The Ghosts of Aquinnah

by Julie Flanders

  Hannah realized it wasn’t just the woman’s presence that had seemed odd to her, it was also her demeanor. The woman was very young, but she looked overwhelmed with sadness. Hannah set down the glass, suddenly worried that perhaps the woman had gone to the cliffs to commit suicide. Was that why she’d never returned to the stone steps? Had she jumped from the cliffs into the sea?

  Hannah didn’t find that likely. The overlook was fenced in, and the ground below it was more sloping than steep.

  Hannah shook her head and finished her water before putting her glass in the sink. Why was she trying to figure out what this woman was doing? What concern was it of hers, anyway? If the woman wanted to dress oddly and wander around the island at night, that was her business.

  As she headed back to the bedroom, she could imagine Jon saying that she was fixating on this woman as yet another excuse to avoid her work. He wouldn’t be wrong. But as she turned off the kitchen light she realized what it was that had struck her the most about the woman on the webcam. It wasn’t just her dress or the sadness that was so plain on her face.

  It was that in spite of the fact that she seemed to be so lost and alone, she moved with a purpose and sense of determination that was evident even through the lens of the camera. She looked like she was looking for something. Or like she was searching for someone.

  1884

  “I think he’s coming 'round.”

  Christopher heard the sound of a woman’s voice and felt a hand push his dark brown curls from his forehead. The gentleness of the hand was a welcome contrast to the searing pain that started in his arm and radiated throughout his body.

  He tried to focus as he opened his eyes. The woman stood next to him, her hand still resting on his head. A man came up behind her.

  “You awake, boy?” the man asked.

  Christopher struggled to orient himself. He remembered the ship and the hours he had spent hanging on the rigging. The men who had rowed towards him and pulled him onto their boat…

  “Where am I?” he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. “Who are you?”

  “I’m the doctor that’s trying to help you. Dr. Josiah Winslow.” The man motioned towards the woman next to him. “And this is my wife, Stella Winslow.”

  Christopher tried to sit up and immediately began to cough. He gasped with pain. “Oh sweet God, my arm…”

  “I’ll give you something for that pain, don’t worry.” Josiah moved from the bed and returned with a vial of liquid. He stuck the vial in Christopher’s mouth. “Swallow that.”

  The woman took a cloth from a nearby basin and gently rested it on Christopher’s forehead. “I think he’s running a fever, Josiah.”

  “Of course he is. Listen to that coughin' and wheezin'. He'll be lucky if he doesn't end up with consumption.” He looked down at Christopher. “How’d you break that arm?”

  Christopher closed his eyes and tried to remember. He felt a fresh blast of pain as his mind flashed back to the wave picking him up and slamming him into the rescue boat. “The waves,” he said. “They tossed me into the side of the boat.”

  Josiah nodded. “Well we got it set. We’ll do right by ya.”

  The man busied himself with a medical bag as the woman continued to press the wet cloth to Christopher’s face and forehead. She smiled down at him.

  “We will,” she said.

  Christopher noticed that the man looked more like the woman’s father than her husband. He was more than twice her age, and had to be at least 40 years old. He also seemed to be nearly twice her size. The man was tall and heavyset, and he cut an imposing figure in a black woolen suit. He had thick black hair with a mustache and sideburns to match and brown eyes so dark they were nearly as black as his hair. By contrast, the woman was thin and petite, with small hands and delicate features. She wore a long-sleeved white dress that buttoned up to her neck. Christopher could see waves of auburn hair pulled back from her face and hanging down her back

  He tried to lift his head and see if anyone else was in the room with them, but didn’t have the strength. “The rescuers,” he said, remembering the men in the boat. “Who rescued me?”

  “Mr. Mayhew and some of the Gay Head Indians,” Stella answered. “Mr. Mayhew is the keeper of the lighthouse. We’re in his house now.”

