The House on Hayden Pond

by Jessica Monks

  “Everything ok?” asked Paul, taking a sip of his coffee. “You don’t seem like yourself today.”

  “I had another nightmare last night that kept me up since three,” replied Sam with a yawn.

  “Oh really? What about?”

  Sam sat down to the breakfast table. “Girls, don’t forget to feed Buttercream.” The girls jumped out of their seats and ran upstairs to feed their beloved cat. Sam started cutting up Jack’s pancakes. She turned to Paul. “I dreamt I was walking through the house down to the basement. The light would not work but for some reason I didn’t care. I had to go into the basement. When I got downstairs, Jack was standing on the edge of that old well wall, and as I ran towards him, he fell into the well. I couldn’t get to him in time. I went to jump in but someone grabbed me and held me back. He whispered, ‘It’s not real…. you can wake up now!’ His voice was kind but I could not stop wanting to get Jack. I struggled to break away from him. All I could see were his hands. He was wearing a very pretty gold ring. I was so scared, and then everything turned cold. A man started coming up out of the well. His face was covered in blood and he began grabbing at me and pulling the bottom of my nightgown. Then I woke up. It was so real that I just couldn’t go back to sleep. I even went and checked Jack but he was fast asleep.”

  Paul reached over and gently held her hand and kissed it. “It’s ok. It’s perfectly normal to have bad dreams. New house, it’s a new neighborhood, a new town. Everything around us is new. You’re bound to be nervous about moving your whole life.”

  Sam smiled and Paul moved his hand to her face, touching her lips. She tilted her cheek onto Paul’s hand. “I know it’s a silly dream,” she said. “I’ll sleep better tonight.”

  “I’m sure of it,” replied Paul. “I have some work to do today. I’m going to the store for some shingles. I need to repair the roof before we get any leaks. Then I need to stop at Ray’s house and help him put up a fence. He’s paying me to help him.”

  “Ok,” replied Sam. “I’ll try to finish unpacking the bedroom. Hopefully I can find the sheets.”

  Paul stood up and put his jacket on. Grabbing the coffee pot off the counter, he filled Sam’s cup before kissing her on the head. “Have a good day. I’ll be back soon,” he said.

  Jack pulled at his jacket so Paul tickled him. “Be a good boy and help mommy,” laughed Paul as Jack giggled.

  “Of course he will, he’s mommy’s big helper,” replied Sam, smiling at her delighted baby boy.

  After Paul had left, Sam went upstairs to go through some boxes of clothes. Folding each item neatly into the drawers, she glanced out the window. While in deep thought about the design of her new garden, something caught her eye. She could have sworn that down in the back yard someone had walked briskly across her view. She walked over to the window and looked down and all over the yard, but saw nothing. With Paul gone, she was worried there was someone wandering around the house. Picking up Jack, she brought him into Emily’s room. “Em, can you watch Jack for a minute?” she said.

  “Sure,” replied Emily as she picked up Jack and sat down with him on the floor in front of Lily.

  Sam went downstairs, quickly moving through the rooms and looking out the front windows, but she saw nothing. Going through the dining room into the kitchen, she looked out the back window over the sink. Standing up on her tiptoes to get a better look, she leaned close to the glass.

  Suddenly, an old woman appeared in the window in front of her. Sam jumped back, holding her chest.

  “Shouldn’t be here!” the old woman called out before walking away from the window.

  Sam ran to the back door and looked around, but the woman was gone. Irritated by her intruder, after locking the back door she hurried to the front door. The old woman was now standing in the driveway, looking up at the house.

  “Excuse me, what are you doing here?” demanded Sam, now in defense mode.

  “You shouldn’t be here,” replied the old woman. “No one should be here. He promised no one would ever be here!”

  “Well ma’am, I don’t know who you talked to, but this is our home and we intend on being here for a long time.”

  “You’ll be here longer than you want to be,” replied the old woman. “Much longer.”

  Sam looked at her, perplexed at the strange exchange of words. Who was this unwelcome intruder?

  A man came hurrying around the corner at the bottom of the driveway.

