The Charm of Lost Chances

by Lucia N Davis

  The unfriendly sensation intensified, becoming outright hostile. Whatever—whoever—was here didn’t want them in this house. They weren’t welcome. For the first time since Sara entered the cabin, her apprehension gave way to sheer terror.

  She blinked. The letters were gone, and the gaping hole stared back at her. It was as if nothing had happened. But raw animosity still pressed on her like a suffocating blanket. She turned around and staggered to the exit. “I need to get out,” she panted.

  She took a few steps before falling to her knees on the porch. She sat there with the sun on her face, inhaling deeply of the warm air, until her heart rate slowed to a more acceptable pace. David and Taylor followed her outside.

  “What happened?” David put his hand on Sara’s shoulder. Kneeling down, he placed his other hand on her chin, gently compelling her to look up to him. “Geez, you look like you’ve seen a—“

  “Don’t say it.” Her voice was shaky. “I need to walk for a bit.”

  Getting up, she faced David and Taylor. “I wouldn’t go back in there if I were you. You’re not welcome, and that’s an understatement.”

  Taylor looked puzzled. “What do you mean?”

  “You honestly didn’t feel anything in there?”

  David and Taylor looked at each other and shook their heads.

  “Just an old cabin,” Taylor added.

  Sara shrugged, walked up to the waterfall, and sat down on a big boulder at the edge of the pool. She tried to remember the experience in all its detail. Dreams were one thing, but this had happened when she was awake, and it felt so real. Whatever it was that she was experiencing, she did not want any part of it. The next time someone suggested they go visit a haunted house, she would politely decline.

  “Are you okay?” David came up behind her and took a seat.

  “I’m feeling better. Where’s Taylor?”

  “Oh, she went back in. She wanted to find out if she missed anything. I think you piqued her curiosity.”

  “She’s insane. You should get her out of there. Whatever is lingering in that house, it has some real anger management issues.”

  “Taylor wouldn’t listen. Besides, she can handle herself.”

  “You didn’t feel anything in the house? Nothing? It was freezing cold in there, for starters.”

  David shook his head. “It didn’t feel very cold to me … You want to talk about it?”

  “Not really.” Completely drained and exhausted, Sara lay down on her back. The stone, warmed by the sun, radiated a pleasant heat. “I just need to rest my eyes for a bit. Is that okay?”

  “Sure,” David said. “Don’t worry. I’ll stay here, keep you company.”

  Lying on the boulder next to David, Sara felt her body almost reluctantly releasing its tension inch by inch. As she listened to the monotonous sounds of the waterfall, her fear gradually dissipated, and she slowly drifted off to sleep.

  She is lying on a boulder. The waterfall’s splashing is making her sleepy. It is a beautiful day. She hears somebody cutting wood, far away. The axe comes down lazily, at regular intervals.

  Did she fall asleep? Somehow, the axe seems to have moved closer. The blows are louder now. She hears the wood splitting over and over. The guy must be good, she thinks drowsily. I would probably cut off my own foot. Grinning, she closes her eyes again.

  When she opens them again, the sounds of the woodcutter are only a few feet away. She hears a piece of wood fall to the ground with a thump. The blows sound angrier now—more forceful, and the pace has increased. She wonders if she should warn the woodcutter that she is lying here. What if one of those pieces of wood hits her? She tries to wake up, to say something to him.

  The axe stops. Oh, good, she thinks. He’s seen her. No need to get up.

  She hears soft footsteps approaching her and frowns. She doesn’t feel like talking to anybody. Maybe if she keeps her eyes closed, he’ll just go away.

  The sunlight on her face disappears. She groans. Maybe she should tell him to get lost. She opens her eyes. The man is standing next to her right shoulder, looming, his body large and bulky. In his right hand dangles a big axe, but the size of its owner makes it look almost ridiculously small. The man bends forward. His bulk is not fat, but muscle. Must be all that woodcutting, she thinks, trying not to giggle. She stares into his face. It is a handsome face—young and framed by unkempt black hair. His skin is tanned, but most of it is covered by a beard. His eyes are cold and grey.

