Whispering Pines

by Mavis Applewater

  Shawn felt herself blush. Faith relaxed, and Shawn caught a glimpse of what she was thinking. “I doubt it was the naughty slumber party you’re fantasizing about,” Shawn told her as she watched the mini-orgy that Faith had conjured up. Her eyes widened as something occurred to her. “Or maybe it was.”

  “Guys, the video and sound are cutting in and out,” Althea’s voice crackled over the radio. “Could you move to another room?”

  “No!” they both said adamantly into the small radio.

  “What’s going on in that pretty little head of yours?” Faith asked Shawn, who was finally putting all of the pieces together.

  “Why us?” Shawn asked. Faith returned her inquiry with a blank stare. “Why did the entity attack us and ignore everyone else in that room?”

  “Don’t know. It’s not because we’re women, since Mr. Spooky ignored Althea and Lanie.”

  “No, but we do have something else in common.”

  “Like what?” Faith scoffed. “You’re a crystal-wearing, sprout-eating psychic, and I’m a normal person.”

  “Think about it,” Shawn insisted, but Faith continued to stare at her blankly. “Okay, we’ll try something else. Why does a man kill his wife?”

  “He’s an evil bastard.”

  “Why else?”

  “Money,” Faith said. “Of course, that doesn’t fit since we know Captain Stratton was loaded. So that leaves everyone’s favorite, infidelity. It would have to be her who was unfaithful, since back then he could have been sleeping with farm animals and she wouldn’t be able to say spit about it. I still don’t get it.”

  “What’s the common thread?” Shawn asked her.

  “Mrs. Stratton cheating on her husband and something you think we both have in common? The only thing you and I have in common is that we’re—” Faith’s eyes widened with sudden understanding. “We’re both gay,” she finally said.

  “I think Anna and Catherine were very close,” Shawn said with a knowing smirk. “That would explain why this room feels so warm. It’s probably where they spent their intimate moments. The only other room that felt this warm was upstairs, on the third floor. A very small room that would have been reserved for a spinster sister.”

  The light sound of a woman’s laugh echoed through the room. “They’re here,” Shawn said with a bright smile. “This was their favorite place.” Fleeting images flew through her mind. “They would sit here.” She moved to a spot where she could see a table clearly. “Drink tea and steal soft touches, always careful, so the servants couldn’t observe them. And at night they would share Anna’s bed whenever Horatio was away. There were times they risked everything by sleeping together when he was around.” Shawn moved to the spot where she pictured the canopy bed. Their sleeping bags rested upon that same spot. “This is the room where they made love for the first and last time.”

  “How did Horatio find out?” Faith asked eagerly.

  “I don’t know,” Shawn said. “This room is like a haven to them. They blocked him, and what happened, out of here.”

  They turned suddenly at the sound of heavy footsteps racing up the staircase and down the hallway. They stared at the open doorway as the door slammed shut and the footsteps vanished. Shawn was filled with a sense of love and serenity. Faith’s smile told her that she could feel it as well.

  “Um, guys?” Althea’s voice crackling over the radio disrupted their bliss. “Not to worry you or anything, but all of the downstairs lights just went on.”

  “I thought the power wasn’t on,” Faith said.

  “It isn’t.”

  The women took a deep breath before picking up their flashlights. “Ready to have more fun?” Faith asked. The way her voice was squeaking alerted Shawn that Faith felt anything but calm.

  Shawn waved to her as she opened the bedroom door. “After you.”

  “No way.”

  “Chicken,” Shawn scoffed before she led Faith out into the empty hallway.

  “Normally, I’d be real upset at a comment like that,” Faith said. She followed closely behind Shawn. “But after everything that’s happened today, I can live with it. Just remember to let me know when it’s time to run.”

  “You got a deal.” Shawn peered over the banister to the brightly-lit lower level. “He came back early.” The images of a long-ago night consumed her. She jumped as a stout man with a white beard ran up the staircase. “He always did that.”

  “Did what?” Faith gently clasped Shawn’s shoulder.

