The Hay Fort

by Judith Ann McDowell

  “Okay, yeah Paul! That was his name. Paul said he couldn’t run or even walk away from this person. I forget how he finally got away from him though.”

  “I remember. His mom had come outside for something and happened to look down the street to see Paul talking to someone. I guess she got a bad feeling that something wasn’t right, and she called out to him.”

  “Ah yeah,” he nodded in agreement, “and when Paul seemed to ignore her, she yelled for him to come home. When he continued to ignore her, she started to come down the street after him, and that’s when he seemed to wake up and start heading toward her.”

  “And too, just as he was walking away, Paul took something the man had given him and stuck it in his pocket.”

  “His mom said she actually saw the man disappear with her own eyes. And I can tell you this. I believe her. She adds validity to the story, because I know this woman, and one thing I can tell you for sure: she does not do drugs, drink, or even smoke cigarettes. She’s a strong believer in God and a devout Catholic.”

  Eddie looked at him long and hard and then asked: “Is this the only story you heard about The Man in Black?”

  “Yeah, that’s all I ever heard. Oh wait, there is one more thing. I guess the next morning one of Paul’s nieces got into his jacket pocket and found a piece of gum. She had to be rushed to the hospital and came real close to dying from whatever was in the gum.”

  “Did they have the gum analyzed to see what made her so sick?”

  “They were never able to pinpoint what it was, and get this, Paul tried to find what it was that the Man in Black had given him just before he walked away, and the only thing it could have been was the lone piece of gum. There was nothing else in his pocket.”

  “That’s freaky as fuck! But—getting back to the girl—did she ever fess up to who did the abortion?”

  “She didn’t come right out and point the finger at the old lady, but she came real close. Hell, I had to lie to her just to get that much out of her.”

  “How so?”

  “I told her she could tell the police what they wanted to know because her doctor said she was not going to live, and by telling them who she was so afraid of, she could keep something like this from ever happening to another young girl.”

  Bill shook his head. “That was a very cold thing to do, Eddie.”

  “I know it was. I didn’t want to tell her something like that, but damn it, we needed to know who it was performing abortions on the young girls around the county.”

  “Who’d she say it was, the old woman at the Prescott Mansion? Everyone says she’s the one who does shit like that!”

  “She said the old woman’s the one who did the abortion, but that if she did live, she would never stand up in court and say that. She also said the old lady isn’t the one who would kill her if she said anything.”

  “Who did she say that was?” Bill asked.

  “She said he was called The Man in Black. And that no one could stop him.”

  “Holy…shit! Are you serious? She actually called him The Man in Black?”

  “She did, and now I’ll tell you something else, what she said next almost made me dispel the entire conversation, except when I looked into her eyes, I knew she was telling the truth, or at least what she believed to be the truth.”

  “What did she say?”

  “She said The Man in Black couldn’t be stopped because he’s a demon.”

  ***

  Everyone in the room could only sit and stare.

  “I know you think I am as crazy as Eddie, but we both heard the same story and about the same man.”

  “The thing that I don’t understand is why is Fran the one who ended up doing all the suffering?” Rita said.

  “My guess is she was the most innocent, so she’s the one the demon picked to go after.”

  “And we thought we had it bad dealing with the old witch. At least she ain’t a demon,” Donna whispered.

  Rita drew in her breath when she saw the look on Bill’s face. Not wanting to scare the kids anymore, she decided to wait and talk with Bill privately.

  “Well, it’s obvious none of us are going to get any more sleep, so I guess we decide what the plan for the day is. Kids, if you want, I can call in for you, and you can stay home and try to get some rest.”

  At the same time they both replied, “We’re going to school!”

  “I don’t blame you,” Rita said. “I don’t relish being here alone anymore, either. So I guess I will go on into work too.”

  All eyes turned to Bill, who sat in his chair draining the last of his hot chocolate. He looked around as he set the cup on the end table. “Well hell, you needn’t wonder where I’m spendin’ my day. We have bills to pay, and believe it or not, they don’t pay themselves.” Then he added in a sheepish grin, “Besides, I don’t care to be alone here either.”

  “As much as I hate to bring this up,” Donna said to her father, “did you learn any more about the witch from Eddie?”

  “Just that she’s evil and harms children. I think we’ve had enough about her for the time being. Except to say, neither of you are to go around that damn house again. That goes for Willie too.”

  “I don’t think we’ll need to worry about Willie going over there,” Butch declared. “After I tell him what you told us about the old witch and the Man in Black, I couldn’t pull him over there with a tractor.”

  ***

  She stood listening to the conversation going on in the other room and tried not to panic. He would not be pleased that people were talking about him again. Especially Eddie.

  Eddie and Fran would have to be taught a stronger lesson. It would not do for others to know about the one who gathered souls for the master.

  She looked up to the ceiling to see a shadow already huddled in the corner. She smiled, knowing it would be the eyes and ears for the one who would make use of such information.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Willie stood in the front yard of the mansion, trying not to panic.

