by Aiden James
He eyed John serious.
“Maybe I should shut the hell up about all this.”
“If you don’t mind talking, I’m quite interested in the rest of the story that brought you to where you are today,” said John.
“Well, there’s really not a whole lot more,” said David, pausing to pour himself more cocoa. He added some peppermint Schnapps that John brought from the kitchen. “The old bastard finally died, and when he did my dad started spending more time in Chattanooga. My aunt and her husband were the only other folks living in the house besides me and him.”
He paused again to blow on his cup and take a sip.
“By then, I was a junior in high school,” he continued. “I earned all-city and second team all-state honors in both my junior and senior years playing football. On a recruiting trip during the spring of my senior year, I visited the University of Colorado and instantly fell in love with Boulder. The campus seemed so big to me, since I was a small-city kid from Tennessee. That’s where I met Norm, since he was being recruited the same weekend I was. I played quarterback and he was an all-state halfback from Mississippi. We hit it off immediately….” He grew quiet as he reminisced.
“And you never left Colorado, I take it,” said John. “It became your home.”
“Yes it did,” he confirmed. “Miriam and I decided to stay after graduation. She sometimes misses San Francisco, where she’s from. I’ve never missed Chattanooga.”
John nodded again, on the verge of asking him another question, but first switched the CD in the player for another one he fished out from the pile. A soothing arrangement accompanied by a beautiful voice soon resounded from the player.
“You mentioned to me a couple days ago that before driving up to Gatlinburg from Chattanooga you visited with your aunt,” he said, relaxing in his recliner with his cup of steaming cocoa in hand. “You’ve kept in touch with her, I see.”
“Yeah, I have,” said David. “But until this last visit, it’s been mostly Miriam’s efforts to stay in touch. I guess I blamed her for not protecting Celeste and me from our grandpa, since I’m sure she had to see the way he watched her daughter. Celeste used to tell me how creepy he made her feel, and that he touched her on more than one occasion where he shouldn’t have.”
“Did you ever tell your dad about this?”
“I did. All that got me was a close-up view of his backhand coming across my face.”
“Oh, I see.” John shifted his gaze to the fire.
“It’s all right,” David assured him. “I got over it once I was the hell away from there. My dad died from a heart attack when I was in college, and after graduation I confronted my aunt with some questions I had about him. She had no idea how much I disliked him, and I told her then I hated her father even more.”
“How’d she take that news?” John returned his gaze to David, a deeply curious look on his face.
“Actually much better than I expected,” he said. “I frankly didn’t care what she thought, assuming I’d never speak to her again after that day. But she told me how she used to cry at night, worrying about my welfare after my mom died. I remembered then how she was the one to keep me in line with my schooling. To be honest, if she hadn’t taken the time to make sure I participated in sports, my life would’ve turned out much different. I could very well have turned into the asshole my dad and grandpa were, because she told me how her grandpa was even worse. In her mind, they were all trained from a young age to be abusers, and she recalled how he was just as much the incestuous letch her father was.”
“That’s really too bad,” said John, solemnly. “Sorry to have taken you down this road. I hoped to learn something that might link our current problem with Allie Mae.”
David told him not to worry and then asked whom the beautiful voice belonged to as the song ended.
“That’s Trisha Yearwood and the tune’s called “Georgia Rain”, I believe,” he said, moving over to the coffee table and the CD cover sitting on top of the stack. He picked it up, squinting in the dim light from the candles and the fire burning nearby. “I’ll have to tell you tomorrow, when I can see it.”
“It’s a beautiful song,” said David. “There are a few CDs here I’ll need to add to my collection when I get back to Denver. Who would’ve thought?” He smiled.
“Maybe it’ll help you to not forget your southern roots!” John chuckled.
“Maybe so.”
The conversation about David’s upbringing finished, the two moved on to other subjects, passing time while they listened to more music from John’s collection. Soon midnight arrived, and then twelve-thirty, the visitation time favored by the ghost. David added the last log to the waning fire. For the next hour they both patrolled the main floor, listening for any unusual noises or other phenomena. But other than steady cricket chirps and calls from the usual nocturnal creatures outside the cabin, all remained quiet.
They retired for the night around one-thirty. Leery of sleeping apart from the protection of one another, David camped out on the couch while John grabbed another blanket from his room and stretched out in the recliner. They lit extra candles and set them on the mantel and end tables in the living room.
David’s dreams were vivid, filled with images both familiar and not. The strongest image he remembered the next morning was of John bending over him, dressed in buckskins, beads, and a headdress while shaking a painted gourd and chanting strange phrases. A bright, ethereal haze surrounded him, and he wore a worried look on his paint-streaked face while continually looking over his shoulder. Every time he turned back to David his words and motions grew more urgent. He continued his frantic chants and antics while an ink-like mist permeated the air behind him, emanating from the cabin’s fireplace. The row of candles on the mantel blown out, a pile of ashes was all that remained of the last log on the hearth.
Chapter Thirty-six
The dawn’s light seeped into the cabin through the back windows, fending off the early morning coolness that had penetrated the living room through the darkened hearth. Sometime during the night the electricity came back on, assured courtesy of Allie Mae’s retreat. The recliner had tipped over and John, along with his husky, Shawn, were absent.
