Maddie Ann s Playground

by Mackenzie Drew

  “I’m not asking you to do anything evil, but this is the only way to get Jennifer back where she belongs. She's in an evil place where evil people want to do her bodily harm.”

  There once again, Cindy sat in awe as the woman spoke of the daughter she’d never mentioned. Her eyes filled with tears.

  “You have to do this, Cindy; your daughter is in grave danger. The black souls intend to hurt her and if she can't leave, she'll remain trapped forever,” she said as she reached for Cindy's hands.

  “So what if it doesn’t work? Will I have to say good-bye to Jennifer forever?” she asked with tears raining down her face.

  “Not only that, but Maddie Ann will try to steal your soul as well. It's dangerous. Throughout the years in Old Creek Cemetery, not once has anyone ever succeeded when trying to fight the evil spirits,” Madam Feline said.

  To save Jennifer, Cindy figured it was worth a try, but she'd have to make it on her own. She put her head down while Madam Feline slipped the locket over her head and gave her the piece of paper she needed. As the old fortuneteller wished her well, Cindy left her house feeling hopeless.

  Chapter Thirty-Four

  The band played raucously. Barbara and Michael felt like their old selves again, dancing and laughing together. Barb wrapped her arms around her husband’s neck, giggled and spun around without a care in the world.

  As familiar faces passed by, one in particular stuck out above the rest—Cindy Cravens. Barb tried her best to avoid her, but with the large crowd surrounding them, it was too late to bail out.

  Bashing into their booth and out of breath, Cindy cornered her. “Oh, thank God I found you,” she cried.

  Butterflies fluttered through Barb’s stomach when she saw the way Cindy looked. “I have nothing to say to you. Please leave.”

  Cindy took Barb by the wrist and went behind the counter sitting down on one of the benches. “I know you hate me and that’s okay. But we have a serious issue to discuss and it involves our children.”

  Barb stood up and backed away from her. “I don’t want to talk about this. I’ve been in therapy trying to get well and you are the last person I want to see or talk to.”

  “Please, just hear me out and then if you decide you want no part of it, I’ll leave you alone. But this is crucial,” Cindy begged.

  Barb slowly eased over toward the bench then took a seat. The sight of Cindy Cravens made her nauseous. What she wouldn’t give to rip her head off. “This better be important for your sake.”

  Cindy rested her hands in her lap and tears welled in her eyes. “I don’t know how to put this, but I hope you will understand. I've found out something you might want to hear.” Cindy's blonde hair straggled down to her shoulders, looking greasy and unwashed.

  Barb grabbed a strawberry wine spritzer out of the cooler beside the table and took a healthy swig. “And…go on.”

  “Listen, I found out something today about Old Creek Cemetery that’s frightening. I know you've heard about the curse. I know that’s what happened to the girls. The person responsible for all the terrible acts is a child ghost named Maddie Ann. She's evil. She held them there against their will for days and then killed all of them. We have to stop her before she does it again, and, thanks to my investigations today, I know how. You have to help me free them.”

  Barb screwed up her mouth in a sneer. She didn’t want to hear any more crap about the cemetery. She wanted to forget the past and start over. “Thanks for managing to open an old wound for me. I can’t believe you’d come here and make such claims about something you knew would upset me. Did you think I’d believe this curse garbage?”

  Cindy pulled out a piece of paper and shoved it in her hand.

  “What’s this, another one of your fantasy stories?” Barb asked sarcastically.

  “Just read the darn thing, that’s all I ask. And if you feel the same way about it after you've read it, then I’ll leave you alone.”

  Glancing down at the paper and reading past the first two words, Barb quivered. She twirled a lock of her hair while she became engrossed in what she read. As she read on, Cindy watched her facial expression change with every sentence. Getting to the last of the words, Barb started to weep. She slowly lifted her head from the paper and handed it back to her.

