The Haunting Of Larkspur Farm (Ghosts and Haunted Houses): A Haunting In Kingston (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 4)

by Michelle Dorey

  The woman collapsed over the body of her precious son, as dead as he.

  “Finish off the father as he sleeps,” Cora said in a flat voice as she padded back to the bedroom of the woman and the man. “Quickly, quickly!”

  The man was in bed in the same position as the boy had been. And was dead just as quickly. Cora left the knife jutting from his chest to return to the barn. She wiped the blood from her hands on her green dress. It didn’t matter, Mr. Pooka said he’d look after everything.

  In her clear sweet voice, she began to sing:

  Come away with me

  We’ll always be

  Just me and you

  Just us two…

  When things go bad

  And make you sad

  Fear not my dear

  I’m always here…

  Come away my dear

  Let us fly

  Away from here

  Until we die…

  Again, the barn doors swung open to greet her, and remained open after she entered. The special spot in the center of the barn floor was glowing like a green hued sun now, filling the barn with the sickly color. She stepped over onto it.

  But she didn’t feel the pleasant warmth and goodness. She was cold and afraid!

  “Mister Pooka!” she called out. “It’s done! We can fly away now!” Her voice hitched for a second. Just what had been done? She looked around the barn. The cows were as still as statues, all lying down in their stalls. A quick jab of fear pierced her heart like the blade of a knife. “Mister Pooka! Where are you?”

  A raspy gravelly voice came down from the hayloft. “I’m up here, my dear. Come to meeee…”

  She started at the sound. “What’s wrong? Are you sick? What’s happened?” Her hands felt sticky and she wiped them on her dress. It didn’t matter. Mr. Pooka would buy her another one, a finer one when they flew away.

  “Come to meee…” Mr. Pooka’s voice was almost scary sounding. There was kindness in it, yes. But there was something else… She went to the ladder that rose up to the loft. Putting a hand and foot on the ladder, she again hesitated.

  “Coraaa… sing our song… every… thing is going…. To be wonderful. Come to me, my dear.”

  His voice sounded better. Well, a little. She began to sing the lyrics, and he was right. Singing their special song always made her feel better. She sang it over and over as she climbed all the way to the topmost rung, the one right at the rafters.

  Stepping off the ladder onto a rafter, she looked down. She was so high up! Father had forbidden her to ever climb up to the top of the hayloft ladder. She stared down at the green glow from her special spot that looked so far away. Oh no! It was dimming! The barn was growing dark.

  “Mister Pooka! I’m afraid!” She clutched the rail of the ladder with all her might. She began to feel a little dizzy as the light in her special spot on the ground began to now pulse.

  Mr. Pooka’s voice filled the barn. “Are you ready, my dear? To fly away with me?”

  She looked around wild eyed. She was scared now. Really, really scared! “Where are you?” Something terrible had happened inside the house, but she didn’t know what.

  “All is well, my dear.” Mister Pooka now appeared. Cora’s jaw dropped. He was floating in mid air! He smiled warmly again at the expression on her face. “Surprise! We really can fly, Cora!”

  “You… you’re flying! Just like Superman on the TV!” she gasped.

  He chuckled. “And you can too!” He held out his arms. “Let’s fly away together, Cora! Forever!”

  “Really?”

  “Oh yes! It’s so easy!” He did a spin in the air. “And so much fun!” He held out his arms. “Let’s fly away now!”

  With a “Wheeee!” Cora leapt from the ladder to his waiting arms.

  “Oops!” Mister Pooka laughed as the girl’s exultation became a shriek, silenced by the crunch of her body hitting the ground.

  Chapter 28

  Present day...

  Paige cast a glance at Amanda before taking Julian’s hand and following Barbara out of the kitchen. Every muscle in her body was tight, wound like a coil as she watched the old woman. What if this didn’t work? What if the only thing they accomplished was making Cora even angrier? As for whatever spirit was in the barn... She sighed. That place was probably going to be the hardest. She knew this from the hard ache deep in her gut.