Not fully awake, David struggled to sit up on the couch while he looked around the living room. Books, magazines, and other items lay scattered on the floor. The CDs had fallen haphazard over the coffee table’s edge, along with the player on its side with the hatch open. Broken candles strewn throughout the room, luckily none had ignited the furniture or the cabin’s wooden structure. Only the dream catchers remained undisturbed, along with Allie’s bag, where seven runes still surrounded it on the dining table.
“John?”
No immediate response. The commode flushed in the bathroom. Shuffling footsteps followed, and John soon emerged from the hallway next to the fireplace. He wore several bandages across his brow and left temple. Shawn tagged along behind him, favoring his right paw.
“Well, at least we look like twins.” He forced a wan smile while pointing to his brow. His clothes disheveled, he looked exhausted.
“What the hell happened in here?” asked David, rising gingerly to his feet. His lower back hadn’t responded well to the couch’s unforgiving contours.
“I believe I underestimated the spirit’s wiliness,” he replied, limping over to where David stood. “At least we’ve survived to see another day, eh?”
“She did all this?”
“Yes, and not just in here.” John motioned to the kitchen and then toward the hallway he just came from. “Allie Mae’s got a nasty temper, and I hope she’s not planning to extend her stay.” Despite his haggard appearance, he managed a chuckle.
“When did all of this happen?” David couldn’t believe he actually slept through the assault.
“She returned just after three this morning, but didn’t become a true nuisance until the fire completely died around four-thirty,” John explained. “She came in through
the chimney. I heard Shawn whimpering and I awoke in time to see her shadow hovering above you on the couch. I recited prayers for protection that my grandfather taught me long ago. She left you alone, taking her anger out on me.”
He paused to look at the mess around them.
“She hurt Shawn too. His right paw’s tender. Her tantrum didn’t end until a short while ago, around six o’clock. I hoped to have the place straightened up before you awoke.”
“Thanks for saving my life, John,” said David, “but you should’ve woke me up to help you.” He thought again of the strange dream images. At least he knew now what inspired them.
“We’re not out of the woods yet,” John advised. “She’ll be back, but hopefully not before we’re ready to face her.”
He patted David’s shoulder and looked away, turning his attention to the mess around the coffee table. David helped him clean up, picking up other items and debris strewn throughout the main level. He then aided John in restoring the recliner to its original position.
“I need to try and reach Miriam.” David moved into the kitchen. Several pots and pans lay in the middle of the floor, amid broken glasses and the emptied contents from the flour and sugar bins. “I’ll help you clean this up once I find out what’s going on back home.”
“You worry about your family and I’ll take care of this myself,” said John, limping over to a narrow broom closet next to the pantry.
David called Janice’s number. The first call went to voicemail, and when the second call reached the third ring he worried his next call would be to directory assistance to find the number to the Littleton Police Department. Just before the fourth ring, a woman’s voice groggily answered.
“Hello?”
“Jan, it’s David. I know it’s early, but is everyone okay?” He immediately felt hopeful once he heard her voice.
“David, we’ve been trying to reach you!”
Muffled voices followed as she placed her hand over the receiver.
“Thank God you’re okay!” Miriam, her voice sounded hoarse.
“Yeah, we are…at least for now.” He shot a wry grimace toward John, who picked up the larger glass shards and placed them inside a small trashcan. “Are you and the kids all right?”
“We made it through the night, but none of us slept much,” she said. “It got really hairy around here after we lost contact with you. The front door to Jan’s home will have to be re-placed. I’m calling Detective Colby first so he can come over and see it.”
“But nobody was hurt?”
“Yeah, we’re okay,” she said. “But if her attack lasted any longer, that might not be the case. I’m keeping the kids with me at all times today, and I’ve already called Eileen to let her know I won’t be coming in to the clinic for the makeup appointments I moved to this morning. After taking care of nearly all of my canceled appointments last week, it looks like I’ll be doing it again next week. She and Jim have been very patient through this, although I haven’t been truthful about what’s actually going on.”
How could she? He doubted anyone would consider a haunting to be a legitimate reason to miss work.
“I guess it helps to own a third of the practice.”
“That’s true, and I’m thankful for it. What about you and your friend John—are you both all right?”
“Allie Mae came back here after you and I got disconnected last night. She struck again early this morning and physically attacked John. I imagine she’ll be by again before the day is over. John’s granddaughter is planning a ceremony later today that should end this once and for all.”
“I pray it works. But what if it doesn’t?” She sounded resigned that it wouldn’t.
“It’ll have to,” he told her, more confident than he felt. “Either way I’m coming home tomorrow. I can’t let her antagonize you, the kids, or Jan anymore!”
“Just be careful. Don’t do anything stupid,” she told him, as if fearing the bravado behind his words. “She’s much more powerful than most angry spirits, even a demon, and I didn’t need Sara to tell me that to know it’s true!”
“Evelyn’s every bit as good at this type of thing as Sara,” he assured her. “If what happens today doesn’t fix the problem, nothing will.”
