Darren and Louise debated and discussed Abberfield as a possibility for many months, but even as Darren’s business had grown and with the possibility of Louise perhaps finding a new job at the new school in Abberfield, it did not appear as if they would be able to swing the relocation financially. They had done lots of research in and around the Abberfield area, but even though it seemed as if the environment there would be a great place to raise the kids, there just seemed to be no way for them to swing the bottom line. The more Louise looked at Abberfield and thought about how Sheffield had begun to go downhill for them from a quality of life perspective, the more frustrated she grew over their conundrum.
When they were just a married couple, Sheffield had been fine. But over time, as all places in the area had experienced a rise in congestion and pollution and all the other downsides to economic growth in England, Sheffield was just not the place either of them thought was the best backdrop for raising Ava and Logan. However, no matter how many times they looked at the numbers and hunted and searched for an affordable option, they always came back to the same seemingly insurmountable obstacle. However, one evening when Darren returned home from work, a glimmer of light appeared to change everything. Darren was positively glowing with excitement when he arrived home, and Louise was completely baffled at what this could possibly be in reference to. Darren was for sure not a pessimistic person by nature, but his ebullience that evening was certainly out of character for him as well.
“Someone sure must have had a good day today…” Louise commented as Darren kissed her.
“In fact…” he replied, “I did. And this may perk you up as well.”
Louise raised her eyebrows at him and puzzled over the sly smirk on his face.
“Oh?” she asked as they moved to the living room where both Ava and Logan were absorbed with their own toys.
“You remember Peter Jeffries, right?”
“Your old partner before you went solo?”
“The same. Well, he gave me a call today and told me about a possible solution to our issue with not being able to move to Abberfield due to the cost of housing there.”
Louise went still as she felt her pulse quicken at the mere mention of Darren’s news.
“Peter Jeffries? Seriously? Did he get some sort of brain implant or something since I last saw him?”
Darren chuckled. He was well aware of what Louise thought of old Pete. Sure…Peter was no Rhoades Scholar, but he still liked the man immensely.
“He did not, sweetheart. But after what I have to tell you, I think you might want to give my old partner a break.”
Louise shrugged indicating she would be the judge of that. She patted the sofa cushion next to her and Darren sat down to explain.
It was not much talked about, Darren went on to say, but there was this one option in Abberfield that just might not only fit their budget, but also be the perfect place in which to raise Ava and Logan. On one of his many jaunts out into the area, Jeffries had come across this old abandoned church. He asked around, and it seemed that the place, even though it sat on a nice acreage in a private and secluded locale of Abberfield, had been fairly ignored over time. It had once, he was told, been a thriving and bustling part of the village, but its use as a house of worship was long gone.
Jeffries had poked around as to why this was, but either no one knew or was willing to talk. It seemed to him that long-timers were a bit nervous or maybe even skittish when asked, but knowing the rural people as Jeffries did, he just wrote it off to the way they were in general with strangers. The structure still had its basic bones in good shape—the stone and timber skeleton that had been there since its original construction generations ago. All Jeffries could pull out of anyone was that there had been a major fire in the 1930s that had gutted a lot of the interior. Either no one had the money or inclination to refurbish the old place, so it had just sat empty and abandoned. A new chapel had been erected on the other side of town and was now the current choice of worship for the good people of Abberfield.
It’s a small place as churches these days go, he continued, and would be a perfect size for us and the kids. Jeffries thinks we could probably get it for a song since it has remained vacant for almost a century now. According to Pete, the property is still owned by the Church of England.
Louise sat back and thought over all that Darren had just laid out for her. It seemed an odd choice for a home…an old abandoned chapel. But if nothing else, Louise had always prided herself on keeping an open mind about things.
“Live in an old abandoned church?” she finally asked after some deep thought.
“Pete took these photos for us to look over.”
Darren handed her a folder with a series of shots that showed the exterior and interior of the place as well as the surrounding property. Louise leafed through the photos as Darren sat back and waited on her response.
“Nice location for sure,” Louise replied as she continued to study the pages. “And it does look, from its basic frame that it must have been something in its day…even in the simplicity of the design.”
“I am sensing a but coming, though…” Darren said.
Louise looked up and smiled. He did know her well.
“Well…” Louise continued, “it does need a LOT of work to be livable. The fire seems to have really done a number on the place and time as well has not been kind to it.”
“I agree. But with my background and connections in the industry, I think we could make this a warm and comfortable home.”
Louise did not reply immediately. She loved Darren immensely and knew his professional abilities were impressive. But from time to time, he often took on more than he could handle from time to time, and projects often went either unfinished or took forever to get completed. She also knew that Darren, sometimes, probably due to his confidence—which to Louise occasionally bordered on cockiness—failed to really think through all the details of an idea before jumping into it with both feet. She wondered if this might be one of those times.