  They stopped in the hallway. “Wave the smudge in the air, Paige.” Barbara wet her finger with the holy water and walked over to the wall. She made the sign of the cross, rubbing her damp finger along the surface of the wall. “In Jesus’ name, I ask that this home be blessed. Any entity or spirit...you have no place here. I order you to leave, in Jesus’ name.”

  Her voice was firm yet gentle, a loving way that you would speak to a child that you needed to correct. Paige could feel her body ease and she held her head high waving the wand of smoldering sage. Was she imagining it or was the air becoming lighter despite the wafts of acrid smoke drifting higher to the ceiling?

  After moving in a counter circle around the room, repeating the gesture and prayer, Barbara turned to Julian. “Pour the line over the kitchen entrance first and then the other one, going into the front foyer.”

  Julian looked up at Paige and she nodded. He scooped the canister from the crook of his arm and body and holding it like a chalice, he walked over and poured the first line. Barbara led the way from the room and stood in the front foyer, looking up the stairway to the floor above. When Julian stepped into the space near Paige his hands trembled pouring the line of salt in the second doorway.

  Musical notes sounded, the tinny familiar tune of the music box. Paige gasped. It was barely audible coming from the front bedroom upstairs, but when Barbara’s gaze darted to meet hers, it was obvious she’d heard it too. Julian once more held the canister close to his body and scrambled to Paige’s side to take her hand. The music stopped as abruptly as it had started.

  “It’s Cora. She’s trying to scare us again.” Julian whispered and snuggled in close to Paige’s thigh.

  Barbara looked down at him and there was sadness in her face. “Yes. She’s a scared, lost girl, Julian. She’s frightened of leaving, frightened by the religious teachings of her parents, of hell...after what she did.”

  A thundering boom resounded from the upstairs. Paige jumped and Julian clutched her thigh, dropping the container of salt and hiding his face against her leg.

  “Paige? Julian?” Amanda’s voice pierced the air. Underlying that was the sound of Avril crying.

  Paige’s mouth had gone completely dry while her heart was a race horse. “We’re okay!” Under her breath, she muttered, “so far.” Holding the sage smudge high and away from Julian, she bent and hugged him close. “It’s okay, buddy. We’ll be okay. I won’t let anything happen to you, but we need to do this.”

  When Barbara walked over to the wall continuing the ritual with the holy water, Paige rose and followed, waving the smudge smoke.

  “Julian, you may pour salt along the outside doorway.” The old lady nodded her head, watching him intently. “We all know that it’s the upstairs that Cora haunts but we need to cleanse these rooms so that she won’t want to come down here.”

  Paige stepped closer to Julian, watching him as he completed his task. He needed to know she was right there next to him and that’s the way it would stay. She turned to Barbara, “The living room is another room Cora’s been in. She keeps flipping a picture around making sure we know she’s there.”

  “Poor Cora.” Barbara clucked her tongue and continued on into the living room. She paused at the picture hanging by the corner of its frame and adjusted it.

  Paige rolled her eyes. It was hard to feel sorry for Cora, especially since she was the cause of so much terror since they’d moved in. She took Julian’s hand again and followed Barbara into the living room. When she passed the picture on the wall, an icy chill swept through her neck and shoulders. Julian squeezed
her hand and his eyes were like saucers when she looked down at him. He’d felt it too.

  “We’ll start at the far wall. Any spiritual imprints and entities besides Cora’s will be able to escape to the upstairs as we cleanse each room.” She paused mid-step and turned to look at Paige. “Have you been in the attic? Is the entrance accessible?”

  Paige’s eyebrows drew together and she sighed. “I think there’s a hatch.” She nodded. “Yeah. At the far end of the hallway, there’s a hatch with a handle. Maybe there’re stairs that pull down.” She peered at the old woman. “Why?”

  “We need to do every room. Even ones that aren’t used.” She walked over to the wall and doused her finger with holy water, making the sign of the cross and repeating her prayer.

  Paige adjusted the smudge bundle laying in the bowl, so that the embers were free of the glass. Holding the two, she waved it in the air behind Barbara. She pointed to a door on the far side of the room. “Don’t forget that room. It’s where the furnace and electrical panel and all that stuff is. The house is built on a slab of concrete.”

