Haunted Happenings

by Lucrezia Black

  He thought about it for a moment. He wanted all of that. He wanted the house and the dog and the kids running around in the garden. But he figured they should jump over the house hurtle first.

  And she hadn’t been making it easy. He’d almost given up after the first dozen houses. He’d almost thrown in the towel and said they would never be leaving their small apartment. At one point in time he’d considered a divorce.

  But now he was feeling a little better about it all. He was less frustrated with her now that he’d come up with a solution.

  He wasn’t happy about having to wait for a house to be built. He’d been hopeful to move into something this year, but he would do what he had to do in order to make his wife happy and if that meant building something from the ground up, so be it.

  He was actually growing rather attached to the idea of a home which they had designed and built themselves. He hadn’t been over the moon with any of the properties they had seen thus far. He’d liked them. He’d been willing to move into them.

  That was more than he could say for Vera. But he didn’t want to linger on what she hadn’t wanted. He’d finally found something that made her happy. Perhaps he’d have to wait a while to see it to fruition, but he had found a solution.

  He’d always prided himself on being able to come up with solutions to problems. The problem of a house had almost stumped him, but now there they were.

  “Yes, love. I can see it.” He gave her a kiss. “It’ll will be perfect.”

  Moving In

  April 2017

  Village near Gloucester

  * * *

  It had taken almost a year. That’s exactly what Joe had predicted and he’d been right. They’d sat down with the contractor and sorted through it all. They talked design and costs. They talked timeline. It had all been set out and then it had begun.

  It took longer than they had planned. The whole project had been delayed by two months because of little hiccups along the way. Vera blamed the builders for the hold up.

  She’d never met a man in the construction business who didn’t like to stretch a deadline. It always meant more money in their pockets. Sure, it also meant more time on the job site, but they rarely cared about that.

  She’d heard her fair share of excuses flow in over the months. There had been talk of weird happenings on the building site. Things fell from scaffolding and equipment malfunctioned – it was always one thing after the other.

  Vera had heard more than enough excuses over the course of the year but things were finally done. They’d paid their last bill. They had signed all the paperwork with their contractor. They’d had their house inspection done and everything was perfect.

  She’d known that it would be. Even with the delays and problems, she’d still known in her heart that it would be perfect. And about halfway through April they finally got the go ahead to move into their new home.

  It had taken no time at all to pack up their apartment. They didn’t have very much furniture to move. Most of what they were using to furnish the new home Vera had picked up at antique stores or car boot sales. She’d spent a great deal of time perusing those while the house had been under construction and now she’d finally be able to set everything up exactly as she’d imagined it.

  They pulled up in front of the new house. Vera still remembered what the empty lot had looked like. It had been a slice of potential which was now fully realized.

  They had constructed a Tudor style home with four bedrooms and two bathrooms, a full basement and a low-ceiling attic, with plenty of room for them both to have offices at home and still have a spare room for family.

  Despite the aged style of the home they had made the interior as modern as possible, seeing no point in not fitting it with the most up to date appliances and utilities. The resale value on the property was fantastic, not that they had any plans to sell. Vera just liked to have options.

  She took a moment to appreciate the house before exiting the car. The moving truck would be there any moment now, loaded with all they owned from their apartment and all she’d picked up along the way. After all, she’d had a year to think about what she wanted to put in their home and she’d taken full advantage of that time.

  Joe glanced back as the truck pulled in. He got out of the car and watched the movers open the loading door. “How much stuff did you buy, love?”

  She looked over at him sheepishly. “It seemed like less at the time.” Vera looked into the truck and could feel her excitement levels rise. “I’ll find the perfect place for each and every item. You’ve given me the perfect house to do so.”

  “You’re happy with it?” Joe asked hesitantly. There was no turning back now. They had to move in so he could only hope that it was good enough for her.

  “Oh it’s fantastic.” She gave him a quick kiss and then moved across the drive so that she could direct the movers. She wanted everything to be perfect and if that meant supervising their every move, she was willing to do so.

  It took the rest of the day to get things set up. Joe stayed out of their way. He knew that Vera had a vision. She knew exactly where she wanted everything so he didn’t interfere.

  He set to work setting up his office space and when that was done he headed into town for take away for dinner. He figured it was the least he could do.

  When the movers were finally gone and the house was assembled, he joined Vera in the dining room to enjoy their first meal together in their new home.

  “To the first of many,” Joe raised his glass of water and toasted his wife. He took a long drink from the glass and smiled at Vera. “I hope you truly love the house, Vera, because we aren’t leaving it. Too much time and money has gone into this project.”

  She chuckled. “I wouldn’t dream of leaving it. This house has nothing but good vibes. It will be a great place to build our future together.”

