“My best guess?”
She nodded.
“Well…the old church has been sitting empty for the better part of the last century. As to why, I have no idea, and no one here seems to want to offer that up, if they even know. The COE built a new church and just let the old place go, so to speak. So, my best guess is they just want the property off their hands since they obviously have no plans for it. Our bid was low, for sure, but I am guessing if it had been outrageously low, we would still be at the bargaining table. Men are men, whether acting as the voice of God or not.”
Louise just nodded and looked away. Something about the deal felt off, but Darren’s explanation seemed as likely as any other she could imagine. Anyway, it was just what they wanted, and like a gift from above, they would soon be able to leave Sheffield and begin the life they both envisioned in Abberfield.
Trying to Make a Church a Home, Part 2
Abberfield, UK
September 2015
After getting all the official papers of ownership from the agents in Abberfield that the COE had contracted with, Darren and Louise began to pack up their belongings from their place in Sheffield thoroughly excited and enthusiastic over the move to the countryside at last. Neither Ava nor Logan seemed particularly bothered one way or the other, and Louise was sure their young age was part of that. She thought back to her own childhood, and as she had aged, she was more and more sure as each year passed that it became harder and harder to adjust to changes. Kids, however, were easy in that regard, especially when as young as Ava and Logan were.
For sure, the fact that Ava would just be starting in a formal primary school helped and as for Logan, Louise supposed he was still too young to really grasp the concept of what was happening. And on top of that, Logan’s specific personality and character was such that he was somewhat withdrawn anyway—he just seemed to go with the flow of each day as it came. While Louise packed and arranged their personal belongings from the flat in Sheffield, Darren set out to arrange for a caravan camper for them to live in while the renovations of the church went on. He had the camper delivered to the property and parked in a spot far removed from the sight of the cemetery so as to not make Louise more anxious about that spot than she already was.
The last thing he needed was for her to have to get up each day and see those old moldy, lichen-encrusted and blackened headstones. As well, Darren dialed up Pete Jeffries to begin organizing a team of workers to begin work on the interior of the church once a bit of demolition was done to fully gut the remains inside. Pete’s sister, Madeline Porter, whom Louise knew well and fortunately did not equate with her brother on an intellectual level, was an interior designer. Louise had already consulted with Madeline to work with her on the new home, and they planned to begin sketching out plans as soon as the demolition was completed, and they had received approval from the local board of regents in Abberfield to convert the old church to a private residence. This was the one and only caveat that the COE had entered into the sales contract, but they assured Darren and Louise that it should be just a formality.
Much of their stuff from the flat had to go into storage due to the limited size of the caravan they would be living in during construction, so Louise arrived later than expected once she had sorted out what was essential for them all for the next few months. With two kids, it was going to be a bit cramped, but seeing as how it was not forever, they both tried to look on the whole experience as a great adventure—the kids, in particular, were having a ball as they had never lived in a camper before. Once settled in as well as they could, Darren filled out all the paperwork he had received from the COE agent to make the application for conversion of the church into a private residence. This was to take a week or so, which allowed Louise to make arrangements for the kids in the public schools in Abberfield.
Just on the edge of town was the primary school that Ava would be attending, and the informality of the educational system in Abberfield made it easy and effortless for Louise to get her enrolled quickly as the first day of school was quickly approaching. In addition, she was fortunate to secure a spot in a local nursery/pre-school that was just a block or so from Ava’s school. Louise was not really sure how Logan might adjust to his first real school setting based on his showing signs of autistic-like behavior. She discussed this with the administrators there so they would be aware of the situation and they all decided it would be worth a try to see what would happen.
As fortune would have it, the potential opening that Ava’s school had for a teacher came available as well, when one of the upper-level teachers had to leave town unexpectedly due to a family emergency abroad. She had to resign her post and the headmaster called Louise in a frantic plea to see if she was still looking and interested in a teaching position at the school. They could have swung this whole deal on Darren’s income, especially since the great deal with the COE had come through, but Louise loved teaching, and the extra money would sure help out. To Louise, it felt as if all the pieces were falling into place for them.
First, the church property had come along, offering them a bargain to finally own their own place and a chance to live far away from all the detractions of the city. Then the kids had gotten enrolled in school quickly and without incident in a situation that had they still been in Sheffield with similar circumstances, might not have happened. And finally, she had a new teaching job. In fact, nothing seemed untoward for Louise in Abberfield except for the odd and quite frankly somewhat cold reception she was beginning to get from some of the locals. It might have been her imagination, but it sure felt like she was getting questionable or dubious stares from people as she went into town to shop. For sure word must have gotten around that they had bought the old church and were planning to turn it into their private home. Louise could not discern if perhaps they might be stepping on toes by changing the old chapel from what the locals had grown accustomed to or if maybe they just were distrustful of strangers coming in and possibly erasing a bit of Abberfield history. Or maybe she was just seeing something that was just not there at all…
But just as everything seemed to be coming up roses for the Bakers, just like that flies began to appear in the ointment. Shortly after Louise began her job, their application for having the church converted into a private residence was rejected by the local board of regents in Abberfield. Even after a revised application was filed, based on some minor changes that Darren made, assuming there was some objection to one or more of the changes they were proposing, the answer was still the same: no. Darren looked over the details of their application carefully trying to parse out what the problem had been, since the COE had assured them this would be a mere formality. But as far as he could tell, he had completed the application perfectly, and there did not seem to be any reason at all for a rejection. Their proposed plan was basic and hardly impactful on anything he could see.