  “Thanks.” Barbara turned and walked over to the other room’s entrance.

  When she disappeared inside, Paige grabbed Julian’s hand and the two of them followed. She ducked a cobweb that fluttered in the air, caught in the glow of the hanging light bulb. Barbara was already on the other side next to the furnace. Aside from the creepy spiders and centipedes that probably claimed this room as their own, the room seemed free of any supernatural vibrations.

  They finished the utility room and living room and were about to go up the stairs when an icy blast of air swooped down the stairwell. It wasn’t just the chill that made goose bumps skitter across Paige’s skin. This was a malevolent warning to them.

  How bad was it going to be up there?

  Chapter 29

  Oh God, this was it. They’d completed the cleansing of the other rooms upstairs and now, there was just her room left to do. Cora’s lair. Paige’s stomach roiled and she barely dared to breathe following Barbara down the hallway.

  Just as Barbara was about to enter, the door slammed shut with its strongest ‘THUD’ ever. She jounced backward to avoid it. The old woman seemed to falter for a moment, bending slightly and bracing herself with her hand against the jamb.

  Paige forced herself to step closer. The air was thick and even colder there and the hair on the back of her neck was standing straight up. “Barbara…?” She clutched Julian’s hand, shielding him behind her legs.

  The old lady looked down at the floor for a moment. Her face was ashen and tight. “I just need to take a moment and rest. This is not going to be easy.” She forced a weak smile, which was meant to be reassuring, but failed miserably.

  “I’m scared, Aunt Paige.” Julian tugged on Paige’s shirt before taking a step backwards.

  The music box started to play once more, its notes playing rapidly, like bullets from a machine gun.

  BANG! BANG!

  The closed room door vibrated from objects being hurled against it from the other side. The sounds struck horror in Paige’s gut. Cora knew what was coming and was throwing a tantrum.

  Barbara took a deep breath and her chin rose. She grasped the doorknob and turned it. Putting her shoulder to it, she pushed it open wide.

  Paige’s jaw dropped at the mayhem inside. The drawers in the dresser were opening and shutting with a force that shook the sturdy wood. Clothes and bedcovers floated in the air and then fell in a heap. All the while, the tinny melody of the music box played on, perfectly centered on the dresser.

  How could this be? It was a madhouse. She stepped backwards, bumping into Julian.

  With love and authority blending in her voice, Barbara called out, “In Jesus’ name, I command you to stop this.” She strode forward holding the bottle of holy water before her like a sword.

  In a flash the music box flew from the dresser; Barbara ducked her head, and it slammed into her shoulder. The old lady stumbled to the side, gripping the top of the dresser to keep from falling. Her hand holding the bottle of holy water began to tremble.

  She let out a cry of pain as her arm was yanked above her head. Paige watched in dumbstruck horror as the woman’s fingers, one by one were peeled back from the vessel.

  “NO!” Paige screamed. She ran to Barbara and folded her own hands over the woman’s fingers. As soon as she did, a spear of the coldest sensation she had ever experienced shot through her chest. She howled in surprise, pain and terror, but held Barbara’s hand with all her might. Through gritted teeth, she managed to snarl, “Be gone Cora! The will of God commands you!”

  Her words energized Barbara, who lifted her head. “Dear Cora, poor, poor Cora…” Her voice choked, “I’m sorry for all you’ve been through… I forgive you for what you did… God forgives you, Cora… you must move on…” her voice faded in a rasp.

  The bedlam in the room faltered slightly for a moment, then resumed with a burst of energy. Shoes, books, hairbrushes and framed photos peppered the two women as the stood with their heads ducking out of the way.

  “LEAVE US ALONE!” with a scream, Julian flew into the room and grasped the women’s hands in his own. “You’re being mean!” he cried into the air. “Stop it! Stop being so damn mean!” He began to shake the bottle back and forth over his head, and more of the blessed water squirted from its nozzle around the room.

