The Cornelius Saga Boxed Set

by Tanya R. Taylor

  “She was a special lady, I’m told. I only remember bits and pieces of when she was alive. I’ve always wished I could remember more.” He spoke sadly.

  “Your dad was handsome too. You look just like him.”

  “You think so?”

  She turned to him. “In this picture, he looks like he might’ve been around the age you are now. You two can pass for twins.”

  “You really think so?” Daniel smiled.

  “I do.” Mira paused for a moment. “Tell me, did he have four or five other children, apart from you?”

  “He did. Five, I’m told. I’m the last.”

  “Have you ever met your siblings?”

  Daniel shook his head. “Unfortunately, I haven’t.”

  “Why haven’t you? Do they still live here?” Mira probed.

  “I don’t know if they do.” He sighed. “I never really tried to locate them because the past we have in common is painful on both sides. And I never thought they’d accept me because of who I am and what I represent.”

  “Did you ever, in your heart, want to reach out to them, Daniel?” Mira’s gaze was intense.

  He thought for a moment, then nodded. “I did. I always felt like an only child and an orphan at the same time. Do you know what I mean?”

  “I think I do.”

  “I’m in my forties now, but I’m still the kid who grew up in the States without my parents being there for me. My mom couldn’t be, of course, but I think my father could’ve done more before he died to reach out and connect with me. After all, I was his son, and if he loved my mom as much as she probably thought he did by him keeping in touch with her even after he returned home from Florida, I feel he would’ve looked out for me.” He gulped, obviously trying to hold back tears. “I can’t express how lonely I was. It would’ve been nice to have someone.” He cleared his throat.

  Mira turned toward the photos again.

  He soon noticed what she was looking at. “That one’s the guest house in its original state. The picture is at least fifty years old.”

  “This place barely looks anything like it did back then,” Mira said.

  “After I purchased it, we undertook major renovations to the interior, as well as the exterior. And we added the third floor too.”

  As she scanned the dozens of photographs, Mira asked: “Where did you get all these pictures?”

  “Mostly from the Archives and a few other sources that sold them for a reasonable price. I wanted the guest house, although newly renovated, to hold quite a bit of history.”

  “Well, you’ve done a remarkable job! I’m really impressed.”

  Daniel was blushing with pride. “Thank you.”

  Mira slid her hand across the photo of the boy at the water pump. And an array of images from an era before her time flooded her mind. She could see the boy pushing the lever as the water streamed into his pail. A couple of shorter boys were waiting in line, cracking jokes until it was their turn to fill up. They seemed friendly. Then one of them looked Mira straight in the eyes; his piercing stare sent shivers through her spine and she immediately removed her hand from the photograph.

  “He wants it back!” the child said without a blink.

  Mira quickly stepped back, almost stumbling.

  “Are you all right?” Daniel thought she looked perturbed.

  “Yeah. I’m… fine.” She placed a wayward strand behind her ear.

  “Let’s move on. Shall we?”

  Adjacent to the room with photographs was the kitchen. It wasn’t small, but it wasn’t very large either. It was rather typical, with all the essentials. A stainless steel double door refrigerator sat on the eastern side of the space; the stove/oven combo was directly opposite with a stainless steel commercial microwave situated above it between cabinets. And upper and lower custom cabinets lined the u-shaped wall. In front of the rectangular counter were eight stools with black, leather seats. And further off were several round tables and chairs, each draped with a wide, yellow and white table cloth.

  “We’ve done very little with this space as we wanted to give it an ‘at home’ feel,” Daniel commented. “I thought that was very important.”

  “I think you’ve accomplished that. It does feel kind of ‘homey’,” Mira replied, still thinking about the creepy boy in the photograph with those… eyes.

  They headed toward the door that lead out to the courtyard and from there, Mira could see the pool enclosed by a low wall designed with smooth rocks of all shapes and sizes. Large, folded umbrellas stood across the concrete pavement and several recliners were occupied by guests.

