by G. F. Frost
“Let’s see, a few notes here. It seems that there are some pieces of original furniture in the attic and in the barn. Whatever you find will legally belong to you now. It’s all yours. Now, I understand that you want to lease out the farm acreage, is that right, Theo? I can help with that. Farmers are not hard to find out there,” Mister Simmons said. He was in a particularly happy mood that day due to his large commission.
Chapter Two
Once they’d attended to all the details and covered all the notes on Simmons note pad, Theo and Massey were on their way to their new home. Both of them were happy about the purchase. Even with all his doubts, Theo felt good about it. He knew it was good for Massey, and that was what mattered most to him. The smile on his face said it all. They discussed their plans for the place. Both agreed that they wouldn’t do much to change the original features of the house, so it would maintain the integrity the original owners so lovingly put into it.
It was late in the afternoon by the time they arrived at Lovesong House. Neither of them had seen it at this time of day, and it took on a different personality. The oak-lined drive was darker than before, and the orange and gold, shimmering rays of the sun had moved towards the house, giving the long drive more of a tunnel effect. There at the end of the monstrous oaks, stood the home. The afternoon sun shone directly down on the house as if it were a welcoming beacon for the couple. The whiteness of the wood nearly glistened in the late afternoon sunshine. It almost glowed.
From the darkness of the shadowing oaks, the car emerged onto the drive at the front of the house. Theo had hardly placed the car in park when Massey flung open her door and ran up the steps to the front of the house.
“It’s ours! Whoo Hoo!” she exclaimed as she opened the door. Theo smiled and then let out a laugh.
They walked through the house again and bragged to one another on their wise purchase. Theo patiently listened as Massey gave him descriptions of how she planned to decorate each room. She was as giddy as a schoolgirl. She felt that she was in her element once and for all. She could not contain her excitement as she grabbed her husband by the arms and gave him a loving kiss. Theo’s smile grew even bigger.
They had brought clothes to spend the weekend, and the two had a picnic dinner on the back veranda, making big plans for parties and future visits by family and friends. They slept in sleeping bags on the main parlor floor that night, but neither slept very soundly. Theo never slept well in a new place, and Massey had fitful dreams.
Sunrise came soon enough. Theo drove to the nearest grocery store and bought items from a list Massey had made. She stayed at the house and waited for the kitchen appliances to arrive. After the refrigerator and stove found their way to their proper places, Massey walked outside to see what was in the barn. The key fit snuggly in the rusty lock, but she had to fight with it a bit to force it open. The heavy barn doors creaked loudly as she pushed them forward. The dirt floor kept the doors from opening as they should, but they opened enough to let Massey enter. The light was streaming in through the doorway as she stepped inside.
The building was tall and endless. There were crates and boxes stacked in neat rows all along its walls. Farm equipment and tools occupied one entire side, and on the other side, there were piles of furniture. Dusty sheets covered some of them, while most stood uncovered on the dirt floor. Massey walked towards the furniture and began to pull off the sheets. Except for a few things, most were in good condition. There were huge armoires and dressers, tables and settees, trunks and chairs. It was a veritable antique store. She was thrilled.
After Theo returned, they unpacked the groceries and Massey led him outside to reveal her newfound treasures. He was amazed. He surveyed each large piece of furniture asking which piece she thought would work in the house. Together they pulled out the most elaborate pieces and placed them in the sunshine just outside the barn doors.
The fact that the previous owners had left the obviously valuable pieces to ruin perplexed them. There was a Victorian sideboard of such huge proportions that they doubted it would even fit through the doors. It was made of elaborately carved mahogany with lion heads and cupids engraved upon it. They found a large matching dining table as well. Theo and Massey spent the remainder of the weekend uncovering the treasures of the barn. They decided to polish and refinish most of them before finding their places once again inside the house.
