Housewarming

by Jennifer Bowen

  She didn’t hear him, because the urgent “Come and see!” whispering from inside the dilapidated barn was stronger. She stepped into a sliver of sunlight shining from inside and continued under it, going in the structure.

  Kara paused, looking up at the window above the hayloft. That was from where most of the light poured in. Additional light seeped in through cracks in the wooden slats all around the building. She lowered her eyes on the loft below the window and started walking again, surefooted, across the straw-covered floor to the wood ladder. This time, it wouldn’t be like her dream.

  She climbed, without fear she’d slide down. Up she went until her head cleared the floor of the hayloft. The loft, caked in dirt and animal droppings, was empty, except for a tousled pile of straw at the far end.

  “It’s mine!” a woman’s voice cried out, the sound bouncing off the walls around her.

  Kara jumped, nearly letting go of the ladder rung.

  “Give it back!” the voice demanded.

  “I…what..?” Kara climbed up all the way to the safety of the loft and backed away from the ladder. Her eyes darted around the barn, exposed as it now lay spread out for her. There was no movement below and, flicking her eyes around upstairs, she saw she was alone. “Hello?” Kara called cautiously.

  When the voice had been stilled for a long moment, Kara turned her attention to the pile of straw. She slid her feet around in the sticks that had broken loose, searching. She felt something was there, as if St. Anthony was guiding her to a Lost and Found stand. She dropped to her knees and pushed her hands into the pile, not feeling the sharp sticks poke her and snap against her hands and arms. She pressed on, scattering the pile, lessening its height as she quickly made a mess.

  She pressed on, leaning her whole body so that she was now in the straw. Where is it? She moved quicker, and was nearly frantic as she leveled out the sticks until there was no longer the hint of a pile. She crawled over the debris, feeling around until a toad hopped out. Kara cried out, falling back on her knees. She watched it turn a 90-degree angle and hop a few paces away before it stopped. It watched her, waiting for her next move.

  She blinked, forgetting it, looking instead at the mess she had made. Her eyes did the searching now, hoping to glimpse a bulge, a hint of color, a secret. Finally, she got to her feet and turned away. Starting for the window, she stepped down on the last bit of kicked straw, and heard a crunch that sounded like broken glass. She stopped, looked down, and raised her foot. The edge of a four-inch piece of beige slate had broken away.

  She squatted down and picked up the larger piece. It was dirty, but it looked to her to be natural rock, like limestone or clay. That wasn’t what she wanted to find, was it? She glanced over the straw, seeking something, anything, but found nothing else. She dropped the slate onto the floor. She stood up, dusting off her jeans, and went to the window. She looked out, seeing the silo and then the trees beyond. The pond was hidden behind evergreens. She turned her gaze to the right, onto the backyard of the farmhouse next door.

  She inhaled sharply.

  A pick-up truck was parked in the driveway.

  “Get out!” The male voice was inside her head. She obeyed, twisting away from the window and hurrying to the ladder. Down she went, nearly missing the bottom rungs, and jumped to the ground. She sped-walked to her car and got in behind the steering wheel, unaware both of her children hadn’t moved from their seats, nor spoken a word while she was gone.

  Kara reversed and pulled out onto the road, nearly striking a feasting vulture that begrudgingly took to flight a moment later than its cohorts. The car thumped over the remains of the now-unrecognizable animal carcass as it slowly passed the farmhouse. A man walked out the front door of the house and start crossing the front lawn toward the barn. Kara passed the house glimpsing him in the rearview mirror, glancing until the road eased to the left and he disappeared from view behind bowing trees.

  When they arrived home, Kara helped Jack, fitted in his new boot, out of the car and to bed. He went willingly. She paced around in the foyer, fighting the urge to return to the barn. Questions ran through her mind: should she ask the man about the barn? Should she watch for him to leave and then explore some more?

  Lilah broke into her racing thoughts, “I wanna go outside.”

  Kara looked over her arms, finding goosebumps. She rubbed one of them.

  “Mommy!” Lilah whined.

  “Lilah.” Kara followed her to the backdoor and halted. The terrible statue was in Lilah’s hands, the mocking clay girl and frog.