  “Mom, what are you doing here?” said the man, looking first at the old lady and then at Sam as he jogged up the drive. “I am so, so sorry, miss,” said the man as he approached the old lady and turned her around. “This is all my fault. I’m sorry. This won’t happen again, I promise.”

  “It’s ok, she didn’t bother me,” said Sam, realizing the old woman was not of sound mind.

  “Sorry—where are my manners?” He took his hands off his mother’s shoulders and approached Sam with his hand extended. “Hi, my name is Glenn Stuart. This is my mother Ellen. She has advanced Alzheimer’s, which has gotten worse since my dad died a few years ago. I’m keeping her home as long as I can. She’s usually really good, but I left her on the porch to make some tea and she went on an adventure.”

  “I’m Sam Bolton,” offered Sam as she shook Glenn’s hand. “I live here with my husband Paul and our three kids.”

  “Please to meet you. It’s nice to have new neighbors. I don’t remember anybody ever being in this house, even when I was a kid. I was never allowed over here. My mother forbade it.”

  “We’ve only been here since yesterday, but we plan on staying a long time,” said Sam.

  The girls appeared with Jack in the doorway behind her.

  “Hi girls,” said Glenn. “Pleased to meet you. I’m your new neighbor.”

  “Take those babies and leave this place,” hissed Ellen.

  “On that note, we best be going,” said Glenn. “Come on, mom, let’s leave the nice people alone.” He turned to Sam. “I’m sure we’ll see you again soon if you need anything. We’re the first house on the right. It’s just a little ways up.” Putting his arm around the old lady, he guided her down the driveway.

  “Come back for a visit sometime,” said Sam. “Paul would love to meet you, I’m sure.”

  Sam went into the house. “Come on girls, we need to get some work done before daddy gets home,” she said as she closed the door and headed upstairs.

  “Who was that man?” asked Emily.

  “That was our new neighbor, Glenn, and his mother, Ellen. They seemed very nice.” Sam was relieved that her intruder was just old and confused. She used to be a nurse and had worked with Alzheimer’s patients. What a good person Glenn must be to take care of his mother! Most people can’t handle their aging parents, especially with the onset of Alzheimer’s. It made her feel good that the neighbor seemed so kind and patient.

  Chapter Six

  The Trouble with the Girls

  Sam went back upstairs to unpack her clothes while Jack busily played on the floor with his toys.

  “Mom, I can’t find Buttercream!” said Lily, sounding irritated.

  “Honey, maybe he just doesn’t want to be found right now. Maybe he has this big house to explore and he’s busy investigating.”

  “I’m going to check downstairs for him,” said Lily, determined to locate her cat.

  “Ok, but tell your sister it’s her turn to do dishes. The soap and sponge are in the garage.”

  “Ok,” Lily replied, racing down the stairs to look around the dining room. “Buttercream, here boy, Buttercream, kitty kitty,” called Lily. She crossed the entry way into the living room. “Emily, Mom said it’s your turn to do the dishes, and the soap is in the garage.”

  “Ok, fine,” replied Emily, sticking her tongue out at Lily, who returned the gesture. Emily sighed and tossed her book onto the coffee table. She went into the garage, looking around for soap. She found a box on the shelf, and a sponge. The light was on over the workbenc
h. She walked over to it, and after looking around she turned off the light. Someone must have been in the garage and left it on. Lifting the headphones from around her neck she put them over her ears. Listening to music always made chores go by much faster.

  She turned around as Buttercream dashed through her legs and made her jump. “Buttercream! You naughty cat! You almost tripped me!” she said as she made her way towards the door to the kitchen. She turned around and saw the scarecrow sitting on the end of the workbench. Funny, she hadn’t noticed him there before. The old scarecrow gave her an uneasy feeling, like he was watching her. She backed up the stairs into the kitchen, watching the scarecrow, before shutting the door. Staring at him through the window in the door, she turned the lock. She paused for a moment to look at him—his clothes old and dark, his little rubber boots stuffed with straw. Who would make such a creepy monstrosity? That thing could scare away more than birds, she thought.

