Echoes in the Bayou

by Dukes, Ursula

  She wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but this wasn’t it. Looming before her was a rundown plantation. She was sure that back in its hay day it was a sight, even if the location was deep in the bayou and far away from the modern world. There was an amazing stone fountain out front that probably hasn’t sprouted water since the nineteenth century, and although the massive pillars still stood, they looked as if they would crumple to the ground at the slightest touch.

  The paint was peeling; the steps that led up to the wrap around porch looked worn and extremely fragile. The second story balcony left a lot to be desired and the grounds that stood in front of the place looked as if they hadn’t been tended to in years. And speaking of grounds, besides some kind of ivy growing up the sides of the house, she took note that there was no effervescence of flowers around the place, no color, no signs of life. The entire place looked as if it was deserted and or haunted. "Great, I can’t wait to see what the inside looks like," she mumbled before getting out of the car. She made sure to leave the doors unlocked and a window down. Just in case I’ve got to make a quick getaway, she told herself. I’ll jump in head first if I have to.

  If this DuPonte looks like something from the Addams family, I am so out of here, she thought to herself as she made her way up the decaying stairs. I ought to call Gavin and give him a piece of my mind. No, fuck that. I’m sure he’s giving his piece over and over again to Melanie. Stop being scared Ava, it’s just a house and you’ve seen plenty of houses, now go in and meet your new employer, her conscience urged.

  Magnus had just finished shutting down his laptop when he heard a car door slam. He wasn’t used to guests showing up unannounced. Hell, the only people that showed up unannounced were spectators, and ghost hunters. All were hoping to catch a glimpse of a ghost, or something that they could categorize as paranormal. "Everybody hoping to gain their five minutes of fame on YouTube," he mumbled. He thought that the no trespassing signs he’d put up all around the property would stop them, and it did for a while. No one had been on the property in such a long time that he thought the signs had done the trick. "I’m gonna have to take things to the next level," he said out loud as he grabbed his metal baseball bat.

  When no one answered to her relentless knocking and ringing of the doorbell, Ava leaned her head back and quietly surveyed the gigantic house. "Maybe he isn’t home," she said. "Okay but what’s that car doing in the driveway smartass?" You’re not getting out of this one Ava, her conscience chided her. While making her way back down the stairs, one gave way and she cursed as a piece of old, rotten wood cut a deep slice into her bare leg. "Shit! This is all I need," she said and bent down to inspect the damage. The splintered wood had managed to cause a deep gash into her bare skin and with blood trickling down her leg; she made her way back to the car.

  Finding a used napkin, she managed to sop up the blood that had run down her leg. She was angry now, not only was no one home but she had cut herself and needed to wash out her wound quickly; she didn’t want infection setting in. Determined to at least find an unlocked door, she decided to head towards the back of the house. As she headed towards a dirt path that wound its way towards the back, a waiflike hand reached out from under the thick brush and quickly snatched up the bloodied napkin that she had dropped.

  While she pushed her way through over grown weeds and swatted at flying insects, something caught her attention. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a figure standing where she had stood only moments before. And for a second she thought that she was passing a mirror, was it a reflection of herself somehow?

  "Must be this heat," she murmured. She spoke out loud to shake the unpleasant feeling she was getting. "This is too much," she said. Just as she rounded the back of the house; something grabbed hold of her arm. She let out a blood curdling scream.

  "What the hell do you think you’re doing?" A male voice roared. "Can’t you read the fucking signs? They say no trespassing! What are you stupid? There’s no goddamn ghosts here so get the hell out of here before I call the cops!"

  Ava stood terrified and in shock. There was a man holding onto her with all his might and he wasn’t letting go.

  "Let go of me!" She shouted back at him. "Yes I saw the signs asshole but I'm not here to look for ghosts, I'm here for a job. I'm looking for Mister DuPonte, Mister Magnus DuPonte!" She was shaking now and her leg was starting to throb. "Please do me a favor and call the cops, and tell them to send an ambulance as well!" She said, looking down at her leg, it was still bleeding.