  He knew that although he could feel his hands and hear the wind whistling around him, he was having another OBE.

  The children stood off to the side of the yard watching him.

  Knowing it had to be done he plucked up his courage and began moving in their direction.

  “Don’t be afraid,” he held out one hand, “you know me. You know that I’ve been here before.” He continued moving toward them.

  “We’re not afraid,” a small boy with dark auburn hair told him, reaching out his own small hand. “The old witch is not here now.”

  Willie stopped. He didn’t know if he should be glad or more afraid. “Where is she?”

  “She is at the house of the boy who comes here with you.”

  All the children nodded in agreement.

  “How do you know this?” Willie whispered.

  “We heard her talking to The Man in Black, and he told her to go to the house of the boy called Butch.”

  Willie looked all around, wishing he could wake up and be gone from here.

  “Is The Man in Black a witch too?”

  “No,” they all shook their heads, “he is a demon.”

  Now Willie really felt the fear creep over him. His mind called out to Jesus to come and protect him.

  “You don’t need to be afraid, Willie. Can’t you see the White Light that surrounds you?”

  He looked at his hands and his body. “No, I don’t see any light.” His voice shook with his fear, and hot tears fell down his face.

  “You can trust us, Willie. We can see the light. It is a holy light that Jesus surrounds his children with.”

  Willie caught his breath, at their words. “Why don’t you have a holy light then? You are children of Jesus.”

  The little red-haired boy, who first talked to him, stepped forward. “I think it’s because we’re stuck here in this evil place where we died. I wish you could help us to leave here, because we don’t want to stay here
any longer.”

  “What’s your name?” Willie asked him.

  “My name is Jason.”

  “Jason, I know someone who might be able to help all of you to leave here. As soon as I can get out of here myself I will go and see what I can do.”

  “We would like that, Willie,” he said with a slight smile, but the long years of despair stopped the smile from reaching his dark eyes.

  He was beginning to feel a little better now that he knew he was protected.

  “Does the old witch talk to the demon a lot?”

  Willie had always had a fear of witches. Their evil spells and filthy concoctions always had the ability to make him feel like bugs crawled over his skin. Up until now he had only seen them in movies or shows on TV. Meeting the old witch in real life was something he could well do without.

  As though the child could read his mind, he nodded in agreement.

  Gathering up his courage, Willie asked a question he knew he had to know. “Why do you call The Man in Black a demon? Couldn’t he just be a bad spirit?”

  “No, The Man in Black said he is a demon. He is the one the old witch called to come to her and help her with her spells when she was losing the affections of the man who gave her this house.”

  “What is his name, and where does he live?”

  “We are not allowed to speak his name but we have heard him talk about his house many times.”

  “Where is it?”

  “He lives in a big white house in Washington, D.C. He is a very important man.”

  “If he’s so important, why’d he come here?”

  “He is the one who always caused us pain with his knives and saws.”

  Jason was crying now and his fears spread to the other children who gathered around him.

  “I’m sorry I made you unhappy.” Willie reached out his hand to him. “He sounds like a very bad man. If he did all that, why don’t you call him a demon too?”

  “The old witch says he can’t help causing us pain. He is trying to find a cure for different diseases and the only way he could do that is to experiment on us.”

  Sounds to me like she needs to pull her head out of her ass and look around, he thought and drew back as the children began to laugh, apparently able to read his mind.

  “You can read my thoughts can’t you?”

  “Yes,” a little black haired girl giggled. “All spirits can read the thoughts of others.”

  A smile spread across Willie’s face, but was quickly wiped away as a thought slammed into his mind. “A while ago, you said the old witch was going to Butch’s house. Do you know why?”

  “Yes,” the little girl said. “She is going there to begin the haunting.”

  At her words, Willie felt himself fly upward, moving through the air until his body slammed into a heavy object.

  With real fear, he opened his eyes to familiar surroundings.

  “Oh my God,” he whispered. “I have to warn Butch about what the old bitch is planning to do to them.”

  He untangled himself from the wadded coverlets. Looking to the nightstand, he could see the small alarm clock.

  “I can’t call over there now. It’s in the middle of the night. Uncle Bill would be all over me.”

  He felt something brush against him, and he jumped, his heart racing with fear.

  A warm tongue washed his cheek.

  “Sweet Face,” he whispered, pulling his soft long haired cat into his arms. “I love you, but you scared the hell out of me.”

  Sweet Face simply purred and hopped over on his pillow to return to her slumber.

  “You’re lucky. Your world is safe and without cares. I sure wish mine was.”

  Wanting to make sure he didn’t forget anything, he went to his desk and opening his drawer pulled out a tablet.

  “This should get me moved over to the nut house quicker,” he said as he busied himself with writing down all that happened as he waited for the morning light to come and chase away all the chilling darkness.

  ***

  Butch couldn’t wait for the bus to get there that morning. He was so anxious to get to school and tell Willie all about what had happened he almost left without his lunch money.