The next few days and nights kept Massey busy with movers and repair men, yard men and drapery hangers, but before she knew it, the house was becoming their home. She enjoyed placing the cleaned and polished treasures from the barn throughout her new home. Somehow, they looked just right. Each piece seemed to speak to her and tell her where it belonged.
Every evening when Theo returned from New Orleans, Massey had a newly completed project to reveal to him. He approved of each one and praised her accomplishments as always. He was genuinely proud of the way the place was taking shape. Before he knew it, she had nearly furnished the entire house with items from the barn and attic.
Just a few weeks after moving in, Massey was making plans for a visit from their daughter, and she decided to finish decorating the room where Sadie would stay. Making her way to the attic, Massey hoped to find just the right chair to place in an empty corner of Sadie‘s bedroom. Far in a back area and partially covered, sat the perfect piece. It was a low chair with a beautifully petit-pointed cushion. It would be just right. As she lifted the little chair off the floor, she noticed a large covered item near the back wall.
“I wonder what is behind that sheet,” Massey said to herself.
Placing the small chair on the floor, she walked to the sheet and pulled it down from the item it covered. She jumped back in shock as a figure appeared before her but suddenly she realized she was looking into a tall, full-length mirror. She laughed at herself. The mirror was intricately fashioned of dark wood with a child’s face carved at the top center. Except for dust and a small amount of missing silver, it seemed in great condition. Massey knew the perfect spot for it.
The little petit point chair filled the corner just the way it should in Sadie’s room, and the large mirror made its way to Theo and Massey’s bedroom. It would serve them well each day as they dressed. Massey was thrilled with the way her home had come together and she felt happy and fulfilled that they had brought life back to the “old lady.” Things were good, and would only get better when Sadie came for her visit.
Theo had his big comfy chair in the parlor in front of his flat screen and his big comfy four-poster bed at night, so he had settled nicely into his home. Massey was content with her big old home and her little patio filled with potted herbs. She just hadn’t found the comfort at night that her husband had. Every night since moving in, she had suffered from disturbing dreams. She awoke in cold sweats and couldn’t remember what she had dreamed to make her so uneasy and unable to sleep more. They came every night. At first, she told Theo, but after weeks of the same uneasiness, she decided to stop bothering him with it and chalked it up to her still unfamiliar surroundings.
Finally, the day of Sadie’s visit arrived. Massey was busy cleaning every room and polishing the furniture to a fine shine. As she polished the large antique mirror in the corner of their bedroom, she noticed a large spot that would not wipe away. She sprayed and cleaned and rubbed, to no avail. As she stepped back to look again at the smudgy spot, she realized that it took on the shape of a human face. She could even make out the features, eyes, a nose, a mouth, even dark hair with curls pulled back from the pale face. It startled her.
At first, Massey thought that her eyes were playing tricks on her or that the sun shining through the blinds of the bedroom windows had caused some sort of glare, but again and again she approached it, and the face of a woman stared back at her. The face was becoming, and kind and friendly. Massey couldn’t believe what she was seeing. Just as she swiped the cloth across the face once more, she heard knock, knock, knock! She jumped.
Someone
was knocking at the front door. Realizing it was Sadie; Massey threw the cloth on her bed and ran down the stairs. Sadie was standing at the door with a huge smile on her face and an enormous warm hug for her mother.
“I didn’t think anyone was here,” Sadie said laughingly as she entered the door. “Wow, Mom, this place is terrific! How the hell did you and Dad find this! I feel like Scarlett!”
Massey took the heavy suitcase from her daughter’s hand and rolled it to the stairs.
“Here, we’ll let Dad take this upstairs when he gets home. You’ve got to be tired. I’ll make you some tea, and we’ll catch up,” Massey said as she placed her arm around Sadie.
Sadie walked all through the house running her hands across the antique furniture and pointing out her favorite architectural features. She was as taken with the house as her mother.
“I want to see upstairs first, Mom,” Sadie said as she ran up the stairs.
