by Jill Bisker
“I don’t feel anything,” Dean said. “Could it be just the power of suggestion? You know there’s something unearthly here and you fill in the blanks?”
Glen agreed. “I haven’t felt anything either, even when something untoward happens.”
“Well, I have,” Emmett said quietly, averting his eyes. He looked up and continued. “I was there when that presence was hovering over Laney and I felt what she’s talking about. If it’s worse in the basement, it’s bad.”
I nodded my appreciation to Emmett and said, “It’s different there, both worse and better. Worse because it feels so despairing and looks so scary but better because it’s not as ... hateful, I guess. It’s really hard to describe.”
“The basement it is,” Emmett said.
The assemblage all nodded assent, although I noticed my mother seemed the most adverse to the plan. Glen, Dean, and Emmett gathered themselves together and headed for the basement to make a plan of action for the evening. My mother, aunt, Connie, and I sat silently in the living room again, trapped with our private thoughts and demons.
Finally, Connie climbed out of the recliner and walked toward the study. “While we still have some time, I’m going to check on our eBay items. Some of them have ended and others will end soon.”
The rest of us jumped up to trail along behind like little ducklings all in a row. It was something exciting to take my mind off what we were doing later. I had bought plenty of things on eBay but I had never sold anything before so it was thrilling to watch the auction from the other side. At least it was something to take our minds off the repulsion I felt for the coming experience.
Before long, Dean called up from the basement that they were ready to begin. As we stomped down the stairs I tried to tell myself that we weren’t in any real physical danger. The ghost could perhaps overpower one individual but against a group as large as ours, he shouldn’t be able to do too much damage. Of course, looking back, there were a few things I wasn’t fully aware of.
I situated myself near the stairway next to the washer and dryer, in the spot I had fallen several days before. Emmett stood about ten feet away, leaning on a post in the middle of the floor. My mother and aunt huddled together sitting on the large trunk we left there earlier with Connie not far behind them. Glen and Dean set themselves up equidistant between both groups.
“Now, I’m no expert at these things, but there’s always strength and power in numbers,” Emmett said. “Let’s stand in a circle and hold hands.”
I stood next to Emmett, his hand rough and warm as it held mine which was cold and damp. Connie was on the other side of me, then Dean, my mom, Glen and Aunt Shelly rounded out the group.
“I’ve seen psychics close their eyes and concentrate on connecting with an entity,” Connie said helpfully.
Gulping, I closed my eyes but started to feel claustrophobic so I opened them again. “I’ll try. It’s me they’ve been contacting. If they’re going to come at all, it’s me they’ll come for.”
Emmett squeezed my hand in assurance. “Whenever you’re ready, Laney.”
With Emmett by my side, I knew I could do this. Closing my eyes again, I took several cleansing breaths before starting to talk. “Is there anyone out there who’d like to contact me?” The room was silent and I started to laugh, feeling a little ridiculous.
“Concentrate, Laney,” Connie said impatiently.
“SSSsshshsh,” everyone countered.
Soon, I could sense something specific in the room, and I realized that nothing had changed. It had always been there. I had been trying to ignore it, resisting my ability to perceive it. But it was there. It was what had been making me feel uncomfortable the entire time. Until now, I just hadn’t acknowledged it as a distinct entity. I began to feel angry. This was what was causing the problem, this was what my grandmother was afraid of, this was what had to be dealt with. Still holding Connie’s and Emmett’s hands, I raised my arms and spoke again. “I demand that you talk to me.”
I heard someone in the room snicker, but I ignored it. I knew I was on the right track, and I would not be thwarted.
We waited for several minutes but nothing happened. I opened my eyes again and looked around the room. “Okay, any suggestions?”
“Were you doing anything in particular whenever the entities came to you before?” Glen asked.
“Not that I remember, each incident was different.” I replayed the events in my mind then had an idea. “Connie, is your computer still on?”
“Yes, why?”