  He could hear the hopefulness in her voice and didn’t want to say anything to discourage her. He loved her, but the last year had been a trying one. He hoped that now that they were settled into their new home, things would go smoother. He couldn’t go through another year like the last one. He wasn’t certain his nerves were strong enough.

  Vera tucked into her take away meal and let silence fall between them. She could sense that Joe was in a contemplative mood. She didn’t want to press him about it though. She knew that she’d been a pain in the behind the last year. She knew that she’d nagged and complained.

  In hindsight she knew she should have been patient. She knew that she should have trusted him about the house and the deadline. But she had never been a very patient woman. She had always been a little high strung. Joe knew this. He’d married her regardless. She just had to hope that his love for her would overcome the annoying person she’d been the last year.

  “They did a really good job with the house,” she said conversationally as she continued to eat. “We will have to remember the name of the contractor in case any of our friends are looking to build.”

  “Are they?” He inquired.

  “Are they what?” Her brow creased in confusion. She’d somehow lost track of the conversation she’d started.

  “Are they looking to build, dear?” he replied, his voice only mildly placating.

  “Oh…” she chuckled. “Well none that I know of, but after they see this place they may consider it.” She grinned.

  Joe glanced around and took a moment to appreciate the finished product. Vera’s furniture really made the house. She definitely had an eye for details. Considering she was a professional interior designer it made sense. She’d been completely in her element acquiring furniture and setting up the new home. He just hoped that the excitement would continue for her. He hoped that she would not grow bored of their new accommodations.

  The builders really had done an outstanding job. He could find no fault with the finished product. He was ecstatic about having his very own office. He loved that he had a place to work and that Vera wo
uld have a place to do the same.

  They had been on top of each other in the apartment. They’d been getting on each other’s nerves. Now they had more than enough space.

  “They really did do an exceptional job.” He continued to eat. “We should really have our friends over. Have a house warming party of sorts.”

  “That’s a fantastic idea,” she said with a smile.

  “You’re already planning it, aren’t you?” Joe asked with a chuckle and watched her blush. He was happy that he could still make her blush.

  “Perhaps…” she glanced down at her food.

  “Just perhaps?” He laughed.

  “Okay, fine. Maybe I have a few ideas.” She looked at him and grinned.

  “You always do.” He took another bite and looked around himself. “You know, a house like this should really have a name. All the good old homes have names. Don’t you think?”

  She seemed to consider the proposal for a moment and then the smile blossomed on her face. “We should call it the Manor House.”

  His brows creased in confusion. “Manor House? Aren’t those two separate things? I mean you can live in a manor or you can live in a house. Why the Manor House?”

  “I don’t know,” she said with a shrug. “It just has a nice ring to it. Why, have you got a better suggestion?”

  Joe thought for a moment to see if he could come up with something, anything better than Manor House. Nothing popped into his mind. He gave a heavy sigh. “No, I’ve got nothing.”

  “Well then, Manor House it is.” She grinned at her small victory. “It’ll grow on you, I promise.”

  He nodded and hoped that was true. Either way, she seemed happy with it. And at the moment he really only cared that she was happy.

  Something Strange

  May 2017

  Manor House

  Village near Gloucestershire

  * * *

  The first month in the Manor House passed in a flurry of activity. They threw their house warming party and their friends and family travelled out to see their new house. They all gushed over how beautiful it was and what a wonderful job had been done.

  They ate and drank and had a good time. Vera couldn’t have been happier with how it turned out.

  She had never been big on entertaining. She had always preferred to keep to herself, but there was something wonderful about inviting everyone to their new home. It was as though it was the final step to making it all real.

  It was she who staged the events. It was she who organized and made things pretty. But then she faded into the background so that others could lead the event.

  This had been one of the few events she’d hosted in which she’d remained active in the entertainment. She’d handed out food and beverages. She’d made small talk with their friends. She’d given tours of the house.

  It had all been rather exciting and when the last person was ushered out the door, she’d been utterly exhausted. But it had all been worth it. The wait for the house had been worth it. The party had been worth it. And she couldn’t be happier.

  It had taken some adjustments to sleeping in the new home. She was so used to the noise of the city that the quiet country air had kept her up that first night. But now, a month in, she slept soundly with Joe beside her. She was happy to still have him there.

  They had both returned to working within that first week. They had settled into their respective offices and spent most of the day, with the exception of meal times, separate from each other. That had been an adjustment too. After being on top of one another in the apartment, the space was both a blessing and a curse.

  She felt a little like she never saw Joe. She knew that was ridiculous but with everything going on, it still felt as if they never crossed paths. It was as if they never really talked.

  She hated that she felt sad in her new home. It was everything she had ever wanted and she was still finding a reason to complain. She was still finding something wrong with it.