  She should get up, but she can’t. That makes sense, she tells herself. She is still sleeping. She just has to wake up.

  The man places a log next to her head. She opens her eyes wide. Is he crazy? He smiles ominously, revealing his teeth—or rather, the absence of them. His two front incisors are missing, leaving a big gaping hole. He straightens up again and lifts his axe. She wants to scream, but she can only stare at the axe as it reaches its zenith and then comes falling down.

  Sara screamed. As she woke, she sat up, breathing raggedly, while David spoke to her. “It’s okay,” he kept saying until she calmed down a little.

  He placed his hands on her shoulders. “What did you see?”

  “A dream…” She could barely talk. “It was awful. We need to leave. I think there was a lunatic living here. And he doesn’t want us around.”

  Taylor came running toward them. “What happened? I heard screaming.”

  “Nothing.” David got up. “I think it’s time to leave. Let’s go back down to the village and get something to eat.”

  Taylor looked from David to Sara, then shrugged. On the way back down the trail, they didn’t talk much. David led the way, while Taylor trailed behind. She was unusually quiet—was she sulking? David had practically ordered her to leave the house, and all because of Sara. Oh boy. Taylor must think I’m completely weird. And David… She owed him an explanation.

  Back at the village, they ordered dinner at the local bar. As the food piled up on the table, an uncomfortable silence stretched between them. Then Taylor spoke up. “Look, something happened up there. Something David obviously knows more about than I do. That house belonged to my family. Would you please tell me what’s going on?”

  “Actually, I don’t know exactly what happened,” David said, “but I have a fairly good idea. Still, I’d like to hear the specifics as well. If you are willing to share them?” He gave Sara a kind smile. “If you don’t want to talk about it, that’s fine too.”

  Sara kept her eyes on the table and nervously played with a coaster. “I thought you didn’t believe in all that nonsense, Taylor,” she said softly.

  “I don’t. But I’d still like to have the option of changing my mind.”

  “Fair enough.” Sara took a deep breath. “Okay. I saw something in that house. And it got really cold. Then I felt a… presence. A very angry one. It was …oppressing. He wanted us to leave.”

  “Did it hurt you?” David asked.

  “No.”

  “What did you see?”

  “That stone wall with the hole in it? I saw it the way it used to be, before it was broken. A fireplace mantle. And then an invisible hand painted a word on it.” She was whispering now. “Murderer. It said murderer.”

  David and Taylor stared at her.

  “I know it sounds weird.”

  “Not any weirder than some of the other things you saw in the spring,” David said, his tone light. “Obviously, being around you, well—it’s exposed me to peculiar things. Maybe I should just get used to it.”

  “One day you will have to tell me about that,” Taylor said, still looking like she only half believed them.

  “One day. But not today,” Sara said. “Right now I just want to forget about it.”

  “What about that dream?” David asked.

  Sara shook her head, stuffing some french fries in her mouth. When she was able to talk again, she said, “I’m not ready to discuss that one just yet. It was disturbing, and that’s putting it mildly.”


  Looking at David, she went on, “But I would like to talk to your grandfather, if I can. I’d like to ask him some questions about people he may have known or heard about. He’s the oldest person I know in this village.”

  “Pops? He’d love to talk to you. He was thrilled to hear you were coming back. And he actually is the oldest person in the village. As well as the one who’s lived here the longest, I think. Just so you know, he was sick a couple of weeks ago, and it left him very frail, so don’t be shocked when you see him. In fact”—David grinned mischievously—“maybe you girls should both visit him for lunch tomorrow. He’d love to see you too, Taylor.”

  Sara and Taylor agreed to meet for lunch the next day at David’s mother’s house. They paid their bill and left the bar, after which Taylor said she’d walk to the office, since it was nearby, and that way David could bring Sara home. David started to argue, but Taylor shook her head. “No, it’s fine. Walking clears my mind. I have a lot to mull over.” She gave David a long hug, and as she leaned over to hug Sara, she whispered, “You offered to look into the history of the house, remember? If you’re still up for that, I think I’d like to know.”

  Sara nodded.

