Spirits 04-Spirits of Seacliff Manor

by Morgan Hannah MacDonald

  “Can you tell us about your dreams?” Jane asked.

  Jane listened intently as Alyssa related three separate dreams.

  “I think Vera’s trying to warn you there’s something dangerous in this house,” Tim said.

  “Is there anything you can do to protect us?” Alyssa asked.

  “We can try,” Tim said.

  “Have you had any paranormal experiences while awake?” Jane asked.

  Alyssa turned toward Jane. “I’ve been thinking about it a lot since Courtney mentioned the house was haunted. I have to admit, at first I thought she was just being overdramatic.”

  “Thanks a lot,” Courtney said.

  “You do have a history.” Alyssa looked back at Jane, nodding. “She does. Anyway, it was just a bunch of little things. Like we have this faucet that would turn on by itself. I’d walk by the downstairs bathroom and the water would be running in the sink. I thought I’d just forgotten to turn it off, but it was happening too frequently so we replaced it. That stopped it for a while, then it started up again.

  “Sometimes I’d imagine I heard footsteps upstairs when I knew I was alone. I’ve heard a woman crying late at night. Sometimes I’ll catch something out of the corner of my eye and turn, but nothing’s there.

  “Our bedroom door has opened by itself, then I’d get this strange feeling like I’m being watched. One night I woke up and I could have sworn there was a woman standing at the end of the bed, but then she disappeared. By morning I’d convinced myself I’d been dreaming.”

  “Has anyone else mentioned witnessing anything?” Tim asked.

  Alyssa looked at Tim. “Well, after Courtney told us she’d been attacked in the séance room—”

  “You have a séance room? How cool is that?” Danny replied.

  “We found it behind a hidden door just the day before—” Courtney added.

  “A hidden room? This just keeps getting better and better,” Danny said.

  “Danny, please stop interrupting her,” Jane said.

  “Oh, sorry.” At least Danny had the good sense to look contrite.

  “Like I was saying, Bailey, our handyman, told me a couple of things after Courtney relayed the story of being attacked.”

  Alyssa told them about Bailey’s sighting and the workman who’d abruptly left and refused to return.

  “After Courtney got here, things escalated,” Alyssa said.

  “How so?” Tim prodded.

  “Until she mentioned the house was haunted, ghosts were the last thing I would have attributed anything to. I simply didn’t believe in them. I mean, I’d been here by myself most of the time so I figured it was either my imagination or these things were normal for old houses.

  “They made noise because the house was settling or it was the pipes. Then Courtney had me watching these ghost shows and a lot of the stuff people had witnessed were things happening here. And then that night I heard tiny footsteps running in the hall above my head and children laughing.”

  “You never told me that,” Courtney accused.

  “That’s because you were already calling the house haunted, and I didn’t want to feed your imagination,” Alyssa replied.

  “But I was right,” Courtney fired back.

  “That’s what these people are here to prove,” Alyssa said.

  “Seriously? After what happened to us in that hall, you’re still denying it?” Courtney said.

  “Let’s just say I’d like a second opinion. After all, I was never scared in this house until you came and filled my head will all this nonsense. It could just be the power of suggestion,” Alyssa said.

  Courtney shook her head. “What about the foul odor? You said you had smelled it before.”

  “What foul odor?” Tim asked.

  Courtney focused on him. “The night we were attacked in the hallway there was this horrible stench and later Alyssa said they were having problems before with something similar.”

  “What did it smell like?” Jane asked.

  “The best way I can describe it is like a combination of deviled eggs and the sewer backing up,” Alyssa replied.

  “So like shit,” Danny said.

  “Danny!” Jane admonished.

  “What?”

  “No, he’s right. We thought it was a dead animal trapped in the walls or under the floor boards, but we never found it. The smell comes and goes. It moves from room to room, so it makes it impossible to find the source,” Alyssa explained.

  Jane glanced Tim’s way and could tell he was thinking the same thing: a demon.