Massey followed close behind. Sadie checked out every room giving her mother her seal of approval and ‘oohing and awing’ at every detail. When shown her room, she walked to the window and looked out across the yard.
“That graveyard, are the people who lived here buried there?” Sadie asked.
“Yes, a lot of the family,” Massey replied.
“It’s kind of sad, huh, Mom?” Sadie said quietly.
“I guess. I haven’t really had time to think of it. Come on let’s get you some tea and a snack. We have so much catching up to do.”
The rest of the afternoon was a happy visit between mother and daughter. Nothing made Massey happier than spending time with Sadie. She was an only child and the love of her parents lives. She had chosen to finish college and remain in Houston when her parents moved overseas, and they had never stopped missing her. The happiest days in their lives now were those spent with Sadie.
“What was that song you were singing when I came to the door, Mom?” Sadie asked as she sipped the tea.
“I wasn’t singing, honey,” Massey replied.
“I could have sworn I heard you. It was pretty loud, a woman’s voice. It sounded sweet. I couldn’t make it out though.” Sadie was crunching on a cookie as she spoke.
Massey shook her head.
Sadie shrugged her shoulders as she reached for her cup.
It was not yet dark when Theo arrived home. Seeing Sadie near the barn with her mother, he walked as fast as he could with his arms stretched out for her.
“Pumpkin! How’s Daddy’s girl?” he yelled. His eyes and speech always lit up when he was with Sadie.
“Daddy, I love this place! Ya’ll have made it home already. I just love it here. How are you, Daddy?” hugging him tightly as she spoke.
“Do you love it enough to move here? There’s plenty of room? What do ya think?” Theo asked as he ran his fingers through her long dark hair.
“Oh, Daddy, remember, I’m grown now. I’ll come often,” Sadie said.
Theo hugged her closely again.
Massey cooked a huge dinner for Sadie with all the things she loved. Afterwards, they all sat on the veranda and listened to the loud sounds of the crickets and frogs chirping in the trees. They discussed the house and the antiques they found in the barn. Sadie told them all about her friends and her job and her boyfriend. They were happy to hear all about her life and so happy to be with her.
“I forgot to tell you something that happened to me today,” Massey said. “I was cleaning the mirror in our bedroom, and a face was there. I know it sounds crazy, but I saw it and I could not wipe it off. It’s really a face, I think.”
Theo looked at Sadie, and they both smiled.
“Your mom is not getting enough sleep,” Theo said as he winked at his daughter.
Sadie placed her arm around Massey and patted her shoulder.
“You’re reading too many mysteries, Mom,” she said.
Massey just smiled and shook her head. She was beginning to doubt what she had seen earlier that day herself.
Chapter Three
The days with Sadie came and went too fast. She and her happy personality kept things bright and cheerful during her entire visit. Sadie had that way about her. Her smile and her laugh could brighten anyone’s day. After a few days of movies and dinners and long walks around the property with her dad, it was all too soon, time for her to leave. As usual, the next couple of nights were a bit quieter around the house for Theo and Massey. It was always quiet after Sadie left.
Every day, Massey had checked the mirror for the face, but it was not there. It must have been my imagination, she thought. The dreams still came though. She woke every night late into the morning hours covered in sweat. Slowly, though, the dreams were becoming more vivid, more memorable. Bits and pieces remained during the day. Each morning, Massey would remember a fleeting image or an event, but as often is the case with dreams, nothing made sense.
By the time fall was in the air, Lovesong House had come into its own. Neighbors were stopping by, family came to visit, and the local priest was a regular for dinner. Finally, Theo and Massey were feeling that they had a home. The laid-back atmosphere and the friendly attitude of the area and its people were as welcoming as the house. Theo and Massey continued to organize the barn, they hired a man to keep the grounds, and a local businessman had leased the acreage for farming. All the pieces were falling into place.