At about the same time, Louise despite fitting in well at Ava’s school with her new job, was seeing some distinct changes in both Ava and Logan. The kids in Louise’s class were delightful and eager to learn, but what she was seeing in her own kids since they had come to Abberfield and begun school themselves was troublesome. Well…good and bad she supposed. Both Ava and Logan seemed to have undergone a reversal of personalities and behaviors. Ava who all her life so far had been outgoing and extremely extroverted, had, in the last few weeks become much more like Logan: very quiet and sullen, almost withdrawn to some degree. Louise had talked with her to see if everything was OK, but Ava insisted she was fine.
Then, on the other hand, there was the formerly introverted and intermittently withdrawn Logan. For whatever reasons, Logan had become Ava-like: he seemed super-excited over the nursery/pre-school that Louise and Darren had found for him. He appeared to full of energy and overflowing with excitement these days, baffling both of them with his new personality. Louise was not so concerned over Logan. Perhaps, she reasoned, he had just needed more interaction and stimulation, and that being w
ith more kids his age had been helpful in this transformation. Maybe, Louise said during one of her meetings with Logan’s teacher, that this new environment had brought Logan out of his shell. That maybe they had misdiagnosed this aspect of autism they feared he could have.
As for Ava, though, Louise and Darren were a bit concerned. It seemed unlikely, but Louise was concerned that there had been something in this move from Sheffield to Abberfield that had unsettled the normally bubbly and ebullient little girl they had known. As far as Ava’s teacher could say, there had been no significant incidents in the classroom that might have triggered such a change. But the woman also commented on the observation that Ava did seem much more inwardly focused and noticeably quieter than when she had first begun in the new school. It had not been a drastic transformation, but more of a subtle change day by day. Louise had to agree with that assessment as well, and as long as Ava would not reveal anything more, they figured they would just have to wait and see.
……….
As to the issue of the application for converting the chapel to a private home, this was just as bothersome to both Darren and Louise. The assurances they had received from the COE had given them no reason even to question the application process, and thus Darren had given it no more thought at the time. However, now that their twice-submitted application had been denied, they were in a quandary. They now owned a half-wrecked old church that in its current state was not habitable, and certainly had no means with which to pay for an alternative place to live. They had sunk a considerable portion of their savings into the purchase of the church, assuming Darren’s efforts would be sufficient to make the place a home; they had no other monies from which to draw on. And they certainly could not live for any prolonged period of time in the rented caravan camper.
Not knowing what else to do, Darren revisited the board at the COE to explain their tenuous position. The board was as baffled as Darren at the roadblock he had run into and offered to see what they could do to find out what the issues were. A week later, the senior elder of the COE contacted Darren to let him know that the members of the Abberfield board would be happy to meet with him on a one-to-one basis to explain the concerns of the board as a whole. This was not exactly what Darren had hoped for when he had approached the COE elders for some assistance, but he figured he had to start somewhere if they were to remain in Abberfield. Over the next several weeks, Darren and Louise met with each board member so they could voice their concerns to the couple as to why the local populace was opposed to having the old church redone.
The board members, merely volunteer representatives from town, voiced their concerns, but in each case, the basis for their opposition struck both Darren and Louise as weak and contrived. In one case, a board member voiced his concern that any new development at the church during the conversion would adversely affect the native wildlife of the area. Though the objection was vague and ambiguous, both Darren and Louise assured the man that they had no intentions of expanding the structure beyond its’ original footprint. That there would be no additional development, which they assumed the man was concerned over. As well, they admired and loved the local fauna as much as anyone and would strive to keep it a natural and original environment for all the creatures that had come to call the acreage home.
In another interview, a female board member expressed dismay that the conversion would impinge over into the old graveyard, perhaps disturbing old plots or in the aftermath possibly preventing access to the old sites for people in town that still wanted to pay their respects to loved ones interred there. Likewise, Darren and Louise assured the woman that they had no intention of making accessibility to the old cemetery harder or preventing anyone access to the sites that still desired to visit. Darren went on in some length to make the woman understand how much they admired and respected the graveyard as a significant historical feature of Abberfield. In fact, Louise added:
“We have no plans to change any aspect of the cemetery. Perhaps you have heard talk of the large garden we wanted to set up next year when Spring arrives? But that area would be far removed from the cemetery and not even an issue for the site.”