  “Horatio would barge into the house when he returned and race up the stairs to his wife’s bedroom. It didn’t matter if he was returning from a voyage or a trip into town. Whenever he entered the house, he would storm up the staircase and barge into Anna’s bedroom. He always feared that someday she would take a lover. He never suspected his sister.”

  “This pinhead gets more and more charming. Did he figure it out that night?”

  “No,” Shawn responded absently, lost in the images. “Horatio returned from a journey in the middle of the night. At first they thought it was an intruder. They rushed to put on their bed clothing and descended the staircase. Catherine was holding a rifle.”

  As Shawn and Faith crept down the staircase, Shawn could see the scene unfolding before her. The foyer was brightly lit, and the home was now elegantly furnished.

  The image changed, and night faded into early morning. Shawn saw a tall, slender woman dressed in a simple gray dress, with long blonde hair bundled high upon her head. “It’s Catherine,” she said as Catherine’s image descended the staircase. Shawn watched as Catherine passed them and smiled down at a younger, redheaded woman who was standing in the foyer. They exchanged a long, loving gaze before they both donned a solemn expression. “They were very good at hiding how deeply in love they were with one another.”

  Shawn was captivated by the sights and sounds that now became very real to her. Catherine entered the dining room behind her lover, who continued into the kitchen. Catherine took her place at the table, away from her brother who was seated at the head of the table. “Brother,” she greeted him, her face and voice devoid of all emotion as she folded her napkin on her lap. Horatio ignored her greeting.

  “They ate breakfast,” Shawn continued. “It’s so real, I can smell the food. Anna served the meal, and no one spoke except Horatio, and that was only when he wanted one of them to serve him.”

  “You can see all that?” Faith asked.

  “Everything.” Shawn watched the family eat their morning meal in silence. Occasionally, she caught the shy glances the two women exchanged. “I can see the polished pine table, the lace curtains. I can see, hear, and smell everything.”

  “Shawn,” Faith warned when they stepped deeper into the room.

  Ignoring Faith’s words, Shawn watched the two women begin to clear away the dirty dishes. They made their way down the same hallway Shawn had been drawn to earlier that day. Horatio remained behind, reading some papers as he puffed on his pipe. She heard him move to the sitting room, just off of the dining room. She almost choked on the pungent aroma from his pipe.

  Shawn reached for the door that led into the kitchen.

  Faith sounded panicky. “Shawn.”

  “Where’s she going?” Althea asked over the radio.

  “Shawn,” Faith repeated in a fearful tone.

  Shawn stepped into the bright and sunny kitchen. The two women moved about the room confidently. “He never goes into the kitchen. They know that they’re safe. They touch one another lightly as they brush past each other while they clean up after the morning meal. They’re finished, and Catherine stands behind Anna. She caresses her neck and shoulders. They stop when they think they hear something. They listen and hear nothing more.

  “Catherine wraps her arms around Anna’s waist from behind and begins to kiss her lover’s neck.” Shawn cried out as she saw the shadowy figure enter the room from the back door.

  “I know what you are,” Horatio said as he rais
ed the axe. “Sinner.” He struck his sister down with one blow. He wrapped his hand around his wife’s throat. “Sinner,” he hissed again.

  “Oh, my God, oh, my God,” Shawn chanted as the bloody scene unfolded before her. Even when she closed her eyes, she could still see the scene playing out. She was only dimly aware that Faith had pulled her from the room and dragged her back upstairs to Anna’s bedroom.

  Shawn slowly relaxed as she felt her body wrapped in a warm embrace. She shook her head when she realized that she was upstairs, sitting on her sleeping bag, nestled in Faith’s arms.

  “It was awful,” she choked out.

  “Do you want to talk about it?” Faith asked gently.

  “I should do a recap for Althea.” Shawn sniffed as she looked up at Faith.

  “Too late,” Faith said. “After you started screaming ‘Oh, my God,’ they lost all contact with us.”

  “What do you mean? Are the video and sound completely down?” Shawn tried to process what she had just heard.

  “Everything,” Faith said. “First the feed from the cameras, and after you really started to freak, I lost radio contact with them. The last thing Althea said was they saw a figure heading towards the woodshed. Oh, and I can’t get the door or windows to open. They slammed shut, and the cable feeds were disconnected. So we’re stuck in here.”

