The Haunting at Morgan's Rock

by M. L. Bullock

  “I think I need to go.” He glanced at his watch and walked toward the door, tapping on his phone. “Trident Films is expecting me to call them by the end of the day. What should I tell them? Are you interested?”

  “Am I interested? What kind of question is that? Of course I’m interested. What’s wrong, Alex?” I touched the scarab and covered it with my hand, hoping to hide it from him. I mean, if it repelled him that much, I would certainly not wear it. I didn’t want to push him away. He was my closest friend. I took the necklace off, left it on the desk and walked toward him. “Alex, please don’t leave. I have to tell you something, and I’m not sure…but I have to tell you anyway. I… Let’s see, how should I start? I think that I…”

  “Really, Megan. I have to go. I’ll call you in a bit, okay?”

  “Don’t you dare leave me right now. I’m going through something here if you would just pay attention. I don’t know what the deal is with this necklace. If you don’t like it, I won’t wear it. But I’ve got bigger fish to fry, Alex. I’m seeing things around here. And not only that, I know what happened to Joanna.”

  He slid his phone in his pocket and stared at me as if he wasn’t quite sure he believed me. That’s okay. I’m not quite sure I believe me either.

  “You know me better than most people. Even though I write scary books about horrible crimes and the paranormal, I don’t necessarily believe in the things I write about. You know that about me. I’m a very fact-based, practical person. If I can’t see it with my eyes and touch it with my hands, I don’t believe it’s true. You know that.”

  “Yes. I agree that’s how you have always dealt with these things. So what are you telling me now? That you suddenly decided to believe in something? And if so, what are we talking about here? Do you believe in lucky charms now? Why else would you wear that amulet?”

  I eyed him suspiciously. “What are you talking about? You think this is an amulet?”

  “Apparently you haven’t been listening to the stories I’ve been telling you for the past year and a half. Yes, I know what an amulet is. My mother runs a magic shop in New Orleans. Clearly, that thing is an amulet. But why are you wearing it? What do you need protection against? Or are you using it as a power object against someone else?”

  I shook my head like I would shake myself out of a dream. “Do what? What do you mean power object? I’m totally confused. I guess the best thing to do is tell you what’s been happening to me. I’m just gonna suck it up and tell you everything, but do me the courtesy of not laughing in my face. This is going to be quite a story, so sit down and make yourself comfortable.” I told him the whole story, and to his credit, he didn’t laugh.

  “Okay, let me get this straight. You think that you went back in time and that you were Joanna Storm. And you think you kissed Paden Kincaid…that would be Joanna’s husband. And you also think the ghost of Joanna’s father, her cousin Vivian and her friend Dan were haunting her. Did I get everything?”

  “You kept your promise not to laugh in my face, but this isn’t much better. I would think an open-minded guy like you would be open to more ideas than the ones you may have already heard. Look, I’m not a drug addict. I rarely drink anything more than a glass of wine. I’m not on medication, although I probably should be after my divorce from Glenn, so there is no way I’m hallucinating.”

  “It’s possible that some kind of chemical like carbon monoxide or something else is making you see things that aren’t there,” he said a bit too smugly. Yes, this was the thing I liked the least about Alex—his ability to be a know-it-all on every subject. He was worse than me in that regard.

  “I don’t think carbon monoxide gives you hallucinations! I think it just kills you. But even if it did or something else was responsible, some other kind of noxious gas, why would I have such a complicated hallucination? I was here, now I’m there, then I was here again? It can’t be that. I don’t understand it, and I’m not willing to use the G-word yet, but I think Joanna is trying to communicate with me. There’s something she wants us to know. This is a good thing if you would just look at it that way. Please don’t be close-minded.”

  “And please don’t be so open-minded that you’re open to every harebrained idea that comes across the screen. I hope you don’t plan on writing a book about these experiences!” Alex looked tired, or at least tired of this conversation.

  Maybe he was right. Maybe this was really a work of fiction. A distraction for myself, something to think about besides Glenn and divorce and the horrible tragedies that had happened here at Morgan’s Rock.