“I have an idea. Come with me.” We ran up the steps and she followed me into the study. “You know computers better than I do. Can you download a song for us to play downstairs?”
“You want mood music?” Connie asked, plainly confused.
“No, the record! The broken one we found in Grandmother’s closet. The same song she was playing when she appeared to me. The same song I heard the first night I slept here. I want to try to play that song. Obviously it meant something to her, maybe it will act as some kind of catalyst.”
“You know, that just might work. Music does bring up a visceral response in people,” Connie answered, pulling up the internet as we leaned over her computer. “What was the name of that song again?”
“We’ll Meet Again by Vera Lynn.” I watched her type in a search engine and information and video clips came up on the screen. I smiled and pointed to the one I was interested in. It had been viewed by millions of people so it must be a good version.
“Perfect,” I said to her. “Now, one more thing, what do you think of me wearing one of Teo’s dresses?”
Connie unplugged her laptop and nodded. “It’s worth a try.”
We hurried upstairs and I quickly pulled on the blue-green velvet dress I had tried on the other day. I was going to go barefoot, but I thought of the cold concrete floor in the basement and decided to wear my tennis shoes instead. I don’t know why, but I suddenly felt stronger, more sure of myself. We were going to solve this riddle once and for all. Connie appraised my appearance and gave me a firm nod. Then we headed back to the basement.
As I descended the basement stairs, Dean was the first to see me and he gave a low whistle. Everyone else just stared.
“Obviously, I’m underdressed,” Emmett said with a mischievous grin.
“We’ll see if I get anyone’s attention this way.”
“Well you got mine,” Emmett said. “What do you do for an encore?”
“Funny boy. I meant the ghosts.”
“I think it’s a great idea,” Dean said grabbing a stool sitting next to the wall and placing it in the center of the room. Connie set her computer down while the rest of us got back in a circle. We joined hands again, this time my mom was on my left. Emmett was still on my right.
Closing my eyes, I said softly, “Start the song.” The music began with an old fashioned tone then Vera’s beautiful voice filled the room. “Turn it up.”
“Hey, does anybody here remember Vera Lynn?” Emmett said.
I turned to look at him. “What?”
“Sorry, Pink Floyd song,” he said sheepishly.
Ignoring Emmett’s remark, I noticed the dismal feeling getting stronger in the room. I sucked in my breath, the smell was starting. “It’s coming,” I said softly, warning the room.
Emmett squeezed my hand. “Laney,” he whispered. “I don’t know about this. Maybe we should stop.”
“We have to get to the bottom of all this,” I said, looking around the room and waiting. The music suddenly stopped and the computer screen went dark. The room was dead silent. I was about to walk up to look at it when the laptop slammed shut then flew off the stool toward me and skidded across the floor stopping at my feet.
My mom and I screeched in fear and jumped back. All eyes darted across the room, from the computer to each other. Before any of us knew what to do next, we heard from upstairs the back door crash and the sound of someone entering the house. Our fear of the unk
nown soon turned to shock as a brightly-dressed figure came stumbling down the stairs.
Saundra Sills hurtled into the room unsteadily, waving a fist, and brandishing a handgun.
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Saundra’s normally perfect, coiffed hair stood up all over her head as if she was a cartoon character who had been electrocuted. Her eye makeup was running down her cheeks, her eyes wide and deranged as she tottered on her four inch heels. Her white blouse was untucked and her skirt was wrinkled and dirty. She looked like she’d slept in her clothing. She swung the gun back and forth trying to cover the entire room.
No one moved. Everyone was utterly shocked at this turn of events.
“He promised me part of the treasure,” she gurgled, as she swayed before us. “I know you’ve been looking for it and I deserve it for putting up with that old fart for so long.” She was obviously drinking all day and I worried she would accidentally shoot someone while waving the gun around.
“Saundra, please put the gun down and we can talk,” I asked, trying to keep my voice as calm and as steady as possible.
“You give me my treasure and I’ll put the gun down,” she screeched.
