Haunted Happenings

by Lucrezia Black

  They met with the entire historical society, a group of ten individuals of various ages. And when they presented the sword they’d found in their back yard, they all but squealed in delight.

  They had recommended a full excavation and they offered to cover the cost in exchange for possession of the relics. Vera and Joe had no problem with that arrangement. They didn’t particularly want the relics and they did particularly want the remains gone.

  When the last bit of paperwork was signed, the work began. Their yard was flooded with workers and academics. It was grid-marked and systematically excavated over the course of several months. Every day they arrived and they worked. Every day they found something new and interesting.

  Vera was shocked at how much they discovered. It wasn’t simply the skeletons but the weapons and armour. They found cookware and tools.

  She would wander out at the end of every day and look over all they had unearthed. She spoke with the students and the professors on site and learned a great deal about the history of the people buried in the yard.

  And all throughout the excavation, the spirits still came and wandered in the night. Though they seemed less sad now. They seemed hopeful, though she couldn’t really explain how.

  And every time they found a body, another spirit disappeared from the nocturnal march. And one by one they all found peace.

  Nothing could have made Vera and Joe happier than watching the spirits slowly disappear into the otherworld. Joe was fully on board now with the whole spirits thing. After all that had happened, it was hard for him to deny the existence of spirits from beyond, and she couldn’t have been happier about that.

  After living so long with him doubting what she sensed and what she saw, it was nice that he finally believed her. And it was reassuring that he was willing to have their entire garden excavated in order to put an end to all this haunting nonsense. She was happy that he was willing to see it through to finalisation.

  She would sit in her office working on her design projects and watch them work from her window. She would sit in the living room and watch them work from there. It was rather an invasion on their personal life, but it was also fascinating to spectate.

  She’d learned more about archaeology and history in those few months than she’d learned in all her years of schooling. She felt more connected to her past and more affiliated with the property they’d chosen for their home, in which to raise their family.

  They had really planted themselves in a piece of history. It had been pure chance, but it was a wonderful opportunity to learn and discover.

  Sure, she was a little stretched thin from the nightly disturbances. Sure, she was tired. Sure, she wanted her privacy back, but it was all for something bigger. They were contributing to the preservation of history and there was no higher cause in her opinion.

  “When do you think they’ll be done?” Joe inquired after they’d been at it for four months. “We’re probably going to have snow soon. Do you think they’ll keep working through the winter?”

  Vera shrugged. “I doubt they will work through the winter. No one wants to spend their holidays buried in dead bodies.”

  “These people might,” Joe grinned. “They seem to be quite enjoying themselves.”

  “Well this is their job,” she shrugged. “The same way we both love our jobs, they love theirs.”

  “Fair enough. But I would like to spend a nice quiet holiday with my wife, if that’s not too much to ask.” He gave her a kiss. “I miss our privacy.”

  “I know, darling. They should be done soon. When I spoke to the workers yesterday they said that they had found almost everything they expected to find.”

  “I didn’t know they had expectations.” Joe glanced out towards their completely dug up garden. He hoped that they would at least fill it all back in when they were done. They had agreed to that in the paperwork, but he would believe it when he saw it.

  “Based on the history of the battle and what has been written about it, they expected to find certain relics and a certain number of bodies. Last time I spoke with the professionals they indicated that the dig had exceeded expectations. What they’ve removed from our yard will be one of the largest historical finds in the area for over a decade.” Vera smiled proudly at that. “I know it was pure coincidence, but I can’t help but be happy that we were part of it.”

  Joe sat next to her on the couch and draped his arm around her shoulders. “You are a strange woman, you know that?”

  She nodded with a sheepish smile. “But you married me anyway.”

  “Indeed, I did.” He gave her a kiss and lingered there for a moment. He was happy that he’d married her. He was happy with her, even if she had her eccentricities; everyone was entitled to them. He knew he had his own and she put up with them. So, he was willing to do the same.

  “When they are done and we have this place to ourselves finally, we should think about starting that family.” He watched the shock appear on her face. “I mean, that’s what you want, isn’t it?”

  She blinked in surprise and smiled. “Yes, I definitely want that.” She gave him a kiss. “I want nothing more than to have a family with you, Joe. Nothing at all.”

  And when he wrapped his arms around her she smiled, and it was a smile that held a secret. She was just waiting for the right time to tell him.

  Epilogue

  May 2018

  Manor House

  Village near Gloucestershire

  * * *

  It took a full year for Manor House to return to normal, and just as the garden was levelled and all was restored, their world got turned around again.

  It was mid-May when they came home from the hospital with their new son, Jeremy. Vera had finally told Joe that she was pregnant a few days after he’d admitted to wanting to start a family. The timing had been perfect and now their family was well on its way.

