Ghosts, Ghouls, and Haunted Houses

by Carrie King

  “Yes, I’ll have tea, please. I’ll get the kit from the car.”

  William walked back out the front door. A chill breeze whipped around him, and leaves swirled across the pathway in front of him as he covered the short distance to the car.

  He opened the door and bent down to retrieve the first aid box. Once he found it he shut the car door again, locking it behind him, and glanced back up at the upstairs window. It did look as though there was a light on up there. He stared around, trying to see the street light that Sandra had said was reflected in the pane.

  A sudden cackling laugh sprang at him from out of the darkness and he turned around quickly, peering down the street.

  Heart beating fast he could see the road was empty.

  The breeze picked up and pulled at his clothes. He shivered. The puncture wounds on his finger stabbed and burned, and William felt an irrational sense of foreboding.

  “Did you find it?” Sandra’s slim figure was framed in the light of the front door as she called out to him.

  “Yes, I’ll be right there.” William looked around again. The setting was peaceful and serene, and as normal as any suburban street could be in the darkness of a Wednesday evening. Feeling silly he was about to go inside when he suddenly heard the whispering sound again and the fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end.

  Quickly, without looking behind him, he hurried up the path to the house and shut the door, locking it carefully as he did so.

  Chapter 28

  William walked with the locksmith to the door. “Thanks for coming so quickly. I want to use the basement for storing equipment while we carry out the renovations. We haven’t had a chance to look down there yet. It was locked when we bought the house, darn estate agent was supposed to sort it... you know what they’re like.”

  The tradesman nodded.

  “I guess it will be a good size area. These old houses all have large basements.”

  He stood in the doorway and brushed at the dust which covered the sleeves of his uniform. “There’s lots of dust around. I suppose there is still a fair amount of construction going on in the area.”

  “Yes.” William followed the locksmith out onto the step. “Most of the houses are complete now, but there are still some to be finished. The dust will die down once the last of the work is complete.”

  He frowned up at the gathering clouds.

  “Looks like bad weather is coming. Thanks for your help. I’ll let you get on your way.”

  “No problem at all.” The man walked back to his car, and William turned to walk back inside the house.

  “I’ve got a torch!” Sandra was standing in the entrance way. Her sleeves were rolled up, and a smudge of dirt lay across her nose. Her light brown hair was piled up in a messy ponytail on the top of her head so she looked about 12 years old.

  William felt a sudden burst of love.

  “Look at you! You’re so excited to see an old basement,” William teased. He smiled indulgently at his wife. “The thought of lost treasure has lured you away but how’s the cleaning going?”

  The couple walked up the short corridor toward the basement door. A smile lit up her beautiful face and crinkled her eyes.

  “I’ve finished washing down the shelves in the kitchen, and I’m about to start unpacking the boxes to put everything away. I can’t believe the amount of dust everywhere! And as soon as I clean it away, more dust seems to fall and settle. I don’t even know where it’s all coming from.”

  “Yes, it is a little peculiar. But I’m sure it will stop soon.” William placed his hand on the basement door handle and twinkled his eyes at his wife.

  “Are you ready for whatever treasures we may find?”

  Sandra switched on the torch.

  “Aye, aye, sir. Lead the way forwards into our intrepid adventure!”

  William laughed. “It’s probably just a pile of old junk.”

  He flicked the switch at the top of the basement stairs, but the room below remained in darkness. He peered into the dim room, squinting his eyes, and flicked the switch up and down another few times.

  “Looks like the bulb is out. Just as well you have that torch.”

  The couple walked carefully down the stairs. William felt a palpable chill as they moved downward, a damp and clammy feeling that tugged at him like an unwelcome embrace. He shivered involuntarily.

  “Oh, what is that awful smell?” Sandra’s voice was thick with distaste.

  William could smell it too. He wrinkled his nose.

  “It’s something decaying. Perhaps a small animal crawled in here and died at some point. We don’t know how long it’s been since the room was opened up.”

  They’d reached the stone-tiled floor at the bottom of the flight of stairs. Sandra shone the torch around, the beam of light picked up several bulky shapes but showed very little around them.

  “What is all of this?” she said, curiosity coloring her words with excitement.

  William walked forward, looking around.

  “Put the torch over here,” he said as he pushed back a heavy tarpaulin and looked closely at the piece of equipment underneath.

  “It’s some kind of old fashioned laundry press. Looks industrial. How strange. I wonder why it’s here?”

  He dropped the tarpaulin, sending choking clouds of dust up in the air. He sneezed and stepped backward.

  “I’ll replace the bulb in the light at some stage and we’ll look at everything more closely then. It’s probably just rubbish. I think we’ll find that it all just needs to be taken to the tip.” He gazed around. “There’s plenty of room down here for what we need.”

  Sandra sneezed as well, once, then twice.

  “I’m not sure whether it’s the awful smell or the dust that’s making me sneeze. Oh!”

  Sandra dropped the torch suddenly and it rolled across the flagstones, its beam making an arch across the far wall. She grabbed William’s arm.

  “What is it?” William said quickly. He felt jumpy and on edge himself which was ridiculous.