  After the short ride back to the cabin, David escorted Sara to the door. He turned to face her and stared straight into her eyes. “Are you going to be okay?” he asked. “You had a rough day.”

  Standing so close to him, Sara felt a bit woozy. “I’ll be fine,” she reassured him. “It’s not like anything happened to me. I wasn’t hurt.”

  “No. Not yet. But you have moved on from just having dreams. I’m worried.” He reached out and brushed a stray strand of hair from her face, leaning a bit closer. “I don’t want you to get hurt, Sara.”

  Sara’s eyes locked on his. She felt her whole body urging her to move toward him. With difficulty, she willed herself to look away. She didn’t want to get hurt either, and this was getting way too complicated. David should figure out what to do about Taylor first.

  She looked up again and smiled briefly. “Thanks. I mean it. Thank you for worrying about me. But I’ll be fine. The cabin is safe.” She opened the door before turning her head. “Maybe I’ll see you tomorrow?”

  David looked sheepish. “Right. Yes, maybe.”

  “Okay then. Goodnight.” She closed the door behind her.

  Leaning against the door, she listened to his truck rumble away. Alone, she felt considerably less brave. That dream had scared her out of her wits. That man with the axe… Perhaps she should have said something, but she hadn’t wanted David to worry or feel obligated to take care of her. Anyway, this was something she needed to deal with by herself.

  Her mind went back to the moment they’d just shared at the front door. It seemed David was attracted to her. Or maybe he was just being friendly, and the moment had only existed in her mind.

  Irritated, she kicked off her shoes. She really needed to get a hold of herself.

  Even though no more scary dreams plagued Sara that night, she slept terribly. Her fear kept her up until the early morning, when she finally got out of bed and tried to do some work. Typing sluggishly, she caught herself staring at the screen and nodding off several times, until she woke up at noon with a start, slumped over her keyboard.

  “Great,” she grumbled. “This way I’ll never be able to pay the bills.” Looking at the clock, she jumped up. “Lunch! I’m late for lunch.”

  When she arrived at David’s mother’s house, she was positively frazzled and fifteen minutes late. Margaret, David’s mother, opened the door.

  “Hello, Sara,” the tiny, grey-haired woman said warmly. “It’s so good to see you again. How’ve you been? We’ve missed you… especially the old grump inside.” She winked. “Take it easy on him; he’s still got a bad cough.”

  In the living room, a fragile-looking Henry Jr. seemed to drown in his clothes. His face was gaunt, his wild white hair accentuating the sharper angles caused by his hollowed cheeks. On his nose, he wore his usual Coke-bottle glasses, which gave him a bug-eyed look. Tucked deeply in his armchair, he gave Sara a tired smile.

  “Hello, Sara dear. How good of you to come over…” He paused to breathe. “Taylor here told me you were joining us.” His voice was barely audible. “I had a bit of a bad spell, I’m sure it’ll pass. One way or the other.” He chuckled, which turned into a coughing fit. When he had recovered, he continued, “Well, how fun to have you here. I don’t get visitors often. Not that I’m lonely. I can’t complain… So, tell me, what have you girls been up to? Taylor was telling me all about her new business.”

  Taylor looked perfectly put together, while Sara was just grateful she had found a clean pair of shorts to wear this morning. Pushing away her irritation, she greeted Taylor with a quick hug.

  It was obvious Henry knew Taylor, who immediately continued her story where she had left off. The old man clearly preferred listening over talking, and they both tried their best to entertain him.

  After a while, Margaret came in with lunch. She helped Henry with his soup and pudding. Henry complained, “She force-feeds me, this one. A very strict nurse. Scary.”

  Margaret scolded him gently, “You won’t kick the bucket on my watch, mister. You need calories.”

  Henry rolled his eyes, and everyone laughed. At least the illness hadn’t affected his sense of humor.

  After lunch, Henry began to fade. Before she left, Sara decided to ask at least one of her burning questions. “Henry, I hope you don’t mind, but I had a question for you. Have you ever heard of a girl named Charlene living here?”

  Henry started into space, deep in thought. “Charlene… Charlene…” he mumbled. “Yes, that does sound familiar.”