  Joe was over the moon about the birth of his son. Like any man, he was ecstatic to have a son, but Vera knew that really, he was just pleased to have a healthy child. And Vera had already decided that Jeremy would not be an only child, and they would have their family. They had the space for it.

  The excavation was complete, and one would never know all that had transpired about their home. They had done a wonderful job restoring the yard to its original condition, even laying sod instead of grass seed to ensure that the lawns established immediately.

  The workers had worked all through the holidays. It seemed that they never stopped. Just as they had been prepared to pack up and go, they would make another discovery.

  The historical society was thrilled. When the dig had finally wrapped up, they had spoken of holding an exhibit. They had found so many items that they would have to build a new building to house it all. But they promised that in another year it would be on display for the whole country to see.

  Vera wasn’t certain how many people would venture into Gloucester to see an exhibit on the Battle of Tewksbury, but she was certain that more than a few people would have their interest piqued.

  Over the last year the newspapers had been full of talk about the dig site, with interviews and reporters at their house. The Searle’s were somewhat famous because of what had been found in their yard. Joe had started a scrapbook of all that had been written about it.

  He said that they needed to remember this, because not many people had a chance to be part of a historical discovery. And he wanted to be able to show and tell their children about it in the future. She had fully supported the idea.

  And as she sat with their new-born son, looking out on the pristine back yard, she couldn’t help but feel a little sad about it all. It had been quite an experience and likely something they would never go through again in their lives. She would never see the spirits again. She would never be part of that.

  After the bodies had all been removed, a priest had come by to read the last rites and bless the land. Joe had wanted to be certain that the spirits found peace and Vera
wanted that as well, even if she was a little saddened by it all. She didn’t want them to be trapped any longer. She wanted them to be laid to rest.

  And just when she’d regained her ability to sleep because the spirits were finally gone, their son had been born. And now she knew that she would not sleep again for at least a good while.

  Vera let out a sigh as she sat on the couch with Jeremy on her lap. Joe brought her a cup of tea and gave them both a kiss.

  “It is really all over, isn’t it?” She looked up at him and he could see the sadness in her eyes.

  “The dig is over. The spirits are gone. But we are just starting our lives.” Joe looked down at Jeremy lovingly. “This is going to be another adventure, darling. It will be a great adventure.”

  “And what if they didn’t find them all?” She looked nervously out towards the yard. They had found plenty of bodies, but it hadn’t been in the hundreds like the marching troop that they had witnessed. “We saw more spirits than the bodies they found. There could be more in the forest. There could be more in the garden.”

  Joe shrugged and almost couldn’t believe the indifference he felt. “If there are more spirits then I’m sure they will find you. You do seem to have a knack for attracting them. And they will tell you that they are lost, and we will make sure that they are put to rest, just like the others.”

  Vera gave a small smile and looked down at their sleeping son. “I’m so glad you believe me, finally. I don’t think we could have done all of this if you hadn’t.”

  “I’m still getting used to the fact that ghosts are real. I’m not sure I’ll ever fully get used to it. But I’m not going to laugh it off anymore. I am always going to listen to you when you talk about what you see, hear, or feel.”

  “That’s really all I can ask for.” She sighed and leaned back into the couch. “I’m never going to sleep again.”

  Joe took Jeremy from Vera so that she could drink her tea. She smiled gratefully.

  “So, you want to have about a dozen more?” He grinned as she almost choked on her tea.

  “Let’s see how one goes,” she sputtered and enjoyed the sound of his laughter in response. “It’s a bit much to take in all at once. We just got rid of an army of ghosts and now we have to raise a small person, and all after building a house to live in. Where is our down time? I thought we were going to have some of that.”

  “Life is chaos, darling. It is a grand adventure and it doesn’t always work out the way you plan. But I have to say that I’m perfectly content with how ours is going so far. Aren’t you?”

  Vera looked at her husband holding their son with eyes filled with love. How could she wish for anything different? She would be crazy to think that life could be any more perfect that it was in that moment.

  She didn’t care what the future brought her way. She knew that they would handle it together, just as they’d handled the haunting and just as they would handle raising their son.

  “Yes, darling. I’m very happy with how our lives are going. Very happy indeed.”

  The Haunting of St Martin’s Church

  Troubled Times

  March 1918

  Painswick Orphanage

  Village of Painswick

  Gloucestershire, England

  * * *

  The war did terrible things to a lot of people. There were few who were unaffected by it. Buildings were destroyed by bombs. Fathers and sons and brothers never returned home. Families were torn apart. Homes were destroyed. People were separated in the chaos. But life must go on. Things were rebuilt. Families were reformed. And life continued for those left behind.