  Yes, I was almost ready to agree with him. But then we heard Aimee scream.

  Chapter Seventeen

  October 1932

  The morning we were set to leave, Paden found me on the floor. Emma says that my lips were blue and my body lifeless. They were certain I had died, that this last convulsion had stolen my life from me, but I hadn’t died. I lived! Paden apparently found no joy in the fact that I was still alive, or at least that is what my feverish brain told me. He did not come to see me for days. I supposed he changed his mind about leaving Morgan’s Rock, for he no longer pleaded with me to leave. I never saw him except briefly, and I was so tired and weak that I could barely speak to him. The doctor questioned me repeatedly about the handprints around my neck, but I could tell him nothing. I could recall nothing. If anyone had choked me, as the doctor seemed to believe, I surely would have remembered.

  And who would do such a thing? Emma was much smaller than I was, and the only other person who ever touched me was my husband. He’d never harmed me, not even during our lovemaking, which was rare nowadays. And for that, I also felt guilty. I couldn’t understand his change of heart. I’d been delighted to believe that we were leaving this place once and for all, but apparently, that was no longer the case.

  “Emma,” I whispered to my servant one afternoon when my voice began to come back. “When are we leaving? I’m eager to be rid of this place.”

  Emma’s eyes widened, and she shook her head as she stepped away from my bed. What did that mean? And so I waited for Paden, but he often came at night after I’d been given my medicine. It made me so sleepy, but that was the sacrifice I had to make to keep the convulsions away. Sleep now, gentle lady. I imagined someone saying that to me. Was it my doctor?

  No, Danny. No more sleep.

  “And still you say his name.” My eyes fluttered open, and I was surprised to see Paden lying in the bed next to me. How long had he been lying here with me? I reached for him, but he leaped out of bed, furious at me. He poured himself a glass of water, paced the floor a moment and then left my bedroom. All I could do was cry.

  Night after night, the same thing happened. Emma came with my medicine and offered me a spoonful. I dutifully swallowed it, believing the promise that all of my sicknesses would go away if I was obedient and took my medicine. And then immediately I would sleep. I would sleep long hours and wake up to find that another day had gone by. I don’t know how long this continued, how long I stayed in the sweaty hazy world of my mind, but one evening I slapped the spoon from her hand and knocked the bottle to the floor, where it shattered.

  “No more of that poison! Get it out of here! Bring me water. No. I will get my own.” I slid off the bed and fell right to the floor. How long had it been since I walked or talked or did anything besides dream of the past? I’d been having strange dreams lately, dreams of Vivian wearing my blue scarab. The one I’d lost the night of my birthday party. But why would Vivian, or the ghost of Vivian, wear my necklace, my pendant? These must be feverish dreams indeed. I’d never seen her wearing it in life. Why would she show herself to me wearing that amulet? None of this made sense. I had to think. I had to reason, and I couldn’t do that as long as I was taking the poison the doctor sent me. No, I would not take it again. And I would not stay in this room another minute. Emma did not try to help me. In fact, she cried like a silly girl as she sopped up the spilled medicine with a towel.r />
  “Come now, Emma. I haven’t spilled gold.” I pulled myself up from the floor and managed to sit in my rose-colored chair. There were no more roses in the vases around the room. The vases were all empty or contained dead and forgotten flowers. Much like me. I was a dead and forgotten flower…but no more. I refused to die here. I would leave with or without Paden. I would leave in a car or leave walking. Either way, it did not matter to me.

  Emma was still weeping as she took her towel and broken glass with her. I raised my hand to her to plead for help, but she was gone before she noticed me. Or perhaps like Paden, she’d given up on me. People did that when others were sick. Not everyone was meant to be a caregiver.

  I must go find Paden. Somehow. I licked my dry lips and looked longingly at the pitcher of water on the nearby table. I could drink the whole thing and bathe myself just with that jar. I stood on wobbly knees and walked stiff-legged to the table. Clutching it, I picked up the pitcher and drank my fill of the water. It tasted delicious but threatened to return, so I slowed my drinking. I put the pitcher down and grabbed the table again. I would use the furniture. Yes! I would use the furniture to steady me as I moved through the room and to the door. Yes! What would Paden think when he saw me walk toward him?