I could feel something change in the room, as if all the air had been drawn out and was replaced by anger, hate and envy. In spite of Saundra, I closed my eyes and the feelings were tangible, despair, loneliness, fear, guilt, hate. I pushed my own horror aside and suddenly knew in that moment that there were three entities here in the house. And the most dangerous one was now entering the room.
A dark outline started forming behind Saundra, taking human shape. A cry burst from my mother’s lips and I heard my aunt cry in fear as we started to see features forming in the dark shape. Distinctly angry features of a face we knew.
It was Soren.
I recognized him from pictures I had seen. I had known my grandfather was mean, resentful and unkind, but I hadn’t realized the extent of his anger, hate and sheer repugnance for everyone and everything. It seemed now that only those parts of him were left. In his youth he’d been a bull of a man, and he was again as he appeared to us.
Emmett put his hands on my upper arms and started pulling me backward, away from the entity, until we were up against the washing machine and had nowhere else to go. I could hear the others backing up also but I couldn’t look away from the image of my grandfather.
He started moving toward Saundra, and she must have sensed it through her alcohol-induced haze for she suddenly turned and faced him. She let out a high pitched scream and tumbled to the floor. Soren continued to move toward her.
“We need to do something,” I yelled, wriggling out of Emmett’s hands and jumping forward.
“Laney,” Emmett yelled, but I paid him no heed. I threw my flashlight at the image and it clattered uselessly as it hit the wall behind him.
A light appeared behind me, and I turned expecting to see Emmett shining his flashlight, but instead the light seemed to be coming right out of a portion of the wall where slats of wood were nailed to it. I’d always assumed it was a fruit cellar door that had been boarded up, but I had no idea what could possibly be happening now. A wind began whipping around the room as the light behind the slats became brighter. The nails started to pop one by one and we all ducked as pieces of rotted wood started to fly across the room. Emmett was on the floor, holding his hand out to me and yelling my name, but I couldn’t hear his voice over the din. I saw my grandfather walk past me to go determinedly toward the wall, his visage filled with rage and hatred. I felt like I could choke on the raw emotions in the room.
There was now an open hole in the concrete wall, indicating a small enclosure about three feet off the ground. Then another dark shape appeared in the opening. I recognized the rotting corpse that crawled out of the hole—it was the one that confronted me on the steps before—but I was surprised to see it begin to glow and then solidify into the image of a handsome young man. His short, combed hair and lanky figure reminded me of a young Jimmy Stewart. I knew at that moment it was Quentin Collins, my real grandfather.
They faced one another and I suddenly realized we were watching a scene that had happened somewhere before. Instinctively, I knew the outcome of this confrontation. That time had not gone well for the young man and now I knew why he hadn’t ended up meeting up with my grandmother. He had never had a choice. Someone had made sure he would never be there.
Soren lunged at Quentin, and they met with a crash like a lightning strike. The wind continued to assault the room, and the air crackled and sparked as they struggled.
Soren pushed my grandfather back against the wall next to the hole as they grappled together. I wanted to help but didn’t know what to do or if there was anything I could do when I remembered my grandmother.
I ran to the stairway screaming, “Teoline! Teoline! We’re in the basement! We need you!” Then I stopped calling, closed my eyes, and began to concentrate, picturing my grandmother as she had appeared to me.
Teoline appeared on the stairs in a flash of light, the shock and horror visible on her face. “Teoline,” I cried, and turned my gaze to the two entities wrapped in an embrace, fighting to destroy each other.
Her eyes followed mine and I could see the agony on her face. There was the man she had waited for. The one she always thought had forgotten her. Her features hardened in anger, then withered in pain, as if she suddenly remembered something.
My mother and aunt gasped and jumped up, startled to see their mother after so many years. “Wait!” I screamed, running over to throw my outstretched arms in front of them, trying to get their attention so they wouldn’t join the fray.