  For Bradley and Mary, life would never be the same. They were among the thousands of children who were orphaned during the war. Parents died of disease or gunfire. Some died in building collapses and others simply disappeared and were never found. Bradley had no idea what happened to his mother and father, and it was likely that he never would. Mary had lost her mother in a bombing and her father on the front. Without siblings to take care of her, she’d been left alone.

  And as such, they both became the responsibility of the church. Churches all over the nation opened their doors to the lost children. After all, they had nowhere else to go.

  As the war came to a close in 1918, they were ushered to an orphanage like so many other children whose parents had lost their lives on the front. They were sent among fifty other boys and girls to the Village of Painswick where the Catholic Church had organized Painswick Orphanage.

  It wasn’t luxurious, but it offered them a warm bed and full bellies. No one could say that the food was great, but they were fed, and they were also educated. And in a way, they found a new family, which was what they truly needed. It was at the orphanage where these two lost souls found each other.

  Bradley and Mary met when he was six and she was four, and it was at the orphanage where they became friends. Making friends was important in a place like that. The war had taught children to be cruel and resourceful. If one was without a friend, one was likely to face a miserable existence, and neither of them wanted that.

  Growing up without a family was difficult. Many children remembered their parents. Many children were not able to accept the family that the church provided for them. But Bradley could not remember his parents and neither could Mary, so they found comfort and safety within the walls of the orphanage. More importantly, they found each other.

  They lived in the orphanage for twelve years. They were educated. They were fed. They survived because of the church, and for that they would always be grateful. As they

  grew older, they took on more responsibility within the orphanage. Mary had a love for teaching the young children and Bradley had become rather skilled at grounds work.

  So when Mary turned sixteen, she and Bradley were wed and the church put them up in a house. Well, it was more of a cottage than a house, but it was perfect for them and they were extremely thankful.

  Most children were simply sent on their way when they came of age, but the couple held a special place in the hearts of the orphanage staff, and so they were offered jobs and housing after their time as residents ended. After all, the church has a tendency to take care of its own.

  Mary continued to teach and Bradley continued to take care of the grounds. As such, very little changed after they were married. At least in relation to their day-to-day obligations. Now they simply had a little more privacy in their lives.

  Both were happy for the work and happy to stay close to the only place that they knew as home. They were happy to stay close to the only family they had really known for all those childhood years.

  For ten years they worked and grew closer as a couple. They had married not for love but for friendship, and as the years passed they found the love that had been missing at the start of their marriage. They saved their wages and did well for themselves.

  On the odd occasion they would take in children when the orphanage was too full. They loved to house the children and raise them for a time. They could always spare a meal and a bed if it was needed.

  And they dreamed of a day when they would have children of their own.

  Blessed

  March 1939

  Village of Painswick

  Gloucestershire, England

  * * *

  Bradley and Mary Manlin were good people, and of that there was no doubt, but they had suffered a hard life. Mary had grown up malnourished, like many children in that time, and until the orphanage took her in she’d eaten very little. As such she suffered from almost chronic illnesses.

  She’d taken it in stride while growing up. Living in the orphanage had offered her better care than she’d had beforehand. Bradley took good care of her now, but she still got sick more often than most.

  In 1938, after eight years of marriage, Mary discovered she was pregnant. Nothing could have made them happier. It was what they had always wanted. It was what they had been waiting for. Still, there was some concern s
urrounding the pregnancy, at least on Mary’s part. She hoped that after years of illness she would be able to carry the baby to term.

  She didn’t share this fear with Bradley. He was too excited about the news of the baby and she didn’t want to break it to him that she might not be capable of seeing the pregnancy through to term. And she definitely didn’t tell him about the cough she developed about halfway through the pregnancy. It was best not to worry him.

  Still, despite the odds, Mary gave birth in the spring of 1940 to a son. They named him Timothy and called him Timmy for short. He was the most beautiful baby in her opinion, though her opinion was a little biased.

  Things were going well for the little family. They had all the support they could want from the church. Friends came over almost daily to help with the cooking and with the baby. They felt blessed for all that they had considering how little they had always had. They were rich in friends and family and they were grateful.

  Things were going well for the young couple until five weeks after Timmy was born. The birth had been difficult for Mary. She had been exhausted from the labour and delivery. She had lost a great deal of blood which had raised concern from the midwife. But she was recovering, or so Bradley had hoped. That was all he really could do. He knew nothing about these things. He was just a man after all.

  It wasn’t until the five-week mark that things took a turn for the worse what with her immune system being compromised by the stress of the birth and the loss of blood. Mary was diagnosed with Tuberculosis, which she had feared might be the reason for the persistent cough during the pregnancy. She’d tried to manage the cough, and at that point in time there was nothing to be done. The physician could only apologise to them and suggest prayer.