  Josiah came back into Christopher’s line of sight. “We set up a hospital here for the survivors, but you’re our only patient.” He turned to his wife. “I need to head back to Chilmark and check on Mr. Lambert. You keep an eye on this one here and give him more of the laudanum when he needs it. I’ll be back for ya.”

  Stella nodded and pulled a small wooden chair up to Christopher’s bed. He wanted to ask her what her husband had meant about him being their only patient. Had no one else survived the wreck? He was sure he’d seen another survivor on the rescue boat with him. And he remembered the men who had hung beside him in the rigging. Had they all fallen and drowned? Or frozen to death before they could be rescued?

  Christopher wanted to speak, but he couldn’t form any words. He felt so sleepy, and so very hot. His body was burning inside, but he was shivering as much as he’d shivered while he was hanging on the rigging with the frozen water drenching him. His eyes grew unbearably heavy.

  The woman named Stella sat beside him and pulled a blanket up around his shoulders. He heard her softly humming as she caressed his forehead with the wet cloth. He turned his head towards her, and drifted off to sleep.

  2013

  “I’ve seen her three times now. It’s so bizarre.”

  Hannah sat at the Red Sox Café and wolfed down her grilled chicken salad. She had been eager to meet her old friend and former coworker Sarah for lunch, and now that they were seated in the noisy café she felt as if she hadn’t eaten in days. It felt great to get away from both her computer and her writer’s block.

  “Are you sure there isn’t some kind of historical re-enactment thing going on on the island right now?” Sarah asked.

  “Not that I’ve been able to find. And I would imagine an event like that would be advertised on the website. Plus, I’ve never heard of anything like that being held on the Vineyard.” Hannah shook her head. “I can’t imagine why she’s dressed like this.”

  Sarah took a bite of her cheeseburger. “Maybe she’s just very conservative.”

  “She must be. But that still doesn’t explain why she’s wandering around alone in the pitch black.” Hannah lifted another fork full of salad to her mouth. “You need to look at this webcam and see how creepy it is up there at night. The fog is so thick and it’s so dark that I don’t think you’d be able to see your hand in front of your face. I’d be scared to death up there at night by myself.”

  “What does Jon think about her?”

  “I haven’t shown him. Are you kidding? He’s not even interested in my book, let alone some woman on a webcam. His eyes would glaze over the second I mentioned it.”

  Sarah shrugged and pushed her long brown hair back from her face. “I don’t know why you two even stay together.”

  “I don’t either. I keep thinking I’ll move out once I finish my book.”

  “Why wait?”

  “It’s just too much to think about right now. Looking for a new place and packing everything…”

  “When do you think you’ll be finished with the book?”

  “God knows. I’m totally stuck on it.”

  “What’s got you stuck?”

  Hannah shrugged. “More like what doesn’t. I just feel like it’s going nowhere. I think maybe Jon was right that it was a bad idea.”

  “Don’t go by what he says. He’s always been critical of your writing.”

  “I know but in this case I think he’s right. I need something more for the book. Something to pull it all together.”

  “It’s New England lighthouses. Doesn’t that pull it together?”

  “Yeah, but it’s boring. I need a hook. Something more than just describing a bunch of lighthouses
.”

  Sarah nodded. “I can see that. What kind of ideas do you have?”

  “None. That’s the problem.” Hannah took another bite of salad. “So that’s why all I do is try to figure out why this strange woman is wandering around the cliffs at night dressed like she just stepped out of the 1800s.”

  “Maybe you should just head down to Woods Hole and take the ferry over to the island. You could hang out at Gay Head and wait for this woman, then demand answers.”

  “How crazy would you say I am if I told you I’ve been thinking about doing just that?”

  Sarah put down her sandwich. “I’d say you’re certifiable.”

  Hannah chuckled. “I know. Don’t worry though, I haven’t turned in to some kind of crazy stalker.”

  “Good.”

  “But whatever this woman is doing, I’m almost certain it’s more interesting than my book is right now. Can I help it if I’m curious?”

