The Secrets of Oakley House

by S. A. Robinson

  “Miss. Litback, we would like to talk some more...” she began and was interrupted by the doorbell.

  Mariah looked in the direction of the foyer, wondering if it was okay for her to go answer her door. She had completely forgotten about the vent cleaners. Officer Watkinson waved her hand, gesturing Mariah to go to her door. Mariah obliged and walked as fast as she could out of the room, anxious to have a reason to send the officers away.

  “Miss Litback, I am Neil. I’m here with my crew to clean the vents. Can you show me to the main unit and we will get started?” Neil, the vent contractor was very to the point, and Mariah appreciated that greatly. She ushered him inside and took him through to the kitchen and out the back door to the AC unit that sat just outside the door, near the trash bins. Pointing him to the unit, she then excused herself and headed back to the sitting room, to hopefully get rid of the nosey officers. She hadn’t expected to see them chatting nicely together, as if nothing had happened when she walked back into the room.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO

  Mariah did a fantastic job dealing with the officers and before she knew it, they were saying goodbye. Olivia closed the door, but as soon as she did, Mariah whipped it open and went running after the officers. She had forgotten to get the mask and trash bag back. If they really wanted them, they could get a warrant.

  Once she was back inside the foyer, Olivia looked Mariah up and down, then she looked around the entry way. Mariah watched her, wondering what to say. Thanks for breaking all the dolls came to mind, but she wasn’t in the mood to start a fight while the officers were still in the driveway.

  “Mariah, I don’t want to sound crazy, but how did I get here?” Olivia gestured at the foyer and then to the sitting room.

  “You probably walked, I suppose,” Mariah sarcastically spewed, rolling her eyes.

  “No, really. I was wandering the grounds, and I decided to check out the graves again, but there was a child, a little boy. I ran after him and then I was here on the floor, being stared at by two cops.” Olivia rubbed her forehead and looked back to the siting room.

  “Ah, so just like the last time when you said you saw a guy in the woods and then disappeared on me?” Mariah shook her head, unable to believe what Olivia was saying. This had to be some kind of bad ploy for attention.

  “Fine, don’t believe me. But while you were sleeping last night, I saw a woman, she had such hateful eyes, her aura almost made me feel sick. Then there was the boy in the hallway last night when you were looking for mice, he had blood dripping down his face from his eyes, almost as if he was crying blood. I’m telling you; I saw a boy in the woods today, not his face but he was little, four maybe five,” Olivia huffed and then turned and walked through the hall to the kitchen, leaving Mariah standing alone by the front door completely annoyed.

  Olivia walked to the sink, grabbed a glass and filled it with water, then she gulped it down before filling it again and walking over to sit at the table. If Mariah wasn’t going to believe her then she would have to show her. She fumbled through the papers looking for any photos she could and piled them next to her water as she went.

  Mariah walked in sometime later, taking her sweet time. She was not interested in any more lies. She wasn’t even sure she wanted this dumb house any longer. No wonder the family before her sold it off at such a cheap rate. It is obviously a death trap.

  Mariah walked over to where Olivia was piling the pictures, and started flipping through them one by one. Mariah looked up at Olivia, then mentioned that instead of going through all these papers in the kitchen, they should move to the library instead. They could look for more information, while having a larger area to spread out.

  “I like that idea,” Olivia said calmly while beginning to gather the papers into a neat stack.

  Together they carried the papers and photos, along with some snacks and water to the library with the goal of figuring out more about Oakley house.

  “What secrets are you hiding,” Mariah said, running her hand along one of the bookshelves, dust collecting on her fingers. The air conditioner kicked on at that moment, sending dust flying around the room. Mariah coughed, then sneezed as she remembered the contractors that were cleaning the vents.

