“Any better?” Nadia asked.
“Actually, yeah…” Tania replied. “She seems much brighter and like her old self this week. She even mentioned that she has a new friend at school named Helen.”
“Really? That’s great! This is the first I have heard of Helen.”
“Not sure, but I think maybe Sophie is still a bit embarrassed over the whole thing with that little girl she hit back a few months ago. I think it may still be hard for her to come to you directly.”
“Could be…”
Nadia was a bit disappointed that she had been forced to find out about Sophie’s new friend through Tania, but she was relieved all the same. Maybe this was what would help Sophie get back to normal. At dinner, Nadia asked Sophie about Helen, but Sophie was pretty guarded saying only that she was a new girl at school and they were friends. Nadia let it go. Sophie was not quite into the difficult years of a teenager that Nadia was dreading—she remembered all the hoops she had made her own parents jump through when she hit puberty—but it sure felt like maybe those days had arrived early. A few more days went by, pleasantly uneventful for Nadia, but when she got another call from the school suggesting she and Tania come in immediately for a conference, she felt her heart sink.
A meeting was set up with the principal as well as Sophie’s new teacher and both Tania and Nadia felt on edge as they looked at the serious and stern faces across the desk from them. The principal looked to Sophie’s new teacher and nodded indicating he should take the lead.
“Ms. Ralston, I am afraid we have a serious problem with Sophie.” the man said with obvious distress in his voice.
“Oh?” Nadia asked.
“I was hoping that incident with the other girl months ago was just an isolated thing. And since her parents did not seem overly concerned we just let it go. But it seems as if this was not just an isolated incident after all…”
“Did she hit another child?” Tania asked.
“Not yet. But that is why we wanted to talk to you now before her behavior escalates to that point and a child gets seriously injured.”
Both Nadia and Tania just sat quietly waiting for a detailed explanation.
“None of the other kids have come to me directly yet, but from my observations, it seems that Sophie is becoming increasingly hostile toward some of the other children in the class.”
“Such as?” Nadia asked.
“Oh…harsh language, some minor shoving and the like. But the oddest thing is that she seems to be singling out only the girls in the class with blonde hair.”
“How bizarre!” Tania added.
“It is,” the principal piped in. “Her behavior toward them seems unjustified and unprovoked, but as to why just this portion of her classmates have been targeted is a mystery to us. We were hoping maybe you might have some insight.”
“Wish I did,” Nadia replied. “At home, she seemed to be slowly returning to her old self. She even mentioned that she had made a new friend at school. A new girl named Helen. Is she picking on Helen as well?”
The principal and the teacher looked at each other in confusion and bafflement.
“Ms. Ralston…I am afraid there is no child at this school named Helen. Certainly not in Sophie’s class and in fact not in any of our other grades either.”
Nadia felt as if a dagger had been plunged into her chest. All this time when she had thought Sophie was recovering, it seemed she had invented an imaginary friend instead. Nadia was sure no expert on aberrant behavior, especially with kids, but she knew enough that children sometimes did this to cope with stresses in their lives when they felt they had no other solutions. It did not, however, explain her continued unacceptable behavior of picking on her classmates.
“I see…” Nadia replied, feeling ashamed and embarrassed she had been completely fooled. “All I can figure out is that Sophie has created this imaginary friend, Helen. I am afraid I misjudged the extent of her behavior and I am sorry. Let Tania and I talk with her and see what we can find out. In the meantime, do you have any further suggestions?”
“Ms. Ralston,” the principal replied, “based on this being a repeated type of behavior, we are suggesting that Sophie take a hiatus from the school.”
“You’re expelling her?” Nadia exclaimed as she shot to her feet.
The principal motioned for her to sit and asked her to relax.
“No, ma’am…we are not expelling her. But at the same time, we do not feel we can continue to let this go on. I know Poolewe may not have the resources for this, but it may be worthwhile for you to consider getting a trained professional to intervene.”
Nadia just nodded, recalling that she had already considered this option after the initial incident.
“We cannot put the other children at risk. Do you understand?”
Nadia nodded sheepishly.
“Let’s just have her take a break from us for a bit. Maybe talk to someone trained for this type of thing and then let’s talk again. Until recently, Sophie has been a model student. It may not seem like it at the moment, but we are all very concerned about her. We just want what is best for all our kids here.”
Nadia nodded again realizing the school was being about as rational and compassionate about the situation as could be expected. She thanked the men for their concern and she and Tania collected Sophie from the nurse’s office and headed home.
Sophie’s Bombshell
Sophie was silent on the ride home. Nadia glanced at her using the rear-view mirror during the drive, but all she saw was her daughter staring out the window blankly. It seemed to her that Sophie was suddenly looking more pale and fatigued than she had just that morning, but after all, she had just heard from the school it was possible she was seeing something that was not really there. Nadia and Tania followed Sophie slowly to their flat and Sophie took a seat on the chair next to the sofa as Tania and Nadia sat as well.
“Want to fill us in on what is going on at school, Sophie?” Nadia asked quietly.
