Haunted Gracefield

by M. L. Bullock

  He sighed like the weight of the world was on his shoulders. What was really going on here? I was getting the sense that this clumsy attempt at talking me into another child was not as it appeared. So like Ashland not to tell me what’s really going on with him. He’d displayed similar behavior before he got sick the last time. Please, God. Don’t let him be sick again.

  “We’re fine, but we better go rescue Jan. I’m sure she’s stuffing our kids with donuts.” His faux-relaxed attitude wasn’t very comforting. This was a problem for him. A real problem. Ashland wanted another child—I hadn’t seen him this focused in months. But why this particular thing?

  I followed him inside, and we went to the kitchen. The kids weren’t gobbling up donuts at all. Jan had sliced an apple for AJ and spooned peanut butter onto his plastic plate. He was enjoying swirling the slices in the gooey goodness, so much so that he was covered in peanut butter.

  “You two don’t fuss. I’ve got this booger. Take your donuts and coffee and enjoy a few minutes together. I think we can manage this. AJ? Do you want some juice?” Jan asked him as she went to the refrigerator. “Grape or orange?”

  Ashland shrugged and reached for the bag. I grabbed two bottles of water, I’d had all the coffee I needed today, and he didn’t drink the stuff too often anymore. I trailed after him, but I wasn’t going to make much more of an effort than I already had. Apparently, we were having this meeting on the back porch that overlooked the Moonlight Garden. It wasn’t my favorite space on the property, but it was beautiful. I was still in my pajamas, but I’d slid my feet into my slippers before stepping outside.

  Ashland deposited the saggy bag on the table but made no effort to open it up and share his goodies. I’d lost my appetite anyway. “Why is Jan here? Is Rachel okay?”

  “There’s a woman missing in Selma. A friend of Jan’s named Amara. She was telling me about her. Jan seems to think Amara is in danger. From what I can gather, she’s kind of obsessed with Gracefield, and that’s where she had gone, but nobody has seen her since. Her car is there, but she’s not. The police won’t get involved because they insist they have to wait two days before filing a missing person report. Two days can be too late.”

  Silence passed between us, and I wasn’t sure how this conversation was going to go. Was Ashland going to chew me out? Was he going to ask me to keep my nose in my own business? Nah, he wasn’t that kind of person and he’d never dream of telling me what to do. I was his wife, not his kid.

  He shook his head and tossed the donuts in the nearby garbage can. “Come on, babe. Let’s walk.” I took his hand, and we strolled around the courtyard that led to the Moonlight Garden. I wasn’t dressed for such an excursion, but this was important. We could not allow anything to divide us. Not Carrie Jo and Ashland. We were meant to be together. A half hour later, we weren’t any closer to agreeing on when to extend our family, but we did agree that we would. We weren’t just CJ and Ash; we were a couple, and we’d face the future as we always did—together.

  Ashland and I kissed in the Moonlight Garden. And even though the sun was bright and lazy bees hovered near a cluster of late summer blooms, it still felt magical. I told him about the woman in the mirror, about the bookmark. He told me about the slaves, the ones he’d been trying to help find peace. He felt like he should, after all. It was the least he could do, he said. I agreed, and we walked inside holding hands. There was peace between us, and that comforted me.

  In the next few days, I was going to need all the comfort I could get.

  Chapter Six—Lily

  I plopped my toothbrush in the cup and smiled at myself in the mirror not because I was happy but because I was careful about my teeth. They were so nice and white. Aunt Carrie Jo says that healthy teeth are important, especially for a person my age. I wasn’t sure because I didn’t really know anyone my age. Not anymore. But that was all about to change.

  School started in nineteen days, and my excitement level increased daily. Things would be different at this school. I wouldn’t be wearing hand-me-downs or the same clothes every day. I wouldn’t be sent to school with no lunch or school supplies. I would have everything I needed to fit right in. Those things were important to the other kids and the teachers. Every night before bed, I drew a line in the calendar with my fruit-scented markers to mark off the days until the first day of school. Maybe these kids will be nice and I will like them. Maybe. The only kids I knew these days were AJ and Chloe. I liked AJ even when he came into my room without asking and even though he was just a baby. Kind of a baby. He couldn’t read and he didn’t know how to write, so in my mind, he was a baby.