  “How long was I out of it?”

  “Quite a while. You really freaked out.”

  “We should be safe if we stay in here.” Shawn clung tightly to Faith.

  “Really?” Faith asked her in a hopeful tone.

  “I think so,” Shawn tried to reassure her. “At least the fire’s still going.”

  “It won’t be so bad,” Faith said softly. “You and me curled up in a sleeping bag next to a cozy fire.”

  Shawn released a light chuckle into Faith’s chest. She pulled away and took a deep breath. “What he did to them was horrible,” she said, trying to detach herself from what she had witnessed. “They were in the kitchen and felt safe since Horatio never went in there. Why would he?

  “They were simply holding hands and touching each other. He saw them from the doorway. They never knew. Horatio left the house through the front door, went out to the woodshed, and got an axe. Then he came back into the house through the kitchen door. They were embracing and never heard him coming. You can figure out what happened next.”

  “What a sick bastard,” Faith said. She began to caress Shawn’s shoulders.

  “No kidding,” Shawn agreed, leaning into Faith’s touch. It was then she noticed something that made her smile. “You zipped the sleeping bags together?”

  “It’s not what you think,” Faith said defensively as Shawn flashed her a suspicious smirk. “Come on, you know what I’m thinking.”

  “No, I don’t. True, a few times I did get a glimpse, but it only happened three times, when your defenses were down. The first time was when you brushed my hair out of my eyes. The second time was when you got angry with Kyle for filming us while you were trying to comfort me. The last time was when that filthy mind of yours was picturing just how the lady of the house would entertain her female guests while her husband was at sea.”

  “Did you like that one?” Faith wrapped her arms around Shawn’s waist.

  “You’re very creative.” Shawn sighed. “So if you aren’t making a pass, Ms. Charles, then why did you zip our sleeping bags together?”

  “I don’t know about you, but I’m not planning on closing my eyes in this house,” Faith said in a serious tone. “I just feel a need to be close to you since, well, you’re the only other person running around here who’s actually breathing.”

  “Oh,” Shawn responded with a hint of regret. She tried to pretend that she wasn’t disappointed that Faith wasn’t interested in her. She glanced at her wristwatch. “It’s just after ten thirty. Wow, I really did lose a big chunk of time. We have another hour and a half, that is if we can get out of here at midnight.”

  “We’ll be fine as long as we stay in this room.” Faith pulled Shawn closer. “It’s so warm, it’s almost like I feel the love they shared.”

  “I know. I feel it, too,” Shawn said. “I can also feel the passion,” she added shyly, nestling closer to Faith.

  The strangest sensations were enveloping Shawn. She could feel the warmth of Faith’s body behind her. She could even feel the steady beating of Faith’s heart. Yet there was something or someone else she was feeling as well.

  Then she saw the lace-covered canopy bed emerge. Anna and Catherine stood next to the bed. Shawn felt the nervous tension that surrounded them when Anna reached up and cupped Catherine’s face.

  As Anna touched Catherine’s face, Shawn leaned back in Faith’s tender embrace and touched her face in the same fashion. Shawn was lying across Faith’s lap as she watched Catherine capture Anna’s hand. Faith’s strong gentle hand seemed to mirror Catherine’s actions.

  “Sister?” Catherine whispered nervously.

  “Don’t call me that. For what I feel for you is anything but sisterly,” Anna said in a breathy tone as she pulled Catherine’s face closer to her own.

  Without realizing what she was doing, Shawn gently drew Faith’s face to her own. The feel of Faith’s warm breath caressing her face was mixed with the passionate feelings emanating from Catherine and Anna. As the faint image of the two women kissed, Shawn felt Faith’s soft lips brushing against hers. Shawn gave herself over to the feeling of Faith’s mouth exploring her own. She parted her lips, and Faith’s tongue traced her bottom lip.

  In her mind’s eye, she watched Catherine lower Anna down onto the bed. Faith mirrored Catherine’s actions, lowering Shawn onto the sleeping bags. Shawn’s eyes drifted shut as Faith’s warm body melted against her own. She kissed Faith deeply, yet could still see the images of Catherine and Anna.

