by David Kempf
“I understand. I wish the best of luck for you and your daughter.”
The good priest was better than his word. For the rest of her natural life, Mary Helen never saw him. Not ever again.
That same day, Lucy and Mary Helen saw another familiar face. It was Tom. He had returned to ask how they were enjoying their new country home.
“I hope the two of you are very happy here,” said Tom.
“We were until earlier today, Tom.”
“What happened?” he asked.
“Lucy fell off the swing and hit her head. She claimed that Rebecca Badman pushed her. She was quite convinced of it.”
“Mary Helen, how the hell did she know the name of one of Badman’s daughters?”
“I think you know who told her that, Tom,” said Mary Helen.
“The priest did,” he said.
“Yes. I told him that he would see us in court if he ever, ever talked to us again.”
“Good. Good. Stay away from that priest; he’s irrational and delusional.”
“I know, Tom.”
“Mary Ellen, he’s dangerous!”
“I know, but Tom, you could have never, ever sold a house at this price if there wasn’t something wrong with it. Could you?”
“There is nothing wrong with this house but there was everything wrong with one of its previous owners. He went crazy and killed his family.”
“Yes, I know that.”
“Mary Helen, that’s no reflection on the house. You have a great home!”
“I know, but since you came to see us, I want to know, I want to know what in God’s name happened here after the murders in ‘79.”
“I’ve already told you that. Four families moved in and have since relocated. They’re not in Hell, Purgatory or Limbo. They’re not haunting your house or coming back during a séance. They’re just simple families who’ve moved on to another location. That’s all. There is nothing mysterious or mystical going on here.”
“I see,” she said.
“Mary Helen, Lucy fell down and hit her head. It’s natural. It was an accident and it happens to kids playing all the time.”
“I know, but this whole thing is very weird.”
“If Lucy keeps seeing Rebecca or any other little imaginary friend, then I suggest you send her to a good child psychologist.”
“Thanks for stopping here today. I really appreciate it, Tom. Lucy and I still have a lot of things we need to take care of. We’ve got some work to do around the house.”
“I understand, but if there is anything I can ever do for either of you then please let me know.”
“I will. Thanks for everything, Tom. See you later.”
Mary Helen knew that neither Tom nor Father Warsaw was telling her the complete truth about this house. It was time she found out on her own.
The priest received another visitor regarding the most infamous house that was ever for sale in the whole county.
“I need you to leave Mary Helen alone,” said Tom.
“I know,” said the priest.
“I mean it! I don’t think you realize who you’re dealing with anymore. Father, you could be in for more trouble than you can imagine. Leave that woman, her daughter and that house alone!”
“Tom, I was trying to do the right thing,” said Father Warsaw.
“I know you were, but now it’s time to do the smart thing!”
“I need to know that they will be safe,” said Father Warsaw.
“You know my employer makes no guarantees for their safety,” said Tom.
“I think you should have more pride in who you work for, Tom.”
“Father Warsaw, no one ever said the real estate business was ethical.”
“There are vast differences between unethical and evil, Tom.”
“This discussion is over, sir.”
“Yes,” agreed the priest.
“Don’t worry about my soul, I’m damned already,” said Tom.
“No one has to be damned, Tom. It’s a choice.”
“Father, I’ve made my choices. Like Adam and Eve, I made the choice to pursue forbidden knowledge. I would rather be damned than ignorant of the true nature of things.”
“That’s pretty deep for a real estate agent, Tom.”
“Yes, Father.”
“No one should make the choice to damn themselves.”
“I wasn’t sure that it was a choice. I thought there was such a thing as predestination,” said Tom.
“No. We choose our own destiny, Tom,” said Father Warsaw.
“Goodbye, Father.”
“Goodbye, Tom.”
The good priest did not like Tom’s fatalistic attitude. He was trying to warn Mary Helen. He was trying to warn Tom. No one would listen to him, even though he had nothing but the best of intentions.
Mary Helen didn’t trust anyone anymore. To her, the priest and the real estate agent seemed like they had ulterior motives.
The next day she asked everyone in town about the people who lived in her house after the ‘79 murders. Mary Helen also asked her neighbors. One of them was a retired policeman named Jack Smith.
“Can you please tell me what happened to all the owners of this home after the deaths?”
“I wish I could,” said Jack.
“What do you mean?”
“The truth is that no one really knows.”
“Nobody knows what happened to four families?”
“That’s correct. What did you hear happened to them?”
“Well, no one in town wants to talk about it.”
“I see. That’s to be expected. It was the damnedest thing I’ve ever heard of. They said all the people just disappeared.”
When Mary Helen came home, she was disgusted with her daughter, who kept saying she was playing with dead family members of the former owners. Mary Helen couldn’t help wondering if Lucy was just trying to get her attention. Then it happened. Mary Helen started to hear the voices.
“I am your master now.”