  “Oh, I know!” Lilah shot up a finger, her other hand holding the statue now solely by the girl’s head. “Lemme show you something!”

  Kara looked down at the floor, steadying herself. Why was her heart racing?

  “C’mon, mommy. It’s a surprise!” Lilah unlocked and flung open the backdoor

  “Lilah…” Kara followed, closing the door behind her.

  Lilah punched a fist toward the woods on the west side. “It’s over there.” She clasped her hands together, sandwiching the statue between them. “In the woods!”

  Kara rubbed her temple. “How far are we going?”

  Lilah didn’t reply, already running through the yard.

  Kara glanced at the trees the opposite way. A canvas tent flickered in her mind…

  She now had names and faces for who had owned the grounds. Had she known them from her dreams? Was that even possible?

  She heard fluttering and looked up just in time to watch a hawk take off from a treetop and fly away.

  “Mommy! See the truck?”

  Kara shifted her attention and followed Lilah to the tree-line.

  Lilah went into the woods. “It’s right here, Mommy. Isn’t it cool?”

  Kara stepped around a thornbush, then stopped. She was looking at a pop-up camper. Astonished, she asked, “Where did that come from?”

  “Me and Jack found it.” Lilah bounced around.

  Kara peered into a grimy window, making out a countertop.

  Lilah urged, “Go inside!”

  Kara moved to the door, cautiously opening it. It gave, squeaking on its hinges. The stench hit her. She looked in, seeing a large pile of debris to the side. She backed away, letting the door slam shut.

  Lilah said, “Let’s play house.” She held up the statue. “My doll wants to play.”

  Kara backed up, confusion roiling in her. “No. Not here. This isn’t ours. We have to play somewhere else until I find out whose it is.”

  “It’s not Jack’s!”

  “Jack’s seen this?”

  Lilah nodded vigorously. “Uh-huh.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me about it?”

  “I dunno. It’s a surprise.”

  Kara’s glanced at the mocking frog before steering Lilah around by the shoulders. “Daddy and I will discuss it. For now, let’s go back to the house. We can play on the deck.”

  There was a reluctant “Okay” from Lilah, who walked ahead.

  Kara held back, taking in the pop-up camper, noticing for the first time orange letters painted on its side. An “L,” “P,” and a “U.” Moving to the rear of the vehicle, she saw an “H” and an “E.” At the front bumper was an “S” and a vertical splash of paint beside it. The end of the word or phrase.

  She stepped over saplings, seeing no other letters. Starting again with the “H,” as that was the next letter after the vertical splash, she rounded the camper again, stringing the letters together. She realized the vertical line was actually an exclamation point. The phrase was unnerving.

  Lilah called from the deck, but Kara didn’t reply as she slowly exited the woods.

  “Help us!” was written in large, sloppy orange letters.

  Help us!

  Had the camper always been there? Who had painted the unsettling phrase? Was it another prank?

  “Mommy, somebody’s here,” Lilah whispered when Kara had crossed the lawn.

  “Where?” Kara spun, h
er eyes on the trees. From the bottom of the deck, the camper was perfectly hidden.

  “Somebody rang the doorbell.”

  Ding-dong ditch.

  Kara listened, hearing a motor rumbling. Someone was there; they had stayed to be found.

  Not ding-dong ditch.

  Kara and Lilah crossed through the house. Kara peeked out the sidelight. Desmond blinked back at her.

  “Hi there!” He greeted when she opened the door.

  Kara frowned. “Hi.”

  He glanced at the road and then back at her. “How is everything?”

  “Fine.”

  “Good. Ahem! I was just driving by and—” He glanced at the yard. “Thought I’d stop and check in on you.”

  Her stomach flip-flopped. It was the watchfulness in his eyes, how he glanced behind her into the house, and the fact he had dropped in already to check on them that made her uneasy. “We’re fine.” She didn’t mention the RV, didn’t ask if he knew anything about it.

  “Mind if I come in?” he asked. “For a chat.” His smile didn’t reach his eyes.

  “I don’t think now’s a good…” her words drifted when a jeep pulled into the driveway. She recognized it was Shannon and immediately felt a sense of relief.