  “Courtney mentioned your trip to the hospital. She said you’d been sleeping for days. Is there anything else you want to add?”

  “I was feeling this deep depression, like someone I loved had died, but to my knowledge no one has,” Alyssa said.

  “Your sister told us that your husband has been on the road a lot with his new job. Could that be the source?” Jane asked.

  “I don’t think so. This was more than just feeling lonely.” Alyssa glanced at her sister, then back at Jane.

  “You can tell us. You’re among friends,” Jane said softly.

  “I was in a really dark place,” Alyssa said.

  “Describe it to us,” Jane urged.

  “I wanted to kill myself,” Alyssa mumbled the words.

  Courtney gasped.

  Alyssa turned toward her sister. “In fact I would have if I’d had the strength to get out of bed.”

  SIXTEEN

  “All right, I’m convinced. You need to leave right away,” Tim said.

  Alyssa’s eyes went wide.

  “He means the house,” Jane quickly explained. “I believe you’re an empath, which means you’re susceptible to the emotions of others. We know at least one person who lived here committed suicide. It’s more than likely she’s still here and affecting you greatly.”

  “She’s sleeping in her bed!” Courtney blurted.

  “I’m in my own bed, but we have taken up residency in Vera’s old room,” Alyssa said.

  “That can’t be good,” Danny said.

  “It’s not. Vera must see in you a kindred spirit and has decided to share her experiences. Perhaps in an effort to get you to leave this place so you don’t end up like her. I don’t think she knows that by doing this she’s made you a danger to yourself and others,” Tim said.

  “Danny, would you run out and get the camera?” Jane said.

  Danny jumped up. “On it.”

  Jane turned back to Alyssa. “You told us about the dream of the woman in the tower, her deep sorrow as she looked out to sea. That has to be Bess MacDougall. She too missed her husband greatly. He went on long voyages to far off lands. In the end his ship was lost at sea. Bess was showing you that you weren’t alone, there was someone else who endured your pain.”

  “I admit to missing Brandon. I’ll even admit I hated sleeping alone, but my emotions were nowhere near as tragic as all that.”

  “No, but if you add Bess’s sadness to Vera’s depression, that could be quite a heavy burden to carry. Were there times when you suddenly felt inexplicably cold?” Jane asked.

  “Actually, yes. Since I’ve been in this room I’ve been chilled and it appears to be getting worse as I sit here,” Alyssa answered.

  Danny entered the room holding the digital camera.

  “Do me a favor and take pictures of Alyssa from all angles.” Jane walked over to the windows and began closing the drapes to block out the sunlight. After Danny had finished the task, he came up beside Jane and Tim joined them to look at the results.

  “Whoa,” Danny said.

  “What?” Courtney asked.

  “It’s just what I thought. Vera has attached herself to you,” Jane said.

  Alyssa and Courtney jumped off the couch and crowded around Jane.

  Alyssa gasped.

  “Hoooleeey sheeit,” Courtney said.

  The picture showed Alyssa sitting on the couch, and next to her was the outli
ne of a person wrapped around her. Literally. The arms went around her shoulders, the legs wrapped around her waist and the head rested on her shoulder. The eyes were closed and the mouth a thin straight line. You couldn’t tell by the image if it was male or female.

  “It looks as if she’s trying to comfort you, but in doing so she’s draining you of your energy, your life force. After days of this, I’m surprised you survived. That’s why you were feeling such dark depression and why you didn’t have the strength to get out of bed,” Jane said. “Your sister saved your life.”

  “Do you have a place you could stay for a couple of days?” Tim said.

  “I guess we could go to a motel,” Alyssa answered.

  “Perfect,” Tim said.

  “Courtney, do you mind showing us around the house? Pointing out the rooms that have had activity?” Tim asked.

  “Sure.”

  Jane headed out of the parlor and across to the room with all the animals. “Danny?”

  He came up behind her. “Yeah?”