  “This is horrible. I can’t imagine how much my Claire suffered. Why would something like this happen to such innocent young girls?” she asked softly. “If this letter is true, this explains how Old Creek cemetery came about, and the Watson’s plan to torture and kill the citizens of Old Creek.”

  “Barb, I know this is hard for you and I know you’re going through troubled times. I’m going through hell with Jennifer right now. She's in a coma and I think Maddie Ann has her soul. If I don’t do something, she'll never come back.” At Barb's look of horror, she continued. “I know…I know. All of this sounds too crazy to believe, but it’s true,” she said, desperately trying to convince her.

  Barb turned away, sobbing. “Why now? I can’t take much more of this grief. I’ve tried and tried to put it out of my head, but it keeps coming back. If only for one moment it would leave me alone, I might be able to get over it.”

  Cindy grabbed hold of her, and she turned back around. “We need to tell the other girls' mothers about this, Barbara. They need to know the truth. We owe them an explanation about what has happened. Please, help me.”

  Feeling it was the right thing to do, although she didn’t want to, Barbara sighed. “Okay, I'll help you, but it has to wait until tomorrow. To be honest, I’m only doing it for the girls, not you.”

  ***

  Tom clenched his teeth as the doctor bandaged his arm. Before he had the chance to dress, Jake hobbled across the hall to his room.

  “Okay, Detective. You're all set. It's a deep puncture wound, and you'll probably have a hard time using your arm for a few days. It’s a good thing we gave you a tetanus shot earlier. Just keep it clean and dry, and in about ten days, you need to see your doctor to check the healing,” the ER doctor explained.

  Putting his shirt back on, Tom got off the examination table. Jake had already had his release papers and was feeling capable on the crutches.

  “Hey…look at you. How’d it go?” Tom asked.

  “Not so bad, and you?”

  “It hurt like hell, but so what? I’ve had more than my share of needles and sharp things poking me in the last two days.” He chuckled.

  As they walked out of the hospital, Jake stopped short outside the automatic doors. “Aw, son of a gun, we have no car and no one to call. What the hell, let’s just walk,” he railed.

  Brown turned around grinning. “Slow down there, Cowboy. While the doc stitched your leg, I called Baker and told him to deliver my car. It's over there,” he pointed.

  Jake sighed and then hobbled along in front of Tom toward the car. He opened the door, slinging the crutches in the backseat. “Oh man, we forgot about the festival. I looked forward to that. Ol’ what’s his face is performing —Tiger Johnston.”

  “While you’re checking out ol’ Tiger, I’ll be checking out the single females,” Tom said and pulled out of the parking lot heading toward the downtown vicinity.

  “So, we’re going?”

  He chuckled. “After the crap we’ve been through, we deserve some leisure time.”

  ***

  Late in the evening, Cindy and Steve sat in Jennifer’s room, watching their daughter dream. Cindy wanted to crawl in her bed and sleep through this nightmare, but it wasn’t feasible. She wouldn’t dare leave the room in case Jennifer woke up. To relax her exhausted mind, she snuggled against Steve on the window seat and closed her eyes. “Will she ever get better?” Cindy whispered, wiping her tears.

  Steve ran his fingers through his wife’s hair, holding her close. “She will, but the healing process takes time. I know you want to help her, but she has to do this on her own.”

  The thought of Maddie Ann having control over their daughter infuriated
her. Cindy had to do more for Jennifer if she wanted to save her. The piece of paper from that box in the library came to mind. The chant to send Maddie Ann back to Hell enthralled her. Although Barb agreed to help her, Cindy still had her doubts. What if she consented on impulse and later decided to back out?

  The pressure got to Cindy. Her patience wore thin as she lay there torturing herself with “what if” questions. She shot up from the seat as a big gust of hot wind pushed against the window causing it to fly open, shattering the glass. “Quick, Steve, help me,” Cindy croaked.