  “Maybe you need to put this lighthouse book aside if you’re bored with it. Try writing something else.”

  “I’ve thought of that. Like maybe writing about what this woman is up to.”

  “Hannah!”

  “I’m kidding.”

  Sarah finished the last bite of her cheeseburger and glanced at her watch. “Yikes, I didn’t realize how late it was. I need to get back to work.”

  “Okay. Thanks for meeting me. It was great to see you.”

  “You too. We need to do this more often.” Sarah grabbed her phone from the table and lifted her purse from the back of her chair. She pulled some cash out of her wallet and left it on the table. “Do you mind waiting for the check? I need to hurry.”

  “That’s fine.”

  “And don’t get discouraged about the book. You’ll come up with something.”

  “Thanks. I hope so.”

  Hannah watched as her friend made her way out of the crowded café and onto the equally crowded Boston sidewalk. She had worked with Sarah at Green Label Design marketing for years, and she couldn’t deny that, while she didn’t miss her job, she did miss the companionship of her friends and colleagues. Working from home had its benefits, but there were definite drawbacks, too. Especially now when she felt so stuck.

  She toyed with the remainder of her salad and thought back to Sarah’s reaction to her trip to Gay Head. Hannah knew the idea was preposterous, and she had no intention of stalking the woman on the webcam. But she couldn’t deny she had considered doing exactly what her friend had just called certifiable. More than considered it, if she was being honest. She really wanted to go to Aquinnah.

  ****

  “I don’t care what you think of the idea,” Hannah said to her boyfriend as he finished tying his shoes and stood up from the bed. She knew she had been right to not tell Jon about the webcam. If only she’d stuck to that decision. “I already knew you’d think it was stupid and nuts.”

  “Who exactly wouldn’t think it was stupid or nuts? Besides you, that is?”

  Hannah turned her back to him and returned her attention to her laptop.

  “I don’t know and I don’t care. Why don’t you just get the hell out of here? You can think about how important you are all the way to the hospital.”

  “If you’re gonna be pissed at me because I think going to the Vineyard to stalk some poor woman you just happened to see on a webcam is crazy, I won’t even try to argue with you.”

  Jon had adopted the condescending tone Hannah knew all too well. She couldn’t wait for him to leave and was secretly thrilled he’d been called in to work for emergency surgery. Or maybe not so secretly. She turned back to face him.

  “Good, because I’m not interested in arguing with you. Or even talking to you, if you get right down to it. I’m glad you were called in to work so I can have a peaceful night for a change.”

  Jon glared at her. “Remember who’s paying the bills when you’re enjoying that peace.”

  “Fuck off, Jon. You know I’m still paying my share around here. And don’t get me started on how much of my money went to your school loans. Funny how you never seem to bring that subject up.”

  Jon turned and left the room without another word. Hannah heard him slam the door to their apartment and let out a relieved breath. She knew any mention of his huge medical school debt could always shut him up.

  Hannah again wondered why she was still living with Jon. Or why he was continuing to live with her. Their mutual irritation with each other seemed to have escalated since she had begun her book project.

  Hannah forced her annoyance and all thoughts of Jon out of her mind and returned her attention to her computer. She opened her browser and immediately brought up the Aquinnah webcam.

  While it was a pleasant night in Boston, that clearly wasn’t the case on the island. Rain pelted the camera and the limbs of the bushes that lined the stairs to the overlook touched the ground as the wind battered them. The stone steps were slick with rain. Hannah knew it wasn’t unusual for the island to have different weather than the mainland. She also knew that there were few places more unpleasant during a rain storm than the Vineyard.

  She stared at the bright beacon of the lighthouse as it rotated into view every few seconds. One white flash followed by one red. Hannah had read that the lighthouse had flashed three white lights and one red for decades, but had been changed to the current simpler beacon in 1989.