  Desmond squinted at the jeep, taking a few steps down the sidewalk toward the driveway. “Alright, let me know if there’s anything you need.”

  He hurried to his sedan and backed out, letting Shannon into the turnaround before he went down the driveway.

  Lilah stayed in the house, and Kara met Shannon on the driveway.

  “Hey,” Shannon said, stepping out of the jeep. She slung a tote bag over her shoulder and waved a two-foot, stuffed scuba diver toy. “Thought I’d swing by and see how Jack is. He got the boot put on today, right?”

  “Yeah. That was nice of you! You just missed my real estate agent.”

  “Oh?”

  “He’s getting creepier the more I see him.”

  “What happened?”

  Kara forced a laugh. “Nothing. Let’s go in.” She hung back under the lamppost as Shannon walked ahead. Her lips twitching, Kara’s eyes drifted up to her curtained bathroom window. She looked for a moment before following Shannon into the house.

  They found Lilah sitting on the floor in the great room watching TV, her desire to play forgotten. The statue was on her lap, near as always.

  “Jack’s napping right now. Want a drink in the meantime?” Kara asked, moving to the kitchen cabinets.

  “Sit. I’ll get it. Water, tea…wine?” Taking a look at the circles under Kara’s eyes, Shannon headed to the refrigerator. “Wine it is. Kara, sit.”

  Kara obeyed, sinking into a chair at the dining table. She watched Shannon set her tote bag on the floor, then expertly move around the fridge and cabinets.

  “Will John be home soon? What time is it?” Shannon glanced at the microwave clock.

  “I haven’t heard from him yet.” Kara sighed, resting elbows on the table and sliding her chin into her palm. “Wine’ll probably put me right to sleep,” she said when Shannon set the glass in front of her.

  “I’ll start dinner in a few. I brought my overnight bag in case he’s out all night.”

  Kara laughed. “I’m okay. I’m so tired, I’d probably sleep through a haunting.”

  “It’s fine. Tom already knows I might be staying over. Oh, he’s coming over to put up your chandelier.”

  “Didn’t you see it? We installed it.”

  “You did? How did I miss that?” Shannon returned to the foyer and called, “Wow, I totally missed that!” She came back to the kitchen and sat across from Kara. “I’m glad you did. It would’ve been a constant reminder…” Shannon’s words trailed and for a moment they sat wordlessly, cartoon noises filling the awkward quiet. Kara straightened in her seat at the memory of Marvin, lying crumpled in the foyer.

  Kara’s cellphone dinged. She pulled it from her pocket and looked at it. The text was from John.

  Working late. Deadline is today. I’ll try not to stay out too late.

  “John’s working late.” She clicked off the phone and set it on the table.

  Shannon clapped her hands together, the enthusiasm for Kara’s benefit, Kara was sure. “I saw a pizza in the fridge. Does that sound good?”

  Chapter Thirty

  Jack woke up in time for dinner. He wasn’t smiling when he thanked Shannon for the stuffed scuba diver toy, but Kara blamed his docile response on his sleepiness. She watched him slip the toy behind the couch, but made no comment, nor brought any attention to the action. After they ate, Jack and Lilah took to the TV, while Kara and Shannon remained in the kitchen. Seated, Kara leaned back, propping her feet on the chair opposite.

  Shannon nodded at the great room. “I didn’t watch much TV growing up.”

  “Oh? I lived on TV. You can sing any TV theme song and I can probably guess what show it is.”

  “Tempting. Too bad I can’t quiz you. If only I had known twenty years ago to watch and take notes!” They laughed.

  “Shoulda, coulda, woulda,” murmured Kara. She gazed out the window, noticing some of the leaves had already changed colors as the last of the twilight faded into night. She sipped her wine. The light over the sink was on, filling the room with a homey glow, although the dining room beyond had darkened. Night was quickly growing longer than day, the sun and the moon, nature’s changing of the guards.

  Shannon selected a glass bottle of cola and returned to the table.

  “Do I need a bottle opener for this?”

  “No, it’s an unscrew,” Kara replied. She sipped her wine. “John’s deadline to finish the project is today.”

  “Is everyone staying?”

  “In the office?”

  Shannon nodded, drinking from the bottle.