  I heard voices in the hallway!

  That was Emma, and I could hear a man’s voice, but I couldn’t be sure who he was. He sounded familiar, but I just couldn’t hear correctly—I didn’t know anymore. I rubbed my ears, hoping that would help me, but it didn’t. My short hair was greasy, and my body was covered in sweat. I could smell myself. The great Joanna Storm had been brought to her knees, but no more! I would rise again and be better than ever. I managed to walk to the door without the help of any furniture.

  Almost free now. Almost free.

  “Emma,” I whispered as I leaned against the door, my forehead pressed against the wood. I turned the handle but was surprised to find it was locked. What? Why would the door be locked? This did not make any sense! I slapped on the door with the palms of my hands and tried to catch my breath. “Open the door! Hey, open the door!” And then I heard the voices go quiet; the man and the woman were no longer talking. They were listening, though. I put my ear to the door and stayed silent. Someone was out there. I could hear him or her breathing.

  “I can hear you. Open this door now!” I slapped it one final time, but it didn’t do me any good. They were laughing at me now. Yes, I knew those voices. That was Paden and Emma. They were both laughing at me.

  Laughing and laughing, and they wouldn’t shut up!

  I slid to the ground, my back to the door, covering my ears with shaking hands. And then I knew the horrible truth. I was destined to be locked in Morgan’s Rock forever.

  What would become of me now?

  Chapter Eighteen

  Present Day

  By the time we reached the kitchen, Aimee had stopped screaming. I stood in amazement at the sight. Every dish, every cup and glass, every plate and piece of silverware was piled on the counter. Nothing appeared to be broken, but something weird was clearly going on here. Everything was haphazardly thrown together, and all the cabinet doors and drawers stood open.

  Aimee covered her mouth with her hand to smother another scream. I raced to her and put my arms around her all the while staring at the stack of dishes. Even now I wondered why they hadn’t toppled to the ground and broken into hundreds of pieces. Whoever had done this had stacked them quite high. We would have to work together to clean this mess up, but nobody moved.

  “Jesus!” was all Alex could say. I had no words but decided to take Aimee out of the kitchen and onto the back patio. She was crying softly, and I patted her on the back to lead her toward a chair. Alex followed us out as I sat beside her. We left the kitchen door open, and I could see the stack of dishes from here.

  “What happened, Aimee?”

  “I came into the kitchen and that’s what I saw. When I left, it was perfect. I’d even emptied the dishwasher and everything. I swear everything was put away right where it should be. I went upstairs for a minute, and when I came back down this is what I saw. Please, Miss Pressfield. I think I need to go. I don’t want to be here anymore.”

  “I can understand that, but I just have to ask what happened. What do you think happened?” I don’t know what I wanted from her, maybe an explanation that would lead my mind away from the obvious. Clearly, paranormal activity was to blame, but I guess I wanted to hear someone else say it first. Alex’s eyes widened, but he didn’t linger on the patio. He was the kind of guy that had to see things for himself, and I was okay with that. If he could find a logical explanation for what just happened, I would be all ears. In the meantime, I had a hysterical housekeeper to calm down.

  “I don’t know. When I went upstairs, my kitchen was perfect. You know it was. I feel like something is targeting me. I haven’t told you this before because I thought maybe I was imagining things, but at night… there’s this shadow on my closet. And I could swear to you that it’s the shape of a woman. But every time I turn the lamp on, she disappears. So I’ve been sleeping with my lights on. But now I get the impression that she’s mad about it. She wants me to turn that light off so she can come to me. I can’t do it! I’m too afraid. What do I do, Megan?”

  “I don’t have the answers, Aimee, but I can tell you that you are not the only one who’s been seeing shadows lately. I’ve been seeing things too, but nothing like what just happened. Tell you what, let Alex and me clean that mess up, and you go for a drive or whatever it is you need to do just to get away for a little while. I promise you we’ll come up with some kind of plan. Just give me a while to think about it.”

