Haunted House Tales

by Riley Amitrani

  “I’m sorry, Nadia…”

  “Really? That’s it? You’re sorry?”

  Richard just looked at his feet.

  “How long has this been going on, Richard?”

  Again, he just looked away.

  “I see. Well, I guess I will be going now. You may be sorry now, but not as sorry as you soon will be, Richard. Expect to be hearing from one of your colleagues soon.”

  With that, Nadia went to her car and called her best friend, Audrey, and explained what had happened. Audrey offered her and the kids room in her large flat until she could figure out where she would go. Nadia’s situation finally hit her the next day and the range of emotions that she had tamped down at her home came rushing out all at once. Anger, betrayal, shame, and blame among them. If it had not been for Audrey, she was sure she would not have survived the whole incident. Until the appearance in court, she had not seen Richard since and it made her sick to her stomach when he did arrive in court. How had she ever allowed herself to get into this mess?

  Her own barrister had a strong, bullet-proof case against Richard, as it seemed his infidelities had been going on with multiple women for some time. His own investigators had turned up a wealth of damning evidence and Nadia’s forethought to snap that photo of Richard in bed with the paralegal was the final nail in Richard’s coffin. Nadia could have had everything, but the mere thought of ever going back into her old home made her nauseous. A generous financial settlement was offered, but Nadia refused the bulk of it, not wanting to have anything she did not have to accept from Richard as a reminder of him. Though Glasgow was a large city, everywhere she went, Nadia was just reminded of her old life with Richard. Friends kept telling her time would heal everything, but she was not finding this to be the case for her.

  Word had soon gotten back to her own place of employment, and Nadia was struck by the overwhelming amount of support and sympathy she received from her own colleagues. It helped, but she was still struggling emotionally day to day. On the bright side, the company was growing and Nadia had been rewarded for her long and dedicated service as it grew. One day, she heard through her boss of an expansion outside of Glasgow and she inquired. It was an opportunity to leave Glasgow and put all her bad memories behind and start fresh with the kids elsewhere. She had never heard of Poolewe before, but the long distance from Glasgow was appealing as well as the opportunity to live in a small village as opposed to the large city. As well, she was sure it would be a much better environment for Sophie and Jack as well.

  Fortunately, the kids were too young to fully understand what had transpired between Nadia and Richard, and Nadia was grateful for that. Maybe one day she would fill them in if they asked, but only when she thought they were old enough to fully comprehend it. All they knew was that they were going on a new adventure…kids always adapted to new things easily, Nadia knew. Despite it feeling right, she was sure it would still be a major adjustment for her. She was leaving behind a wonderful circle of friends who had fully supported her during her ordeal and it certainly was not going to be a walk in the park being the sole supporter for two young children. Emotionally, she had always been the major provider for Sophie and Jack, but no longer having Richard’s generous salary as a barrister would definitely be an adjustment.

  As Nadia arrived in town, she felt calmer as she looked over the small village’s surroundings. She had gotten so used to the noise and hustle and bustle of Glasgow, she had actually forgotten how nice it was in quieter, small places. Though her salary at the new office in Poolewe was not trivial, Nadia definitely had to do a bit of hunting and research to find a place that she could afford for them all. After much looking, Nadia, with the help of a real estate agent, Marissa, provided by her company, she finally came upon this towering building that overlooked the scenic Loch Maree. Out front was a large and ornate sign, designating the building as The Cleeman House. The refurbished edifice had obviously been several things over time, but this most recent version was an attractive and modern-looking collection of flats. The agent showed Nadia several available units and Nadia was drawn to a three bedroom flat on the top floor.

  “What do you think, Nadia?” Marissa asked.

  “It’s just right…” Nadia replied. “Both Sophie and Jack can have their own rooms.”

  “Not too tough on your budget?”

  “It’s pushing it, but so far I have not seen anything else in town that will work.”