  “It’s really lovely out here,” Mira said, inhaling the fresh air.

  After a tour of the grounds, they headed back inside and up the first flight of stairs which led to the guestrooms.

  “Each floor is exactly the same in appearance, although not all of the individual rooms are alike,” Daniel indicated as they reached the first floor. “Some are quite spacious; others not so much. The ones that are larger have additional seating in the form of a sofa or couch, but each has a personal safe for valuables, a small microwave, a TV, iron, et cetera. Let me show you one of the rooms.” He went over to a door directly to their right, reached into his pocket and pulled out a key with a single tag attached to it.

  “Ladies first,” he gestured, after opening the door.

  When Mira walked in, she was astounded by the elegance of the space. From the way Daniel had spoken, she expected to see a regular bedroom, the likes of which could be found in many typical guest houses or bed & breakfast facilities. The walls were crème-colored and a large, square-shaped mirror had been firmly set into the ceiling, just above the bed. The floor was constructed of real, polished wood, and a white couch and matching sofa each sat regally atop a silver and ivory Oriental rug. The king-sized bed made of richly carved, solid oak in and of itself was a sight to gradually absorb into the senses. Undoubtedly, that room was one of the most luxurious Mira had ever seen.

  “I must admit, this is amazing,” Mira gushed. “Are any of the others like this?”

  “I thought you might be surprised.” Daniel chuckled. “Each room has its own individual design.”

  “This is more like a fancy hotel than a guest house.”

  “You’re too gracious, Mira. Feel free to have a look around.” He stood near the door as she walked through.

  Afterwards, he asked, “Shall I take you to another one?”

  “Please!” she replied.

  The other room Daniel took Mira to was no less entrancing, though quite different in design from the first one. “You must’ve really spent a fortune on this place.”

  “I admit I did,” Daniel said. “Let’s sit down for a minute, if you don’t mind.”

  Mira headed over to the sofa and he sat next to her.

  “Look, I don’t want to waste any of your time. I’m aware that you didn’t fly all the way here to have a tour of this place.”

  Mira managed a half smile.

  “Do you think you can help me? I mean, do you think you can find the answers I need using your gift?”

  “I’m not sure, Daniel,” Mira replied, candidly. “I won’t make you any promises other than to say I’ll do my best to be aware of whatever the other side wishes to alert me to. I don’t know if you know, but I don’t do this sort of thing for a living and I don’t go around telling anyone that I have this gift. I’m only here as a favor to you because of Wade. So, with that said, I don’t hold séances or anything like that. I’ve never sought out spirits; they always seem to find me, particularly if they’re in need of some sort of help. I just wanna make that clear.”

  “Understood,” Daniel said.

  Mira’s eyes met the bed. “You didn’t tell me you were showing me her room. Your mom’s – the one she stayed in that night.”

  “No, I didn’t,” Daniel affirmed.

  “This is it. Isn’t it?”

  After a slight pause, he nodded. “Uh huh. Th
is is where she was found the night she was… killed.”

  Mira scanned the room a second time.

  “You knew it all along, didn’t you?” he asked.

  “The moment I entered the room I felt the energy of someone who’d occupied it. But not just anyone. Someone special. Someone connected to you.”

  “Is she here? Do you see her?” Daniel was hopeful.

  Mira shook her head. “No, Daniel. I don’t see her. Just because she died here, doesn’t mean her spirit lingered. It would be better if it didn’t. That way, she wouldn’t have to constantly relive her death.”

  * * *

  Nervy shut the door of her room and slowly made her way down the hallway; her tattered cane assisted with every step. The old knees were hurting now, but she wanted to sip a hot cup of coffee outside in the courtyard. After all, it was such a lovely day and those quiet moments in the shade were often used to reflect on lots of events from her youthful years. Today, she had been reminiscing on how she had always managed to keep herself in good shape by eating right and having those early morning walks. Gone were the days of being in “pretty good shape”, but she still tried to get those vitally important walks in with the assistance of “Mister Cane”, otherwise known as “Ole Faithful”. That’s what almost got her knocked down earlier that morning.