  Even when he annoyed me, I liked him. He was jolly most of the time; in fact, he laughed about everything. He was the closest thing to a real brother I would ever have because my Dad died a few weeks ago and real brothers had to be kids with the same parents. I think that’s how it works.

  Poor Dad. I felt bad that he was dead, but I wanted him to go away. Weren’t Dads and Moms supposed to go to heaven when they died or sleep in their graves? I know there are ghosts because I have seen some right here in this house. Uncle Ashland sees them all the time. Dad said a man popped him in the head. I wasn’t sure what popped in the head meant, but I knew it meant dead. There was blood on the side of Dad’s head, and his eyes were very red and very wet, like he had been crying for days and days. Dad wanted me to tell Aunt Carrie Jo he was dead, but I couldn’t do that. I did not want to see him. I had to figure things out first. Like if CJ knew Dad was dead, did that mean I would go to an orphanage? Isn’t that where they put kids that don’t have Moms and Dads? Aunt CJ and Uncle Ashland had adopted me, but what if that wasn’t real? What if there was something wrong with the papers and people came to take me away? We’d watched Annie again last night with Chloe, and that movie was all about orphans. They did have a “hard knock” life—I didn’t want to leave my aunt and uncle or AJ.

  No, I wasn’t going to talk about Dad. I believed him—he had to be dead because you couldn’t live if someone popped you in the head. His head was leaking blood and he looked dead, like really dead. Nobody could live like that.

  Dream Dad whispered all the time, all night long. “Go away, Dad,” I’d say.

  Tell her that he’s coming! Tell her!

  “Who is coming, Dad? Who?”

  But he wouldn’t tell me. He’d just cry and fade away. It was hard to keep Dad out of my dreams too. I saw him more in my dreams than when I was awake. It was terrible seeing him looking so dead. Now that Aunt CJ was leaving, how was she ever going to keep him out of my head? She was the only reason he was not hovering around in the awake world. Aunt Carrie Jo was stronger than everyone here, even Uncle Ashland, who pretended that he didn’t see the ghosts in the trees—dead men that were buried and forgotten here somewhere. They didn’t come in the house anymore. They whined in the trees on windy nights, and I’d seen him go out and talk to them when he thought no one was looking. They’d stop whining, but they didn’t always leave. But there were fewer of those sad, black men now.

  At least they weren’t all bloody. At least they didn’t whisper all the time.

  I hopped on the bed to avoid the hand that I imagined reached for me. I put Super Bear in the window so my furry friend could look at the trees below. Maybe seeing Super Bear would remind the ghosts not to come inside. Midas, the man with the ghost hunting people, told us the ghosts wouldn’t come in anymore. So far, that had been the truth, but he couldn’t guarantee a thing like that. Dead people do whatever they want to do. You would think with a house this big, dead and living people could live together without bumping into one another. That would be wrong thinking.

  I sighed when I realized that I forgot to turn off my desk light and my closet door was open. I heard the Thing Under the Bed shifting around under my mattress, but it wasn’t dark enough in here for it to do anything. It couldn’t really come out. Not yet. It could only grab at me when it was dark out. That was another reason why I put my
favorite sword-wielding bear in the window. The Thing Under the Bed wanted her like it wanted me. Wanted to drag us both under there, and then where would we be?

  I moaned in panic as I stood on the bed. I’d just have to jump. These were my chores, and this was my room. I took a running start and sailed off the bed. I glanced behind me, but I couldn’t see anything beneath the striped dust ruffle. Aunt Carrie Jo would have to remove that dust ruffle. I had to be able to see beneath the bed without lifting it.

  But I didn’t really need to see it. I knew it was there. The thing had been there for days now, and nobody seemed to notice. Nobody but AJ, and he wouldn’t come in my room anymore; I’d sworn him to secrecy. The Thing Under the Bed wasn’t here during the day. It only came at night, and by the fading light and the moon rising in the distance—it was above the trees now—I knew it was going to be full dark soon.

  I put all of Aunt Rachel’s stuffies back in the basket in the closet, stood on tiptoes and pulled the string to turn off the closet light. As I came out of the closet and closed the door solidly behind me, I kept my eyes on the bed. Nothing. Just a scratching sound. With my back to the wall and my eyes on Super Bear—I didn’t want anything to happen to my friend—I tracked through the room, picking up toys and organizing things as I went.