  “Great! Let me get the papers put together and we can get you settled.”

  Nadia went with Marissa back to her office and signed all the lease agreements before heading back to her new place. The movers that her company had provided arrived late in the afternoon and began the arduous chore of hauling her things to the upper level of the building. As the sun dipped toward the horizon, Nadia found Sophie and Jack playing out behind the building in a large grassy area the landlord had set up for kids. Nadia smiled at this, hoping there would be other children around in the building that Sophie and Jack could make friends with. She called to them as a stiff breeze blew across the nearby loch making her shiver. Sophie and Jack came running, but Sophie stopped along a slight outcropping of rocks that were just outside the fenced-in area of the children’s play area.

  The young girl squatted down and was picking at the ground, pushing some tall blades of grass aside as Nadia waited.

  “Find something, Sophie?” Nadia called over the howl of the wind.

  Sophie just shrugged as she continued to poke at the rocks. Nadia took Jack by the hand and walked over to see what had caught Sophie’s attention. She looked down and saw the discoloration on the rocks as the wind and Sophie’s hands brushed the grass aside.

  “It’s old and faded,” Sophie said, as Nadia squatted beside her to take a good look, “but it looks all reddish…”

  Nadia squinted. Even in the fading light, she could see it too. She knew nothing of geology, but just assumed it was some isolated mineral or another rock type she was not familiar with in among the old graying slate. But even as she said this, it did not feel right. The discoloration looked too broadly distributed and for sure it did not look like a mineral or rock to her. If Nadia had not known better she would have sworn it was old blood…

  The Cleeman House is What???

  After a stroll into town with the kids for supper at a cozy little pub Nadia had seen earlier, she returned home to begin the unenviable process of sorting out all the contents of the boxes of stuff she had brought along from Glasgow. The pub, The Wolf and Bear, had been delightful. It was obviously a favorite among the locals, but it was filled with families which made Nadia more comfortable with taking her kids into an environment that might not have otherwise been such a great idea. It was walking distance from their new place and looked as if it would be a great option for a night out once in a while.

  Nadia got the kids’ rooms set up first so they could get settled in while she went through the rest of their stuff elsewhere in the flat. The movers had thankfully arranged the furniture for her earlier, so all that was really left was the miscellaneous stuff to finish off the rooms. Both Sophie and Jack seemed completely at home in their new spaces. Despite his young age, Jack appeared thrilled at not having to share a room with Sophie. Nadia sorted the boxes based on what room the contents were to go in and then went from container to container, methodically emptying each.

  She had a brief pang of despair mixed with the lingering resentment she still held toward Richard as she laid out some of the belongings they had purchased as a couple. Nadia had made a point of leaving behind as much of their life together as she could, but there were some small things she had hung onto despite that. After a few hours, she went to check on Sophie and Jack and get them ready for bed. She had let them stay up later than normal, but she did not want this to become a habit for them once she enrolled them in school and she was back at the office fulltime. After brief stories for each, Nadia tucked them in and returned to her chores in the living
room and kitchen.

  As midnight drew close, Nadia finally had everything out of boxes but left some of the arranging for another day. Even though she had been on her own for some time now, the silence of the flat as she sat on the sofa was depressing her. It finally hit her…she was really on her own now. No safety net of friends and colleagues to call on. Whatever happened from here on out was on her and her alone. It had been fulfilling and uplifting to rid herself of Richard, but in all honesty, Nadia was wondering if she could actually do this. She lit a small fire in the fireplace and poured herself a glass of wine that she had brought along as a congratulatory present to herself once they got settled. She sat back on the sofa and let the warmth of the cabernet flow through her as raindrops pattered against the panes of the living room window.

