The letter seemed friendly enough, but scrawled across it in black marker pen, the word ‘BITCH’ had been scrawled across it. Really? Why on earth would someone take offense to that letter? Some people are just so inconsiderate.
CHAPTER NINE
A bit more information on Panda’s neighbours from hell that she had included in some of her posts:
Later that same day she had posted the non-threatening letter through her neighbours door, and even spoke to the wife who lived there, her husband came upstairs and retaliated by denying that they banged their doors, and asked her, why not talk to them about it first before posting the letter. ‘Panda’ had replied, “Well why talk to you if you are just going to deny it.” Then he stormed off and banged his door.
Of course, the man is now constantly banging their front doors and windows as often as possible to irritate her. ‘Panda’s’ friend came over and tried to talk with the bully downstairs. He was assaulted by the bully, but when the police turned up, the witnesses stuck on the bullies side, and her friend was arrested; the bully got away with it. This tells us an important lesson. Don’t shout at your noisy neighbour or YOU will be handcuffed and arrested, even if YOU are the VICTIM!
The more I had read of her predicament the more furious I became. The neighbours were now using her bin for their rubbish. They have four bins, Panda has one bin. She now has nowhere to put her rubbish so has to tie it up on the front porch. She has now been issued a warning from the Landlady because she is a trouble maker, all because she is a decent resident, and complaining about the noise from other neighbours who are doing these things on purpose. The victims always lose in these situations. Things have got to change.
As far as I could tell, these people had no right to do what they were doing. In my mind, they were a waste of space and were consuming good oxygen. I was fuming. This will go on no more, NO MORE! I screamed, and the flat shook. Finding a gas appliance with a pilot light, I reached in and started to mess about with the insides. Something broke. The blue flame quickly turned orange. I knew what I had done, but I did not feel any remorse for what I doing and the consequences. I was a Daemon, Judge, Jury, and Executioner. At least that’s what I assumed.
I heard the outside door slam shut, and a few moments later, the front door opened, and ultimately deliberately slammed as the man and woman entered. They didn’t talk to each other either, they shouted. They weren’t arguing, but being deliberately noisy. How can they keep this up? Surely it must annoy themselves? The minds of idiots and inconsiderate assholes always baffled me. I shook my head, but inside I was laughing. Soon, Panda would have a quiet home for a while. I quickly shot upstairs to check that the fumes would not be penetrating anywhere in her flat, noting Panda already despairing about the banging that’s just started. I shot back downstairs and watched as the man sat down at the kitchen table and started swinging his legs against a kitchen cupboard door. He motioned his wife to do something too, so she went to the kitchen door and started slamming it against the wall. I pity you poor fools, nothing better to do than be abusive to a lone woman, thinking you have a right to do such a thing. But not for much longer. I laughed. I laughed so loud, that the flat grew cold. The woman shivered and went to turn on the central heating. The boiler kicked in and the water gurgled around the pipework. Soon, we would be rid of these horrible people for ever. I raised myself through the ceiling and back up to Panda’s flat. She was attempting to read a book amidst all the banging. I sat on her sofa, and kept her company as the night drew on.
As the banging continued throughout the night, Panda became more and more agitated. After a few hours, she left the flat. Where she went I didn’t know, but as soon as she left the main entrance, the banging stopped. I scowled. Your harassment days will soon be over. I stayed for the night, watching and waiting. Panda didn’t return until the early morning. I could only guess she had had enough and went over to a friends for some peace and quiet. To be driven out of your own home because of them, but not for much longer. The banging had stopped about midnight, when the couple had decided to finally go to bed. The cat didn’t seem too bothered, and had curled up next to me and slept. Panda got in, closed her door as any normal person would and went about getting breakfast for herself and her cat.
I sunk through the floor and back into the neighbours from hells flat. There was no movement or sound. I headed for their bedroom, and found the couple still sleeping, deeply. Leaning over them I reached for the faces, brushing my hands across them. They lay still, no reaction. I wasn’t sure how long it would take for the fumes to do their job, but I knew that it could be quick. I did a quick check in the kitchen and other rooms, and made sure all the vents were closed off. Most of the vents had the old open and shut slider; the bathroom had a permanently open one. Old flats and homes are not up to standards nowadays. I headed back to Panda’s flat. It would only be a matter of time before the silence would be noticed by her, and who knew how long after that before the bodies would be found. Hopping into her PC, I grabbed the line back home, where I could relay to Michael what I had done.
Minutes later, I reappeared back in my old living room. There was no sign of Steve or Michael anywhere, so I hopped onto the laptop, and decided to read up on some more neighbours from hell problems.
Mayhem Madness
I decided to take on this next neighbour from hell because of the unbelievable way the lady and her family had been treated, not only by the neighbours but by the authorities as well. To think that this sort of thing goes on behind the scenes outraged me. No one on the forum could believe how many times this lady was ignored, fobbed off and ultimately had her case dragged out for so long, one of her family members has now ended up in hospital.
For four and a half years, this family has suffered from abuse, harassment, door slamming, banging on walls, housework being done at midnight, moving furniture around overnight, their children being out of control and also being rude, abusive and damaging their car and property.