  Aimee wiped her eyes and nodded her head, and together we walked back inside. She didn’t look at the table again but went straight to her room to find her purse and keys. She left Morgan’s Rock quickly, and Alex and I stood staring at the stack of pots, pans and dishes.

  I gave him a See, I told you so look.

  “Let’s just take this from the top,” he said, trying to keep his voice steady. “Grab your camera and let’s take some pictures of this before we start putting everything away. I think it’s important to document, don’t you?”

  “Yes, that’s a good idea. But where did I put my camera? I’ve got my phone.” I pulled my phone out of my pocket and was surprised to discover that my battery was dead. That was odd. I just charged it—it shouldn’t be dead. “I’ll go get my camera from my room. Do you have one in your backpack? I know you love to take pictures.”

  “I’ll go out to my rental car and get it, and you find yours. Two cameras are better than one. Who’s gonna believe this? There’s got to be a reasonable explanation.”

  I shrugged and pretended that I didn’t feel the temperature in the room drop even as we spoke. I felt a little sick and was eager to get out of the kitchen. I scrambled to my room and dug through a few boxes, finding my camera easily enough. I checked the batteries and the digital card…good to go. Alex was coming back in as I stepped into the kitchen, and it was my turn to scream. Although we’d been gone for less than two minutes, all the dishes were back in their places.

  And I hadn’t heard a sound.

  “What the hell are you doing, Megan?”

  “Me? What did you do? How did you do this?” Even as we yelled at one another, I felt sicker by the second. The air was stale, and not just that—there was a strange stench like rotting flesh. “I have to get out of here.” I didn’t wait for Alex but raced through the kitchen to the patio, trying to breathe in as much of the fresh air as possible. Thank God whatever was in there hadn’t followed me. How long were we going to pretend there was nothing going on in this house? Morgan’s Rock was haunted. There, I said it…or at least thought it.

  “I’m sorry, Megan. I know you couldn’t have done that, and I didn’t either. So let’s just move on to the next thing.”

  “I can’t believe you thought it was a good idea for me to come here, Alex. W
hy here of all places—why in God’s name would you send me to Morgan’s Rock? I’m so mad at you.”

  “Listen, I’m not willing to admit—I mean, I’m not going where you’re going with this. Granted, there’s something odd happening here, but I had no idea any of this was going on. Really, when I visited here last summer, I just thought it was a beautiful place and that you would like it. It’s the perfect place to write a book.” He shrugged and opened the cabinet door and took a picture of the perfectly stacked plates.

  “Just a few minutes ago you were willing to admit that there’s something supernatural on these premises. Maybe we should leave the room and come back in. What if the dishes were stacked up again? Would you be willing to admit then that there was a ghost here?” Even as I suggested it, I felt chills running up and down my back as if ghostly fingers were tapping on me. I instinctively reached behind me to rub the spot, but there was no one there. Just my nerves.

  “I would never knowingly send you somewhere unsafe, Megan. Never. If you want to pack your things and go somewhere else, that’s fine with me. Obviously, this is weird.”

  I put my camera down on the counter and faced off with him. I crossed my arms, unwilling to give on this point. “No. I’m not going anywhere. I’m going to buy this place, remember? But I’m going to buy it and not the ghosts. I want you to admit that there are ghosts here. You heard what Aimee said about the shadows she’s been seeing. I told you what’s been going on with me, and then you’ve just seen this. How can you deny it, Alex? I want you to admit there’s something going on here.”

  And then he put his camera down and walked toward me, his eyes never leaving mine. I wasn’t expecting all this, but suddenly his arms were around me. He held me, and I laid my head on his chest and enjoyed the comfort of his arms. Joanna had had a moment like this when she felt safe in Paden’s arms, but all that turned out to be an illusion. Was that what this was? Don’t read too much into this, Megan. You and Alex are just friends. Friends who comfort one another. And apparently, kiss one another.