Stu watched him walk away and could feel his brow crease in confusion. He didn’t understand the whole point of the encounter. Why tell them about strange happenings and then dismiss them so easily? Was it just a local man trying to scare them off? What was the whole purpose?
He looked across the table and met his wife’s gaze. She was clearly put off by the encounter. She was holding Deirdre protectively to her chest. He reached across the table and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze.
“I’m sure it’s nothing but a little local talk. I’m sure the house is just fine.”
He watched her nod but there was no confidence in her eyes, and when they left the pub to head back to their new home there was an uneasiness in the car. He could tell that what they had heard at the pub was affecting them all. It would be impossible for it not to. Still, he remained adamant that they would be fine.
This had been his plan after all. He’d picked out the house and the property. He’d fought for it.
He wasn’t going to get scared off by local legends, especially not in their first night in the house. He was determined to make this work for them. This was their new beginning and he would see it through.
Chapter 3
Living Old School
* * *
They spent the entire next day unpacking. The kids weren’t much of a help, being as young as they were, but they offered much needed entertainment to lighten the mood.
Maybell was still feeling uneasy following their conversation with the locals last night. She couldn’t decide what was setting her off about it. She had never paid much attention to local gossip in the past but something about the stories and the house had her unsettled.
Stu did his best to keep spirits high. They worked from room to room unpacking and settling in. They opened all the windows to let the summer breeze in, and pulled back all of the drapes.
The house had come with a fair amount of furniture, for which they were grateful, considering the change in interior size. All the furniture from their bungalow would barely fill one room in the larger home. But luckily, they didn’t need to worry about buying a house full of furniture, they only had to pick and choose what they wanted.
Regardless of light in the house and all of the cleaning, something remained daunting about the building. Perhaps it was the lack of electricity that had Maybell on edge. Perhaps she was over reacting, but there was just something about it.
“How soon will we get electricity in here?” She asked Stu as they worked on unpacking the kitchen. The room was filled with natural light, but there was still something about it.
Stu chuckled a little. “Not a fan of roughing it, dear?” He glanced over at her and smiled. “The workers will start tomorrow on the wiring, but I don’t know how long it will take them to get it through the house. These older houses can be a bit tricky.”
“Well hopefully it’s sooner rather than later,” she mumbled as she continued to pack away dishes.
“I’m a little surprised that you’re worrying about the electricity rather than the water. I was sure that the lack of water would be an issue for you.” He raised a brow in question.
She shrugged. “I’ve lived without immediately accessible water before. Our cottage never had it. I’ve lived with chamber pots and outhouses. It’s not the end of the world. We have a well. It’s summer time. But the electricity…” she trailed off.
“What about the electricity, dear?” He probed as they continued to unpack.
She gave a heavy sigh. “It’s just that the house seems a bit dim and creepy without it.” She shrugged. “Perhaps I’m just letting what farmer Bob said go to my head, but I would appreciate a little more light in here.”
“You will be surprised how well this place lights up once we get the candles and lanterns going.” He smiled and hoped that he was reassuring her. “It’s really not going to be that bad, Maybell, we will have it up to standard in no time.”
She was about to respond but Deirdre woke just as she opened her mouth to speak. “I’ll feed her,” she mumbled, moving away.
Daniel was asleep in his playpen. She knew that if she stopped Deirdre from crying, he would stay like that for at least another hour. She’d figured out a routine with them and they stuck to it for the most part.
Deirdre was still a little unpredictable, but she was only four months old. She was going through a lot of changes. But Maybell tried, as best she could, to keep them on a schedule.
It was difficult with the move and the chaos of the new place, but she was determined not to upset their lives too much. They’d had more change than most people have in a lifetime all crammed into a few weeks. She was determined to give them stability. She was determined to ensure that they felt loved.
She was a little disappointed in Stu’s level of interest in the kids. She supposed she could cut him some slack because he’d been busy finding them a place to live and such, but he rarely interacted with them. She was lucky to convince him to keep Daniel occupied, let alone have him do anything with Deirdre.
She wasn’t sure if it was because having children had always been her dream and things were panning out like she had hoped. Or maybe her expectations were too high. Was it wrong of her to want him to be a good father? Was it wrong of her to expect him to participate?
She didn’t think so. But perhaps parenting came more easily to her than it did to him. Perhaps, given a few weeks, he would adjust and find his stride.
She would hold out hope for that. She wasn’t sure what she would do if she had to do it all alone. That had never been her marriage. They had always been equal partners in everything, but kids changed things. She knew that and still she wouldn’t trade them for the world.
Stu continued to unpack in the kitchen as Maybell saw to Deirdre. He felt a little bad for not volunteering to feed her, but he didn’t want to take that moment away from his wife. She had wanted nothing more than children her whole adult life and he wanted her to have every second she could with Deirdre while she was still young. Those baby moments were impossible to get back.