With cooler weather came the hurricane winds and rains from the gulf, and Massey found herself spending more time indoors. One day, she decided that it would be a good rainy day to raffle through some of the old trunks in the attic. She made her way up the narrow stairs to the door of the room. A single light bulb swung from a cord in the rafters as she pulled its chain. Massey could hear the winds whipping their way through the old oaks as she sat in front of the rusty trunks.
The first trunk was full of dishes and newspapers, but the second and larger trunk housed old tintype photographs. Massey looked through them all. There were dozens of them. Most had names scribbled in pencil across the back. There were pictures of many Duseaus. Some were of only men with their hats and rifles, some were of families of children, parents, and grandparents standing in front of the large house, and some were of couples. Massey wondered to herself why no one ever smiled in the old pictures.
Did someone tell them not to smile? she wondered.
She thought of how today’s photographers force you to smile the fake smiles that make us all appear to be mannequins or on drugs of some sort. She laughed to herself. As she lifted each old frame from the trunk, she took the tail of her skirt and dusted it before admiring it contents. She thought of what their lives must have been like, what they did for a living, and what their personalities were. She imagined which child stayed in which room of the house and pictured the holidays and parties that were hosted there. The photographs brought other lives into her mind and into her home. She felt a bond to these strangers.
After going over most of the pictures and wiping most of the glass, Massey decided it was time to go down and have a sandwich for lunch. Just as she was about to close the lid on the large trunk, she noticed a large frame underneath an old piece of newspaper. Picking up the crumpled sheet of paper and tossing it on the floor, she reach into the trunk and lifted out the frame. Inside the frame was a sepia photograph of a young couple. The man was tall, dark and handsome, just as men should be, and the woman was petite and fair, and strikingly beautiful. The lady in the frame was leaning her head slightly toward the man with just the slightest hint of a smile on her face. She looked vaguely familiar to Massey.
Massey took her skirt and rubbed the glass until the faces became clear and lifelike. Their manner of dress was from sometime in the eighteen hundreds, but Massey wasn’t sure. The lady’s dress was fitted at the waist with the skirts billowing out over her hips and to the floor. She wore an elaborate locket around her neck. The young man stood with his arm across her back. He wore a tailored suit with a tie and tails. He had a well-groomed goatee. They wer
e an amazingly striking couple. Massey thought how she had never seen old photographs of beautiful people. Most of the time they seem sad or bland and plain, but this couple seemed young and handsome and happy for some reason. Massey smiled at them.
Taking the picture with her, Massey walked out of the attic, down the stairs, and into the kitchen. After making a salami sandwich, she sat down at the kitchen table and began to eat. The picture of the lovely couple was standing up on the table in front of her. Again, Massey felt that the lady looked familiar. She lifted the picture closer to her face and looked into the woman’s eyes.
“The mirror!” Massey yelled out loud.
It was the face in the mirror. The same lovely face that had appeared on the glass in the bedroom mirror was staring at her once again from this picture. Suddenly Massey dropped the frame.
“Oh, damn!” she yelled as she reached for the cracked frame.
Looking at the face again, she turned the picture over and read the names written on the back.
Joseph and Marie Duseau, 1872
The handwriting was faded but legible. Massey wondered if Marie herself had written their names. She turned the frame over once more and looked at the handsome pair. She looked over each inch of the picture noticing the earrings and even the lace collar that Marie wore. Massey was intrigued.
As soon as she finished her lunch, she ran upstairs to see if there was another old frame in the attic to replace the broken one. Several more trunks sat scattered around the dusty room. Some were old and wooden, while others looked more like traveling trunks from the turn of the century. Massey began rummaging through the trunks and their contents. All contained treasures from the past, old dresses and men’s suits, boots, spectacles, and faded quilts. Many had more pictures of different people from different eras, and finally she found one with a frame that seemed very similar to the one she had broken.
Very carefully, Massey exchanged the photograph of Joseph and Marie for the one that had occupied the frame. It fit perfectly. Massey felt satisfied that she had righted her wrong and looked once more into the eyes of the handsome couple.