  “I want a camera set up in this room. The air feels very heavy in here,” Jane said.

  “You got it,” Danny said.

  “Okay, Courtney, lead the way,” Jane said.

  The girl began to climb the stairs with the rest of the group in tow. Once on the second floor, she stopped at the second room on the right side of the hall. “This is my room.”

  Tim flipped through his notepad. “Now this is where you heard someone crawling on all fours and breathing heavily?”

  Courtney’s hands flew to her black and blue neck. “Yeah.”

  “I think after you show us around, you should leave with your sister and her husband. We can handle it from then on,” Jane said.

  “Actually, if you don’t mind I’d like to stay and see this thing through,” Courtney said.

  “She can sit with me at the monitors,” Danny said.

  Courtney looked at him and smiled.

  “Okay, but if at any time you’re in danger…” Tim said.

  “I’ll be okay with Danny to protect me,” Courtney said.

  “Okay, Danny, camera number two,” Jane said.

  When they got to Vera’s old room, Alyssa and Brandon were packing a suitcase on the bed.

  “Hey, Lyssa, I’m going to stay here for the investigation,” Courtney said.

  “I don’t think that’s a good idea.” Alyssa stared at her husband. “Brandon?”

  “It’s not like she’ll be alone.” Brandon looked at Tim. “Will she?”

  “No,” Danny interrupted. “She’ll be helping me with the tech equipment.”

  “Okay. But if at any time you want to leave, just call and we’ll come back to pick you up,” Alyssa said.

  Brandon zipped up the suitcase while the sisters embraced.

  “Love you,” Alyssa said into her sister’s ear.

  “Love you more,” Courtney answered.

  Alyssa held her sister at arms length. “Please be careful.”

  “I will, I promise.”

  Brandon lifted the bag and turned toward Jane and Tim. “So you’ll let us know when it’s safe to return?”

  “It may take a couple of days, but you’ll hear from us,” Jane answered.

  As soon as they left the room. “Camera number three goes in here,” Tim said.

  Danny wrote it down on his pad.

  Courtney stood just outside the room. “Up one more flight.”

  On the third floor, Courtney led them halfway down the hall and stopped. “This is where the boy and girl were playing.” She pointed to the other end of the hall. “And that’s where the two kids in the Halloween costumes stood holding hands. It was really creepy.”

  “Can you find a way to cover this hall?” Jane asked.

  “No worries,” Danny answered.

  Jane watched Courtney tentatively walk to the end of the hall and point. “That’s the séance room.”

  The three of them crowded around the dark entrance. Tim turned on the flashlight app on his phone and went in first. Jane followed, with Danny bringing up the rear.

  “Wow, this is amazing,” Danny said showing his light around. “Look at that ceiling.”

  Jane followed the light on his phone and noticed the twinkling stars on the dark blue canvas.

  “I’d love to have this view over my bed,” Danny finished.

  “I’m certain that’s gold leaf,” Tim said.

  “No doubt, but silver foil would do just as good if not better.”

  Jane smiled inwardly as she envisioned Danny with his large fingers trying to lay the delicate sheets over each other to form stars. Not that he wasn’t creative, she just didn’t think he had the patience for that particular form of art.

  She walked around the room, eyeing the old pictures when suddenly her body began to feel cold and started to tingle.

  The room swayed and she reached out toward the wall to steady herself.

  “Jane?”

  She heard Tim’s worried voice but couldn’t respond. Everything was swimming before her eyes. Her knees grew weak and her body slowly crumpled to the floor.

  “Jane!”

  Jane opened her eyes and found three faces staring down at her. “What happened?” She was lying on a bed in a sunny room.

  “We were hoping you could tell us,” Tim said.

  “I experienced the strangest sensation. At first I was cold, then my body started tingling and I got dizzy. I guess I fainted.”

  “Those are the symptoms of a person occupying the same space as a ghost. Like when they walk through you,” Tim said.

  “Or try to take over your body,” Danny said.

  A hush went over the room.