He figured when she’d had enough, she would call him in to help out. Until that time he would keep busy with the other things in their lives. He would keep order. He would cook. He would clean.
He would do whatever he could to make sure that she got all the time she wanted with the kids and then he would get his time.
He smiled as he watched Maybell feed Deirdre. He believed that they would be happy here. He just needed enough time to make the house into a home for them.
Chapter 4
Shadows and Darkness
* * *
It was well into the evening when they finished unpacking. Maybell was a little surprised that they’d accomplished it all in one day, but Stu had been determined. He wanted everything to have a place in the house and he had accomplished that.
They hadn’t managed to do grocery shopping yet, so they ordered Chinese take away for dinner. Stu promised Maybell that tomorrow they would have a home cooked meal. If they accomplished nothing else tomorrow, they would get that done at least.
She nodded though she was hesitant to believe him. Things hadn’t exactly been going smoothly since their arrival. First there was the whole no water thing, then they’d had trouble getting the wood stove started, and the issues getting water from the well.
Now they ate their Chinese food by the light of the candles and lanterns, and she couldn’t shake this feeling of unease. She flinched at every shadow. She was questioning what lay hidden in every unlit corner. Meanwhile, Stu seemed completely unbothered, in fact she’d never seen him look so relaxed and in his element.
It had taken her a while to get the kids to bed. She’d left them in the living room so that they were close by while she and Stu worked on dinner. She didn’t want to put them upstairs in their room. It felt as though they were a lifetime away up there. She needed to be close to them right now.
She was beginning to wonder if moving to a bigg
er house had been such a great idea. Everything had been so accessible in their little bungalow, with it all on one floor. She never had to worry about the kids being too far away.
Sure it had been a little small but it had been cosy. Cosiness was lacking in this house. She figured that it might come in time, but at the moment she wanted to wrap herself in a familiar blanket, soak in the smell of her old home, and pretend they had never left.
“You look concerned, dear. What’s the matter?” Stu asked as he picked away at his dinner. He was starving, but he knew that if he inhaled the food, he’d regret it later, so he forced himself to take his time and savour every bite.
Maybell was apparently just giving up on eating, she’d barely touched her food and was instead staring at the kitchen cupboards in a contemplative manner.
He’d noticed that she’d not quite been herself all day. Perhaps it had something to do with the children. Perhaps it had something to do with the move. Maybe she was just a little overwhelmed with all the change all at once. He couldn’t say for sure, but she definitely wasn’t her usual, optimistic self.
Maybell sighed and picked at her dinner a bit more. “There is just something off about this place,” she stated as she twirled her fork around some noodles. “Maybe it’s just me, but there is something that has my back up. I don’t like all the shadows. I don’t like all the dark corners. It makes me think that something is hiding there.”
Stu resisted the urge to roll his eyes. He knew that he shouldn’t make fun of her. He knew that he would regret that move.
“Are you buying into all those ghost stories from the pub? I didn’t think you believed in such things.”
She shrugged and looked a little bashful. “I don’t really. I mean, I never have. But there is just something about this place.” She looked around them, her eyes lingering on the shadows. “There is something more going on here than meets the eye.”
He did laugh at that and received a stern look for it. “I’m sorry. But you just sound a little ridiculous is all. I think, maybe a good night’s sleep is what you need. I think it’s been a busy two days and we are lacking a routine. I think that we are both a little stressed and that tomorrow this will all seem a little better.”
She wanted to protest, but she couldn’t seem to find the energy to oppose him just then. All she really wanted to do was pack up her take away and go to bed, so that’s exactly what she did.
Once her food was stored safely in the fridge, she gathered up the children. She handed Daniel off to Stu and gathered Deirdre up into her arms. The little girl didn’t even stir. She was a sound sleeper; Maybell could be grateful for that at least.
As she made her way up the stairs she felt a sudden weight settle upon her, like being closed in a small room with no exit. She felt suffocated. She felt trapped. And each step upwards took more and more effort.
She held onto the railing for support, feeling as though the weight of the world was pressing down on her shoulders. She was short of breath. She could feel the strength leaving her body. Her legs were shaking.
And then, as she cleared the last step, the weight simply disappeared. She could breathe again. It was as though nothing of the sort had happened.
She glanced back at Stu who was carrying Daniel up the stairs. He didn’t look remotely bothered. He didn’t look to be experiencing anything at all.
She blinked in surprise. She didn’t know what she’d just gone through, but it left her stomach in knots. She swallowed the fear that rested heavily in her mouth, held Deirdre close to her chest and drew in a deep whiff of baby smell. Having her so close went as far way to settling her nerves.
“Are you okay, dear?” Stu asked when he reached the top of the stairs. “You look extremely pale.”
“Ummm…ahhh…” she stumbled over her words as she tried to figure out what to say. She didn’t know if she could explain it.
“Maybell?” He laid a hand on her cheek and brought her gaze to his. “Are you okay?”