“That’s exactly what Sara said last night. She talked about the strength and wisdom of John’s granddaughter.”
An awkward moment of silence followed. He desperately wished to be on the other side of the line where he could hold and comfort her.
“Call me on my cell phone once the ceremony’s done,” she said. He could tell she fought not to cry. “We won’t be staying here tonight. As soon as the door’s repaired today, we’re renting a couple of hotel rooms near the Tech Center. Jan booked our reservation once the power came back on last night. If Detective Colby can find time to stop by here before we leave, great. But we won’t wait on him if it gets dark.”
“I promise to call you,” he said. “Please be very careful. You and the kids mean more to me than anything, so remember that—regardless of what might happen to me.”
“Please don’t do anything foolish, David! You mean the world to us, too, so please listen to John’s granddaughter and stay safe!”
She wept. He waited for her to hang up first. John had almost finished cleaning up. He advised he had two tours at the visitors’ center that morning, at nine and ten, the only ones he couldn’t find someone to fill in for him. David insisted on taking him to a doctor once he showed him several large bruises along the outside of his left thigh and leg. But he refused to go, stating he once experienced far worse injuries falling off a horse, which ‘healed up fine’.
John showered and got ready for work while David whipped up some eggs and bacon for breakfast. Afterward, John called Evelyn to let her know what happened. Alarmed about his injuries, it took him another ten minutes to assure her he didn’t need to see a doctor. She insisted on speaking with David anyway, and made him promise to forcibly take her grandfather to the emergency clinic in Gatlinburg if the wounds worsened. She then advised him to be ready to begin the ceremony around four o’clock, and that it consisted of two parts, the latter of which would be completed later tonight.
Within the hour John left to go to the visitors’ center. Per his instructions, David placed Shawn on his leash behind the cabin. John had bandaged the husky’s wounded paw to where it stabilized, and since very little swelling he decided to wait and see if the injury improved before taking him to a vet.
By 9 a.m., David returned to the Econo-Lodge in Gatlin-burg. Rather than risk facing Allie Mae alone in the cabin, he promised John to meet him at the visitors’ center for lunch, and they’d return to the cabin together. A pleasant surprise came when he found everything untouched in his room, including his newly purchased wardrobe.
Making the most of the reprieve, he quickly trimmed his beard, brushed his teeth, and jumped in the shower. He repeatedly peeked over the shower curtain, expecting Allie Mae to suddenly be there. But she left him alone. He smiled as he exited the hotel with his packed suitcase in hand, grateful for his most mundane experience since returning to Gatlinburg. He hoped it was a positive omen.
David visited a fashionable clothing store on Gatlinburg’s strip where he purchased several turtleneck sweaters to hide the bandaged injuries on his neck. Once back in the car, he changed into a beige sweater. With all of his personal business finished, he headed back to Cades Cove.
“You’re looking dapper,” John observed, once David caught up with him in the gift shop. “Are you up for a bite to eat?”
David glanced at his watch. 11:28 a.m.
“Sure.”
“Evelyn’s planning to cook a pot of chili for tonight, which should be ready around five,” said John. “There’s an excellent deli in town.”
David drove them out of the park and onto Gatlinburg’s strip, to Pete’s Sub Shop located in the older section near the Uber Gatlinburg tram. The excellent club sandwiches and a couple of H
einekens reminded David of the lunches he often enjoyed in downtown Denver with Norm. Non-intrusive subjects such as the Vols’ football fortunes and the steady flow of tourists that would soon taper off near Halloween and then start up again around Christmas dominated their conversation.
They returned to the park around one o’clock, where John picked up his cruiser and David followed him to the cabin. The place seemed peaceful under the mid-afternoon sun, with virtually no sign of the assault endured from the spirit’s nocturnal visit. John walked to the back to check on Shawn, his limp already less noticeable, same for the dog. Shawn’s tail wagged fiercely as he jumped up on John’s uniform with dirty paws.
The cabin sat atop a hillside, which David hadn’t realized from the front. The woods’ sloping expanse behind the property and the bluish mountain peaks provided a breathtaking view. Shawn’s doghouse sat a few feet from where the hill sloped and the thick brush and tree line began.
John scanned the area looking for signs of Allie Mae’s presence, and nodded his head when satisfied she wasn’t anywhere around. He led the way inside his home through the back door.
Hickory smoke and the cinnamon flavor from yesterday hung in the air along with the bacon scent from breakfast. After John changed out of his uniform into jeans and another flannel shirt, they spent the next couple of hours watching HGTV programs, until Evelyn arrived. She wore her hair pulled up, dressed in a UT sweat suit, looking like she had hurried about since she got up that morning. Along with her duffel bag, she carried two paper bags filled with the ceremonial supplies she needed. After giving a warm hug to them both, scolding her grandfather again for not being more careful, she set the items next to the table.
“We’ll be ready to begin in about twenty to thirty minutes,” she advised, glancing at the clock above the oven that read 3:37 p.m. “I’ll need until then to get everything set up. Grandpa, I hope you don’t mind me using the small wooden bowls Grandma used for desserts.”