  She excused herself from the library and went to find Neil. After an extensive search of the first floor of the house, she found him in the back of the property, looking off into the woods. His crew nearby all talking and looking at their phones, every once in a while, one of the men would point up to her roof, and then to the ground, where there was still a faint stain of blood that had yet to wash away. She knew they were probably watching or reading about the death of Johnny, hopefully Margaret’s death hadn’t become public knowledge yet.

  “I see you got it working,” Mariah said loudly enough to startle Neil.

  “Yes, yes, all cleaned out. Though you will probably have dust throughout the house from air finally circulating. I suggest a thorough cleaning before running it too much,” Neil told her in a hushed voice. He was still looking back out to the woods every few seconds.

  “Also, you have a child roaming around on your property. I sent one of my men to look around for him, but so far, he’s found nothing. We know we saw a child though.” Neil scratched his head, he looked to be rethinking his current state of mind.

  “I’m sure the kid made it home,” Mariah chuckled with a fake smile. She was sure that the boy he saw must be the same one Olivia had claimed to have seen earlier this morning, before she blacked out, again.

  Mariah paid Neil, and told him he was welcome to wait for his other guy to venture out of the woods then she headed back to the library to see what Olivia had uncovered. The AC in the house felt amazing and she glided into the library with a new pep in her step. She said a silent Thank you to the person that installed it in the nineties before they left the house vacant for the better part of three decades. She wasn’t sure what she was expecting when she walked back into the library, but Olivia sprawled out on the floor surrounded by books was not it.

  “There are photos hidden throughout the books. Like someone didn’t want to destroy them, but also didn’t want them to be found, because who would even want to read this boring crap,” Olivia said, gesturing at some law books dating back to the early eighteen-hundreds.

  Fascinated, but not at all surprised, Mariah walked to the shelves and pulled another book off, this one from the highest shelf. It was leather bound, covered in thick dust, and didn’t seem to have a title. Naturally, she would grab the book with no title. She flipped it open to find not a book, but a journal. Mariah flipped through to the last entry. It was in English, but not very good English.

  Papa is gone from this world three months now. My sadness is so great that I do not know how I will go on. Sophia has married Uncle Abel. They expect a baby in the summer months. I have still been so very ill. Uncle says I shall go back to France to convalesce, but Sophia is a witch, she will not allow me to leave. I fear she is my poison and the reason for my extended sickness. Until we meet again, Olivette Oakley.

  Mariah finished reading, sadness creeping through her chest. The initials she had seen so many times in the house was next to the girl’s name. This poor girl. How long ago was this? she wondered as she flipped the book over hoping to find a date. None of the entries were dated, simply signed by the girl. Stuck in the very front of the journal was a photograph of a small family. There was a tall sturdy man in a nice suit standing next to a beautiful woman, the same one Mariah had seen in the basement, though in the picture she looked happy. A little girl stood in front of them wearing a pretty dress and holding flowers.

  Mariah pried the photo out of the journal, and flipped it over hoping for anything to be written on the back. There in smeared ink, were the names of the family, Oliver Oakley, Sophia Oakley, and Olivette Oakley. They looked like a happy family. Mariah showed the journal to Olivia, who found it just as interesting, if not more so. Olivia took it and sat down to read through the
entries, one by one.

  “You’re going to find this unbelievable, but I think I’m a blood relative of these people,” Olivia muttered.

  “I found a photo,” she said, pulling it from her pocket to look it over again. “It looks exactly like my dad’s side of the family, and my uncle slightly resembles the man in this photo.” Olivia stopped and looked around the room before settling her sights on Mariah.

  “I hope you don’t mind. I called an interpreter. I scanned some of the papers with your phone and emailed them to her. She will send back the translations as soon as she can.”

  Mariah nodded, glad that Olivia had taken that initiative. She had forgotten about the French aspect of the papers. Trying to absorb the new information about Olivia and her possible claim to Oakley house, Mariah plopped down into a chair near the empty library fireplace.