The housing association that is responsible have dragged the situation out for so long, that the lady has had to go ahead with legal action against the neighbour and the housing association involved and pay for her own solicitor. The housing association has also been making remarks on their Facebook page, and she quoted this made by one their officers:
“…will be glad for the extra days off because she is sick of people complaining and moaning about situations they had got involved in or they had created themselves….” I fumed. Victims of neighbours from hell do not create the situation. We complain about a problem already there! The same housing officer then also wrote, “…. A day of people pissing me off with their shit attitudes, a large drink and put it to bed cos I’m better than them…” These sort of comments by the so-called authorities, are offensive and distressing to those of us who are the victims. How dare they! I continued reading.
It appears also that the neighbours like to copy the lady. She went out to mow her lawn. Four times that same week, her neighbour mowed his lawn. Grass doesn’t grow that quick does it? The housing association refuse to do anything about her neighbours, even though they have evidence up to their eyeballs about them breaking their tenancy rules. What’s the point in having these rules if they don’t stick by them? Oh wait. One of them mentions that the neighbour in question is one of the housing officers’ friends! I shook my head sadly. Friendship with a noisy neighbour shouldn’t mean she should be getting away with what she is doing. I had a feeling I would be paying this one a visit as well as the noisy neighbour.
I continued to read on, my eyes rolling as the more I read, the more furious I became. The lady had written about the housing association stating that the sound recording that had the evidence of the noise was not enough, but was also not passed over to the Environmental Health. The anti-social behaviour officer at the housing association made the decision that there was not enough evidence in the recording to deem it a nuisance. The lady had asked the housing associatio
n about whether this person was qualified to make this decision, and she was told that she “doesn’t have to be qualified to make a decision and they use the same guidelines as the Environmental Health, and that the Environmental Health Officer said she was happy to the anti-social behaviour officer at the housing association do this.”
I knew, from my own experience, that this was a complete lie. The only qualified persons to deal with this would be an environmental health officer, and they as well have no right to ‘deputise’ anyone to do their job. So this poor woman has had both her housing association and her local environmental health fobbing her off.
Time for some vengeance! My fists clenched and hopping into the laptop, found the ladies message line and hurtled myself along it. Her abusive neighbour days were about to be over.
CHAPTER TEN
As I hopped out the other end of the line, I could immediately hear the banging doors, banging on the walls, and the screaming of unruly kids. I had had enough of parents that didn’t teach their children respect for others, consideration or general good manners any more. These children would just end up like their mother if I let this continue. First up, the real monster under the bed. I walked through the adjoining wall to find the mother throwing a ball against the wall, and encouraging one of her children to do the same. The other child, I found jumping off a bed to crash on the floor, screaming. I knew at that moment that this job may be one that drained me, but there was no way I was going to let them continue this charade. If this wasn’t harassment and excessive noise, I didn’t know what was. I headed for the children’s bedroom and slid under one of the beds. These kids are going to learn their manners very fast.
It was already late, and any normal household would have had their younger children in bed and asleep already hours ago. I waited and listened carefully as the mother rounded up the children and bought them to bed. As she tucked them in, and headed out the door, I started to shimmer violently. The bed above me started to shake. The young boy gasped, his brother on the other bed looking on. I stopped shaking it then and made a growling noise. Both boys made a cry and held onto the duvets tightly.
“Muuuuuuum” the boy above me cried. “Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!”
The mother rushed upstairs and opened the door. “What? What’s wrong?”
“There’s something under the bed!” the boy whispered.
She lifted the duvet and ducked down to peer under the bed. “Nothing there boys. Now go to sleep you two.” Letting the duvet slip from her grasp she left the room again, this time heading for her own bedroom. The boys settled back down again, and I growled, low and long. The boy on the bed above me spoke. “Did you hear that?” His brother nodded.
“Muuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuuum!”
This time, she shouted from her room. “Go to sleep! There is nothing under your bed!”
The two boys went quiet then, but the other boy got out of bed and lifted his brothers’ duvet and peered under.
His small face came into my vision and I blinked at him, my eyes shining. I growled at him and he screamed, rushing out the room to his mother. The boy above me was now hiding under his duvet, shaking.
Seconds later, the mother came back in the room and put her other son to bed again, and once again made the movements of checking under the bed. She ducked down and her face came into view. I blinked at her, bared my teeth in a satanic smile, and growled. She squealed then and fell backwards. I made myself disappear whilst she sorted herself back into a crouch, and carefully she peered underneath again. Nothing. Double checking she put her arm under and felt around. Her arm slid through my cold form and she pulled it back, a chill going up her spine. Frowning she grabbed the boys and took them to her own room. Tucking them into her bed, she got in the middle and turned out the light. “I’ll check again in the morning boys. It was probably just a mouse, or something.” She was trying to convince herself there was nothing strange in her sons’ bedroom. I laughed, and made my way to the bottom end of her bed.
The darkness felt warm around me, as though it was cradling me in its arms. The silence, only broken by the soft breathing of the family before me, was peaceful. Not for long.
