by GG Anderson
“Savanah?”
I looked up to see a face I hadn’t seen in a long time, “Leah, how’s it going?”
“Good. Really good, actually.” She looked at the empty chair.
“Sit down,” I said, gesturing to the chair. She pulled it out and sat a small distance from the table. “So, how’s your semester going?” I asked taking a sip.
“Really good. I changed my major to Environmental Studies with Geology as a minor. I have really gotten into the conservation club. We have a great time.”
I smiled, wondering how anyone would have a great time studying how dirt moved. “Leah, that is awesome. I really am happy for you.”
“So, how about you? What’s up?”
Ahh yes, the constant gossip. “Well, school is going really well. I have gotten pretty close with my roommates and things are good.” I took a sip of my almost empty cup.
“So, how is the boyfriend department?”
“Tyler and I have been dating for a while now. Things are great.” I instantly remembered why I didn’t hang out with her as much anymore. I always felt like she was interviewing me for a gossip column.
“Really? So, is it serious?”
Ugh really? We haven’t talked in months and she goes all high school immediately?
“Yeah, I would say it is. Things are good.” I took the last swallow of my coffee.
She cocked her eyebrow, “So what would Tyler think?”
“I think he would be pretty happy I said we were serious.” I stood up, “Leah it was great seeing you, I gotta go.”
Her face fell a little, “Oh, ok. Sorry didn’t mean to make you late.”
Ugh, the guilt. “I’m not late yet, it was really good to see you. Take care of yourself, ok?”
She smiled as I walked away. I liked Leah, and without her, I would have never been able to make it that first little bit here, but things had changed. Her words from months ago floated through my brain, ‘life lifed us.’
She was right. That was exactly what happened. And I would value the time I had with her, but I knew it was ok that we went our separate ways.
I took the stairs slowly, pulling the large door open. I listened in the building, wondering if anyone was here. “Hello?” I called out.
“Where have you been?” Elizabeth’s little face appeared out of nowhere, pierced with hurt.
I went to the sofa, sitting down gently. “I have been looking for information on your mom.”
She sat down next to me, and I had to focus again on my grounding. It was so much easier that it used to be. “Where is Momma?”
“Well, that’s the thing Elizabeth, I can’t find her. I found some aunts of yours, and an uncle, but I can’t seem to find out anything about your mom. I am so sorry. Are you sure you don’t know where she is?”
She shook her head, lips tight.
“Are you absolutely sure? I can’t find any information as to when you died either. I wonder, did she die here? Is that why you stayed?”
She stomped her foot. “You are not nice; I don’t want you to come anymore.”
“Elizabeth,” I spoke sternly, trying to embody a parental sound. “Stop! Now tell me what happened.”
She looked down at her feet. “I don’t know where Mama is.”
“Did you die at this house?”
Elizabeth nodded her head.
“And your mother still lived here then, is that right?”
She nodded slower this time.
“So, Elizabeth, I’m confused, you should have been here when she died too, right?”
“I don’t like you anymore.” Elizabeth stomped her feet and faded away.
This made me think.
Maybe Elizabeth knew more than she was letting on. And maybe I had another way to figure out who her mother actually was.
Off to the library, more research…
Chapter Twenty-Two
I searched through records, search engine results still coming up empty. How could such a historical home be part of campus, and yet so little information about the family be available?
I turned off the computer and checked my phone.
Tyler had texted me four times.
I called him when I walked out.
“Hey, sorry I was in the library.”
“No, I just wanted to see if you wanted to meet up for dinner?”
I smiled. “Yes, Camryn will be joining us is that ok?”
His silence made me nervous.
“That’s ok right?”
“Yeah, sorry. I got a text from mom. I’ll see you there.”
He hung up. I made my way to the dining hall, still frustrated I couldn’t figure out the story of Elizabeth’s family. Camryn waited at the doors; her jacket unbuttoned.
“Aren’t you freezing?”
“No, I’m dying actually. The workouts were brutal today. Besides, it is March. That is the time of Spring Break!”
“It’s March tomorrow, and people don’t come to Caldwell Idaho for Spring Break.” We found our table and dropped our stuff and headed back to the food line.
“Where’s your lover boy?”
I rolled my eyes, “He got a text from his mom, he’s on his way.”
We sat down with our plates, and Tyler arrived. “Hey babe.” He smiled at me and kissed the top of my head. He went to get food, before I could ask him about his mom’s text.
Camryn started telling me about practice and her PR, which I wasn’t sure was a big thing, but luckily Tyler sat down right at moment.
“You PR’d today? That’s awesome Cam! Shot or disc?”
“Shot.” Camryn smiled mischievously.
“Damn, you’re a bad ass.” He took a bite of salad and kept talking. “I never understood how girls could throw like that.” Camryn glared at him, “No, that’s not what I mean. I mean, I know guys who can’t throw that far. You guys are awesome.”
Tyler was in a really good mood, I noticed.
“Hey, so how’s your mom?”
“She’s awesome. She found everything she needed. She meets with our attorney tomorrow. They will file all the papers, and honestly it should be a done deal,” his smile radiated over his whole face. I realized at that moment how stressed he really had been. This was the smile from early in the year.