  This day was looking like it would be as long and tiresome as the previous days this week. She checked her phone, making sure her mom was okay, cleared her voicemails and muted the cell. She would need all her focus on this house today, no distractions. However, there was one thing she needed to do.

  “Why did you break all the dolls?” Mariah confronted Olivia as peacefully as she could.

  “I…I did what?” Olivia replied, genuinely stunned. “No way, I love those dolls. They were gorgeous and quaint.” Olivia stood, walking quickly toward the door. Mariah grabbed her hand, stopping her from leaving the room.

  “You broke them when you were in that trance-like state again, like when I found you in my kitchen with the mask and my blood-soaked clothes.” Olivia shook off Mariah’s hand and knelt down rubbing her head.

  “This house just does something to me,” Olivia said quietly, “Like sometimes I don’t even remember being here at all.” Olivia looked up at Mariah, sorrow in her eyes.

  “Well, what’s done is done, we can’t change it now. Let’s get the secrets of this damn house figured out before it kills us all.” Mariah laughed jokingly at her statement, though she wasn’t entirely joking. She really felt like this house, or whatever hateful spirit resided here, was out for blood.

  CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

  Early 1800s |Town of Oakwood

  Abel arrived just in time; his older half-brother Oliver died just days after he had settled into the house. Sophia, ever the faithful wife, spent countless hours crying into a handkerchief surrounded by neighbors, villagers, and members of the local government that worked with Oliver over the years. Newspapers told of how the mayor had died after an extended illness, and there was little known about what to expect next. Abel took care of all the arrangements, he settled debts, and arranged the burial of his brother on the property near where his children were laid to rest.

  Sophia spent her time between crying, caring for Timothy, and pretending not to even know that Olivette was there. In fact, it wasn’t until Abel questioned why Sophia was sending soup to the attic that anyone even knew the girl was there at all. Livid that his niece was in fact alive and kept in the attic like a piece of old furniture, Abel ordered the attic stairs be reopened and Olivette be brought down. She had not seen her father before his death and had missed his burial. Abel accused Sophia of being hateful to the girl, but Sophia insisted that the young girl was in the attic at her own bequest. She had been sealed there when she grew ill, and the house was sealed off from the attic to keep the other patrons of the house healthy.

  Supporting this, Olivette refused to leave the attic, even when her uncle tried to force her. She was a young woman now and had chosen her own path in life. She wished to sit alone in the attic with no company. She refused to allow the attic to be reopened to the other areas of the house, and begged Abel to leave her alone.

  Abel, seeking to know what his niece was sick with, called countless doctors to the house. Each one, having already seen the same illness in the other children of the home, told Abel there was no known cause to the illness. Olivette, too sick to fight for herself, resigned to her attic prison.

  Abel insisted that a cook be hired to prepare a heartier soup for the children. Sophia was angry that she was being kicked from her own kitchen, but she rescinded, nonetheless. Timothy was far too young for such a change. His body was too weak to handle a new food. He stopped eating all together and weeks after Oliver passed, Timothy died as well. Abel was not surprised when Sophia simply went numb. She had lost so many children already, and her husband died so recently. He doted on her, pampering her with new dresses, and the towns people again flooded the house to offer their condolences, bringing gifts and sympathy meals.

  Once the child was buried, Abel took notice that Olivette was making more and more trips down the stairs in order to visit the gardens at night. It appeared that whatever sickness she had was leaving her. Sophia, rejoicing for the health of Olivette returning, if even a small amount, celebrated by baking a small tart to accompany dinner. She was putting on quite a show for Abel.

  The evening was filled with small pockets of joy here and there as Olivette shared pieces of their lives in Oakley with her Uncle. Olivette shared their story, from when her and her papa had arrived in Oakley to the present day.

  She spoke of the days when Sophia was newly there, and the sorrow they all felt as the first baby went to heaven. Abel listened with great care, sipping rum while staring lovingly around the room, landing specifically on Sophia. As grim as the past weeks had been, things were looking up and Sophia was still a beautiful woman. Abel could hardly stop watching her floating around the house in her new dresses.