  “Oh, it was nothing. Sorry. I’m all jittery. I walked back into something and it gave me a fright.”

  Sandra giggled nervously. She let go of his arm and stooped to pick up the torch, turning to shine it behind her.

  “It must be more of that equipment.”

  She shone the torch over several more of the dusty tarpaulins. “I don’t like it down here, William. Let’s go back upstairs.”

  As she spoke, the door at the top of the stairs flew shut with a bang. Sandra shrieked, and William felt his stomach drop down into his boots.

  “The door must have caught a breeze and blown shut,” he said, attempting to make his voice sound steady and reassuring, and yet failing dismally.

  “Come on. Let’s go. I’ll sort this room out another day.”

  They hurried back up the stairs, and William was relieved when the door handle turned easily. He pulled the door open and they walked back into the light of the hallway. A cool breeze wrapped itself around his ankles as he closed the basement door again.

  “Oh, that was spooky.”

  Sandra leaned into him. He enjoyed the sensation of her body pressed against his.

  “I don’t think I want to go down there again.”

  “It’s just a cellar silly,” he said as a shiver ran down his spine, what was wrong with him?

  “Hello? Is there anyone there?” A woman’s voice called from the entrance way.

  Sandra and William exchanged glances and hurried back down the hallway. A young couple stood framed in the open front door, smiling broadly at them.

  “Hello,” said the young woman again. She looked from Sandra to William, and her gaze lingered for a moment. Her long blonde hair hung around her shoulders, and she was wearing a tight pink T-shirt and a tiny pair of jean shorts.

  William’s eyes flickered over her long, tanned legs.

  “Sorry to disturb you. The door was open, and we thought we’d come over and
introduce ourselves. I’m Lisa, and this is my husband Mike.” She indicated the good-looking man standing beside her. “We’re your neighbors.”

  “Oh, you’re not disturbing us! We were just looking around the cellar.” Sandra switched off the torch and beamed at the couple. “I’m Sandra, and this is my husband William.”

  “Nice to meet you.”

  William stepped forward and shook Mike’s hand. The other man squeezed his hand just a little too tightly, in a short display of dominance.

  “You’ve got a good grip there, Mike.” William released Mike’s hand and, as he did so, he felt the spider bite on the end of his finger tingle. He turned to the young woman.

  “And it’s nice to meet you too, Lisa.”

  She looked directly into his eyes, saying nothing, and a slight smile played across her lips. He felt an uncomfortable stirring as his body reacted to her obvious look, and in order to hide it he turned quickly to Sandra.

  “My wife was about to make us a cup of coffee, weren’t you, darling? Would you like to join us?”

  “Oh, yes, I was,” Sandra said. “And please do. I’m so happy you came over to introduce yourselves.” She beamed at their new neighbors and led the way into the kitchen.

  Lisa stepped forward to follow. She looked into William’s eyes as she passed him, and he cleared his throat slightly, watching the pert jiggle of her barely-clothed, golden-tanned buttocks. As she swayed past, her shoulder brushed lightly against him.

  “Well, how about you show me the house and grounds while the womenfolk make the refreshments?” Mike said heartily, his voice loud and slightly echoing.

  He slapped a heavy hand on William’s back.

  William turned away from the kitchen, glad of the being led away from Lisa. This was not like him and it made him feel both uncomfortable and guilty.

  “Sure. Maybe you can give me a hand to get the old pump working? I was looking at it earlier. I think with a bit of extra manpower we can get it going again.”

  Chapter 29

  William stood on a stepladder, clippers in hand. The lower branches of the sycamore trees needed trimming back, as they were blocking the sunlight from reaching the kitchen windows. He’d promised Sandra he’d finish the job today. With great satisfaction he snipped at the branches, watching as they fell to the ground.

  “William?”

  Sandra called his name from behind him.

  He turned around to see her standing by the back door, her handbag slung over her arm.

  “I’m going down to the shops. Do you need anything?”

  “Maybe get some more bottles of that red wine? The one we had a few nights ago?”

  Sandra nodded.

  “I’ll look for it.”

  She blew him a kiss and turned away.

  William turned back to trimming the trees. As he cut through the last of the branches he heard her car start and pull away. Admiring his work he backed down the ladder. With that done the kitchen would be much lighter and they would be able to see more of their neighbors.

  “Hello there.”

  The voice behind him was low and seductive.

  William whirled around to see Lisa standing just a few feet behind him, dressed in tight jeans and a short top which exposed her tanned midriff. He looked behind her, expecting to see Mike, but she was alone.

  “Sandra has just left,” he said quickly. “She should only be gone for an hour or two. Perhaps you can come back later?”

  He felt uncomfortable being alone with this woman, with her too-direct stares and her confident self-awareness.

  Lisa flicked her hair back over her shoulder and fixed him with one of her smoldering looks.

  “I didn’t come to see Sandra,” she murmured.

  William cleared his throat and quickly folded up the stepladder, holding it in front of him like a shield. “Can I help you with anything? It’ll have to be quick, I have work to finish before Sandra gets back.”

  Lisa lowered her long, thick lashes for a moment, then looked up from under them.