  He was pacing back and forth at the bus stop when Donna pulled up in front of him.

  “Do you want me to drop you off at school this morning? I don’t mind.”

  “Yeah sure, I really don’t like standing out here in the open in case the old bitch decides to come and turn me into a bug.”

  “Come on.”

  “Tell you the truth,” she smiled over as he pulled the door to, “I don’t want to be alone either.”

  “I can’t wait to get to school and tell Willie all about what happened. He’s gonna shit!”

  “Just make sure he don’t go telling other people about all this. I really don’t care to be thought of as the looney Cobys of Rusty Lane.”

  “Willie won’t tell anybody. He don’t want others knowing about all this either.”

  “It gives me the creeps when I think about all the times my friends and I screwed around at that house.”

  “Yeah, I get ya. Willie and I walked all through that damn place one day.”

  “You actually went inside by yourselves?” She slowed the car to look over at him.

  “Yeah. It was a few days after we found the jars with the babies.”

  “That had to take a lotta guts to go inside. I had a chance to go in with some friends one night but I chickened out,” she said.

  “I bet now that you saw all that happened last night and heard what dad had to tell us about Fran and Eddie you’re glad you’re a chicken shit.”

  Not to be outdone she replied, “And I bet now you wish you and Willie had stayed home and minded your own business.”

  As they pulled up in front of the school, Butch was glad to see Willie’s bus was already there.

  “Thanks for the lift, Donna.” He leaned over and gave her a quick peck on her cheek. “Be careful today.”

  “You do the same, little brother.” She was touched that he would show his affection so openly.

  Willie turned as Donna pulled away from the school, racing down the walk to find Butch.

  “Willie!” he heard his named called out, then felt the back of his windbreaker being snatched from behind.

  “Oh man! Do I need to talk to you.”

  “Yeah, well when you hear what I got to tell you, you’re gonna piss your pants!” Willie told him.

  “Whatever you have to say can wait until I tell you what happened at my house last night. The old bitch paid us a visit! She was planning on killin’ us!”

  “I know.”

  Butch drew back as though Willie had rapped him in the mouth.

  “What the hell do you mean, you know? You weren’t anywhere near our house last night.”

  “You’re wrong, Butch.”

  “You’re really starting to creep me out, Willie. The only way you could be near my house last night is if you…” his voice slammed to a stop. “Oh…fuck…me running! You had another OBE last night, didn’t you?”

  Willie nodded.

  “Are you saying you were at my house and heard what all happened last night?”

  “No, I wasn’t at your house. I was at the mansion.”

  “Ah wow,” he murmured, “you had to be scared out of your mind being there all alone. What the hell happened?”

  The bell rang, curtailing anything further Willie had to say about what he had experienced at the mansion.

  “I have a feeling that our parents are gonna get together tonight to talk about all this.”

  “We have no choice but to get together and talk.”

  They continued walking down the hall until they reached their first period class.

  Chapter Sixteen

  Detective Jenkins propped his feet up on his desk, leaned back in his chair to go over in his mind all that had transpired concerning the jar and the kids who found it.

&n
bsp; If it turned out the kids did find the jars on the estate, they could find their asses in trouble. He might have been rash in promising their parents that they would not be prosecuted. He had never had a problem with stretching the truth to get information before, nor had the department had a problem with looking the other way if it meant some important information could be gleaned, but somehow this time it was different. This case had always weighed heavily on him, and it didn’t seem to be getting better, especially now that new evidence could be cropping up.

  He jumped as his ringing phone startled him out of his thoughts.

  “What?” he spoke into the receiver.

  “Hey man, I had a moment, so I thought I’d see if you heard anything on when Willie and Butch were coming in with their parents to talk,” Simmons said.

  “Naw, I haven’t heard anything. Fact is, I was just sitting here thinking about them and how I might have been a little hasty in promising them immunity.”

  For a moment, the line remained silent, then, Simmons’s anger erupted. “You can’t be fucking serious. Both those families came in to talk with you in good faith. Now you’re going to kick them in the teeth? Shit! No wonder this goddamn case has gone unsolved for so long!”

  “I know. I wasn’t thinking. I was just so anxious to get something on that old sow that would stick, I was ready to promise anything that would get it done.”

  “I’ll tell you right now, Todd, if you try and jack these people around, you can forget about getting any help from me. Those kids are two of my best students, and I’m not about to fuck them over.”

  “I hear ya, and I…hold on a minute I got another call coming in. I’ll get rid of them…just hold on.” He clicked over to the other call. “This is Detective Jenkins.”

  “Hello, Detective,” a man’s voice came back to him, “this is Bill Coby. We spoke yesterday about my son and his cousin finding a jar that may have come from the Prescott Mansion?”

  ***

  The noon bell had not stopped ringing before Willie and Butch were on their feet and heading out of the room.

  “Let’s just grab a sandwich and some juice and eat outside,” Willie said, heading toward the cafeteria.