Voices

by Phyllis P. Colucci

  Rosalie poured them both some more coffee, then turned to Michael and asked him how he could be so sure of that. Michael responded very confidently that by analyzing the facts, it seems impossible that a “crazy” person or a “mentally unstable” person would be hearing voices only when no one else is around and only in their home and never anywhere else. He said it just doesn’t work that way, adding that “crazy” people are crazy all of the time, not some of the time. He then stressed that it’s also unlikely that the house is haunted because Franco would have had to pick up on that as well. He would have heard those voices too at some point. Michael advised Rosalie to think about that for a minute. He then asked her where else in the house she hears those voices. Rosalie stared at Michael shaking her head looking very puzzled. She then explained to him that at times, after hearing the voices, she would hide in her bedroom or the bathroom, so she doesn’t really know. Michael asked Rosalie if she ever heard the voices while in those two hiding places. She quickly responded, “Never in the tiled bathroom, but sometimes in the bedroom if I didn’t close the door and hide under the sheets; but the voices sounded somewhat off in the distance from the bedroom, not loud like in the kitchen .” Michael looked straight into Rosalie’s eyes and said, “Do you see what I’m getting at Rosalie?”

  … “Yes Michael! Yes! I think I do!” she replied. Suddenly it dawned on her. She stared at Michael with a renewed vision on things and said to him that it’s all starting to make sense now. She was so thankful to Michael for making her see things from a different vantage point. If she was truly going off the deep end she’d be hearing voices anywhere and everywhere else, whether in the house or outside of her home. Hiding would not stop those voices. They would be right next to her wherever she was or wherever she hid. She finally agreed beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was carefully planned by someone in order to get her to question her own sanity. The moaning, the voices, especially that one horrible voice that always summoned her to the cellar…it was all being controlled from one area – that darn cellar. She hugged Michael with all her might because without his objective reasoning she would never have come to the realization that not hearing those voices directly in her bedroom, and never in her bathroom, and never outside her home, was actually her saving grace in this whole matter. The cellar was the key that would unlock the mystery. They had to concentrate only on that cellar for answers; the cellar and the air shaft in the kitchen. Rosalie recalled that even Millie was thinking along the same lines as Michael, never questioning Rosalie’s sanity. Rosalie was so thankful to both Michael and dear Millie for opening her eyes, but her happiness soon turned to sadness, however. She took a seat on her sofa and hung her head, staring down at the floor. There was complete silence between her and Michael. This was too much for Rosalie to bear. With this new epiphany, Rosalie now had to admit that it meant someone very close to her was trying to hurt her, and hurt her deeply.