  Oh no! My marbles were missing from my desk! AJ! I’m going to kill you!

  Those marbles were my favorite thing—except for Super Bear and my markers and books. Even though I hardly played with them anymore, I loved those marbles. They were magic, and when I first came to Seven Sisters, a ghost kid used to play with me. They were his marbles, really, but he trusted me to keep track of them. I felt bad that they were missing now, but I would find them and get them back from AJ in the morning.

  Hesitating at the lamp, I decided not to switch it off. Uncle Ash or Aunt Carrie Jo could do that for me. I had to get in that bed, though. Without thinking about it too much, I held my breath and took off running. I threw myself onto the bed and the mattress bumped against the wall, but like the superhero she was, Super Bear stayed in place at the window, her helmet on her head, her sword in her furry bear hand. She was such a special bear.

  “Hey, I saw that, Bean. It’s a good thing your aunt didn’t. You’re going to break the furniture or your head if you don’t stop jumping on the bed.” My uncle’s smile let me know it wasn’t that big of a deal, at least not to him. That made me feel a little better, but I was still worried because he was sitting on the side of the bed now. What if the Thing grabbed him?

  “Uncle Ash?”

  “What is it, kiddo?” he asked as he fluffed my purple My Little Pony blanket around me. I didn’t answer right away; I was too busy watching us in the mirror. The Thing Under the Bed was being very still. Very quiet. Maybe it was gone. Maybe Uncle Ash had scared it away? I could hope so, anyway. Hope and dream. No, no dreaming. Please, no dreams.

  “Do you ever have nightmares?”

  My question must have surprised him because he stopped his fluffing and stared at me. Uncle Ashland was the most handsome man I’d ever met. Like a guy in a magazine or on television. He could be on television if he wanted to be. He stuttered once in a while and some days he woke up with a limp, but other than that, he was perfect. Well, even with that, he was perfect.

  “Everyone has nightmares sometimes, Lil. Are you having nightmares?”

  “No,” I lied, and the weight of the lie immediately weighed down my soul.

  “If you ever do, you can tell me about it. You can tell CJ too. We understand how strange dreams can be, both of us.”

  I wanted to change the subject and quickly. If I lingered on this topic for too long, I’d spill the beans and tell him about Dad. I didn’t want to go to the orphanage. Uncle Ashland hugged me tight, and I breathed him in. He smelled like oranges, probably because he cut up oranges for us as a bedtime snack. But more than that, he smelled like safety. Safety and love. He kissed my forehead and walked to the lamp. I didn’t want him to leave, but I also didn’t want to act like a big old baby like AJ. I was a big girl. I really could do this.

  “Uncle Ash, if you go to the trees tonight, you should take an umbrella. The TV said it was going to rain.”

  He flipped the light off, and I couldn’t see his face. He lingered in the doorway of the room and said quietly, “It’s not nice to spy on people, Lily Bean. But thanks for the tip.”

  I flashed a smile. For a moment, I felt happy. So very happy. “I wasn’t spying. It was Super Bear. Super Bear sees everything from up there. Good night, Uncle Ashland.”

  “Good night.”

  He closed the door, and the room went incredibly still. Maybe I could sleep tonight with no dreams. I felt plenty of love, plenty of safeness. Plenty protected. Aunt Carrie Jo would be leaving tomorrow, but I still had time to convince her to stay. I could try to do that. If I tried, I could, for sure. She’d just have to stay here, at least until I could get Dad to leave me alone.

  Lily. Lily Rose. My Lily.

  “Go away, Dad. Go away. You brought the Thing Under the Bed. You better go away before Uncle Ashland sees you!”

  I stared at the lame glow-in-the-dark stars on the ceiling, but they brought me no comfort. I turned my attention to the window and stared at Super Bear until my eyes felt heavy and sleepy. I think I dozed off, but I can’t be sure. I didn’t dream anything, but I had fallen asleep momentarily. Suddenly my eyes were open and I lay in my bed staring at the starry sky. It wasn’t raining. The weather guy had it all wrong. Not raining a drop, and the window wasn’t wet. I sat up quietly, hoping not to attract the attention of the Thing Under the Bed. I was curious to see if my uncle was outside talking to the dead men. He wasn’t, and there weren’t even any ghosts out there. Nothing stirred, nothing at all.