  In reply, a guttural roar enveloped the room, its grinding gnashing sound scraping the very air. It went on and on as the three of them, hands joined gaped about. The roar wavered into a wail, a pealing keen of agony, sadness… and regret. As the sound pierced their ears the maelstrom in the room began to ebb; the spinning vortex of clothing spiraled down, coming to a rest on the floor.

  The keening sound faded into a wail… and then the harsh sobs and tears of a broken hearted twelve year old girl, until that too faded away…

  Into silence.

  The music box bounced and came to rest next to her foot, the tune suddenly silent.

  Barbara slumped to her knees.

  Paige dropped beside her. “Are you hurt?”

  “Oh my…” Barbara’s hand was upon her chest. “Oh my, oh my…” she repeated, her head down as she gulped for air.

  Julian had dropped to the floor as well, not letting go of the woman’s hand. “You’ll recover, Barbara,” he said in a voice well beyond his years. “You’ve been brave, and good, and I have always loved you so.”

  Barbara blinked at Julian. “Andrew?” she gasped in a whisper.

  Julian smiled. “Aye, but only for a trice. I’ll be taking the wee one along to where she belongs now.” He bent and kissed the side of the old woman’s cheek. “I told you I’d love you forever, now didn’t I lass?” Taking his lips from her face, he said, “Now kiss me once and let me go.”

  “I’ve done this before, no?”

  “Aye,” he said sadly.

  With tears flowing, Barbara leaned in and kissed Julian’s cheek. Tilting her head back, she said, “Fare the well, love.”

  “Aye. Fare thee well…” Julian’s voice faded, and his face took on a serene expression as he closed his eyes. Opening them, he said, “Father Andrew?”

  Nodding, Barbara dabbed at her eyes with her sleeve. “My first, and only true love from bygone days. With a nod to Julian and Paige, they helped her to her feet.

  When she steadied on her feet, Barbara said, “We’re far from done. Let’s complete the blessing of this home.” She stepped over to the first wall and blessed it with the holy water. With a nod to Paige, she continued to the other wall.

  Paige’s heart was pounding so fast and hard, she didn’t know if she would faint or explode. She waved the wand of sage, following the old lady. The silence in the room was palpable...with a sense of the surreal after what had just happened. Could it really have worked so quickly?

  When Barbara stepped into the closet Paige held her breath. Oh Lord, let this work! She seemed to be taking a long time. J
ulian stepped over to stand beside his aunt, looking at the dark opening of the closet with wide eyes.

  Barbara stepped out and smiled at them. “Julian, you may pour the salt over the closet doorway now.”

  Paige blew a long sigh and continued with the smudging. It looked like this was doing the trick!

  Barbara moved slowly to finish the other walls and then stepped out into the hall, directing Julian to salt the door to Paige’s room.

  “There. Can you sense it too?” Barbara smiled at Paige.

  Paige’s mouth fell open and she grinned. It was true. No longer did she feel like she was being watched...the air was warmer...no thickness in the atmosphere anymore! “Yeah! That’s it? She’s gone?”

  Julian finished pouring the salt and he joined the two of them in the hallway. “I don’t feel her anymore, Aunt Paige.”

  “We’re not done yet, you two. There’s still the attic and...” Barbara looked down at Julian. “Don’t worry, son. You’ve been a brave boy.” She turned to Paige. “Now where is this entrance to the attic? Somehow, I think doing it is going to be more of a formality, but let’s finish.”

  Paige rose on the tips of her toes and grasped the handle of the attic entrance. At first it refused to budge. She yanked harder and sank to her knees, using her body weight. With a jerk it let go and she had to scramble out of the way of the stairs that folded to the floor. A piece of cellulose insulation fluttered from the yawning dark hole above.

  She watched Barbara slowly climb the stairs. It was true what Barbara had said about it being a formality. Aside from the darkness, the air falling softly from the upper space felt normal. And the sense that it was clear of anything malevolent, drifted through her body like a warm breeze relaxing her muscles. She stepped up the stairs and onto the rough hewn platform. She could barely make out the old woman, relying more on the sound of her voice as she blessed the walls.

  She almost stumbled when her foot hit some wooden boxes and she reached out to steady herself. Going slower now, she continued, waving the sage smudge before her.