  Michael kneeled down in front of Rosalie and placed his hands on her knees in the most comforting manner. He told Rosalie not to be sad, that today was a day of enlightenment for her. She placed her hands on top of Michael’s and looked deep into his dazzling green eyes and asked, “Why Michael? Why would someone want to do this to me? For what reason?” She added that the psychic she had told him about, Ms. Jacqueline Price, was absolutely right from the very beginning then. Ms. Price said there was nothing of a spiritual nature, good or bad, going on down that cellar. Rosalie further mentioned that whether or not Ms. Price was right about her deceased parents coming through to Ms. Price to give warning about someone trying to hurt Rosalie or destroy her relationship with Franco is another story, but it seems pretty accurate and very possible at this point. Michael took a seat on the sofa next to Rosalie and put his arms around her. He responded that he doesn’t know very much about this psychic Ms. Price or how true or accurate her word is, but he explained to Rosalie as gently as he could that Rosalie really needed to prepare herself for the worst now. She has to consider that either Franco or Maria are behind those voices coming up from the cellar, or maybe they both are for whatever reason, adding that Franco, however, would be the only other person besides Rosalie that would have access to that cellar. Rosalie then conveyed to Michael that Maria had a set of keys to the front door, the apartment and the cellar as well. Rosalie explained to Michael that she made a set of keys for Maria so that Maria could watch the house when she and Franco were away. She then recalled how adamant Maria was about returning those keys to Rosalie some weeks back, saying she didn’t want to take the responsibility of holding the keys unnecessarily; so Rosalie accepted the keys back. Now it seemed to Rosalie that this was all a ploy so that Maria could cover her tracks. It could have been all part of Maria’s plan to look innocent if the finger was ever pointed at her. She could easily deny any accusations that she had anything to do with that cellar by denying she even had the keys. Rosalie suggested to Michael that Maria probably made another set of keys for herself before she returned the keys to Rosalie, so she could have access to the cellar. She added that maybe Franco did the same thing before leaving his set under the door today. Rosalie then sadly stated, “I would hate to think that Maria would do something like that, and worst of all is the thought that Franco could possibly be behind this too!”… “Oh my God,” Rosalie cried, “Franco could easily access the cellar door from the side of the house now just as Maria could if they both made a set of keys. They can enter and leave at will, if that’s the case. I wouldn’t even know if they were down there. How do I approach them about the keys Michael? I can’t accuse them of making a set. Oh Michael, Franco just can’t be part of this. If he wants Maria, all he has to do is leave me, not make me think I’m going crazy!” Michael told Rosalie to stay calm because she will get her answers in time. Michael had a plan. He suggested she allow him to have cameras installed at the front door, the apartment door and the cellar entrance in the first floor hallway and at the side of the house. She can monitor the cameras on a small screen set up in her living room. He assured Rosalie that handling things this way could possibly help catch Maria and/or Franco in the act, at which time Rosalie can immediately call the police and show proof of them trespassing. He added that it would be much better than outwardly accusing them of being the culprits without such proof. It would be her word against Franco and/or Maria. Rosalie would be unable to prove a thing and she’d be in the same boat she is right now - not knowing who or what is behind the shenannigans going on down that cellar, or why. Michael stressed to Rosalie to please consider security cameras.

  Rosalie was so distraught at this point. She shared her thoughts with Michael that she wasn’t really sure if Franco had anything to do with this, or if both he and Maria were working together; but she was certainly sure that Maria was trying to come between her and Franco. Rosalie also told Michael that Millie next door claimed to have seen Maria around the front of the house, but Rosalie told her she had to be mistaken. At that time, Maria should have been in Europe – “or was she?” Rosalie then asked. Rosalie explained that she told Millie it was probably the mail lady who has dark hair just like Maria. Michael responded, “Millie may have been on to something back then Rosalie.” Rosalie frightfully agreed with that, then nervously went back to talking about the camera system. Rosalie felt that having cameras installed, although a great idea, would just make Rosalie more obsessive over this, causing her to become a prisoner in her own home monitoring the security screen all day long. She can’t live like that. Rosalie rested her head on Michael’s shoulder trying to pull all these thoughts together. She then said to Michael, “Let me sleep on it tonight. I have to think about this. Maybe that’s the way to go, I’m not sure yet. I’m just so confused.” Michael respected Rosalie’s wishes and understood her feelings, and told Rosalie to take her time in considering his suggestion. In any case, he will be a phone call away if something does go on in that cellar and she is alone in the house. He promised he would rush right over. Rosalie picked up h
er head and gave Michael a tender peck on the cheek to let him know how much she appreciated him.

  Michael, feeling Rosalie’s pain and suffering, told Rosalie to go into the kitchen and start making those luscious salads that she promised. He wanted to distract her from her agony. He assured her that this would take her mind off things for a little while. Michael asked Rosalie if it would be alright with her if he went down to the cellar to look around. Maybe just check the doors and windows, to see if something was amiss. He was on a mission to try to find something that would implicate someone who may be playing this horrific game to torment Rosalie. One thing Michael was certain of was the fact that Rosalie is not mentally unstable. She is as sane as they come and he is going to prove that one way or another.