  With soap and sponge she went over and turned on the water. It was time for some music. She turned up her walkman and started to dance around, bobbing her head. Lily entered the kitchen but Emily did not notice her.

  “Buttercream? Here, kitty kitty!” Lily called, making her way to the open basement door. “Buttercream?” From the darkness below Lily heard a familiar meow. “Buttercream? Come here, kitty kitty!” She continued to hear the cries. Lily turned back to her sister. “Emily, I think Buttercream is in the basement…Emily!”

  Emily could not hear her—the music was too loud. Lily turned around and heard the cry again. She sighed and started down the stairs. “Buttercream, mommy’s coming,” said Lily, trying to sound brave. She slowly walked down the stairs into the basement. Turning on the switch she could hear the faint humming of the lights as they struggled to come to life. Again the cry of her beloved cat came from a far corner of the basement. She slowly walked towards the sound.

  Upstairs, Emily had finished washing the dishes. She picked up the dish towel and started to dry them over the sink. She shivered as a cold draft hit the back of her neck and traveled down her spine. Turning to see the basement door open, she walked over to shut it. She shivered again—the damp basement had made the kitchen rather cold. She went back to the sink and started drying a plate. The towel fiber became tangled around her ring and she pulled it too quickly. The ring slipped over her knuckle and fell off her hand into the sink. She tried grabbing it but the ring bounced around and down into the drain. “Damn it!” she said, throwing her fists down onto the sides of the sink. She knew very well her mother had told her a thousand times to take the ring off while washing her hands or doing dishes. The ring was a present from her deceased grandmother and it was very special to her and her mother.

  Turning around, Emily looked over at the wall across from the sink. There was a switch with two pieces of masking tape, which in black marker were labeled “on” and “off.” This was the switch for the disposal. She pressed her lips together, thinking it through. If she could just get the ring before her mother found out, it would be like nothing ever happened. She walked over and flipped the switch into the “off” position. Going back to the sink she rolled up her sleeve. First she lowered her head down into the sink and peered into the dark hole, but there was no sign of her ring. Going into the garage, she fished through a box on the floor and found the flashlight. Walking back into the kitchen she did not notice the scarecrow was no longer sitting on the workbench behind her. She decided there was no going back—this was the only way around the punishment she would face. She pointed the beam of the flashlight down the drain and saw the ring, deep down inside the disposal. She put her hand down the hole and started feeling around.

  Upstairs Sam was folding her clothes while Jack played on the floor with his favorite stuffed toy, Mr. Bear, whose face glowed and it hummed nursery rhymes to him. She was in the middle of folding her pants when she heard a faint voice in the distance say, “Honey, can you come down and help me?”

  She was surprised to hear Paul back so soon. Walking over to the bedroom doorway, she yelled down the stairs, “I’ll be right there!” She picked up Jack as he dropped Mr. Bear. “Daddy’s home and he needs mommy,” she said as she carried him to his room and put him down on the other side of the baby gate. “Stay right here for a minute and be good. Mommy will be right back.” She kissed him on the forehead and he smiled at her. Sam made her way downstairs. Looking around the living room she didn’t see anyone. “Paul?” she said as she walked through the dining room toward the kitchen.

  When Sam came around the corner she saw Emily with her arm down inside the garbage disposal. She rushed into the kitchen. “Emily! Don’t!” she shouted as she grabbed her daughter’s arm and pulled it up. Emily’s fingertips had just cleared the top of the drain when the disposal roared to life with a loud grinding noise.

  “Ahhhh!” Emily screamed as she pulled the headphones off. She could feel the intense vibration the disposal made. Looking at her mother, tears welled up in her eyes.

  “Emily what were you thinking?” demanded Sam, tightly holding her daughter’s hand.

  “I thought it would be ok—I made sure the switch was off…” Emily’s words trailed off as she looked at the wall and saw the switch turned to the “on” position.

  “You never, never stick your hand in the—” Sam’s words were interrupted by a blood curdling scream coming from the basement. “Lily?” called Sam. When she opened the basement door and ran down the stairs she could hear the sobbing and fear in Lily’s voice. “Lily!” Sam yelled as she searched for her daughter in the dimly lit basement.