  They shared meals together. They shared a bed at night. But beyond that, Vera felt like Joe didn’t even exist in the house. She knew that it was ridiculous. She knew that she was letting her emotions get the better of her, again. But she simply couldn’t help it.

  At the beginning of May she was in her office, the same as every day. She had a dozen clients on the go at the moment but that was a light load. She’d had up to thirty clients to juggle at once before. She was used to the stress of it, she thrived on it. The light client load meant that she found her mind wandering more than usual.

  She thought of all the houses they had seen before this one. She thought of the bad feelings she’d experienced in those homes. The Estate Agents had been unable to confirm that any deaths had occurred in any of the homes they had visited. As far as they’d known the houses were free of such a morbid history.

  But Vera had known. She had always known such things. Ever since she was a child she’d had a sense about places and objects. She was able to feel the dark energy around them. She was able to feel the sadness.

  She’d felt it in some pieces of furniture she’d looked at for the house. Obviously, she hadn’t purchased anything with a bad vibe to it. But she had found plenty of items that had caused a chill up her spine and goose bumps on her arms.

  Her mind wandered over those items for a moment. There had been nothing special about them; nothing to clearly indicate that they had been attached to anything sad, anything dark. Nothing except her feelings.

  She felt that chill run up her spine and the goose bumps rise on her arms. She looked down at them in confusion.

  “What the hell?”

  She glanced around her office. Nothing in there could be causing the feeling. Everything was new. Everything was free of darkness. And yet she had the feeling of unease creeping over her. She knew something was wrong but she couldn’t put her finger on it.

  Vera got up from her desk and wandered out of the office. She slowly walked from room to room, trying to gauge the source of the feeling. It didn’t matter what room she entered, it still lingered over her; as though something was calling to her, warning her.

  With her brow creased in confusion she stepped outside and onto the porch. The feeling of unease increased. Her hands were almost shaking now. And yet she couldn’t determine where it was coming from.

  She stepped from the porch down onto the grass and fell to her knees. The sensation overwhelmed her and her legs would no longer hold her. She drew in a deep breath, trying to steady her racing heart. Her hands were shaking. Her palms were sweaty. And yet she hadn’t the faintest idea of the cause.

  She scanned the forest behind their home, her eyes searching for something, anything that would explain her feeling. But in the late afternoon sun she saw nothing but trees; nothing to indicate why she was suddenly overwhelmed with fear and sadness. There was nothing amiss.

  “Vera?”

  She heard Joe’s voice call from the house behind her and felt the weight on her diminish slightly. It was as though his voice broke whatever spell she was under. It was as though he brought her back to reality.

  “Vera? What’s wrong?” Joe crouched down on the grass beside her and took her hand. “Darling, your hands are as cold as ice! What happened?”

  She simply shook her head and stared out into the trees. “I don’t know,” she muttered, her eyes still searching.

  Whatever had come over her had drawn her outside. Whatever was amiss was in those woods, she was certain of it. But why now? Why was this happening now?

  They had been on the property for a month already. They had lived in the house without issue. And now this was happening. It made no sense.

  She drew in a deep breath and tried to steady her still racing heart. It helped that Joe was with her. He had always been a calming presence in her life, even more so at this very moment. She couldn’t put her finger on what had happened but she knew that it wasn’t good.

  “Vera?” Joe searched her face for some kind of
answer. She was ghostly pale. Her lips were trembling and he could still feel her hand shake in his. He’d never seen her like this.

  Had she had one of her moments? He’d started calling them that after the first time he’d witnessed one. He didn’t believe in the paranormal, so what else was he supposed to do? She simply had feelings about things. He’d learned to accept that about her. He didn’t try to change it. He didn’t really want to understand it. He had just accepted it as part of who she was.

  But what had caused today’s moment? He was a little curious about that. She had personally approved everything that was inside the house. The house itself was brand new. There should be no bad vibes, as she would call them. Then why was she kneeling on the back lawn, shaking like she’d seen a ghost?

  “Come on inside, Vera. Let’s get you a cup of tea and get some of that colour back.” Joe helped her to her feet as she nodded slowly.

  “Yes, tea would be nice,” she murmured and followed Joe back into the house. She wasn’t certain about what had just happened, but she was certain that she would find out. She’d never been good with unanswered questions and she didn’t plan on starting now. She would figure it out the minute her hands stopped shaking.

  Night time Disturbance

  The tea helped. She hadn’t expected it to, but the hot tea and a full dinner helped a great deal. She didn’t bother to try explaining what had happened to Joe. She could tell by his constant sideways glances that he knew what she would say.

  She didn’t hold it against him that he didn’t believe in the same things she did. She couldn’t explain her sixth sense for things. She’d tried before and although Joe was good about it, she knew that he was still sceptical. She couldn’t really blame him for that. In his shoes she would likely react similarly. So, for the most part, they simply did not talk about it.