  She had passed four doors on the left before she came to a sudden halt at the fifth. Looking at the white door – number 12 – in almost robotic fashion, she completely turned and faced it. And stood there staring as if right through it.

  * * *

  Daniel started to say something when Mira was distracted by something she sensed on the other side of the door. Her eyes were glued to it and her attention fully focused in that direction. Daniel’s voice became muffled by her thoughts.

  * * *

  Behind Nervy stood a man in black attire. His shoes were the shiny, leather type and each strand of his short, auburn hair lay submissively in its rightful place. He was clearly in his twenties, but was not youthful-looking. The proximity in which he stood to the old lady gave her not more than an inch or two of breathing space. He was facing the door also; his dark eyes somehow penetrating it. In a split second, he pushed his lanky six-feet-two frame through Nervy’s little body and into the wooden door he went.

  * * *

  Mira saw the silhouette first, the facial mask-like structure wiggling itself through the door as if the task required the exerted amount of force. Within moments, the face popped through completely; the dark eyes scanning the room from left to right, eventually landing upon Mira’s. She gazed back, every bit horrified. Next, came the arms; then the remainder of the body squeezing through without a sign of a splinter in the wood. He was inside the room, eyeing the only one capable of seeing him. His narrow face was void of expression. Dead. Mira couldn’t help but wonder why he had placed so much effort and emphasis on getting through the door, knowing that ghosts often slide effortlessly through physical barriers. Perhaps, his grand entrance came with the intent of making a statement of some kind. And if it did, she knew it won’t be long before he made his intentions quite clear.

  Mira had an uncanny feeling about him as he stood there in what might have very well been his burial attire. As Daniel’s voice gradually made its way back into her eardrum, she kept her eyes on the pasty stranger.

  “Is something wrong?” Daniel turned in the direction of her stare.

  “Um…” Mira glanced his way, then re-focused on the figure in black.

  “You see something, don’t you?” Daniel asked. “What is it?”

  The man slowly reached up and placed his right hand over his chest.

  Mira stood and faced him. She hated when they showed up without bothering to utter a single word. Though apprehensive of the sight before her, she took a hard swallow and said: “What do you want?”

  Daniel got up too, still looking toward the door, but having no clue who Mira was talking to. His curiosity was beyond piqued as he hoped with all his heart that she was communicating with his beloved mother.

  “Mira, who is it?” he whispered loudly. “Is it her?”

  Mira quickly shook her head; her eyes set straight ahead.

  Fear now crept into Daniel and he suddenly felt a large lump form inside his throat.

  Instantaneously, the dark man vanished and as Mira turned to Daniel, she realized the phantasmal entity was now standing behind him. She’d hoped Daniel hadn’t noticed the startled look on her face, but he had. And now with his heart pounding inside his chest, he reluctantly asked: “It’s behind me now?”

  A decade seemed to have passed before he spotted Mira’s nod of confirmation.

  “I… I asked you what you wanted!” Mira insisted, her voice slightly cracking under pressure.

  Just then, she watched in utter shock as he poked his elbows into Daniel’s body, then stepped inside completely. Daniel’s right cheek started to twitch rapidly as it had while they were driving. He was still looking at Mira. But she noticed something else: His eyes were much darker, like those of the man that had slid inside of him.

  “Daniel… Daniel!” She yelled, as the twitching persisted. He seemed to be looking… through her.

  Daniel craned his neck around. It reminded Mira of an ostrich. His gaze was piercing and she sensed he was studying her.

  “Whoever you are, you need to get out and not hide behind this man! Face me instead!” She demanded.

  Without the blink of an eye, Daniel soon raised his right hand and rested it on his chest. The reason for such action evaded Mira.