  Once the household was healthy again, Abel dismissed the cook, informing her that she would cook only on holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions. Sophia was ecstatic, as she was back where she loved to be, the kitchen.

  Abel had the cook stay one more day to prepare a lovely dinner for him and Sophia. Though she was quite a bit older than him, he proposed to Sophia that evening. Together they shared the news with Olivette, but only after they had set a date for the wedding.

  Olivette was horrified. Her uncle marrying her stepmother was not something she had foreseen.

  The two were married within weeks, and Sophia changed her name from Oakley to Monet. As Abel and Oliver were half-brothers, they shared different fathers and therefore had different surnames. Olivette retreated to her attic room, secluding herself from the newlywed couple for as long as possible. She began to only leave at night again. Sophia began sending food up through the dumbwaiter and Olivette was seen less and less.

  Things were returning to how they once had been. Sophia was happy. Abel was happy. Olivette was forgotten, even if it was by her own doing.

  To Abel’s dismay, Olivette began to take ill again. Fearing it was the attic that was the cause, he once again walled the attic staircase up, sealing it tight this time. Olivette received her meals from the dumbwaiter and once a week someone was sent up through the basement to clean the room, and change linens. It was on one of these cleaning times that Olivette learned from a maid that Sophia was pregnant once again. Sadness seeped into her heart at the idea of more children being brought into what she called the house of death.

  One night, Olivette sneaked out in the middle of the night on a mission. She wondered, sick and dirty into town where she sought the priest. She knew she would die soon, and after her father’s death she could hear the townspeople talking about the priest not being allowed to perform his last rights. She was going to get hers one way or another. Abel was off on a business trip, much like her father used to go on, and Sophia was caught up in preparing for a new baby, which included Sophia telling Olivette that her old dolls would go to the new baby if it was a girl.

  “Over my dead body,” Olivette had replied and went back to her attic room. Olivette felt like that statement would come true faster than she would like. That sparked this escapade to the church for the sole purpose of telling her story and finding peace.

  The priest was horrified at the state of Olivette. He had known her since she was
a small child, and he loved her dearly. He had seen so many children enter the Oakley house, never to come out again and Olivette’s condition made him wonder if there was anything to be done.

  When Abel returned, Sophia was close to giving birth. Olivette lay dying in the attic and the priest, sensing that death was soon coming to Oakley house again, came for a visit.

  Sophia tried to turn him away, but Abel refused and insisted he stay for dinner. They spoke about the illness’s and all the death surrounding Oakley. The priest suggested they perform a blessing throughout the house, or move the family to a new house closer in town where others could help with the care of Olivette, and any new children that would come from the union of Abel and Sophia.

  Abel was prepared to allow the blessing to occur but moving the family to a new house so close to Sophia having the baby was not an option. Sophia was angry that the priest had suggested her home was what was causing the illness. She insisted that it would get better and held off allowing the priest to bless the house.

  This again sparked talk in the town. No one dare deny the church’s blessing. People began to call Sophia a witch. The house was bombarded with school children sneaking over to peek through windows, and other townspeople coming to bring food in order to catch a glimpse of the Oakley witch and the sick family.

  Abel dispelled as many rumors as he could, but in the end, Sophia shut herself up in the house with her new baby, Ophelia, a little girl.

  The rumors only grew worse when Olivette passed away. Her body was carried from the attic to the woods where she was laid to rest next to her father. The town began talking about the girl who was locked away in the attic, left to die afraid and alone.

  Abel was horrified when he looked upon his young niece’s body, seeing the red that pooled from her eyes as though she were crying tears of blood. He had never seen anything so horrific. To his dismay, the priest confided that all the children that were carried from the house over the years, showed the same signs, some worse than others; with the exception of those born sleeping.