  And that’s when I noticed that Super Bear was gone! She wasn’t poised in the window with her sword held high. Gone! I moved the covers around looking for my favorite toy, but she was nowhere to be found. The door wasn’t open, so I knew no one had come in and taken her. Nobody would do that. Even AJ wasn’t interested in my bear, and he certainly wouldn’t come in here with my bloody Dad. I fell back on my pillow and twisted the edge of my blanket. Maybe my toy had fallen off the side of the bed. That was possible, but oh no!

  Oh, Super Bear!

  As quietly as I could, I eased down to the end of the bed and peeked down. There was nothing there. No bear.

  I heard scratching beneath the bed. The Thing Under the Bed was back!

  Oh no! Does it have my bear?

  I hurried back to my pillow and tucked the covers up around me. If Super Bear had fallen under the bed, I would never be able to find her. I would never look under there. She was gone now, along with my marbles.

  “Super Bear!” I cried softly as I carefully put my arms and legs under the covers. I couldn’t leave anything out, or else it might touch me. It had grabbed my ankle before and touched my hand briefly. But now it was getting stronger. I don’t know how I knew that, but it was the truth. I cried quietly, and then the room went still again.

  Until the tapping began. Tap, tap, tap. I turned my head slightly, thinking I would see rain splashing on the window.

  It wasn’t rain brushing against my window. It was Dad.

  Chapter Seven—Carrie Jo

  “What are you doing?” I asked Ashland as he climbed under the covers with me.

  My question appeared to amuse him. “I’m going to bed with my wife. Why? I didn’t plan on making a baby tonight, if that’s what you’re thinking. I just want to be close, is all.”

  “You’re always welcome in my bed, only not when I’m dream catching,” I reminded him as I kissed his cheek. “Remember, I can pick up on your dreams. If I’m going to find Amara, I’m going to need to focus on her, not get distracted by whatever is going on in your mind. I’m pretty sure you being close by will make it difficult to focus.”

  “That’s the nicest thing you’ve said to me all week. Okay. You remain focuse
d, dream catcher. But even if I am a huge distraction, I’m not letting you go alone. I’m going to stay awake and watch over you. That way you can’t see what I’m dreaming but I can see if you’re in trouble.”

  “Ashland, really? Not to cast aspersions on your plan, but we both know you pass out as soon as your head hits the pillow.” I touched his face. “You think you can stay awake?”

  “You sound surprised. I can stay awake if I want to—someone has to keep an eye on you.” Ashland hunkered down on the pillow beside me, and by his expression I could see that he was entirely serious about this.

  “I won’t lie, I feel a bit rusty and would feel safer knowing you’re here watching over me. I have to try, though, for Amara and Jan.”

  “I’m your guy. Oh, shoot. Did you hear that? Is that one of the kids?”

  “Yeah, that’s Lily,” I said as I sat up; my Mommy radar was going off big time.

  “No, you get comfortable. I’ll go check on her. You get comfortable.”

  “Thanks,” I said, feeling equally guilty and tired. A few seconds later, the crying stopped. And in a few minutes, Ashland returned.

  “All better now. Her bear fell out of the window and she couldn’t find it. All better now. It was under her bed. I think something is going on with her, but you know how Lily is about sharing anything. She internalizes far too much. I think she gets that from you.”

  I brushed a strand of curly hair out of my face. “I’m too tired to argue with you. Should I go talk to her?”

  “No, babe. I gave her an emergency flashlight in case she loses the bear again. I think she’ll settle back down now. You all packed for tomorrow?”

  I nodded as I snuggled up to him. I loved the smell of his clean cotton t-shirts. “Thanks, Ashland. Thanks for understanding.” He didn’t say anything but stroked my hair as I settled down to go to sleep. Feeling exhausted, I decided to turn over before I stepped into the dream world. I didn’t know what to expect. I had Amara’s picture under my pillow, a gift from Jan to help me connect with her. I put my hand on the picture and focused on finding Amara Cannon. Yes, I was going to sleep. Finally. As I tumbled into the dream world, I saw a grassy pathway.