  So Rosalie nodded and thanked Michael for offering to check out the cellar. She told him he could go down there from the ground floor, that the cellar door is open. Then she took both his hands, put them together and drew them close to her heart. She couldn’t speak at this point since she was so overcome by all sorts of emotion. After a few moments of silence between them, Rosalie whispered, “You saved my life tonight Michael.” With that, Michael softly pinched her cheek and made his way down to the cellar while Rosalie prepared dinner.

  …Rosalie put herself in salad mode and began whipping up a great dinner in the shortest amount of time. She laughed at herself as she moved around the kitchen in record time. Her movements were seemingly awkward to her the more she rushed, but she knew that this is just something that always happens to Rosalie when she is anxious. This is just part of who she is. Attempting to avoid tripping over her own feet as she put up two pots of water to boil, one for the hard-boiled eggs and the other for the bow tie pasta for her tantalizing tuna and pasta salad, she couldn’t help but laugh at how silly she looked. She caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror on the living room wall, further embarrassing herself at her awkwardness, praying Michael didn’t walk in at this moment. “Thank God Michael is down the cellar,” she giggled. “He’d sure get a chuckle out of how graceful I am not in the kitchen.” Entertaining herself with playful thoughts, something she hasn’t been able to do in quite some time, Rosalie continued making dinner. She mindlessly hummed to the perky tune of “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, while she toiled away at slicing sweet plum tomatoes and fresh mozzarella. She stopped for a moment to check on herself. “Am I feeling happy right now?” she thought. “Is this at all possible?” she asked herself. Thoughts of Michael filled her head and her heart as she set the table for two. Yes, Rosalie was experiencing “happiness”.

  As Michael came up from the cellar and entered the apartment, Rosalie handed him a glass of white wine. She ran into the kitchen to pick up her glass of wine and met him back in the living room where she tapped his glass with hers. Together they made a small victory toast…Michael then advised Rosalie that nothing seemed out of order down the cellar as far as he could tell. Everything was locked, secure and intact. He added, with a cute little smirk, that no unwanted eerie guests were lurking around her belongings down there and no voices were shouting out to him, thank God…“Surprise, surprise,” he said, “I guess tonight they took some time off Rosalie.” Rosalie responded back, “Of course they took some time off Michael. Until you leave that is.” Michael assured Rosalie this will all be over soon. Now that he and Rosalie have pretty much figured this out, those voices will soon have a face, he promised.

  Rosalie grabbed Michael’s arm and escorted him to the kitchen table where they both took a seat. Rosalie told Michael dinner would be ready in a half hour, so they both enjoyed a second glass of wine as they continued to talk. Rosalie informed Michael that she decided it might be best to avoid installing any camera system. She thought about it and told Michael that the security system may end up defeating their whole purpose of catching Franco, Maria, or whoever or whatever, in the act. Rosalie feared that if it is Maria or Franco, then either of them may be able to detect the cameras; if not Maria, definitely Franco. She didn’t want that to happen. She expressed to Michael now that since he and she are in this together, Rosalie can surely remain brave while those voices continue to torment her because she now knows someone is intentionally doing this to her and she is not going crazy. She added that she will no longer be frightened by the unknown eerie moaning, or the threatening voice summoning her to the cellar, or the multiple voices chattering in unison; the only thing that will continue to frighten her until all this comes to a satisfactory ending, is the fact that someone very close and very dear to her may be down that cellar choreographing the entire horrible scenario each and every time. They are doing this for one reason and one reason only – to hurt her and to make her question her own sanity. With that, Rosalie put her hands up to her face and cried.

  Michael got up from his seat, walked over to Rosalie, grabbed both her elbows, and gently lifted her to her feet. He embraced her with his strong arms and a great sense of love and protection, as he softly whispered in her ear that he will be there to ease her pain once all is said and done. Rosalie wanted to collapse into Michael’s arms, knowing that she could “let go” and he would be there to catch her. Not only at this moment, but forever. She felt so safe that she wished she would never have to leave his embrace; but just having him close made all the difference in the world to Rosalie.