  “Mommy!” she heard coming from a dark corner. Lily was so scared she had curled up in the corner, waiting to be rescued. Sam threw her arms around Lily and carried her upstairs. She placed Lily on the kitchen counter. “What in the world were you doing in the basement?”

  Lily was still sobbing but trying to come out with the words. “Buttercream is down there! He’s in the basement and the bad man is going to get him.”

  “What bad man? Lily, there’s no bad man in the basement. That was just a dream mommy had. Did you hear mommy tell daddy about my dream?”

  “But he’s down there! I saw him!” protested Lily.

  “Buttercream isn’t downstairs,” said Emily. “I saw him in the garage.”

  Sam looked down at her daughter’s leg, which had a small cut. “Where is your father?” asked Sam.

  “Daddy’s not home yet,” replied Emily as Sam looked at her, squinting in confusion.

  “Emily,” said Sam, “Go get the first aid kit out of the garage.”

  Emily ran into the garage and looked through the six vertical shelves that lined the back. She saw the first aid kit, high up on the fourth shelf. Standing up on her tiptoes, she reached, feeling around with her fingers. She felt something brush her hand and pulled it back. Looking up at the top shelf again, she paused. She saw nothing. Breathing heavily, she shook her head. Again she reached for the first aid kit. It was just out of her reach. “Mom?” she called, looking for some help.

  Suddenly the first aid kit came crashing to the ground.

  “Emily!” she heard from the kitchen. Startled and confused Emily picked up the pieces of the kit and hurried to the kitchen.

  Sam took out some wipes and cleaned the cut. “Lily, please listen carefully, there is nobody in the basement. Mommy just had a bad dream,” she said as Lily cowered in disbelief. “Lily, I will show you there is nothing to be afraid of. I will go down and check. Ok?”

  “Okay,” replied Lily, wiping the tears from her face.

  Sam grabbed the flashlight off the counter and headed down the basement stairs. At the bottom she looked around, scanning the darkness. The lights flickered on and off. From the top of the stairs the girls watched her carefully.

  “Girls, there is nothing to be afraid of,” said Sam.

  As the girls watched, she took a step and fell out of sight.

  “Mom!” the girls screamed.

 
; “It’s ok,” said Sam, standing up and wiping her pants off. “I just tripped—that’s all.” She then heard the sound tiny footsteps scurrying by her. She turned around, slowly scanning with the light. She could see nothing but the junk in the basement. Suddenly a noise startled her—like nails against a wooden board. She quickly scanned back to the old well and the thick round board covering it. Walking slowly towards the well she listened for the sound. Then it came again, scraping at the wood from beneath. “Looks like we have rats in this old well,” she said. “Well, at least they can’t get in the house.”

  “Mommy!” cried Lily loudly.

  “It’s ok,” said Sam as she made her way up the creaky basement stairs. “There’s nothing to be scared of. Old houses make a lot of noise.”

  They heard the sound of a car pulling up the driveway and the garage door starting to open.

  “Daddy!” cried the girls as they ran toward the garage. At the top of the stairs, Sam breathed a sigh of relief. She closed the door behind her and, leaning up against it, closed her eyes for a moment. She opened them to see Paul as he walked through the door. He smiled at her as she looked at him, biting her bottom lip.

  “What did I miss?” asked Paul, looking at Sam’s expression, quite pleased that he knew her so well.

  “A lot!” replied Sam, breathing deeply again, trying to absorb all that had just happened. Sam had a special gift—she was good at remaining calm under the most pressing of circumstances. “We need to talk,” she said as Paul came over and kissed her forehead.

  “All right, let’s go upstairs so I can change before dinner,” replied Paul.

  As Sam started walking toward the stairs she noticed Paul wasn’t following behind—he was heading back to the kitchen. “Sorry—I’ll be right up,” he said. “I just need to close the garage door.”

  Sam nodded and made her way upstairs. Paul went into the garage. The girls were looking at the shingles and tools in the back of the car. “Girls, take Kingston for a walk around the yard before dinner,” he said.