  “Who’s Charlene?” Taylor whispered. Sara waved a hand to silence her.

  Henry remained quiet for a while. Then he said, “Of course, Charlene. Yes, yes. Not a girl you’d forget easily. Which is why I remembered.” Henry gave a raspy laugh, which elicited another coughing fit.

  “If you want to rest, that’s okay. I can come back later,” Sara said.

  “No, no.” He stopped to catch his breath. “You have me curious now. Why… did you bring up Charlene?”

  “I dreamed about her.”

  “Another dream, huh? Fascinating. Go on.”

  Taylor frowned. “Does the whole village know about your dreams?”

  “No, just David and his family.” Sara refocused on Henry. “What can you tell me about Charlene? Did something happen to her?”

  Henry raised an eyebrow. “To Charlene? Not that I know of. She doesn’t live here anymore. She is probably very old, like me. Or dead…”

  Sara wasn’t willing to let it go that easily. “Can you tell me something about her? Anything you remember.”

  “Well, let’s see. She moved here… in the late forties, I think. With her parents. She was fifteen or so. But she looked…” Henry paused again to catch his breath. “Like a grown woman. The belle of the ball. I was eighteen, getting ready to go off to college. So, naturally… I noticed.” His eyes glinted mischievously.

  “Did you get to know her… well?” More intimately, Sara had been planning to say, but at the last moment changed her mind.

  “Nah.” Henry shook his head. “Charlene was not my type. Very pretty, and charming… but a bit of a snob. And a flirt. She didn’t want a village boy, she wanted… someone rich, with power. A politician. A mayor. A someone. Charlene had plans.” He coughed again.

  The girls waited patiently.

  “She didn’t belong here. Like a princess… in a pig sty. Hated this place. They moved from a bigger town, God knows why. Dunnhill wasn’t doing well in those days. Emptying out.”

  “So, what happened?”

  “I went to college. Didn’t come back that often. In my last year… the Korean War broke out, so I enlisted. Navy. My parents moved away. No jobs here… The whole village almost ceased to exist. When I finally returned, Charlene and her family were gone.”

&nb
sp; “I see,” Sara said.

  Henry closed his eyes. He looked drained.

  “We should leave you to rest,” Sara said gently. “Thank you.”

  He opened his eyes. “No… thank you. It was fun. No more questions?”

  “Not for now,” Sara smiled. “Except… By any chance, do you remember her last name?”

  Henry shook his head, closing his eyes again. “Something with a B,” he mumbled. “Bonnet. Bucket. Becket. Basset… Something like that.”

  Sara squeezed his shoulder lightly. “Thank you. I hope you feel better soon. Keep eating those calories. I’d love to talk some more soon!”

  The young women said their goodbyes to Henry and Margaret. Outside, Taylor was bursting with curiosity. “So, who’s Charlene? Why is she important? And why didn’t you ask about the house? I thought you were going to ask about that.”

  Sara shrugged. “Charlene is somehow connected with the waterfall. I think. At least, in my dream, she was going to the falls. And so maybe she’s connected to the house. But I couldn’t ask any more questions just now, could I? I mean, the poor man was exhausted.”

  “True. We wore him out.” Taylor looked guilty. “So how do we find out more about Charlene?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It sure was a long time ago.”

  “It was. If it was even the same Charlene. Look, I have to get back. I really need to get some work done.”

  “All right. How about we have dinner tonight? My place? I’ll invite David. We can talk about it, brainstorm… Maybe we’ll come up with something.”

  David, tonight? Her heart clenched. “I… I don’t know. I thought you didn’t believe in that stuff.”

  “I don’t. But… you had a dream about a person that may have actually existed. That’s pretty intriguing. I want to find out more. Don’t you?”

  I guess I can’t deny it. “Okay, six-thirty? Your place?”

  “Deal.”

  Sara drove to the resort side of the village and found a pleasant coffee bar to work in. Despite having trouble concentrating, at the end of the day, she was able to send her assignment off, along with an invoice. Feeling a little better about things, she headed over to Taylor’s apartment.