  When Jane found her voice. “You don’t think…”

  “You know as well as I do that it’s possible. Especially with all we’ve heard today,” Tim answered.

  Jane couldn’t deny it. That really spooked her.

  “I think it’s best if you stay away from that room,” Tim said.

  “I second the motion,” Danny said.

  “You don’t have to tell me twice,” Jane said.

  “And before you ask,” Danny said. “I’ll set up the equipment in there as well.”

  Jane sat up on the side of the bed.

  “Don’t rush it,” Tim said.

  “I’m okay, thanks,” Jane said.

  Tim helped Jane to stand.

  “Are you sure?” Danny asked.

  “Yes. Let’s continue.” Jane found Courtney standing behind Danny. “Where to next?”

  Courtney pointed to the ceiling. “Fourth floor.”

  When they got to the fourth floor landing, she showed them another stairwell. “This is where Bailey saw the woman descend the stairs.”

  “Where do they lead?” Danny asked.

  “The tall tower. That’s where Alyssa said she dreamed about Bess and also where Vera hung herself,” Courtney informed them.

  “Have you ever been up there?” Danny asked her.

  “No.” Courtney’s reply was a bit brusque.

  “Any reason?” Tim asked.

  “The first day I got here, before I heard about Vera hanging herself…” Courtney looked to each of them before she continued. “I was having a blast roaming the halls and exploring this humongous mausoleum.”

  The girl’s smile faded. “Anyway, I started to climb the stairs and got about halfway up when I began to feel faint. I clutched the banister with both hands so I wouldn’t fall and backed down until my feet were on solid ground. I just haven’t tried again.” She shrugged. “I can’t say why.”

  “It sounds like someone fell to their death from those stairs,” Danny suggested.

  “And you were picking up on the residual energy,” Tim finished.

  SEVENTEEN

  Courtney followed Danny around while he placed the cameras in each room. He also set up a little gadget called a REM-pod. It created an electromagnetic field so that if a ghost entered that field, it w
ould omit a high-pitched squeal and the red lights would go on.

  It was after midnight when they’d finally finished. The monitors were displayed in the middle of the dome room on the first floor on folding tables; there were eight in all. Six cameras were in the rooms that were originally discussed and the other two tripods were set up facing the second and fourth floor hallways. All were equipped with night vision lenses.

  Tim and Jane were currently going through the house measuring activity with a K2 or EMF meter. The purpose of an electromagnetic field meter was to locate sources of electricity and provide a reading of the strength.

  They also had a tape recorder for EVPs—Electronic Voice Phenomenon, a temperature gauge to measure cold spots, flashlights, and each had their own walkie-talkie.

  It was around one-thirty in the morning. Courtney and Danny were sitting in front of the monitors munching on cold pizza when a REM pod went off. Danny began searching the monitors.

  “Tim for Danny.” The voice came from the walkie-talkie resting on the table.

  Danny picked it up and pushed the button to talk. “Go for Danny.”

  “Where is that coming from? Over,” Tim asked.

  “Third floor hallway. It looks like we have some serious orb activity there. Over,” Danny said.

  Courtney stared at the monitor and watched as four circular lights zipped around on the screen.

  “I’m on my way. Over,” Tim said.

  Courtney heard feet thundering on the stairs before Tim showed up on the screen. “Preparing for EVP session. Jane, where are you?”

  “Up in the center tower,” came Jane’s voice. “Doing an EVP of my own. Over.”

  “Okay. Everyone stay put. Over,” Tim said.

  The next hour and a half was quiet and Courtney began to fall asleep. The grandfather clock in the hall struck three times and she felt a sharp pain on her head.

  “Ouch! What the hell?” She rubbed her head.

  “What is it?” Danny asked.

  “Someone just pulled my hair.”

  “That’s not good.”

  “Ah!” Courtney rolled her arm and noticed a large red spot. “What’s that?”

  Danny inspected the mark. “It looks like a burn.”