  Catherine kissed Anna deeply and began to slowly remove Anna’s cumbersome clothing, while Faith did the same to Shawn. Shawn tingled with excitement as Faith caressed her. Her body was pulsing with desire. Faith began to kiss down Shawn’s neck while Catherine lovingly did the same to Anna.

  Shawn clutched at Faith’s clothing, her body demanding more, while Anna mirrored her. “They’re making love,” Shawn managed to choke out as she felt Faith’s mouth worshipping the swell of her exposed breasts. She saw Catherine doing the same to Anna. “Everything we’re doing, they’re doing.” She didn’t want to break the spell, but she feared that she and Faith were caught up in something that had nothing to do with them.

  “Do you want me to stop?” Faith whispered against her skin while Catherine echoed the words.

  “No,” Shawn and Anna responded in unison.

  Faith’s body lifted slightly off of her own. “Open your eyes, Shawn,” Faith said. Shawn blinked her hazel eyes open. Her breathing hitched as Faith captured her in a fiery gaze. “Look at me,” Faith said softly. “I can feel them. I can feel their intense passion. This has nothing to do with them.” Faith’s eyes smoldered with raw desire as she reassured Shawn.

  The look in Faith’s eyes conveyed the sincerity of her words. A fleeting image flashed through Shawn’s mind, showing her Faith’s true feelings. Shawn reached up, gently guided Faith down, and reclaimed her lips. The fire that burned in her came solely from her lover, and not from the passion that filled the room from the energy of Catherine and Anna’s love.

  “I need to see you,” Shawn and Anna pleaded.

  Both Catherine and Faith lifted their bodies and stood before their lovers. Each of them undressed under the lustful gaze of their lovers. Then both lowered themselves into the arms of the naked woman lying before them. Shawn moaned deeply when she felt Faith’s body nestling into hers.

  Shawn ran her hands down Faith’s body and murmured softly when once again Faith began to kiss along her neck. With each kiss, Shawn’s body burned with need. She cried out when Faith’s tongue circled her nipple. Once again, she was aware that they were mirroring Anna and Catherin
e’s actions.

  Instinctively, Shawn’s body arched. Faith captured Shawn’s nipple in her mouth, and Shawn’s thigh slipped between Faith’s legs. Shawn’s heart was beating rapidly from the feel of her lover’s desire painting her skin. Shawn’s hands drifted down Faith’s body; Anna mirrored her movements. Each clasped her lover’s hips, gently guiding their bodies to grind against welcoming thighs. Shawn’s need raged through her as Faith worshipped her breasts with her mouth and rocked gently against her body.

  Shawn trembled as Faith kissed her way down her body while Catherine did the same to Anna. Shawn was no longer able to speak or think as Faith’s warm breath caressed the inside of her trembling thighs. The only thing she was aware of beyond Faith’s touch was the fiery image of Catherine and Anna lost in the throes of passion.

  Shawn tried to erase that image. Looking down her trembling body, she watched Faith feasting upon her wetness and gave herself over to Faith’s touch. She clutched at the nylon sleeping bags as her body erupted and then quickly pulled Faith up in her arms and wrapped herself around her. Her body ignited again when she tasted herself on Faith’s warm, inviting lips. Their hands caressed and pleasured each other. The images of Anna and Catherine faded. Shawn and Faith continued to explore one another until they collapsed into a loving embrace.

  The sensation of Faith spooning her naked body invoked a contented sigh. Shawn’s gaze drifted to the bedroom window. “The sun is coming up,” she said softly.

  “Hmm,” Faith murmured in response just as the bedroom door slowly opened.

  Both women sat up and reached for each other. The morning light began to fill the room. Shawn looked around, relaxing into Faith’s embrace. “The fire’s gone.” She stared at the fireplace. There was no wood, not even ashes; it was barren. Her attention quickly turned to the camera mounted just above the doorway. Thankfully, the telltale red light that blinked brightly whenever the camera was on was still dim.

  “We should get dressed,” Faith whispered in her ear. “I have a feeling that the film and sound equipment is going to be back on line soon.”