She nodded because she wasn’t sure what to say. She didn’t even know what she could say. She had no way to explain the sensation she’d felt on the stairs.
She let Stu lead her to the kids’ room where they went through the routine of putting them down for the night. And then she followed Stu to their bedroom.
It was time to for sleep and to hope that tomorrow was a better day. She could hold onto that at least.
Chapter 5
Change of State
* * *
It was a week later and that made a world of difference. Stu felt as though he was settling in nicely. He was set to start work on Monday. They were well on their way to getting the electrics done in the house. They had food in their fridge. They had a routine established. As far as he was concerned, things were going swimmingly.
Maybell did not share her husband’s enthusiasm. Since their second night in the house, she’d felt like a terrible weight had settled on her. It increased as she went down the stairs each morning. She felt as though her happiness was being sucked out of her.
She didn’t want to leave the house. She felt depressed. She didn’t want to eat. She barely slept at night. She had to force herself to interact with the children. She had to force herself to interact with Stu.
It was a miracle that he hadn’t noticed anything. But he was busy with the contractors and making sure the house renovations moved along at a decent pace. He was also preparing himself for his new job. He was thoroughly distracted, but he did what she asked him to, and she could be grateful for that.
She didn’t know what had come over her. She’d been so happy before. She remembered being happy. And she could look at the children and know that she was supposed to be happy, but she couldn’t seem to summon the emotion. All she felt was heavy and sad. She felt empty.
It was getting to the point that the children were noticing. Deirdre would cry every time Maybell held her to feed her. Daniel would run away from her. Neither one would now let her put them to bed. It was breaking her heart.
She felt lethargic. She felt hopeless. And she hated every minute of it.
Sunday night after dinner, Stu finally decided to address the issue. He didn’t feel comfortable leaving for work in the morning with Maybell in her current state. He had to find out what was going on.
“Maybell, darling, what is the matter? You haven’t been yourself these past few days.” He tried to meet her gaze but she stared down at the table. “Come on, Hun. You can talk to me.”
Maybell tapped her fingers on the counter top but said nothing. She kept her gaze fixed on her tapping fingers and away from her husband.
“Come on, darling, I know something is bothering you. Is it the kids? Is it the house? Whatever it is, we can fix it. I just need you to talk to me.” Stu pleaded with her. He’d never seen her like this before. He didn’t understand.
She lifted her eyes slowly to meet his gaze and they narrowed in anger. “You can’t fix everything, Stu!” She shouted at him and threw the closest thing on hand, a teacup, across the room. “Some things are just broken and we have to live with that. Some things are just lost and we can’t get them back. Not now and not ever!”
Stu stared at her, wide-eyed. “What are you talking about, Maybell? What is broken? What is lost?” He looked at the shattered piece of china. “What do we need to fix?”
“You’ll never understand!” She screamed at him and the silence that followed was quickly filled with the sound of Deirdre crying.
“You’ve woken her,” he said, his voice uncertain. He immediately got up from his seat to see to the baby. When he heard Maybell’s chair move, he turned on her. “No, you don’t go anywhere near the kids. I don’t know what’s wrong with you, but you shouldn’t be around them like this. I don’t know what you’re capable of.”
Maybell’s eyes went from anger-filled to dull. She sat back down with an air of defeat, but she made no move to go towards the children. She made no move to do anything.
/> Her eyes looked back at the counter top and she began to tap her fingers again.
Stu’s brow creased in concern, but he couldn’t worry about that right now. He needed to see to Deirdre. He needed to feed her and get her back to sleep.
He focused his attention on the baby. It took several minutes to get her settled back down but she did settle down eventually. When he had her asleep, he turned his attention towards his wife.
She was sitting exactly where he’d left her, still tapping her fingers and still staring at them.
“Maybell…” he took a step towards her. She didn’t move. She didn’t react to his voice.
“Maybell, dear, are you okay?” He took another step towards her and reached out to touch her shoulder.
She lifted her gaze to meet his and her eyes lacked light. She looked exhausted. She looked defeated. She didn’t look at all like his wife.
“What is happening?” He gave her a concerned look and took her hand to stop her from tapping her fingers on the counter top. “What is wrong?”
She blinked owlishly but didn’t respond. She tried to find words, but nothing would come out of her mouth.
She hated the feeling rushing through her. She wanted to cry. She wanted to scream. She wanted to throw things. But she couldn’t bring herself to move.
“You have to talk to me. You have to let me know what is going on in that head of yours.” Stu pleaded.
Maybell blinked again and could feel the tears welling up in her eyes. The frustration she felt was overwhelming. She felt the tears roll down her face and saw the fear in her husband’s eyes.
She didn’t want to feel afraid. She didn’t want to make him feel afraid. But there was something very wrong right now. She didn’t know how to explain it. She didn’t know what to call it. But she knew that something was wrong and it had been wrong since they had arrived at the house.
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