  “Mike was telling me that you said there was an old laundry press in your cellar. I was wondering if I could see it? I’ve been studying the history of Briar Park. Your house is the original homestead, and at one point the house was used as an institution. I thought I could take some photos of the old equipment. I’m thinking of putting together some kind of scrapbook.”

  William felt a spike of interest.

  “The house certainly has quite a past. We didn’t find out much about the previous owners or why it’s been empty so long. Maybe we can find something exciting out.”

  Shifting the ladders to his side, he pointed at the house.

  “You can take a look at the presses if you like… I’ve been planning to take them to the tip. They’re of no use to us.”

  He walked over to the house, leaning the stepladder against the peeling wooden boards and placing the clippers down on the small veranda. He glanced over at Lisa, who now stood beside him.

  “I wouldn’t have picked you as a historian.”

  Lisa looked at him, holding his gaze a little too long and a little too directly. For a moment he felt uncomfortable.

  “I think you’ll be surprised once you discover all my talents,” she said softly.

  William felt a rush of blood to his head. His cheeks burned. Flustered, he looked away for a moment to compose himself.

  “Where is Mike today?” he asked quickly.

  Lisa shrugged her shapely shoulders. Her brief top rose up even higher. William saw the flash of a diamante navel ring against her tanned skin.

  “He’s out,” she said dismissively.

  William looked at Lisa’s empty hands. “I thought you said you wanted to take a photo of the laundry presses? Do you have a camera?”

  “Not here with me. Perhaps I can have a look first?”

  William felt uneasy. He looked around but there was nothing to help him.

  At the edge of the property the leaves of the now trimmed sycamore tree rustled. Beneath then a yellow cloud of dust twirled and then spun across the yard.

  “I can give you just a quick look, then I’d better get back to work. I’ve got a lot of chores to do, and Sandra will be back soon.”

  He hated how he sounded like a guilty child and wished he could turn her away but somehow it didn’t seem right. So he led the way inside and stopped in front of the cellar door.

  “I fixed the bulb a few days ago. It is still quite dim down here though, so do watch your step.”

  Lisa moved close up behind him as he pushed the door open. For a second he thought he felt her full breasts press against his back, and then the pressure moved away. Flustered, he hurried down the stairs, anxious to put some space between himself and the pushy woman. He reached the flagstone floor and looked back as Lisa made her way down the stairs, her bosom moving up and down as she seemed to bounce down the steps.

  Clearing his throat, William pulled back the tarpaulin covering the press. A billow of choking dust enveloped him and he waved his hands in front of his face to clear it.

  “This damned dust.”

  He dropped the tarpaulin to the floor and turned around.

  “Lisa?”

  The basement behind him was empty.

  William frowned. Had she gone back upstairs? What was the woman up to? He coughed slightly as the dust continued to swirl in the air in front of his face.

  “Lisa?”

  “I’m here,” her voice was low and soft.

  Frowning, William stepped behind the press, toward the sound of her voice. He gasped. Lisa was standing by the basement wall. She had removed her top and her full, tanned breasts were bare. As he watched, she dropped her top to the floor, never removing her eyes from his.

  “What are you doing? Put that back on... I think you should leave,” William spluttered out the words and took a step backward. He glanced wildly toward the stairs looking for a way to escape.

  A whispering noise bega
n, filling the basement, and quickly intensifying. It wrapped itself around his head and squeezed tightly. Confused he spun around to find the source as the spider bite on his finger throbbed and ached.

  “Come to me,” Lisa said, her voice a soft caress, rose above the whispers. She lifted her arms and held them out toward him in an enticing gesture.

  William shook his head to try and clear it of the whispering which seemed to support her, to lead to her, to surround her. He could now make out some of the words through the heavy sibilant sound.

  “Gooo,” the voice hissed. “Go to heeeer. She can ssssshow you pleasuresssss you’ve never dreamed of. Go!” It was an order.

  “No!” The word escaped William’s lips even as his feet involuntarily moved toward Lisa.

  She was stood against the wall, her eyes fixed on his as the whispers pushed him toward her. Teasing against his ear. Tantalizing him forward with mystery and intrigue. What did they mean, what did they promise?

  Lisa stretched, arching her back and pushing her breasts towards him. William felt drawn to her and he could not look away. An irresistible force pulled him forward, and as he fought against it he felt himself falling and spinning into her gaze.

  “Toooouch her,” the whispering voice filled his head, obliterating all rational thought. “Touch her and lose yourself in dessssire.” The voice was insidious and provoking, taunting him.

  “No!” William now stood directly in front of the woman, though he didn’t remember moving there. He tried to pull himself back, forcing the image of Sandra to the front of his mind.

  It was no use he was drowning in Lisa’s eyes, their depths eternal and overwhelmingly attractive. Helplessly, he felt his body react to her.

  “Come to me.”

  Lisa placed her hands on William’s ribcage, the heat of her skin burning through his clothes. Her lips parted, and she darted a small pink tongue across the soft skin of her lower lip. Her eyes held promises beyond anything he had ever imagined. She ran her fingers down his body and around to his back, inching lower until her hands gripped his buttocks.