, especially since the house had reverted to normal when Lacey had arrived.

  “And now, not so much?”

  “Uh-huh…”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because, Toby? I just reached over to pet him, and my hand went right through him. Like he was not really there at all. But we both saw him, right?”

  Sarah nodded as she felt the wave of fear and panic return to her that had brought her to her knees earlier.

  “Well, Sarah…that ain’t a real dog…”

  Lacey’s a Believer

  Sarah stared at Lacey as they both sat unmoving, neither sure what to do next. Lacey broke the silence as Sarah replaced the remaining pizza slices and upended drink glasses on the table.

  “It seems as if there might actually be something to what you told me, Sarah.”

  “You thinking the dog is linked to all the noises and weird things I was seeing?”

  “Beats me…but all I know is that dog had no physical body.”

  “A ghost dog?”

  Lacey shrugged and fought off the nervous urge to giggle, realizing how absurd it sounded. What kept her from doing so was that all that Sarah had experienced prior to her arrival hardly seemed a laughing matter.

  “You never actually touched him, right?”

  “He never came close enough for me to try. I just assumed…what now?”

  “One way to check it out for sure.”

  Sarah nodded in agreement as she and Lacey left the den to look around the house for a real dog. Not wanting to split up, in case more apparitions manifested, they thought it best to stick together so any sightings could be corroborated by the other person. Sarah retrieved a large knife from the kitchen and then handed the poker from the living room hearth to Lacey as they began their search. Lacey looked at her with a bewildered expression as she reluctantly accepted the poker.

  “Weapons? Really? Against ghosts? And a ghost dog?”

  Sarah could not help herself as she snickered briefly with Lacey, realizing the black humor in the situation.

  “Well…just in case we find a more plausible explanation for all of this. I guess it is sort of silly, but somehow it makes me feel better.”

  Lacey shrugged.

  “Actually…me, too…let’s go.”

  The house was deathly silent as they wandered the lower level after Sarah had turned off the television. Nothing seemed to be out of place or disturbed and Lacey followed her as she indicated the staircase with a sideways tilt of her head. They searched all over the upper level as well, leaving no space unchecked. As they descended the stairs, Lacey spoke up.

  “Did you notice the way the upstairs seems…I don’t know…like no one has lived there for years?”

  “Yep. I was up there earlier and that stuck me too. I just figured for an old guy who maybe does not navigate steps so well anymore…”

  “Maybe…but you’d think he would at least clean up once in a while…or hire someone.”

  “You’d think…”

  “And for a guy who is so focused on his dog, have you seen any toys, or dog beds, or even any sign of food or food bowls?”

  Sarah now felt really foolish. This had not even crossed her mind. Lacey was right.

  “Yeah. And no sign of Toby anywhere.”

  They replaced the poker and the knife and wandered back to the den with no clue.

  “It would appear, Sarah, that the ‘ghost dog’ theory may have some validity. And that he is part of what you went through before.”

  Sarah came to an abrupt stop at the entrance to the den and Lacey collided with her back. She edged into the den so that Lacey could see what she had discovered. Lacey looked with wide eyes as Sarah felt yet another renewed sense of danger.

  “Just so I am not going crazy, would you mind telling me what you see?” Sarah asked.

  “You mean the bloody footprints across the floor?”

  “Uh-huh…and an empty pizza box?”

  “Oh, yeah…you don’t suppose the ghost dog had a snack?”

  “Not funny, Lacey.”

  “Yeah…sorry…just scared out of my gourd right now.”

  Sarah stepped closer and dabbed her index finger across one of the prints. Her finger came back red and wet as she stared at the prints in the shape of bare feet, just like she had seen in the kitchen. Only these did not seem to be vanishing as soon as they appeared. And…they were small…like they belonged to children.

  “Fresh blood, Sarah?”

  “Uh-huh.”

  “This what you saw earlier?”

  “Yep.”

  “OK. Let’s calm down for a second. This is definitely high on the ‘let’s get the hell out of here scale’, but it does not seem like the house is going all Amityville Horror on us at the moment. Let me see if I can get some background on this place.”

  “You going to the library?”

  “In a matter of speaking. My phone…the wonders of the internet!”

  “And then what?”

  “No idea. But it might help to know something about the place. Not sure it will help in the end, but I agree with you. Something about this joint is just not right.”

  Sarah cleaned up the spilled drinks while Lacey concentrated on her phone screen. It took just a few minutes before Lacey’s efforts produced results.

  “Holy shit, Sarah!”

  Lacey handed over her phone to Sarah as she sat with a look of complete terror on her face. Sarah read through the article that Lacey had uncovered about the history of the house dating back to the 1940’s. The more she read, the more frightened she became and by the time she had finished it she could hardly hold the phone steady.

  “You read all of this, Lacey?”

  “Yep. I think this is enough to justify us getting out now. This place seems to be harboring some serious entities besides Toby, the ghost dog, based on that article.”

  “You saw the name of the man who was found murdered here?”

  “Uh-huh. Peter Chadwell?”

  “Maybe just a coincidence?”

  “He ever give you a last name?”

  “Nope. But it seems too coincidental, you know?”

  “And the woman who was found as well? Did you catch her name?”

  “Umm…I guess I missed that. So what?”

  “Her name was Sarah also, my friend. Wife of one Eddie Mincer, who was never seen after the bodies were discovered. She had been married previously to Frank, the son of Peter Chadwell, father of Sarah’s 3 children. He was a veteran of World War II and was thought to have been killed or missing in action. But according to locals at the time, he reappeared suddenly
, long after the war was over. He also seemed to have disappeared following the murders.”

  “Sorry, Lacey…I am just thinking straight right now. Maybe you could pull this together for me?”

  “The crimes were never solved, but if I had to guess, I would propose that Frank came home from the war and found his wife with a new husband and he just snapped. PTSD is certainly not a condition that has just recently been unearthed, you know?”

  “You think he killed his wife, the kids and his father?”

  “Like I said…if I had to, that would be my guess. It is always possible that her new husband was responsible, but that seems too far-fetched to me, even though he vanished right after as well.”

  “Wow…so you think the old man, this Peter Chadwell, the grandfather and the three kids are still hanging around here?”

  “Plus, Toby, the ghost dog.”

  “I got hired by a ghost?”

  Lacey shrugged.

  “But that is not the worst of it, I am afraid.”

  “How much worse can this get?”

  “Your name? The name of the children’s mother?”

  “Oh, shit…”

  You said you heard the sounds of kids’ voices calling for their mother? And the vision you had of a bloody-faced little girl?”

  “Are you saying they think I am their mother?”

  “Who knows. But for whatever reason, the spirit of the mother does not seem to be with them. And your name is Sarah. Maybe just looking for a surrogate?”

  Sarah fell silent, feeling as if her world was being ripped apart.

  “You said the old man said something about you being perfect for the job? None of the other applicants came close to you? And he kept saying your name over and over, right?”

  “You thinking this old man is looking for a mother for the kids? And my name was the key in him picking me out for this gig? Which apparently is bullshit, since the dog here is actually a ghost dog?”