“Who are you?” she asked.
“I am the demon Mortgageus.”
“What do you want?”
“I will eventually leave you in peace but it comes at a high price.”
“You want my soul?”
“That’s a given. You must do one of two things.”
“What?”
“Murder them all.”
“Who do you want me to murder?”
“Everyone you know. Your daughter, your friends, her friends, your family, your neighbors, everyone you know!”
“Leave her alone, Mortgageus!” said a familiar voice.
Mary Ellen was surprised. It was Tom.
“This is between us, Thomas. Leave us alone or perish.”
“I’m tired of working for you. You see, Mary Helen, the reason everyone left your house after purchasing it is because the demon would not leave them alone. They are all in hiding in reclusive locations. The world has forgotten them now. The fiend even disguised himself as the Badman family to confuse them. He wanted to hide the truth of the matter. He didn’t want you to know what he really wanted,” Tom explained.
“What does he really want?” she asked.
“When Badman killed himself and his family, the demon had told him to murder his family. I tried to sell the house after that but the demon said he wouldn’t allow it. I had to work for him or my family would be murdered by my own hands.”
“Enough, Thomas!” said Mortgageus.
“For months all I could hear in my head were his evil words.”
“What did he say?” she asked.
“Sell them. Sell them all!” Tom said.
Mary Helen was obviously confused.
“There are good reasons why there are so many houses for sale too cheaply. They’re all over the county. They are all over the state. All over the country and the world! They are the haunted houses that have Satan himself as their true owner.”
“What?”
M
ortgageus works for the devil. He is a minor league demon who demands we do his will!”
“What?” she asked again.
Mortgageus was now so furious he chose to physically show himself. Although he didn’t have a pitchfork, he did have horns and a tail. Mary Helen was surprised to see he was green and not the red color she expected.
“When I sell my quota of houses, Lord Satan will give me the majestic color of red all over my scales,” said Mortgageus.
“Don’t bring her into this!” Tom shouted.
“It’s too late to get your soul back, Thomas. You are beyond redemption. You are a real estate agent.”
“I refuse to do your dirty work anymore!”
The demon opened up his foul mouth and shot fire at Tom, who was incinerated almost instantly.
“Now, Mary Helen, you must choose. You have two choices.”
“What are my choices?”
“Murder them all or sell them all.”
“Okay, please leave me and my daughter alone. I will sell your cursed houses for you!”
The demon became invisible once more. Mary Helen couldn’t see how he was smiling.
“I’ll do anything you want, just don’t hurt my daughter, please!”
Mary Helen was astonished to see that the demon had become visible again. She was astonished. It was Father Warsaw, but it wasn’t. He wasn’t dressed like a priest, but rather like a businessman, a real estate agent.
“It was you all along?”
“Yes, I was wondering why you never noticed that I have no congregation to speak of. The only ones I ever met in the rectory were you and this big pile of ashes over here.”
Mary Helen was confused.
“Ah, why did I warn you he was the devil’s real estate agent and that you should leave? I’m a good sport, but you choose to be a skeptic. You’re an agnostic, aren’t you?”
“I was.”
“What joy it brings me to make you a true believer.”
“Did Tom know?”
“Tom? He never knew anything; I had a lot of fun fooling.”
“The choice I made was to spare my daughter.”
She looked down at the floor, acknowledging her cooperation with evil.
“Excellent choice you have made. Someday your beautiful daughter Lucy will make a great real estate agent. I have some beach front property in New Jersey I would like you to look at……”
“I hope I made the right choice. I hope for my daughter’s sake, I chose the lesser of two evils.”
“Yes, Mary Helen, you did. But not by much.”
Chapter 11
The Thing from Christmas Future
By Christopher Wisdom
“I was almost as dead as a doornail,” said the thing. “Nothing else about your life’s story will make any sense without future generations knowing that!”
He was right. I was a homeless man who lost his job as a social worker during the greatest depression the world had ever seen. It was surely the worst of times. Life became unbearable for most humans during this time. The creature was frozen in ice for over two hundred years and wore a gray, metallic space suit. His yellow eyes always stuck out in my mind. He came many years ago in his ship and had to be frozen to stay alive. Like him, the other creatures from his home planet, Norne, were scavengers. They had to freeze themselves whenever they needed to adjust to a new planet’s atmosphere. Norne’s inhabitants always relied on the kindness of other life forms to get them out of the ice. They were an immoral race in every way but one. They needed to repay the life debt to whoever rescued them from the terrible ice. The creatures could not be trusted for anything, but in this they were completely trustworthy!
“What’s your name?” asked the thing.
“Howard Dickens.”
“Well, Howard Dickens. This is going to be the greatest Christmas you’ve ever had!”
“I just want food and shelter,” I replied.
