The Blacker House

by Nicole Mulloy

  Kate took a deep breath. “Yeah, I know.”

  Lucy sighed. “Have you checked the mail yet? Maybe Jacob sent you a letter.”

  Kate smiled, then raced to the front of the house to the mailbox, pulling out flyers and letters, hoping to find one from Jacob. A letter would make her whole day worthwhile. “Ah-hah,” she said as she saw Jacob’s familiar handwriting. She brought the stack of mail to the back porch and tore into her letter.

  Dear Kate,

  How are you? I’m fine. My classes are going well, but they are so hard. I never knew

  how much work college was going to be. On Mondays, I have Biology and there must be

  two hundred kids in my class. It’s in this huge auditorium and the professor wears a

  microphone…..

  Kate scanned the letter. Jacob went on and on about college, his roommate, the menu in the cafeteria, but the poetic expressions of love she’d hoped for were nowhere to be seen. He ended the letter with a simple “I miss you. Love, Jacob.”

  “Huh," Kate folded the letter and stuck it back into the envelope. This day wasn’t getting any better.

  “How’s Jacob?” Lucy asked, squinting in the muted afternoon light.

  “Apparently, he’s doing just fine.”

  *

  The rest of the week passed slowly but Kate found her spirits lifting as the days passed. By Friday, she was feeling like herself again. Nothing strange happened. Boxes were unpacked and the house began to feel more like home. In fact, Kate actually found herself smiling a little as she stared out the window while Mr. Tilsen droned on about King Solomon and Samson and Delilah and bunches of other dead people.

  The foliage was truly breathtaking here. So many trees. And the trees had trees growing under them. And the trees under the trees had vines growing on them. Kate had never seen so much green in her life. Back in Nebraska, Kate’s house had been in a new development in the middle of a cornfield. There was only one big tree in the whole neighborhood. It must have had a half-dozen tree houses in it, as all the neighbor kids tried to stake their claim.

  Kate sighed, remembering the old neighborhood. The big sky. The prairie. It was so different here. It wasn’t just the green. It was everything.

  Across the road from her school, St. Peter’s Church stood as a reminder that Sunday was only a few days away. Down the hill, past the church, Kate could just see the big gray flood wall that protected downtown, and beyond that, the glistening waters of the Ohio River.

  Apparently, Huntington clung desperately to a dwindling population. In its heyday, she had heard, Huntington had been a bustling city with a booming economy, but time had taken its toll. Many of its downtown buildings stood empty, boarded up. Only the occasional coal barge floated downstream; traffic on the river was limited mostly to sputtering fishing boats. The once lavish downtown theater had been converted into a sagging multiplex cinema. Kate heard rumors that during late night shows, rats of a mythic size emerged to nibble on popcorn under the seats.

  Kate had seen a faded mural painted on the side of a downtown building that said it all. “Huntington! The best is yet to come!” it bragged. Beneath it, scrawled in blue spray paint: “Don’t hold your breath.”

  Despite all this, Kate noticed that the West Virginians were a proud, if slightly self-conscious people. On their second night in town, Kate and her family had walked the downtown streets, trying to get to know their new town. They noticed a small gathering and went toward it. “Appalachian Days,” read a big banner, stretched across the street. There, Kate got her first real taste of Appalachian culture, literally.

  Kate had never tasted kale before, and assuredly never would again. She sampled other strange concoctions, including fried squirrel, fried okra and several recipes of fried chicken which all tasted the same. There were several bowls of cucumbers floating in bowls of vinegar, which Kate found surprisingly tasty. And the most bizarre of all, tiny bits of toast topped with onions and peanut butter. Kate thought she would gag.

  “Those are Vidalia onions, honey,” a woman at the booth told her, her voice as syrupy as molasses. “They’re sweet onions. Try ‘em.” Kate took one piece of toast to be polite. Later, she quietly threw it into the trash.

  The entertainment was dubbed “clogging.” Kate searched her mind, trying to determine what the performers were going to clog. An artery, probably, with all those fried foods.

  Clogging, she found out, is a form of dancing. It seemed totally hillbilly, but at the same time, almost European. A group of women and girls danced and twirled around the stage wearing puffy skirts and wooden shoes. The crowd loved it, clapping away as banjoes twanged. It was kind of neat, but Kate wouldn’t be applying for clogging lessons any time soon.

  Most bothersome about living in West Virginia was that everywhere she went, be it a grocery store or gas station, Kate heard country music. Kate hated country music. It ground on her nerves, the lonesome wailing, the warbling guitars. Kate worried that, at her graduation ceremony, she would be forced to march down the aisle to a traditional country favorite, like “All My Exes Live in Texas.”

  West Virginia was just so different from Nebraska. She was still a foreigner in her own school, in her own home. Mrs. Cauthen had said that it would feel like home someday. Kate didn’t think so, but she would try to like it. The teacher droned on like a dripping faucet. Kate sighed and laid her chin in her hand. She looked out the window, noticing the first touch of autumn color on the green, green leaves.