One by one, they met with each board member, hearing additional objections, oddly enough which all seemed to be returning to the subject of the cemetery in some form or another. And despite Darren and Louise having offered strong answers to each and every objection, it did not seem as if they were getting any closer to getting a reversal of the decisions that had already been handed down by the board. The members told them they would take their answer to the specific objections under advisement, but in his experience, Darren knew what that most likely meant. Darren and Louise returned to the caravan following the last of their meetings with the individual board members dejected, having no idea what to do next.
Abberfield Objections and Lawyers
Abberfield, UK
September-October, 2015
Following a couple sleepless nights, Darren decided to consult a local solicitor to see what legal ground they stood on based on what they had been told by the elders at the COE prior to the sale of the property vs. the strong opposition they had experienced from their new neighbors. However, even after meeting with the solicitor that specialized in real estate and other property concerns, Darren was no closer to an answer than he had been before talking to the man. Apparently, the specifics of the law indicated that since the COE was not a private entity, when they became the seller of the property, they could not be held liable for advice or opinions they had offered at the time of the signing over of the property. In a nutshell, Darren and Louise could not sue the COE for what had occurred, nor could they file a legal request to have the sale annulled.
“He appreciated our situation,” Darren explained to Louise, “but legally there is no recourse in that regard.”
“How about the Abberfield board? Can an all-volunteer local board, with no real legal standing actually keep us from moving ahead?”
“That was my next discussion with him.”
“From your body language and facial expression, it gives me the impression that was not good news either…”
“Well, yes and no. Strictly speaking, from an exact interpretation of the laws in the UK and all the local statutes and details of the Abberfield community, no.”
“So, we can move ahead even as the Abberfield board continues to reject our application?”
“Legally, we can. But the solicitor suggested trying to work this out with the board as these are people we will be living among for a long time…or at least as long as we choose to live here. While they cannot legally bar us from making the conversion, they could make our lives difficult if we go against the grain, so to speak.”
“I get it. They could not legally have us stop, but could make our lives quite miserable, if they should so choose to do so, if we do not ‘play ball.’”
“That’s a good way of putting it.”
“To quote the cute little penguin characters from that animated movie, ‘Madagascar’ from a few years back…‘well…this sucks.’ ”
“That it does, my dear…”
“So, what now?”
“Well, we are in a pretty precarious financial bind. I am not sure we have any choice but to move ahead with our plans. We know the board has no legal authority over us, but this may be the least of our worries if we move ahead without their blessing. Or we can pack it in, move back to Sheffield, and come to terms with owning an old abandoned chapel we can do nothing with.”
“The latter is not an option as far as I am concerned.”
“For me either. You prepared for the backlash from our new neighbors?”
Louise exhaled in frustration and thought it over. She was not one for confrontation of any kind, but if she looked at this mess from any angle, there did not seem to be but one answer. Perhaps, she said to herself, it is time to take a stand.
“Not really, but maybe in time they will get over whatever it is that is really bothe
ring them about the church becoming a private residence. The objections we have gotten so far—and I am pretty sure we are in agreement on this—are a smokescreen. Or maybe someone will finally step up and level with us if they see we are moving ahead.”
“OK. My feelings exactly. But realize that for now and possibly in the not too near future, we may be persona non grata in Abberfield.”
……….
The next morning after Louise left with Ava and Logan to get them to school and get to work, Darren set off to begin the renovation of the church with a couple of his former colleagues who had agreed to come help him with what was likely to be a real mess to get the old church gutted of the damaged and decaying interior. He was simultaneously excited to be getting the whole project underway, but a bit anxious and even annoyed at the situation they had found themselves in. He had hoped the COE would have been more aggressive and helpful in working through the roadblock the Abberfield board was trying to establish. And as well, he was a bit miffed that this local consortium, who apparently had no real legal standing, could actually try and prevent development they just did not want—and for reasons that Darren was pretty sure had yet to be revealed.
He hired a few roll off containers to be placed around the exterior of the church at convenient locations, and the crew got to work at once. And for a few days, all was uneventful. Darren and Louise heard about rumblings of discontent and disapproval from Abberfield, but so far there had been no official pronouncement to put a stop to the work. Darren had spied a few curious bystanders poking around while they worked, but no one had said a word. As the work to clean out the debris of the interior began to come to a close, Darren breathed a sigh of relief. Not only that this first preparatory step for the renovation had been finished without incident, but that apparently the solicitor may have been right; that the town had no real legal standing and that the whole rejection of the proposal incident was just posturing.
Haunted House Tales Page 89