  She knew this was the same time of night that her mystery woman normally appeared, but she couldn’t imagine anyone coming up to Aquinnah in this weather at night. Hannah remembered being at the lookout with her parents when a sudden storm had blown in over the water. The wind was like nothing else she’d ever felt, and she’d had to hold her father’s hand to keep from falling as they’d stumbled back to their car. She was sure no one would show up on the webcam tonight, but she still couldn’t stop watching the page.

  Hannah felt her heart pounding in her chest as she saw a solitary figure walking across the Aquinnah Circle road and heading for the overlook. She leaned forward and stared at the screen to get a closer look, but she already knew it was the woman. She wore the same white dress and brown boots she’d worn every night Hannah had seen her, and she was covered in the same heavy cloak. The flaps of her bonnet seemed to blow in the wind, but otherwise the woman appeared completely oblivious to the cold and wet weather. She stopped at the picnic table across from the steps and stared down at the surf pounding the rocks on the beach.

  As Hannah sat in total silence in her Boston bedroom, she felt as if she could hear the pounding of the surf on the rocks along the shore. After what felt like an eternity, the woman on the camera turned away from the sea and once again headed towards the stairs. She quickly climbed them and stood right below the camera, glancing around at the empty stores and restaurants and periodically looking towards the red brick lighthouse at the top of the cliffs. Hannah expected her to head up to the lookout as she had each of the previous times she had seen her, but instead the woman continued to stand directly under the camera.

  She grabbed her cloak and pulled it more tightly around her small frame, and looked up into the camera lens. Hannah sat back in her chair, dumbfounded. Surely she wasn’t…

  She was. The woman stared directly into the camera and right at Hannah. Hannah could see strands of auburn hair peeking out from under the woman’s bonnet. The bonnet framed a pale face that was drawn and filled with sorrow. Seemingly oblivious to the rain around her, the woman continued looking at Hannah and, as their eyes met, Hannah felt as if all the air had left her room.

  The woman raised a petite hand to push her hair out of her green eyes. She blinked, and turned away from Hannah to once more stare out at the sea. Before Hannah could breathe, she was gone.

  “No, wait,” Hannah cried out. “Where did you go? Come back, please!”

  Hannah slumped back in her chair and shook her head at her own foolishness. Who did she think could hear her? There was no one else in the room.

  But ther
e had been someone else at Aquinnah. The woman had been there again. But how had she just disappeared so suddenly? Where had she gone? Hannah was sure she’d been watching the screen the whole time. She didn’t think she had even blinked.

  She refreshed the camera page and hoped for a change in the scene in front of her, but there was nothing on the screen but the driving rain and the blowing bushes. Hannah thought back to the moment the woman had stared directly at her and the two had made eye contact. Had that really happened? How could the woman have known that someone was watching her?

  Hannah wondered if Jon was right and she really was losing her mind. She didn’t even want to think about the fact that the woman’s face hadn’t looked wet in spite of the pouring rain. And, for that matter, neither had her clothing. It was as if the rain had no effect on her whatsoever. But how could that be possible?

  Hannah sighed and let out a deep breath as she got up from her chair and plopped down on her bed. She stretched out on her stomach, rested her chin in her hand, and stared at her computer. She could try to tell herself she was crazy, but she knew she hadn’t imagined anything she had seen on the webcam. She knew the woman had been there and had looked through the camera at her. She had purposely made eye contact with Hannah.

  Had she been trying to connect with her? Send some kind of message? It had felt like it, but Hannah couldn’t get away from the fact that there was no way the woman could have known anyone would be watching her. It was impossible.

  Hannah rolled over onto her back and watched the ceiling fan slowly rotating above her. The timing of the fan reminded her of the lighthouse beacon rotating around and around, illuminating the ocean and the cliffs throughout the dark night. In her mind, she could see the woman making her way through the darkness and staring out to the sea.

  She sat up straight and made a decision. No matter how crazy it seemed, or what Jon or her friends said, she knew what she was going to do. Whoever that woman was, she had made contact with Hannah tonight. Somehow, through the camera, Hannah knew that’s what she had done. She was sure of it.