  "Jesus, are you Miss Montgomery?" Magnus asked eyes still full of defense.

  "Yes I am, now how about you call the police," she demanded.

  Magnus quickly released his grip on her. "No need for that Miss Montgomery, I'm Mister DuPonte."

  Ava rubbed the arm that he’d just released. "Well Mister DuPonte, do you always greet your guests this way?" She asked her voice full of irritation.

  Magnus shook his head. "No Miss Montgomery, I don’t. But when someone is lurking around my property, I have to assume that they are not welcome so I take matters into my own hands," he said and placed the bat down on the ground.

  "I wasn’t lurking Mister DuPonte. I rang the bell several times and knocked on the door quite loudly too, I might add. It isn’t my fault you couldn’t hear me."

  Now he felt like a fool. "Yeah, I’ve been meaning to get the doorbell fixed, sorry about that," he said with sincerity. "Can we start over? I'm Mister DuPonte, but please call me Magnus," he held out his hand. "It’s very nice to meet you Miss Montgomery."

  She was too tired to continue being angry. Besides, Magnus was far from looking like someone from the Addams family; he was quite attractive indeed, but she couldn’t help but notice that he looked more like a rock star than a best-selling author.

  Ava managed a polite smile, she had to try and be as professional as she could, especially under the circumstances. "It’s nice to meet you too," she winced. The pain in her leg was growing intense. Magnus looked down at her bleeding leg. "You better let me take a look at that," he said and offered her his arm. "Thank you I'm sure it’s nothing, but if you’ve got some alcohol or peroxide, I’d appreciate it," she said trying not to sound too difficult. The last thing she needed was for him to think she was helpless.

  "I'm sure I’ve got one of those, have a seat and I’ll be right back," he said and pulled out a chair at the kitchen table. While Magnus went in search of antiseptic, Ava took a glance around. From all appearances the kitchen seemed to be updated. Except for the keurig coffee maker and half empty stand, the large country style kitchen looked as if it hardly got any use. The kitchen table with its cottage look was antique and seemed to go well with the décor and overall theme of the kitchen. Ava immediately got the sense that her new employer spent a lot of time in the kitchen. Perhaps this is where he gets most of his writing done, she thought to herself as she glanced at the closed laptop sitting on the table.

  "Sorry I took so long, this bottle is kind of old but it should get the job done and I found some bandages too," he said holding a bottle of rubbing alcohol and white bandages. While the two made small talk, Magnus cleaned the cut on her leg. In an awkward moment, she was forced to rest her leg in his lap. She was thankful that she had taken the time to shave her legs this morning and that she was wearing a skirt. She would not have wanted to pull down her pants in front of a stranger.

  Magnus wanted to make her feel as comfortable as he could. The moment he touched her he thought he’d combust, he only hoped that she hadn’t noticed. Ava Montgomery was one beautiful woman and her eyes were the most intense color of green, there was nothing to compare to the beauty of her green eyes because her eyes bore the perfection of the color green. They offset raven colored hair that fell in spiral curls down to her waist. Immediately he felt haunted, he got the feeling that they had met somewhere before, long ago. And that whenever or wherever they had met, she had bewitched him. Though it may have been very inappropriate to think so, h
e was glad that she’d injured herself and needed his help. It had been a long time since anyone needed his help.

  Chapter Five

  When the bloodied napkin appeared at the base of the oak tree that shown the initials C.M. The old tree looked as if it had sprouted wings; its low lying; bent and heavy branches sprang to life and slowly reached up towards the sky. It was as if the old tree had been curled up asleep and something had awoken it, causing it to stretch its tired limbs, limbs that had been sullen for hundreds of years. All the surrounding oaks that were set in the heart of the bayou had begun to stir as well. The bayou that surrounded the Montieu plantation was coming alive.