I moved around the room as fast as I could, making all the doors on the wardrobes, and drawers open it seemed at once with a thud. The woman sat up and quickly switched on a bedside lamp. “What the hell?” she said as she took in the disarray of her furniture. “Boys, don’t mess about.” She got up and closed the doors and drawers, got back into bed and seeing the boys still tucked up in her bed, she frowned and turned off the light once more. This time, I entered the wardrobe, and slowly pushed one door open from the inside. It creaked a little, and the woman switched the light on again to see the one door opened. She stared at the door, too scared to move. Time to scare the shit out of this one! I found one of her dresses and put it on, then flinging the other door open I hovered out of the wardrobe and floated around the bed. The woman screamed. Next door banged on their wall in frustration at the sudden noise. I raised my arms and shrieked, making my eyes appear and a mouth full of teeth. The woman was now hysterical, the boys wide awake and clutching their mother, hiding their faces against her body, crying. I swooped up on the bed, and floated above them, peering down.
Making my voice low, the woman’s eyes widened with fear, I growled, and spoke slowly. “No. More. Hell. With. Others.” It was hard to speak precisely for a human to understand, but she was still staring at me. I tried to clarify. “Be, Nice.” The woman nodded her head quickly, her breathing ragged. I bared my teeth at her and growled, then made a gesture of my invisible hand going across my neck. “Or. You. All. Die.” I heard her whimper then, and so for added effect I shrieked loudly at her, which caused next door to bang on the wall with cries to “…be quiet, we’re trying to sleep”. I vanished then, letting the dress fall to the bed, but I stayed there to see what she did. The woman looked about the room in shock, then at the wall. “S-sorry!” she shouted, and then reaching out to her dress, she poked it to make sure it wouldn’t start floating about again. Realising it wasn’t going to move, she let out a breath she had been holding, and hugged her children close. “It’s ok now, it’s ok.” She rocked them a little as they peered out from their sanctuary.
“What was it mummy?” one of the boys whispered. She shook her head.
“I-I, don’t know sweetheart.” She fell silent. She had no words, no explanation that she could believe for what just happened. She was too old to believe in ghosts. Wasn’t she? I gave a low rumbling growl again and echoed my final words.
“Be. Nice. Or. You. All. Die.” I saw the woman nod frantically.
“Yes, yes we will. We’re sorry. I’m sorry. Whoever, whatever you are. Please, do not hurt us.” I laughed then, making the room temperature drop. The family slid deeper under the covers and stayed awake for hours, until the fell asleep from exhaustion.
I gave myself a mental pat on the back, and stretched. I could feel myself tiring. I had better get home, I realised. I floated back to the neighbours’ house, and silently wished them luck for their future. I will check up on you in a few days, I promised myself. Finding their PC, I hopped back inside and found my line back home. I let the current do the work for me, and laying back, I enjoyed the fast ride home.
Appearing at the other end the house was dark and quiet, but a small glow emanated from the kitchen. It was Michael. He was slowly nodding off into his arms at the kitchen table. Had he been up all night waiting for me? I wondered. I entered the kitchen and gave him a brief brush on the shoulder with my hand. It jolted him awake.
“Sharon! You’re back!” he almost shouted, but I pressed a finger to my lips. I knew Steve would be asleep upstairs by now.
“Shhhh, you will wake Steve.”
Michael rubbed his eyes. “We didn’t know what had happened. We hadn’t seen you, well, I hadn’t seen you for over a day! Where have you been?”
I smiled. “You were concerned for a dead chick?” I replied,
amused.
Michael frowned. “Oh come on, Sharon. You’re a friend!” I was shocked.
“Really?” He nodded.
“And besides,” he continued, “the last time you vanished for ages was when you drained yourself. I thought something bad must have happened to make you disappear again.”
“God, I’m sorry, I didn’t even think about what you might have been through if that had happened. I almost thought that was going to happen tonight.” I was feeling quite drained after making myself appear and speak to the neighbour from hell.
Michael shook his head. “Sharon, you must be careful with your, your, power? Whatever it is?” I looked at him straight in the eye.” Promise me you will be careful?”
I saw the pleading in his eyes. “Why does this mean so much to you, Michael?” I asked carefully.
The look he gave me then was haunted. He opened his mouth to speak, when a voice sounded from above. “Michael! Is that Sharon? Is she back yet?”
“Yeah, she’s back dude.” He shouted back up.
“Then get some sleep, man! You are keeping us awake!”
Michael gave me a shy smile and a shrug. “See you in the morning, Sharon?”
Giving him one last smile, I nodded. “Good night, Michael.”
He stood up and walked to the foot of the stairs. “Night, Sharon.” He headed on upstairs and disappeared out of sight.
As I floated back into the living room, I rested myself on one of the sofas again. Alone, I replayed in my head the actions I had taken, and what the outcome may have been. Have I been doing the right things to gain peace for all these people? I must check up on Panda tomorrow. I need to find out what I have achieved, if anything, so far.
All Hope Lost Page 6