  However, after only a few moments of calm, Nadia felt a sudden and inexplicable unease creeping in and around her. The flat and the building itself were still as quiet as they had been since they had arrived, but Nadia could not shake this feeling of anxiety and discomfort that had come seemingly from nowhere. She walked around and listened carefully to see what might have unsettled her calm, but there was nothing. Other than the rain outside, it was as quiet as a library reading room. But no matter how hard she tried, Nadia just couldn’t shake a nagging feeling of being watched. But how can that be, she mused…we live on the top floor of a three-floor building? Perhaps it was just everything catching up with her at once, Nadia thought to herself. A new town, a new position within the company, a new home. She had left everything that was familiar to her behind: friends, work colleagues, the environs of Glasgow, even…that had to be it. It was just her nerves and the anticipation and apprehension of her new life. Nadia shook off the feeling, downed the last of her wine and headed off to bed herself.

  ……….

  After a few more days of getting settled in and taking care of all the logistics of a new home, including getting the kids enrolled in a new school, Nadia headed off to meet the new staff at the company’s new branch in Poolewe. They seemed a friendly and warm group, though the overall staff was much smaller than she had been accustomed to in Glasgow. She still answered to her old boss there and soon it felt comfortable to her. Maybe not to the degree it had back in Glasgow, but she was sure with time that would come. Her office, as well as the kids’ school, was an easy stroll from their new home and it was nice to be able to see Sophie and Jack off each morning before she headed into work. The only drawback that Nadia could see on the horizon was that since she would be organizing and overseeing the new operation in Poolewe, she was obviously going to be putting in longer hours here than she had in Glasgow.

  While she could walk the kids to school in the mornings, it was going to be too disruptive to the office and neglectful to Sophie and Jack to leave them alone after school so she could run back to work to wrap up the day. Sophie was old enough to take care of herself, but Nadia did not think she was quite yet ready for the responsibility of Jack as well. All she had to go on was how she was at Sophie’s age for comparison, and it was certainly not something she could have handled at her age. Besides, Sophie deserved to be a kid, too, and not a surrogate parent. Nadia was not really sure if it would stretch her already taut budget too far, but to be fair to the kids she decided to look into the idea of getting someone in town that could act as a part-time nanny to look after the kids in the afternoons until she got home from work.

  Nadia put a small advertisement in the local paper for a nanny, but as she had found out in just the short time she had been in Poolewe, word of mouth seemed to be the best advertisement option around. She had passed the word to the few people she had met so far and was sure, as was the case in most small towns, that the inquiry would get spread quickly. For a week or so, Nadia had not received any responses to her newspaper ad but based on the almost amateur nature of the publication and what had to be a miniscule circulation, she was not overly surprised. Her theory on word of mouth advertising, though, paid off in spades. One afternoon at the office, her assistant, Alicia, knocked lightly on her door.

  “You busy, Nadia?” the girl asked.

  “Nothing that cannot wait…what’s up?” Nadia replied as she set aside the spreadsheet she was working on.

  “You still looking for a nanny for your kids in the afternoons?”

  “You heard about that, huh?”

  They both laughed.

  “Poolewe is a small place,” Alicia replied. “I guess you know the rumor mill is your best bet here for passing along something, huh?”

  “Sure. No surprise. In fact, I was counting on that since my ad in the paper went nowhere. You know someone that might be interested?”

  “I do. I have a cousin just across the river over in Londubh who might be.”

  “Has she done this sort of thing before?”

  “She has. A few people here in Poolewe have hired her to help out with their kids. I am obviously biased, but I think she’d be perfect for you.”

  “OK, Alicia. Have her drop by my place this weekend and I will talk to her. See how she and the kids get on and all…”

  “Good enough, Nadia. I’ll let her know.”

  “What’s your cousin’s name, Alicia? Just so I recognize her when she shows up.”