  *

  By the time school let out, Kate felt pretty good. She had survived her first week at the new school. People had stopped staring at her, she was finding her classes without looking at her schedule, and she had a few friends. She and Lucy pushed their way out of the doors and into the parking lot. The group of guys was not there today.

  “Where’s Bryan Cummings today?” Lucy asked, echoing Kate’s thought.

  “Got me.”

  “I think he’s cute.”

  Kate glanced at her little sister. “You think everybody’s cute.”

  The two girls started walking home. They were about halfway home when a car pulled up beside them.

  “Hey, you two. Want a ride?” Mrs. Cauthen’s curly head popped out of the window of a beat-up blue Chevy.

  “Sure!” Kate said and she hopped into the passenger seat, while Lucy climbed into the back. Looking at Mrs. Cauthen, hugely pregnant, Kate could hardly believe she could fit behind the wheel. She briefly panicked, worrying that Mrs. Cauthen would go into labor and Kate and Lucy would be the only ones with her. Or worse, Kate would look down and there would be a baby next to the accelerator.

  “Don’t tell, but I skipped out a few minutes early. It’s such a nice day.” The counselor giggled like a girl. “So, how are you enjoying your classes, Kate?” she asked as she pulled back into traffic.

  “Uh, they’re okay. I like my computer class. Ms. Starkovich is a good teacher,” Kate said. In fact, Ms. Starkovich was so old and feeble, she couldn’t hear or see a thing anymore. Every day, she stood at the front of the class, chattering away while the class updated their Facebook pages.

  “And how about Ms. Dobbs? She working you hard?”

  “Um,” Kate stammered, unsure how to answer the question. Ms. Dobbs had grown increasingly unreasonable. Lisa believed that Ms. Dobbs was secretly planning to overthrow the principal, take over the school, and enslave the entire student body. They’d have to wash her car, clean her windows, and analyze old British novels all day. “She’s tough,” was all Kate could say.

  “That’s one way to put it. And how are you doing, Lucy? Getting along okay?”

  “Yeah, I really like it!” Lucy was so darn enthusiastic about everything.

  “And, how’s your boyfriend, Kate? Jack?”

  “Jacob.”

  “Right, Jacob. Have you talked to him lately?” she asked.

  “Take a left here,” Kate pointed as she gave directions. “Yeah, he’s doing really go
od. He says his classes are hard. Lots of tests, you know. He says he’s going to transfer here.” Kate’s grin felt uncomfortable on her face.

  “Yes, I remember you told me that.”

  “Oh, sorry.” Kate hated when she repeated herself.

  “That’s wonderful news. When is he coming?”

  “I don’t exactly know yet, but hopefully by the start of next semester.”

  “Won’t that be nice. You make sure that he treats you right. Is he a nice guy?”

  “He’s the best. There’s our house, the big brick one.”

  “Maybe I’ll get to meet him someday.” Mrs. Cauthen was pulling up to the curb when her face darkened. “You live in the Blacker House?”

  “Yes,” Kate said tentatively. “Why?”

  “Nothing, it’s just that I’ve heard stories about it.”

  Kate furrowed her brow. She didn’t like all this mystery surrounding her house. “What kind of stories?” Lucy asked from the back seat.

  Mrs. Cauthen’s grin returned just as quickly as it had vanished. “Oh, nothing. Just a bunch of old stories. Not true, I’m sure.”

  6.

  “I don’t want to hear about any fighting or bickering or anything. Do you understand me?”

  “Yes, Mom,” a chorus of voices answered her.

  “Kate, did you hear me?” Mom asked with a stern look.

  Glaring, Kate answered, “Why are you singling me out?”

  Her mother ignored her. “We’ll be back before midnight,” she said as she and Dad exited through the back door. Dad winked before closing the door.

  As soon as the lock clicked in place, Kate heaved a sigh of relief. They’re finally gone, she thought. She could actually be free tonight, without Mom’s constant nagging. Dad said that Kate and her mom were just too much alike. Kate thought that was the stupidest thing she’d ever heard.

  It was Friday night, and since she obviously didn’t have a date, Kate could enjoy this Mom-free night at home with her sisters. As usual, Seth would remain in his oversized room on the third floor. Seth had always been a bit reclusive, but lately, he was downright weird.

  Seth also left behind a loved one in Nebraska. Her name was Laura, and when she found out that Seth planned to move to West Virginia with the family, she freaked. She dumped him. Most nights, Seth sat on his bed with his cat, listened to sad music and wrote her letters. In fact, he was probably more heart-broken than Kate. He was just so quiet about it, nobody really noticed.

  Matt, on the other hand, was already out with some friends. He met a chesty blond cheerleader who just happened to have a chesty, blond, twin sister, also a cheerleader, who was always with her. The three of them had gone to the movies. Except for Seth, cloistered in his room, Kate was alone with Lucy and Marie tonight. Dad had rented them a movie, so Kate went to the kitchen to pop some corn.

  “Want me to help?” Lucy chimed as she bounced into the room.