My grandmother moved forward and I sensed her drawing energy to herself as she faced the man who had taken her love and her future. Soren turned to look at Teoline and his face became a mask of disbelief and something else. Guilt. Soren and Quentin broke apart and Soren took a step towards Teoline.
“You thought I would never find out, didn’t you?” she challenged him, her voice an echo of pain. “I found the note from Quentin in your office where you’d hidden it. Did you keep it to gloat over? You knew I would never have married you if I thought he had wanted me. You made me believe I was just a plaything to him, that he left me when I needed him most. You wanted me to feel vulnerable and abandoned so you could have me. Now, I know the truth, and you can never undo that. Until now I just thought you hid the note you had intercepted so I wouldn’t go to him. But he didn’t leave me. You met him instead and murdered him, and buried him here, then brought me to this cursed place afterwards as your wife.
“We had come home after an evening out. You had already gone upstairs to change, and I went to your desk in the study to get the key to the hidden safe so I could put my jewelry away. As I was closing the top desk drawer, a piece of paper taped underneath fell out. It was Quentin’s note. I was astonished and outraged. I went upstairs and confronted you with it in my hand. You realized I had never gotten over him, and your jealousy consumed you. We argued out into the hallway, and at the top of the stairs you pushed me!” Her piercing accusation shook the room like a thunderbolt. As the realization struck my mom and Aunt Shelly, the two old women broke down in sobs, the rest of us speechless, unable to move.
“It was an accident. I didn’t mean to push you. I had to get that note.” Soren’s face, so filled with rage before now, seemed to crumble as he began to sob.
Teoline held out her hand to Quentin. It only took Quentin a moment and he stepped around Soren.
Watching them hold hands and gaze at one another, Soren seemed to shrink. He dropped his head, a defeated man. He backed away from my grandmother and Quentin and clenched his fists. The long-held anger and hate began to rise again. I could feel the waves of bitterness rolling over me. All the guilt, despair and frustration he must have felt for all those years spilled over and threatened to envelop us all.
The crackling sound I had heard before started again, and I realized it was emanating fro
m Soren. He was trying to speak through the rage. His voice was deep, dark liquid. “I did everything for you. I helped you, yet you were never grateful, you never loved me. Even before he came, I loved you. I had to watch him walk into your life with all his charm, making you believe in a fantasy world of dreams. I knew he couldn’t give you a stable home and life like I could.”
“A stable life? Built on what? Deception? Guilt? Hatred?” Teoline’s voice was harsh, angry.
Soren’s image became that of a bitter old man. “I always loved you. I just wanted you to love me too.” He gasped as his last words came out in a whisper. “I swear I never wanted to hurt you.”
Her anger slowly faded as she saw his pain, the hard life he had known, the part she had played in his unhappiness. “I’m sorry I never loved you, Soren. I should never have married you and made you think there would be anything more than companionship between us. Look what our mistakes have brought us.”
We watched spellbound as Quentin leaned close to Teoline and whispered in her ear. Her face softened and she nodded. “Let’s put an end to the hatred and the anger. I,” she began then looked at Quentin one last time questioningly, who nodded. “We forgive you,” she amended softly. “Can you forgive me?” she asked Soren.
Soren looked up, surprised. Hardly able to believe it, he felt the truth of their forgiveness. “Of course,” he said simply. A brightness rose from within Soren, building into a brilliant white light that filled the room, blinding us with an intensity that made us squeeze our eyes shut and turn our heads. There was a gust of wind that passed through the room, and from behind my shut eyelids I could sense that the light had disappeared. I opened my eyes slowly and saw that he was gone.
Breaking the silence, Quentin spoke. “I didn’t mean to scare you, Laney. I feared that he wanted to kill you, but it was difficult to get the words out when I saw you. It wasn’t until just now when I saw Teoline again and knew she still loved me, that Soren’s hold over me was lifted.” Teoline and Quentin looked at Connie, Aunt Shelly, my mother, and me as their images began to fade, and I knew that their energy was waning. “I love you all,” Teoline said. Then she and Quentin vanished as well.