“With what?” Sophie whispered back.
“Don’t act this way, Sophie. I am pretty sure you know exactly what I am talking about. The principal and your teacher say you are bullying little blonde girls in your class. That right?”
Sophie went silent and just stared at her feet, just as she had before when this had been an earlier problem.
“I will take your silence as an admission of guilt, honey. They also say there is no student at your school named Helen. Care to fill us in on that?”
“She’s not at the school, Mom…” Sophie uttered softly.
“Oh? So where did you meet her then? Somewhere in Poolewe? Does she go to another school?”
“She’s not a student at all, Mom. She’s living right here in the flat with us.”
Nadia went silent for a beat and glanced at Tania who just nodded without Sophie’s knowledge. It seemed that Nadia’s suspicion of Sophie having created an imaginary friend had been on the mark. At least that piece of the puzzle was solved.
“And are you picking on other girls in your class? The ones with blonde hair?”
Sophie looked up with tears welling in her eyes.
“I don’t want to, Mom…” she cried. “It’s Helen. She makes me do it!”
Nadia felt her body sag. This was indeed much more serious than she had thought. Whatever was going on inside Sophie’s mind, this was WAY out of Nadia’s ability to help her. She was not sure what her next step would be, but Sophie obviously needed some professional help. Nadia recalled an uncle of hers that had been diagnosed with schizophrenia when he began to see and hear things that were not there. It chilled her to the core that this might be a possibility with Sophie…was this sort of thing passed on through families?
“OK, Sophie. That’s enough for now. Why don’t you go to your room so Tania and I can talk this over.”
Sophie ran off sobbing and Nadia buried her face in her hands as Tania lay a comforting hand on her shoulder.
As Sophi
e was on what the school was calling a “temporary hiatus”, Nadia began to poke around into the prospects of finding a good child psychiatrist. This was the first time Nadia had seen the downside of living in Poolewe. She had never imagined that the isolation in the small burg would present such a hurdle, but here it was. She had been hoping that some resources for such treatment might be available in Inverness, but so far all she had found was that she would have to get Sophie to either Glasgow or Edinburgh in order for her to see a proper therapist. Both those cities were hours away and she had no idea how she could possibly juggle her responsibilities at the office and get Sophie back and forth to a shrink.
Tania had offered to step in, but she did not drive and it would be a long ordeal to have her schlep Sophie back and forth via public transportation. And besides, she felt it was too great an imposition on the woman anyway, despite her kind offer. As Nadia was contemplating contacting her boss back in Glasgow to try and work out some sort of arrangement, her focus was shattered by the screams of true fright and terror coming from Jack’s room. Nadia pushed her chair back abruptly and it fell over as she raced into the hall and toward her son’s room. She forced the door open violently whereupon she found Jack huddled into the corner of his room, his back pressed hard into the intersection of the two walls as he shrieked with utter fear and horror, flailing his arms into empty space.
Jack’s eyes were wide and wild with alarm as he tried valiantly to ward off whatever it was that had him in such a state. There was just an empty room though. Nadia ran to Jack and gathered him up in her arms and ran from his room. She put him to bed in her own room and just sat in a chair beside the bed watching over her troubled child wondering what in the hell was going on. First Sophie and now Jack…
……….
Several days went by, and Nadia was still reeling from all that had happened recently. Tania had, God bless her, agreed to stay on at the house for longer hours since Sophie was now sequestered in the flat. Jack had gone back to school, but he absolutely refused to go back to his own room anymore. Nadia did not mind having him stay with her, but she knew deep down that this could not go on long term. Jack was not talking about what he had seen. And now Nadia was facing the prospect of having both her kids suffering from apparent mental illness issues. She felt as if she had aged ten years in just the last month. She was managing at work, but just barely. As she was walking home that night, she had no idea how she was going to survive financially, but it was obvious she would have to talk to her boss and work something out. She was in arrears to Tania and despite her high resistance to it, Nadia was afraid this might mean a move back to Glasgow for good.
Nadia came home that night, her heart heavy with despair as she forced Tania to go home for the night. She was dipping heavily into her savings now to try and catch up with all the extra hours Tania had been putting in. She tried to wave off Nadia, knowing the situation, but Nadia would not hear of it. As she took Jack to the bathroom that night to bathe him, she had made her decision: in the morning she would call her boss and explain. Maybe she could transfer back to Glasgow. After all, the health of Sophie and Jack was all that mattered anyway…
As Nadia began to draw the water for Jack’s bath, she overheard Sophie on the landing just outside the bathroom. She shut off the water so she could listen more closely. Sophie was obviously arguing with someone, but Nadia knew it was just her and the kids at home…Tania had left ago. She had missed most of the details of the initial argument, but her blood ran cold and she felt an eerie chill trace her spine as she heard Sophie’s last comment:
“I said no! He’s my brother and I love him! I will not hurt him!”
Nadia quickly dried off Jack and had him dress in his pajamas and made him sit quietly on the lid of the toilet. She closed the door behind her and found Sophie on the landing shaking with sobs, tears running down her face. She went to Sophie and guided her to the living room to see what exactly was going on and who she was talking to…though she feared the worst.