  “Daniel!” She cried again, in spite of the dead stare in what became his eyes; his glare menacing as if filled with the most murderous thoughts. She was starting to feel slightly weak in the knees, but definitely was not about to show it. No human or otherwise was going to see or taste her fear. She had taught Rosie the same, and there was no way this bully was going to get the best of her.

  “Wake up!” She shouted, just before hearing a loud scraping of metal. As she spun around to look in the direction of the doorway, she saw the rectangular, metal lock frantically sliding back and forth in its slot. For its size, the sound emitted shouldn’t have been so loud, Mira thought, but nothing at the moment, made much sense. Daniel’s twitching continued, then he started to shake violently as if suffering a convulsion. Seconds later, Mira saw a black shadow leap outside of Daniel’s body at lightning speed and Daniel found himself slumped over at the foot of the bed.

  “Are you okay, Daniel?” Mira rushed to help him.

  He was trying to catch his breath. “What happened?”

  Feeling the need to get him out of the room, Mira said, “I’ll tell you all about it. Right now, let’s get outta here!”

  Leading the way, Mira got a strange sensation. As she yanked the door open, she came face to face with Nervy. She was just standing there on the next side, and instead of paying Mira the slightest bit of attention, she addressed Daniel solely: “I told you he’s comin’ for it! He ain’t gonna stop ‘til he gets what he’s after.”

  4

  _________________

  Mira brought over a glass of water to Daniel as he sat at one of the dining tables.

  “What was that woman talking about?” She asked, as she sat down.

  He appeared flabbergasted. “I have absolutely no idea.”

  “You don’t?”

  “No, I don’t! I’ve never taken anything from anyone dishonestly even in all of my business dealings, so she must be talking out of her head.”

  Mira was silent for a few moments, then said, “Do you remember anything that happened upstairs there just now?”

  Daniel visibly struggled to collect his thoughts pertaining to that. He leaned forward, removed his glasses and scratched his head. “I know we were talking, and then you looked toward the door as if… you saw something.” His eyes were searching for answers to that effect. “That’s all I remember. What did you see and what happened?”

 
; Mira was reluctant to answer.

  “Was it her? Was it my mom?”

  “I told you it wasn’t.”

  “Then what were you staring at?”

  She sighed deeply. “I sensed something at the door, but I wasn’t sure what it was.”

  “Uh huh…”

  “Then it got inside,” she revealed. “It seemed to gravitate toward you, Daniel.”

  “Me?”

  She slowly nodded.

  “Then what happened?”

  Mira felt conflicted. She didn’t know how to explain the series of events she had witnessed. Something inside nudged that it wasn’t time — that this quite emotionally-fragile man was not yet ready to hear something so devastating.

  “Nothing,” she said. “Nothing at all. It just vanished.”

  Daniel’s stare was one of uncertainty. “What did this thing look like?”

  Mira could still hear the words her father often repeated to her and Wade when they were children: Think before you speak! “Like a shadow,” she replied. “That’s the only way I can describe it right now.”

  “I see.”

  The ensuing silence was deafening.

  “Do you have any idea what this means?” Daniel probed.

  “Not yet. It may not mean anything. Restless spirits wander the earth all the time and some of them are bullies in death just like they were in life. The key is to ignore them because they’re dead and we’re among the living. Don’t worry about it.” She reached for his hand like she did at the diner that morning. “I’m here to get to the bottom of your mom’s death. Let’s concentrate on that for now, okay?”

  With a smile, he patted her hand. “Okay.”

  “Look, I was gonna stay at my brother’s house, but do you mind if I stayed here instead?”

  “Sure, you can stay. I don’t mind at all. Brenda will have housekeeping get one of the rooms ready for you.”

  “Daniel, can I stay in your mom’s old room?” She immediately felt his hesitance. “I think it will help if I’m here, specifically in that room.”