It was true. I once had a comfortable, middle class, American lifestyle. I worked with the poor and downtrodden in my social work. The whole idea was just to make sure that they were getting their government assistance, food stamps, healthcare and reasonable housing. When the economic collapse occurred, everything changed. The government collapsed and poverty and crime were running rampant! This was the great depression of 2011. Life today is a nightmare struggle for daily survival.
“I think we can do better than that!” said the thing.
“What can you do to help me and others in need?” I asked.
“Help others in need?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t follow,” he said.
The creature was about eight or nine feet tall. He was pale white with a gigantic head and big green eyes. He had a crazed look on his face and his head was larger than the rest of his body. His brain must have been big. The thing smiled at me with his tiny, red mouth.
“You’re the one who dug me up and out of the ice. What do you want me to do just for you?”
“I would like to meet the president; he could help us all if he really knew how bad things were.”
“Listen, Howard. I’m not a freaking genie. I don’t grant wishes. There is no flying saucer and no one wants to be taken to your leader. I can’t explain anymore. It’s easer if you come on board my ship. It will take you where you need to go.”
“Okay. What’s your ship called?”
“It’s called a bughum. Hop right in!”
I went inside the thing’s ship and it was pretty small. There was a remote control panel with one big switch in the middle of it.
“Where are you from?” I asked.
“Howard, that isn’t important. What matters is what I can do for you. What day is it?”
“Why, it’s Christmas day!”
“Let’s go back to Christmas Eve ten years ago.”
“Okay.”
I saw myself a decade ago. The creature told me that we could witness all these events without the people of the past being aware of our presence. It was amazing. There I was, a young salesman, going door to door selling insurance. I worked for an unethical company (is there any other kind?) at that time. Sometimes I would try to talk people who couldn’t afford it into purchasing our life insurance. The plan didn’t cover all that much, but I used my sales skills to exaggerate its virtues. We were at the home that changed my life one fateful Christmas Eve.
“Who’s the kid with the crutch?” asked the thing.
“That’s Liam Hawks. His parents and five siblings call him by a different name.”
“Let me guess,” said the creature.
“Little Liam,” I said.
The thing watched my expression as I told the parents that I couldn’t sell them my lousy insurance. It was right there and then I swore I would quit business and perform social work. I even said that my family and I would do everything we could to help Liam with his various diseases.
“Did the little brat die anyway?” the thing asked.
“Yes, but the whole point was that…..”
“It changed your life and made you love social justice.”
“Yes. If you’re from another planet, how can you speak English?”
“Shut up, Howard. This ain’t the time. Hop back in!”
So we traveled even further back in time to when I was a child. I saw myself opening up my model train sets and my toy racing cars. My loving parents smiled and laughed as I joyously opened up my gifts. Christmas morning was very special. The excited look on my face was delightful to my mom and dad. My brother also got just about whatever he wanted for Christmas. It was amazing stuff, the past, no doubt about it. I was so glad to enjoy again those precious memories of holidays long gone by.
“Why are you so happy?” the thing asked.
“My parents are so glad that I was happy, that it fills my heart with joy!”
“No!”
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“You’re happy because you’re getting wha
t you want for Christmas. That’s the only thing that makes human beings happy. This sentimental nonsense you’re discussing is an afterthought.”
“No. You’re not human so you don’t understand.”
“Wrong. You are human so you should understand!” the thing argued.
This creature whose life I saved seemed to be a bit on the cynical side. I could tell he didn’t have a whole lot of good thoughts about the human race. Humanity was selfish and uncaring, in his mind. Come to think of it, he was pretty selfish and uncaring himself. The thing was selfish and mean as far as I could tell. His only redeeming quality seemed to be that he wanted to reward me for saving his life from the ice.
“How did you end up frozen in the ice for all that time?”
“That’s not important right now. We have to go back even further in time than before. Hop in the bughum again!”
This time we went all the way back to my father’s childhood Christmas. It was his boyhood home in the rough, working class neighborhood in New York where he grew up. His father was a factory worker who did not make near the amount of money my dad did as a stock broker. It was strange to see my dad, his two brothers, and his two sisters as children. There wasn’t much there in terms of toys. Everyone got a candy cane and some used clothes. No toys at all! There was still such thankfulness on their faces. My father, Campbell Jr., was the first to open the presents since he was the youngest. The eight-year-old boy opened up the box and saw that he had received socks.
“Thanks, mom and dad, Merry Christmas,” said young Campbell.
“You’re welcome, honey,” said my grandma.
“Let’s all open up,” said my grandfather.
“Thank you!” said both of his brothers.
“Love you, Mom and Dad!” the youngest sister blurted out.
“This is turning into the best Christmas ever!” said my grandfather.
I was overjoyed at watching the humility and true Christmas spirit of my family. It made me feel very proud of them and a little guilty at all the good things I’d had growing up. The thing could read my mind.
“That’s your problem,” it said.
“What?”
“You feel guilty when you should have asked your dad and mom to get you more.”