  "I'm so sorry that you hurt yourself Miss Montgomery," Magnus said as he gently rubbed his hands along her leg. He had just finished placing the last of the bandages on her and found himself unintentionally running his hand along her leg trying to smooth out the bandage. "It’s quite alright, and please call me Ava," she smiled at him. "And thank you for helping me out," she said and reluctantly removed her leg from his lap.

  That brought him out of his haze; he had been staring at her so intently that he felt like he was hypnotized.

  "Here, let me show you around," he said and once again offered her his arm. While he was showing her around, Ava began to get the distinct feeling of déjà vu. She couldn’t help but feel as if she’d been there before. Maybe she had sensed it earlier too but the abrupt manner with which she came upon the place had caused her to conceal it. And she shared her feelings with Magnus when he showed her to the room he had prepared for her. The moment she entered, it was as if a bright flash bulb went off in her face. The light in the room changed and all of a sudden, it felt as if she was looking through someone else’s eyes.

  In the back ground she could hear the faint sound of men talking and somewhere far off, someone was singing. It was also no longer the evening, the warmth of the sun was almost overwhelming and she felt suffocated. "Ava are you alright?" Magnus asked. He had gently nudged her trying to bring her out of her trance. "Where were you just then?" He asked with concern in his voice. Even though he’d just met her, he felt as if he knew her, knew her well enough to know that something spooked her.

  "Ava, look at me, what just happened?"

  Ava shook her head and blinked her eyes. The room had returned to its normal state and the sun was setting. "Nothing happened, just tired," she said and tried to laugh it off. But Magnus didn’t believe her, he could tell by the look in her eyes that something drastic had just happened to her and he hoped that she wasn’t assaulted by a ghost. He held her firmly in his arms until she gently tugged free. "This room is beautiful Magnus, thank you."

  The large bedroom looked quite luxurious with its massive four poster king sized bed complete with lace coverlet. A large fireplace dominated the opposite side of the room while two plush Edwardian chairs sat on either side of it. An elongated oval shaped mirror hung above the fireplace and the dresser, armoire, and dressing table, along with the night stands were all handmade antique furniture.

  "This is really beautiful. I absolutely love anything antique, I plan to open my own shop one day but I might never leave," she said and ran her fingers along the delicate lace coverlet.

  "That’s fine with me," Magnus grinned. "As you can see I’ve redecorated some of the bedrooms too," he said glancing around. "There are several rooms here that I haven’t even gone into," he sighed. "But I hope that in time you’ll help me with that."

  "Of course, that’s what I'm here for," she smiled at him.

  He realized that he hadn’t been this happy in a very long time. Not only did he come up with a brilliant idea for his new book, but standing in the room next to him was a beautiful woman telling him that she may never want to leave. Maybe I should rethink selling this old place after all, he thought to himself. "Ava Montgomery, you couldn’t have shown up at better time." He took a risk and told her so. "Make yourself at home, I’ll go and get your bags."

  After he excused himself, Ava plopped down on the bed; she knew she’d have a few moments to think about what she’d just experienced. Why was it that she felt so comfortable in this room? Like she’d been in it before? And what the hell was that strange vision about? Maybe she visited the place as a child and that was a flashback, like when her parents took her to Virginia and they visited a museum that recreated American life back in the 1800’s. Yes, that must have been what she was seeing, it was just a flashback.

  But when Magnus returned and she began questioning him about the history of the place, he told her that as far as he knew, the plantation had never been set up to recreate anything and after Katrina it had been and put up for sale, that’s when he bought it. Before that, it stood vacant for several years. "No one wanted to buy the place because of its location," he told her. "Although some people like its remote location, most do not, they need it to be a little closer to civilization so to speak."

  "Well what made you buy it Magnus?" She asked with curiosity.

  "Me? Well I had just gotten engaged and my fiancé and I had just returned to New Orleans several months after Katrina hit when I started looking for a new place and I don’t know… there was something about this place that seemed to call out to me. It was screaming my name so I called up my realtor, put in an offer and was the new owner of Montieu plantation the very next day."