“Sophie…honey…look at me.” Nadia said as she kneeled in front of the still sobbing girl. “Who were you just arguing with?”
“Oh, Mom…I know you and Tania both think I am crazy. But I’m not…”
Nadia did not know why, but for some reason, she listened to Sophie on a deeper level this time.
“It’s Helen…she won’t leave me alone anymore. First, it was the girls at school. And now she says if I don’t get rid of Jack she will make me pay!”
Nadia hugged her tightly. There was something in Sophie’s voice that made Nadia know this was not what she had suspected earlier. She thought back to all the creepy and oppressive feelings she had gotten from the flat and how Tania had joked about the place being haunted. Though Nadia was not a believer in such things, something in the back of her mind began to make her wonder if all of this was not somehow interconnected.
“It’s OK, honey. No one is going to hurt you or Jack. Let’s all sleep together in my room tonight, alright? I’ll watch out for you.”
Sophie burst into tears and fell into her mother’s arms as Nadia stroked her hair and held her tight. It was time, Nadia said to herself, to get the real story on this place from Tania…folklore or not…
What Was That You Said About Cleeman House?
Nadia called in sick the next morning and waited impatiently for Tania’s arrival at the flat. Tania looked in with surprise at finding Nadia still at home when she arrived.
“You going in late today?” Tania asked as she joined Nadia in the living room.
“Taking a sick day. We need to talk…”
“OK…what about?”
“This ‘friend’ of Sophie’s…Helen. Since we have found out about this have you ever heard her actually talking to her?”
“Can’t say as I have. All I know if what we found out from Sophie. That Helen was not a classmate, but her insistence that Helen is living here. Something tells me you have, though.”
Nadia nodded solemnly and laid out all that had happened the night before as she was trying to bathe Jack. Tania sat quietly and listened, but by the time Nadia had finished speaking, Tania finally made the connection and she felt the blood drain from her face.
“Holy shit, Nadia…it just dawned on me.”
“What?”
“Helen. I did not put two and two together until you told me this story, but now I think I get it.”
“Does this have anything to do with the history of the Cleeman House that you mentioned when we first met?”
“How did you know?”
“Just a wild hunch. Why don’t you fill me in on the details.”
Tania nodded and slowly went through the full history of the house that she had been told of when she was just a little girl. The story that some in town believed fully, while others saw it as just a tall tale. It took Tania almost an hour to finish the entire missive, but by the time she had, Nadia was a believer. They both sat in the silence for a few moments before Tania spoke.
“You really think the specter of the little girl Helen is still hanging around here? That she has come to Sophie to continue her reign of revenge on kids who merely resemble those that tormented her to the point of suicide?”
“Quite frankly, Tania, I am not sure. But combining this with everything else, especially the macabre and ghoulish feelings I get here from time to time, it seems worth considering.”
“So what now, boss?”
Despite her lingering skepticism, Nadia found someone she felt was reputable in this arena and arranged for the whole building to be cleared…a less formal and definitely less religious rite than an actual exorcism. In her younger days, Nadia would have laughed and scoffed at such a decision, but something told her it was at least worth a shot. And somehow, she felt just treating her own flat would not do it…she wanted the whole building included. She and Tania took the kids away for the day of the clearing just so they would be away from it all. They took a drive over to Tania’s hometown of
Londubh so Sophie and Jack could see where it was their nanny had grown up. Nadia got a call from the man she had hired to perform the clearing late in the afternoon saying he was done. In his opinion, the building was clean and they should have no more issues.
Nadia dropped Tania off at her house and she drove back to Poolewe with the kids. Despite the man’s assurances, Nadia was still nervous and apprehensive about going back right away.
“You guys up for a night out at the Wolf and Bear?”
Both Sophie and Jack cheered enthusiastically at the suggestion and Nadia breathed a sigh of relief knowing a nice supper out would be a good diversion and hopefully, a landmark of a new chapter in their lives assuming the flat was now clean. Both Sophie and Jack seemed more at ease as the three of them relaxed at the friendly pub over traditional fare. She was sure the kids did not notice, but as they were leaving, Nadia got a nod and wink from several other patrons which she took as a recognition of what had gone on at Cleeman House that day. As Alicia, her assistant had said…Poolewe is a small town and word of mouth travels fast. Nadia took it in stride and interpreted it as thanks from the locals who bought into the legend of Cleeman House.
The closer they got to home, the more Nadia noticed the nervousness and anxiety of all of them. The easy banter and laughter they had shared over supper halted as they exited the car and began the ascent to their home. Nadia eased open the door and peered in as if expecting to see something different. It was, however, the same old place they had left that morning. She hung her coat as Sophie and Jack entered the living room.
“Sophie?” Nadia asked.
“Yeah?”
“If you are up to it, want to take a quick walk around and see what you think? My feeling is you may be best equipped to know if Helen is really gone and we are finally safe.”
Haunted House Tales Page 65