“It’s a big decision, Darren.”
“I know…I know. But we both want to get out of Sheffield, right?”
Louise nodded.
“And we both agree Abberfield would be perfect for the kids, right?”
She nodded again.
“And if I am not mistaken, we both would prefer to be living in the countryside vs. the growing hustle and bustle of the city, right?”
“Yes on all points, Darren…but…”
He held up a hand, and she stopped talking.
“How about this. We take a run up to Abberfield tomorrow and get a first-hand look at the property. It’s hard to really tell specifics from photos, though I do value Pete’s opinions and impressions from having worked with him for so long, despite your feelings about his intellect.”
Louise felt herself blush, a bit ashamed she had been so cold and callous in her appraisal of Darren’s old partner and friend earlier.
“If after we take a look ourselves, and you feel it is too much to take on, then that is the end of it. But it may just be that once we see it for real, we may see this is the opportunity of a lifetime if we want to move into the countryside. Then it will just come down to what the Church of England might want for it. I am hopeful they might be open to any kind of offer since the place is just sitting and wasting away.”
Louise looked to Darren and grinned. Of the many things she loved about him, this was paramount: he was always interested in her happiness and making sure no matter what he proposed that she was an equal and considered partner in the final decision. And…she had to admit that what he was offering was more than fair. She would keep this in mind and if nothing else go to Abberfield with Darren to look over the place.
“Sure. I think that is a fair offer.” She replied.
Trying to Make a Church a Home, Part 1
Abberfield, UK
September 2015
As Darren eased the car through the quiet and d
usty roads of Abberfield, Louise was once again struck with just how much she loved this small village. It had grown some over the last couple decades, but overall, it was just the same sleepy, peaceful hamlet she had fallen in love with the first time she had visited. The main thoroughfare had a few more shops now, including a new pub, The Drunken Duck.
Despite its’ odd name, the public house seemed a wonderful addition to the town. The people were just as friendly and unassuming as always, but she was still not convinced that renovating an old, abandoned church was how she wanted to live and raise her kids. She read off the directions that Peter had given them, and Darren drove through a series of winding dirt roads, lined with low stone walls, that branched off from town until they finally came upon an old sign indicating the site of the old Abberfield Church.
The sign itself was old and hanging from the metal sign support by just one hinge, the lettering and sign itself looking as if it was on its last legs. Louise did not take this first impression as a good omen, but she would, she promised herself, not let this try and color her final decision before she even saw the building. Darren drove slowly past the sign and came to a coasting stop as the stone and timber chapel came into view. He killed the engine and they sat and just took it in as the only sound around them was the intermittent pinging of the cooling car engine.
“Hear that?” Darren asked.
“Hear what?” Louise asked in reply. “I don’t hear a thing.”
“Exactly,” Darren replied with a smirk. “Nice change from the city don’t you think?”
Louise snickered having been suckered in by his set up.
“Want to take a walk around the place?” she asked.
Darren nodded, and they left the car to check out the property.
The longer they perused the grounds, the more Louise appreciated how accurate and thorough Peter’s photos had been. It was a beautiful setting. The chapel was set back in among a lovely grove of elms and beeches, with just enough of a thinning of the trees to allow the sunlight to illuminate the old building. However, out behind the old church was where the location really made its impact. Behind the structure, the rolling landscape of the property gave way to magnificent views of the edge of Abberfield as well as the many independent farms that lay between them and town. With the advent of progress, Louise had actually forgotten that places like this still existed.
They moved from the rear of the church to one side, and Louise froze in her tracks as Darren continued. It was only when he noticed she was no longer at his side that he reversed his path and joined her again.
“You OK, Louise?”
She just swallowed hard and pointed to a tighter grouping of trees just adjacent to the east side of the building. Darren looked over, following her arm to see that she had spotted a small smattering of headstones in the cover of the trees, what had obviously been designated as the church cemetery from years gone by.
“It’s just a graveyard, honey. It’s an old church. I agree it’s a bit unsettling, I guess, but not all that surprising all things considered.”
Louise took a deep breath and exhaled.
“Sure…sure…it just took me by surprise I guess. I had forgotten what this place once was I guess. Just not sure how comfortable I am with a graveyard right next to what might be our home.”
Darren nodded as he took her hand. Actually, he had not thought of them encountering this either. And though it was not an ideal amenity of the property, on some level, he liked the idea of their possible new property being connected with the history of Abberfield vs. the idea of the macabre or eerie association a cemetery held for some…and obviously, Louise was one of these.
“Not to minimize your concerns, Louise, but maybe think of this as history not as a scene from a cheap horror movie? We can always put in some more landscaping to cordon off the area if that would make you feel better.”