“I’m so glad. Really.”
“Yeah, she kind of earned her keep, didn’t she?” Camryn nodded to me with a wink, and Tyler laughed.
He took the comment to heart, “Yeah, she’s a keeper for sure.” And he reached over to kiss my head again.
After dinner, we headed to study for a while. Tyler asked if I was open to hanging out in our basement. I agreed, sure that for once we would be alone.
We did try to study, for a little while, but Tyler’s kisses kept distracting me. Finally, I gave in, thankful that his grandfather had truly passed on.
The dorm hallway contained Brock again, but I had learned how to drop the curtain as soon as I saw him. He wasn’t going to mess with me anymore. He was alone and miserable, and that was just the way it should be.
The next day I met with Dr. Eyebright. I bounced to our appointment. Her door was slightly open, so I pushed it further.
“Hang on Eve.” Dr. Eyebright was on the phone.
“Oh, I’m so sorry.” I ducked out of the door and waited for her to finish.
“Miss Mills, come on in.”
I walked in, sitting dutifully in the chair, “I’m sorry, I saw the door open.”
Dr. Eyebright waved her hand, “It was fine, we were just finishing up.” She leaned in, “So how are you doing?”
I bubbled over with all that had happened. I couldn’t wait to tell her about all the details. “The only problem is, I can’t find out any information about Elizabeth. I have searched books, the internet, nothing. The families who lived in the house are listed as residents, but nothing else is really said after that. I found burial records of two in a local cemetery, but nothing about Elizabeth.”
; Dr. Eyebright thought for a moment. “Honestly. Local history hasn’t ever been my forte, but I know that the college used to have a historian. He retired a few years ago, but he had an assistant who is now in the natural history museum. You could reach out to her. Miss Coolie may be able to help you.”
We chatted for a bit more.
“Oh, and I do leave on sabbatical in March.”
“It is March.”
She smiled sweetly, “I leave at the middle of the month. I will be observing the spring equinox abroad. I won’t be back until fall.”
“I didn’t know you could leave in the middle of a semester.”
She laughed, “Well, I only have a few graduate students this semester. We will be done with our part, and the rest of the time, they will be compiling their thesis materials.”
“So, this is it for us meeting?” My face fell a little.
“Oh, Miss Mills, I will be back, but for now, yes this will be the end of our time. Please don’t fear however, I feel we have made great strides in getting your gifts in order and in check. I am very pleased at how things have come along, aren’t you?”
I nodded, “Yes, but I really enjoy this. Sorry, I’m being selfish.” Tears started to leak. Oy with the emotions already.
She reached across the desk and touched my hand, “I do not believe our journey is over, this is just a pause in our path.” She patted lightly, “Now stand up and give me a proper hug.”
I did and felt guilty that the tears showed spots on her top as I pulled away.
We said our goodbyes and I headed back to the dorm.
I had learned a great deal from her, and I knew I would see her again, it was just I had gotten used to having an adult confidant.
The next day I headed to the museum. Miss Coolie didn’t have an office. Simply a small space in the corner of the museum. “Excuse me? Miss Coolie?”
The older woman looked exactly like someone who worked in a museum. Her hair was streaked with grey, twisted up in a bun that had shifted haphazardly on her head. Her clothes all seemed almost two sizes too big and her shoes where the most sensible ones anyone could find. “Can I help you?” She dropped her glasses from her nose and let them hang around her neck on their beaded string.
“I hope so,” I really need to help a ghost. Yeah, that wasn’t going to work. “I’m trying to do some research on the Blachley family. I can’t seem to find anything on them other than the record of them living in the home before donating it.”
She tilted her head slightly, “There isn’t much to tell. They lived there, moved out. Went on with their lives.”
“I see.” Another new approach. “So, did anyone die in the house? Before they moved out?”
She pursed her lips. “And who are you exactly? Doing more stories about ghosts and things that go bump in the night, are you?”
“Oh, not at all, I am so sorry. I didn’t mean to offend you.”
She looked down at her desk, putting her glasses back on. “I am very busy.”
“I know, and I am so sorry to bother you.” I scrambled for another direction. “Ok, I’ll be honest. I heard some students talking about a girl being killed there, and I just think it is wrong when people make up stories that are untrue.” Maybe that would get her on my side.
She looked over her glasses at me. She sighed, and I hoped that meant she would help me.
“This is why we need a historian. I know budget cuts and all, but the histories of this place are getting turned into folklore.” She dropped her glasses down again, “It wasn’t the Blachley’s who had tragedy in that house. It was the Williams family.”
I looked around for a stool and grabbed the only one on my side of her desk. “The Williams family?” I asked, waiting for her to continue.
She nodded and clucked her tongue. "It is quite tragic, actually. Professor Williams moved from Pennsylvania. He came all the way out here with his pregnant wife and young daughter. They stayed in that home when they arrived here. The college was honored to get such a distinguished professor as him, so they rolled out the red carpet to make him feel welcome. They were to move sixth months after they arrived, allowing them time to either have a home built or find one available. It would also give her enough time to give birth to their next child. She was a beautiful woman, striking blonde hair, and fair skin. If the archives hadn’t been closed and put into storage, I would be able to find the photo.” She waved her hand at an imaginary fly. But boxes in a basement are a better place for those historical artifacts.”