  "Oh so you and your fiancé live here?" Ava asked disappointed. Of course Gavin would send me here where the prospect of falling in love again would be completely out of my reach, the selfish bastard. "Oh no not anymore, she broke things off with me but I decided to move here anyway so here I am alone," he said, trying to hide his sadness.

  "I'm sorry; it’s none of my business. I was just trying to get a feel for the place and its owner," her smile full of hope. There was something about her eyes that made him want to tell her everything about him. How he was incapable of love and that his ex-fiancé had spent years using him, but that he didn’t care because he didn’t want to spend the rest of his life alone.

  "Ava, I hope you’re not tired," he said hoping that she was a night owl like him. And after she told him that she wasn’t, he invited her downstairs for a bite to eat. When she eagerly accepted, he found himself grinning from ear to ear. "That’s wonderful," he said with cheerfulness.

  Ava released yet another smile. "Just let me get freshened up and changed, I’ll join you in a moment."

  She made sure to draw the curtains before she got undressed, there were some strange things going on, and she didn’t need the feeling of someone watching her added to it.

  As she stood underneath the soothing water, she thought about her employer Magnus. He was very attractive, and his jet black hair was almost shoulder length, a little wild but still very sexy. Longer hair was something that she usually disliked on a man, but on him the longer hair suited him quite well.

  She imagined him running his fingers through it when he got frustrated or worried. How it must fall sexily around his glasses when he’s looking down. It didn’t hurt that besides having a tall and well-built body, he had the most erotic looking eyes. They were a shade darker than pure gold, and they were incredibly mysterious. Yes, Magnus DuPonte is one sexy writer, she told herself as she got dressed.

  And he seemed to be very attentive; did she sense an almost immediate attraction? Well immediately after he scared the shit out of me with a baseball bat, she laughed at herself. She had put him in his place though and she hoped that he saw that she was no weakling. I think I’ll be able to handle Magnus and this job pretty damn well, she told herself and stepped out of the shower.

  Not wanting to appear sloppy, she fished through her luggage until she found something suitable. She put on a pair of linen capris and a white tank top. After finger combing her long curly locks, she dabbed on some lip gloss and made her way down the stairs and towards the kitchen.

  "Ah just in time, you look very nice," he said. Magnus had prepared some left over fried chicken, biscuits and pot
ato salad.

  "Wow, now don’t tell me you cooked all of this?" She asked in disbelief.

  Magnus let out a snicker. "Nope, my parents came for a visit and my mother who loves to cook, prepared this wonderful meal. So I hope you like it," he said with nervousness. He didn’t know why but he wanted to do everything in his power to impress her, to make her feel welcomed. And he hoped that it was working.

  While the two ate and talked, the area around the old house continued to come alive. The step that had caved when she stepped on it had slowly started to repair itself. The crumbling columns that stood in front of the grand house suddenly turned rock-solid again. And slowly but surely the peeling paint began to dissolve into a smooth, milky white luster. And while all of this was going on; something in the bayou stirred.

  Magnus and Ava talked well into the night and while he tried his best to listen to Ava talk about all the grand ideas she had for the place, he found it hard to concentrate. He hoped that his expression was one of sincere interest but he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering. As she talked he kept his eyes fixated on her. He liked watching her lips move, she had the most wonderful pout and he didn’t stop himself from imagining what it would feel like to kiss her softly on the lips.

  He envisioned her incredibly soft tan skin against his while they slowly made love to one another… "Magnus are you listening?" She asked with a grin on her face.

  She was pretty sure that he didn’t realize it but he had the most devilish look on his face just then, seeing it made her blush.

  "Huh? Oh yeah, yeah of course I was listening," he lied.

  Ava folded her hands under her chin and stared into his eyes. "Oh really? What did I just say?" She let out a giggle.

  Magnus was taken by surprise; he wasn’t expecting her to ask him to repeat what she’d just said. "Well you were talking about your plans for renovations of course," he said with a grin.