Louise felt a bit foolish at her childhood reaction to the plots, even though on a deeper level she recalled how frightened she had been as a little girl at the prospect of having to walk past the town cemetery that lay between her school and home where she had grown up. She took a few calming breaths and tried to push away those old memories as her pulse slowed. Taking Darren’s arm with her hands, she began to move them ahead so they could take a look at what really mattered: the condition of the interior. Also, true to Peter’s photos and opinions, the exterior of the church still seemed solid and structurally perfect. The interior, though? It was also as decimated, and rundown as Peter had indicated. Louise had to admit the man had painted them a pretty accurate depiction of the place.
Though she was no professional builder, there was no place that Louise looked as they walked about the interior that seemed not to have been touched by either fire or time. The one nice touch that remained, seemingly unaffected by either were the stained-glass windows on the side walls of the chapel. For Louise, who had little to no religious affiliation, she appreciated that the glass there did not depict any religious stories, but were simply beautiful multi-colored designs that sprayed the interior with a myriad of kaleidoscopic-like illumination. And as she let her imagination take over, Louise could indeed see how the simple and basic interior of the old church could possibly be transformed into a spacious and inviting home for them.
“What do you think, Louise?”
“I hate to sound like one of those people on one of the many home improvement shows on TV that are all the rage these days, but it does have potential. At least from my creative eye. How about you?”
“It does need some work, but quite frankly it is mostly cosmetic from what I can see. Professionally, I would recommend completely gutting the interior and starting over from scratch based on the damage that has occurred due to time…plus the fire. Maybe hire an interior designer who can work with you to create a space you really love.”
“For real?”
“Absolutely. If you can deal with the adjacent graveyard and are happy with the overall concept of redoing an old church, then yeah. The rest is just materials and sweat.”
Louise considered his assessment. Realistically, she could see the major interior work that would be required, but if Darren, in his professional capacity saw this as possible then that was good enough for her. The graveyard was a bit unnerving to her, but she was sure she could deal with her old childhood anxieties associated with cemeteries. And in the end, if they really wanted to live in Abberfield, this might be their only option…assuming the Church of England was open to negotiation. Certainly, the bucolic environs of Abberfield would be a vast improvement to raising children over the growing congestion she saw coming in Sheffield.
“Well…” Louise said, “I guess the next step is to see what the Church of England might want for this place.”
……….
In a shockingly surprising turn of events to both Darren and Louise, an initial meeting with officials from the COE gave them the go ahead. There was little of any negotiation to be done, and the couple was thrilled as the elders they spoke to accepted their bid for the old church without even a single counter-offer. Darren had become so accustomed to the back and forth game when it came to real estate proposals from his building business that he was a bit taken aback when what he was sure was too low of an initial offer was readily accepted. The paperwork for a change of ownership was a simple and straightforward process, as the COE, from the perspective of real estate law, was seen as a different sort of current owner than if Darren and Louise had been purchasing from a private owner.
They shook hands all around, and Darren and Louise left the meeting in a kind of appreciative but baffled state having been told they would receive the necessary papers within a week or so listing them as the new official owners of the original Church of Abberfield. They left the dark environs of the COE meeting and squinted into the bright sun as they wandered into the park just across the lane to sit and talk.
“Um, Darren?”
“Yeah?”
“You are more versed in these things than I am, but wasn’t that a bit weird just now?”
“How do you mean?”
“I’m certainly lacking in experience in this area, but it seems to me they were pretty quick to take our initial offer.”
“Maybe, maybe. To be honest, I was surprised at how quick it went myself.”
“In all your previous professional experience, have you ever seen something go like that? I mean…no counteroffers, no discussion, no negotiation?”
Darren bit his tongue before replying…actually bit his tongue, not just metaphorically speaking to excuse the pun. In fact, he had seen this happen from time to time, and in almost every instance, barring just naiveté and amateur hour, it was the result of desperation and/or fear of something unrelated to the deal. But, he did not want to freak Louise out by bringing these examples up at the moment. Darren had a sneaky suspicion that the COE was not inexperienced in these matters, despite being “men of God.” Most likely there was something else going on behind the scenes that they were unwilling to divulge, even if pressed. He thought back to how Pete had gotten stone-walled over the backstory on the church.
“It does happen, Louise. Not a lot but it does happen.”
“So? Any thoughts on what is going on here?”
For the first time since he had known Louise, Darren lied to her. Well…not lied exactly, but in some worlds, a sin of omission is the same thing. And in his mind, he was not completely sure of what might actually be going on at COE, so he “bent” what he guessed might be happening. In the end, they had gotten what they wanted and for a great price. The last thing Darren wanted to do was make Louise wig out on supposition.
Haunted House Tales Page 88