  “It’s him and, I think, the other three guys in I.T. that’re still working.”

  “No lady I.T. staff?”

  Kara swallowed wine, ignoring Shannon’s sobering look. “He’s supposed to be done tonight.”

  But what if he wasn’t working..? What if he stayed away because of Kara’s…obsession? Was Sophie an obsession? Was it important to keep Sophie shut away? Is that what other mothers did as time went on?

  She swirled the wine in the half-full wine bottle. “Let’s refrigerate the bottle. I don’t like it warm.”

  “I’ll do it.” Shannon tucked it in the refrigerator.

  “Mom, Lilah’s asleep.”

  Kara and Shannon looked at Jack. He partly leaned on a crutch while leaning his opposite hip against the wall.

  “Hey!” Shannon jumped up. “Don’t lean on the wall. You’ll make scuff marks!”

  “Shannon!” Kara stood up.

  “You’ve gotta be more careful, Jack. This is flat paint. It gets marked up easily.”

  He straightened, moving away.

  “It’s not a big deal,” Kara told her.

  “You don’t want to ruin the paint.”

  Kara sighed, glancing at Jack, who had returned to the couch. “I’m going to put Lilah to bed.” She went into the great room and asked if he was okay.

  “Uh-huh,” he mumbled.

  “She didn’t mean it. She was just worried about scuffing up the wall. Her boyfriend’s helping with the house and she just wants to keep everything nice. She won’t do that again.”

  “Okay.”

  “Do you have homework?”

  He shook his head, then revealed the hint of a smile. “No.”

  Kara smiled back. “Okay, I’m taking your sister to bed.” She picked up Lilah, conked out in her arms.

  “Are we sleeping in your room?” His eyes darted to hers.

  “For now, I’m going to have her in your room. Daddy’s supposed to come home tonight, but if he doesn’t, Shannon will sleep in Lilah’s room. Is that alright?”

  He turned back to the TV, his shoulders relaxing. “Yeah.”

  “Good. Okay, see ya in a bit.” She carried Lilah up the
dark staircase and nudged Jack’s open door with her elbow, opening it the rest of the way. She arranged a pile of blankets on the floor beside his bed and set up two pillows at the head. She laid Lilah on top of the blankets and draped a sheet and a comforter over her. Lilah sighed heavily in her sleep and turned to her side, facing the dark space below Jack’s bed.

  Kara crossed the downstairs foyer just as the doorbell chimed, startling her. She opened the door to find a plump, middle-aged woman with fire-red hair smirking.

  “Hello,” Kara said, not recognizing her.

  “Hi.”

  “Jane!” Shannon called from the kitchen. “Come on in!”

  Kara looked down the hallway at Shannon. She was drying off a glass with a hand towel.

  Jane stepped inside, brushing past Kara.

  Eyes narrowed, Kara closed the door and followed the woman—Jane—into the kitchen.

  Shannon told Jane, “Tom’s coming.”

  Jane nodded.

  “Hi, um…” Kara eyed Shannon, waiting for her to look at her, but Shannon turned her back on her. She poured orange juice a quarter of the way into the glass she had just dried.

  Kara was going to introduce herself when they heard the front door open and close.

  “Tom?” Shannon called. “Is that you?”

  “Yeah!” he called back. He said hi to Kara before stepping past her. She watched as he poured himself a glass of orange juice too. To Shannon he asked, “This is all we have? Nothing stronger? I thought you were a wino.”

  Jane snorted.

  “There’s wine in the fridge.” Shannon finally glanced at Kara. “It wasn’t chilled, so we had to put it in the fridge.”

  Tom opened the refrigerator, grabbing the wine bottle.

  Kara forced a smile on the redhead. “I’m sorry. I’m Kara.”

  They met eyes briefly before Jane looked her over and muttered something, looking away.

  Kara turned to Shannon. “Shannon?” Who was this stranger and why were Shannon and Tom suddenly oblivious?

  Tom nudged Shannon, the gesture so rough that she said, “Hey!” Rubbing her arm and scowling, Shannon said, “Kara, this is Jane. Jane, Kara.”

  Kara crossed her arms over her chest, turning back to Jane. “So, how do you know Shannon?”