  Steve darted for the trashcan sitting inside the bathroom. He knelt down and picked up large chunks of glass. As Cindy yanked the curtains closed to cover the window, Jennifer moaned, her fists balled, diverting their attention from cleaning up the mess. She flailed about, as if she were fighting, drenched in sweat. Scared out of their minds, Steve and Cindy stood guard over her.

  Jennifer's moans turned into screams. “Claire, hurry before they die,” she cried out.

  Cindy rushed toward the bed right as Jennifer’s arm swung around, smacking her square in the face. She recoiled, her lip split. Blood ran down her chin.

  “Cindy, no!” Steve shouted. He came up behind her and pulled her away, but Cindy snapped back like a rubber band to her daughter's side

  “Jennifer, it’s Mommy, where are you? Tell me who has you.” The tears streamed faster down her cheeks the more overwrought she became. “Let go, Baby. Follow the light home. We’re waiting for you,” she sobbed.

  Steve rushed to aid his wife. She melted off the bed and sagged on the floor like a sack of potatoes. Sprawled out on the rug, he dragged her away from the bed, and made her sit near the window. Jennifer screamed as she fought some unseen tormentor.

  “Claire, help me. She's going to kill me.”

  Cindy covered her mouth to keep from crying out. Jennifer's terrified cries increased their tempo. The louder she screamed, the higher her body lifted from the bed, then drifted in midair. Ghostly hands wafted Jennifer toward the ceiling. It peeled back like a sardine can. She struggled to get away, but the thing's venomous grip would not let her go.

  “Nooooo, you cannibal…,”Steve roared, lunging toward the canopy bed. He hopped on the mattress and yanked at his daughter's legs. Jennifer squirmed her way out of the demon's grasp and nose-dived to the bed, knocking the side of her head on the wooden frame.

  Cindy screamed. Jennifer moaned in pain. She opened her eyes briefly, then closed them again. Cindy jolted from the seat when her daughter opened her eyes. “Baby, please come back,” she begged. She tried to wrap her arms around her thrashing daughter, but Steve snatched her by the shirt before she had a chance. “Let go of me. Can't you see she needs me?” She kicked and screamed, but Steve held on.

  “Cindy, you can’t go near her,” he wailed. “Something inhuman has her.”

  “Don’t you see? She’s trying to get back, but she’s lost,” she bawled.

  Steve tried to calm her. “You're making it worse. Settle down and sit here.”

  Cindy settled back against the window seat, sobbing. The room went silent. Jennifer lay so lifeless, Cindy feared for her life. The room stifled with heat, as dampness drenched the walls. A rank smell of mildew rose from the thick carpet under their feet, making Cindy’s stomach turn. Except for of the glow from the bedside lamp, Cindy felt entombed. A claustrophobic wave washed over her and she tore back the curtains, yanking them off their rods. The cool soothing breeze tickled her neck, and the smell of fresh cut grass wafted through the broken window. She heard the crickets singing. Jennifer had missed so much, and she needed her to come back.

  “Mommy, where are you?”

  Putting her hand over her mouth as her eyes grew big as saucers; Cindy whirled to see Jennifer sitting up in her bed. With her arms outstretched, she ran to embrace her daughter. As she drew her into her arms, the area around the bed turned ice-cold. Jennifer's lips wore a tint of blue and her face paled to a powdery white. Her eyes were hollow with dark circles beneath them. As her teeth chattered, Steve grabbed a heavy quilt from the chair and wrapped it around her body.

  “Is that better, Baby? Please talk to me, Jennifer,” Cindy wept. Her loving hands caressed her daughter’s cold face. “Tell me what to do.”

  Jennifer closed her eyes and slumped against her pillow. Alarmed she wouldn’t wake up again, Cindy shook her. “Steve, call the nurse and get her here now.”

  Surprisingly, Jennifer lifted her heavy eyelids, mumbling something as she turned her head from side to side in obvious discomfort. “I can’t stay…they need me. …Have to go back.”

  “Who needs you, baby? Tell me, Jennifer, please, I need to know!” She shook her to keep her from falling back into the coma. As tears poured from her eyes, Cindy didn’t know what to do.