  “You can grab a bowl from the cupboard,” Kate responded. Lucy had always been this way: helpful, cheery. Would it never end?

  “Hurry up, you guys!” Marie yelled from the family room.

  Marie would never be called helpful or cheery, that’s for sure. The youngest Gilbert was also the loudest. Her favorite words were “I’m gonna’ tell!” Kate had bribed Marie to keep her mouth shut on many occasions. Actually, Kate felt a little sorry for Marie. Ridiculously small for her age, Marie was often ignored and patronized, treated like a toddler. She had to be loud and obnoxious to make herself heard.

  “Hold your horses, Shrimp!” Kate yelled. Lucy giggled as Kate put the bag of popcorn into the microwave.

  Suddenly, a violent crashing sound erupted from under the floorboards, as if furniture were being thrown across the basement, so hard that the floor vibrated. Kate grabbed the countertop and listened. The crashing continued, powerful and constant. Within five seconds, it stopped and all was quiet. Kate and Lucy’s eyes met. The basement.

  “What the heck was that?” Kate said, her voice pinched up.

  “I don’t know,” Lucy whispered as Marie came running in from the family room.

  “Did you guys hear that?” Marie said, her little eyebrows knitted together.

  “Yeah, we heard it,” Kate said. She stood speechless, not wanting to give into that panicked instinct which told her to run hysterically from the house, blabbering like an idiot. “I guess we need to check it out?” she volunteered quietly. Lucy and Marie didn’t say anything, just stood looking at their big sister. “I’m not going down there by myself,” Kate said, “You are…”

  “Seth’s here!” Lucy interrupted. “We’ll get Seth!”

  “Yes, yes, go get him!” Kate said, glad to be relieved of the job of Chief Basement Inspector.

  A few minutes later, Seth stomped down the servants’ stairwell into the kitchen, with Lucy in tow. Without a word, he went to the basement door, opened it, and flicked on the light. His three sisters followed closely.

  Immediately, they were surrounded by damp, musty, stale air. It tickled Kate’s nose and she wondered if she were allergic to creepy basements. The basement was huge, spanning the entire house. Smooth gray rocks, mortared together with whitish glue, made up the walls and floor.

  They stepped down the dusty wooden stairs and into the main hallway of the basement. The hallway contained three doors, two of them closed. It was like being in a dank cave. All it needed was trickling water and bats hanging from the ceiling.

  “Where did the sound come from?” Seth asked.

  “I don’t know.” Kate said.

  Seth pushed through the first door into the furnace room. A gargantuan old furnace stood lifeless, on hiatus until the warm autumn nights turned chilly, and next to it, two new looking water heaters. The rest of the enormous room appeared empty, the dark corners concealed in shadow.

  Seth turned, and with his sisters practically stepping on his heels, went out into the hallway and through the next door. This was a storage room. Boxes were stacked on every shelf, many of them still unopened from the move from Nebraska. They were already dusty, Kate noticed. For some reason, this room also contained a toilet.

  “Looks clear.” Seth turned off the light and turned to the last door in the basement. Seth walked through the open door of the laundry room and flipped the light switch. It only took a second to see that this was the right room.

  This room was enormous, containing only the washer, dryer and a basket of dirty clothes. But tonight, the room contained something else. Rocks. There were rocks everywhere. Dozens of rocks were strewn across the floor, some small and some as big as a potato.

  “What the hell?” Seth said as he walked into the room, careful to avoid stepping on them.

  “Wha....where did all those rocks come from?” Lucy squeaked, her voice an octave higher than usual.

  Marie walked over to the basket of clothes, leaned over and picked up a rock that had been nestled there. She turned it over in her small hands. “It’s just a rock.”

  “B-b-b-but we heard all that noise. What was going on down here?” Kate asked.

  Seth went to the wall and rubbed his hands along it. “Huh,” he said.

  “What? What?” Kate asked.

  “I thought maybe some rocks just fell out of the wall, but I don’t see that any rocks are missing. Come here and see for yourself,” he said. All three sisters converged to the spot where Seth stood. They each walked along the wall, looking and feeling for missing rocks.

  “Wait a minute.” Kate shook her head. “It was really, really loud. Remember Lucy? That wasn’t the sound of rocks falling. It was the sound of rocks being thrown around, hard, so hard the floor was shaking.”

  “Hmmm,” was all Seth said, as he too picked up a rock and rolled it over in his hands.

  “You’re right, Kate,” Lucy said. “Look.” She walked back across the room toward the washer and dryer. She stood by the washing machine, looking down at the floor. A rock sat on the floor, right under a larg
e, dirty dent in the side of the white washing machine.

  “But where did they come from?” Kate whispered, mostly to herself.

  “Wait a minute,” Marie said suddenly, pointing a tiny finger. “What about that room?”

  They all turned their attention to the small window near the top of the back wall.

  “That room,” Kate said. Her skin suddenly felt damp and cold. They had forgotten. There was another room in this basement, the dirt room.