She was getting off topic. “I wish I could see it, was her daughter blonde too?”
She looked back at me, refocused on her story. “Oh yes, the most beautiful little girl. She was three or maybe four when they arrived. The photo shows her too.” Her face turned solemn, “But tragedy hit. When Professor Williams was teaching class on campus, Mrs. Williams took a tumble down the stairs. Professor Williams came home to the little girl crying at the bottom of the stairs.” She shook her head in pity.
“But what happened to the little girl?”
“Oh, that was the rest of the tragedy. The little girl fell ill right after her mother’s death. She died of influenza shortly after. Poor Professor Williams lost his unborn child, his daughter, and his wife within a month. He moved back to Pennsylvania. It isn’t a bright spot in the colleges’ history, tragic sadness doesn’t make for popular histories.”
“Professor Williams and his family were only here for a short time?”
“Just two months.” She put her glasses back on her face, “Barely a blip on the timeline of history here.” She continued with what she had been working on before I arrived.
“Thank you, Miss Coolie, I appreciate you clearing that up. I don’t like it when facts are incorrect.”
“You’re welcome.” She didn’t even raise her eyes back to look at me as I exited.
As much as I wanted to head straight to Elizabeth, I had more important things to handle. Classes.
Two tests checked off my midterm list. I felt I’d done pretty well. I had a large paper do, that would require some serious hours in the library to get done.
“We can study again, if you want.” Tyler asked as we walked back after dinner.
“Yeah, that is not going to help me get my paper done.”
“But just think of how more relaxed you’ll be.” He shoved me with his shoulder.
I rolled my eyes, “Yes, totally relaxed, focused on failing out of college.”
He laughed as we got to my floor. I was just dumping a bag and heading right back out again.
We were laughing when we came around the corner to my hall. I’d forgotten to prepare myself by lowering my curtain and keeping Brock out.
“WHERE IS SHE????” He yelled. The sound pushed me back, making me stumble. I deduced he had been yelling at me every time I walked past, but I hadn’t been able to hear him.
“Savanah are you ok?” Tyler looked around, trying to see the invisible threat.
I nodded to him and closed my eyes, focusing on closing Brock off again. It took more focus because he was continuing to yell in my face. I exhaled, finally enjoying the silence. I straightened back up and turned to Tyler.
“I’m fine. Just didn’t prepare myself for him.” I unlocked my door, and swapped bags. Tyler staired down the hallway both directions, as if he would see him. “It’s fine, he can’t get through when I have my curtains closed.”
Tyler snapped his head towards me, “Excuse me?”
“It’s just a term we use. Like a big heavy light blocking curtain.”
He just nodded and took my hand as we walked back out. “So that’s normal?”
I shrugged, “Like I said, I usually am better prepared than you just witnessed.”
“But they are still coming at you all the time?”
“Oh, that. Well, yeah. I’ve just gotten better at putting up curtains and keeping myself grounded.”
“Look at you. My little master medium. No longe
r passing out, giving yourself concussions.”
I rolled my eyes, “Yeah I guess you could say I’m handling things better.” He kissed my head again.
We sat and worked for an hour, but Tyler was done so he headed home. “Are you sure you are good to walk home?”
I rolled my eyes, “Yes, I think I can walk next door.” He gave me a hug and a kiss, and he headed out.
The library was almost deserted. Most people didn’t have major tests until next week. I had most of my work early.
I typed away, ear buds in my ears. I looked up when I felt the temperature shift. Laundry girl was hovering over my table. I looked around the room, and no one was within earshot. I removed my earbud. “Can I help you? I’m sorry, I don’t have your laundry.” I didn’t ever feel the need to drop the curtain on her. She was harmless, and no evil lurked in her scrambled mind.
She tilted her head. “But I have to have it. I have to wear it to pass my class. If I don’t pass, I will flunk out. I will be forever lost.” Her gaze looked over me, past the racks of books.
“I am really sorry, I haven’t seen it, do you remember where you left it?”
She turned to me, fire in her eyes, “It was in the laundry room!”
I inhaled again, “I am really sorry. I’m trying to study so I don’t fail, can you look for it someplace else?”
She snapped her head back like I had slapped her, but she turned and frantically started walking in the opposite direction.
I shook my head; I didn’t think I would sort that one out anytime soon.
Finally finished with my paper, I headed out. I was at the sidewalk T, where I would usually head back to my dorm. I looked the opposite direction and headed towards Blachley Hall instead.
I started up the stairs, focusing on staying grounded. “Hello?” I asked, waiting for her to appear. “Elizabeth? Are you here?” What a strange question, like where was she going to go? “Hello?”
Nothing.
I sat down on the sofa admiring the beauty of the interior. The ancient woodwork and details that houses of today just don’t have. I relaxed, leaning back. It truly was a striking home.