  “Hold my hand, Mom, before I go,” she mumbled.

  Clasping Jennifer's icy hand in hers, she held it close to her heart. Cindy could not fathom letting her daughter go to the damned. “Wait, Jennifer, don’t go,” she sniveled. Numbness inched up the back of her neck and around to her throat. Her chest hurt like somebody slugged her.

  “Cindy, don't cry,” a disembodied voice said.

  Cindy spun around, shocked to her core. In the corner of the room, a soft light appeared with Claire standing amid the glow. She spoke with great tenderness. “Please don’t be sad, Cindy. I'll take care of Jennifer, I promise. She'll come back, but I need her strong spirit to help me fight off Maddie Ann. We’ve got to stop her before something worse happens.” Claire glided across the floor and lifted Jennifer's spirit from the inert body lying on the bed. Jennifer grabbed Claire’s hand and together they vanished through the ceiling. As they did, the room restored itself to its former soft pink and white elegance, all except the broken window.

  Steve came into the room with the nurse as Cindy leaned against the bedpost watching her daughter leave, maybe for good. “She's gone again.”

  The nurse performed a routine exam. “She has a pulse. Her heart rate has slowed a bit, but I think she's going to live. I'll stick around downstairs for an hour or so to make sure she's all right. In case you notice any gasping or struggling to breathe, let me know,” she told them.

  “We will, and thank you,” Steve replied.

  With a peaceful smile on her face, Cindy sat on Jennifer's bed not uttering a sound. “She can't stay in here with the window broken. We'll put her in our bed.” Steve picked Jennifer up and walked across the hall to the master bedroom. He tucked her in the middle of the big king-sized bed. Cindy crawled in bed with her and snuggled close, softly humming, Amazing Grace. Steve then went downstairs to confer with the nurse.

  Chapter Thirty-Five

  Living through another hellish night with Jennifer’s condition caused excessive stress on Cindy. She dug in her purse for the piece of paper. Her hands trembled as she tried to read the hostile words. Dear God in Heaven, now I know how Satan himself tortures human life, she thought. Unaware of Steve’s presence, she kept reading and whimpering.

  “What in all that’s holy are you planning, Cindy?”

  She jumped and shoved the paper behind her back. “What do you mean,” she asked.

  “The piece of paper you’re holding behind your back.” He snapped his fingers at her and unwillingly, she handed it over to him. “Where did you get this revolting crap? It’s talking about many ways to torture and kill the human race.”

  Cindy shrugged her shoulders.

  As he read on, his eyes got even bigger. “I have never in my life read such shit and can’t imagine what it’s talking about. Do you even understand it?” he asked.

  Cindy had to tell Steve or he’d be furious with her if she kept it from him. She didn’t want him angry with her; she wanted his support. “Barb and I got together and we figured out a way to stop Maddie Ann, and with this, we can take care of her forever. All we have to do is say an incantation over her monument and she'll be gone forever,” she stated.

&nbs
p; “Oh no, you’re not going out there! It’s too dangerous for you women to go into the cemetery. You'll wind up dead. And from what’s written on the paper, it’s nothing more than witchcraft.” He stood with his arms crossed, glaring at her.

  “Why are you acting this way? Don’t you want to help Jennifer? If we let it go, Maddie Ann is going to take her away from us for good,” Cindy sniveled.

  “You know, I’m getting fed up with this whole Maddie Ann bullcrap and I can’t believe the people in this town believe this big lie. Don't they realize how foolish they look? Is she now the ruler of this whole town? If I were to say I saw a flying elephant, would people believe me?”

  “You are such a jerk. I have to say, Steve, when you want to put a damper on something good for once, you sure know how. I can’t believe you’re acting this way. Since you're not going to support me, I'll have to do it myself. If you cared anything about Jennifer, you'd be a little more sympathetic to what I'm trying to do.”