  “Tania. Tania Reddick…”

  Nadia was a bit nervous at the prospect of this decision. She had never had a stranger look after the kids at all, but she needed someone’s help and so far, Alicia’s cousin was it. It would be weird hiring someone she hardly knew, but if she and the kids seemed to gel and she seemed cordial enough and available…that was good enough for Nadia. She tried to go back to the spreadsheet, but it had already been a long day, and Nadia could not focus on the numbers any longer. It was Friday and she had put in way more hours that week than normal. The kids were due to be getting out of school soon anyway. She would run by the school and walk them home and explain about Tania. She could always work on the figures for the new product line proposals at home…

  Nadia filled in Sophie and Jack as they strolled along the cobbled streets that led in a circuitous route to The Cleeman House. Sophie seemed excited at the prospect of having a nanny, but Jack seemed indifferent. Nadia was not sure if it was his age or his being a boy. Maybe he was just too young to really get the whole concept. In either case, at least they both had some lead time to be aware of her arrival over the weekend so they would not be taken by surprise at her arrival. Nadia supposed, based on the lack of interest in her advertisements, that Tania would have to have some glaring personality disorder or another highly objectionable character flaw for her to turn her down. Nadia needed help and she needed it now.

  There was a light rapping on the front door early Saturday afternoon and Nadia set aside her coffee to answer it. She opened the door to find a lovely young woman beaming back at her.

  “Ms. Ralston?” the woman asked.

  “Tania, I presume?” Nadia asked as she shook her hand.

  “Yes, ma’am…”

  “Come on in and please call me Nadia…”

  “Of course, Nadia…”

  Nadia was shocked at the young age of Alicia’s cousin, but she supposed she had seen too many films where the casted governess or nanny had typically been some dowdy middle-aged woman. Tania absolutely exuded an air of optimism and sunshine that was hard to miss. She was sure the kids would love her.

  “Can I get you anything? A drink?”

  “No, thank you, I’m fine.”

  They sat in the living room and Nadia chatted her up about her background in taking care of kids previously as well as a lot of side subjects she thought might be of relevance before offering her the job. Despite her upbeat and joyous personality, Nadia was not about to hand over the care of her kids until she was fairly convinced there would be no red flags. The longer they sat and talked, the more comfortable Nadia was with Tania and unless Sophie or Jack had a problem with her, as far as Nadia was concerned, this was a done deal.

&n
bsp; Nadia called for Sophie and Jack to come out and meet Tania. As drawn to the delightful woman as Nadia was, it was nothing compared to how the kids reacted. After a few minutes, it was like they had known Tania forever. Even Jack, who had seemed indifferent at best to the idea of having a nanny, was mesmerized by the presence of the woman. Nadia snuck away to let the three of them interact as she winked at Tania, who seemed to get her tactic and she nodded back slightly. Nadia wandered out of sight into her bedroom and let them be. Soon laughter and free chatter echoed back to her and she knew she had struck gold with Tania. Nadia made a mental note to do something special for Alicia on Monday morning to thank her for the recommendation.

  After a half hour or so, Nadia re-emerged from the bedroom to find Tania on the floor with both Sophie and Jack as the three of them seemed to be immersed in a game of some sort that had no apparent set rules. Jack, who was naturally shy and introverted was laughing loudly as he looked fully engaged in whatever it was that Tania had invented for them to play at. It was amazing, Nadia thought to herself…she’s been here…what…an hour or so…and it’s hard to believe they just met. Nadia stepped in, knowing the interview was over and that she had found a nanny.

  “How’s everyone doing?” Nadia asked as Sophie howled with laughter as Tania was making over-the-top comedic faces with them. She was not sure who was having more fun, the kids or Tania.

  “I guess I should be going, Nadia…,” Tania said as she got to her knees and then her feet.

  “Aw, Mom…does she really have to leave?” Jack pleaded.

  “Yeah, Mom…” Sophie chimed in. “Tania’s the coolest ever!”

  Nadia smiled at them both and laughed with Tania.

  “I am afraid so guys…Tania was just dropping by for a quick visit today. But if it’s okay with you and with her as well, maybe she could be your new nanny in the afternoons until I get home from work? What do you think?”