  Rosalie looked up into Michael’s beautiful eyes and simply said, “Thank you so much Michael. I’m alright now, I really am…It’s time for me to get that dinner I promised onto the table so we both can share a well-deserved meal together. That’s the least I can do for someone as sweet and special as you.” Michael lovingly watched as Rosalie left his arms and moved about the kitchen, getting dinner ready. They both knew something wonderful was brewing between them. Their silence spoke wonders. Rosalie thought to herself, how could something so unbelievably magnificent come out of something so horrible. Suddenly she could hear her beloved mother’s voice echoing in her head, saying, “When God closes one door Rosalie, he opens another.” Bless her heart, Rosalie whispered to herself.

  Rosalie and Michael ended the evening with a pleasant dinner, a few laughs and some comforting words to get Rosalie through the night. Rosalie hated that Michael had to leave. She wanted so much to ask him to stay, but she knew Michael had to get home to take care of Edgar. So right after sharing dinner together, Michael helped Rosalie clean up the kitchen. Before departing, he told Rosalie that he will figure something out to end this craziness. He promised her that someone is going to pay, and he will personally see to that. Michael kissed Rosalie’s lips then headed towards the door. Michael reminded Rosalie to lock up behind him before she goes to bed. Rosalie thanked him for his concern, said that she would, and blew him a kiss across the room. As soon as Michael left, Rosalie did just that. She locked up behind Michael, then used the chain lock and thick bar latch on her apartment door for added security.

  …Rosalie put the dishes away, cleaned around the sink, then sat at the kitchen table to go through some of her mail. So far, all was quiet, as Rosalie listened for the “voice(s)”. She continued reading over her bills, then thumbed through a few magazines and clothing brochures, while keeping a close watch on the paneled air shaft in her kitchen. Still quiet, she thought to herself, learning to appreciate that sound of quiet more than ever; learning to appreciate it for what it was – pure nothingness, yet everything wonderful. So she went into the bathroom to brush her teeth, wash her face and bask in a world of “nothingness”. Soon after, she went into the bedroom to change into her favorite pink and black leopard pajamas. Strutting back into the kitchen, Rosalie gazed at the clock on the wall and realized it was still a bit early to turn into bed, so she decided to relax on the sofa in the living room for awhile and catch up on a sit-com or two. However, she found herself thinking only of Michael, wondering if he was thinking of her as well.

  After about an hour, Rosalie decided to hit the sack. All she wanted to do was lie back in bed, close her eyes, and
continue to think about Michael…but no sooner did she turn off the television and head toward her bedroom – there it was! The moaning, the eerie chattering…then the big one! Yes, the horrible distorted voice summoning Rosalie to the cellar again! “Rosalie” she heard, “Come down to the cellar Rosalie and join us. We are still waiting for you Rosalie.” Rosalie ran to the paneled air shaft in the kitchen and yelled with all her might! “Stop this! Stop it now! I know who you are! I know what you’re up to! I’m on to you! This game is over!” Rosalie then ran to the front window and peeked through the blinds hoping to see someone, anyone – whether it be Franco, Maria – someone; it didn’t matter. She needed to see that a real live person was running from her house, trying to escape unnoticed. She needed to convince herself of that, and she needed to catch them in the act. Unfortunately, Rosalie saw no one.

  Rosalie’s head was telling her to go down to that cellar and take a quick look to see who was down there, but her heart told her to stay away. Rosalie decided to listen to her heart. She was still so afraid of that cellar. As she waited by the window, nervously biting her nails and her lips, she saw that no one came out of her house, not from the front and not from the side. So Rosalie ran back into the kitchen and stood by the air shaft for the next half hour, waiting…waiting…waiting…for the voices to start up again; but she heard nothing. Perhaps she scared whoever it was away, she thought. She sat at the kitchen table for another half hour, just waiting…waiting…waiting…but again there was nothing. Could she have truly scared whoever it was, away tonight? Yet she saw no one running from the house. Unless she missed them since she was frantically running back and forth to the front window, herself…“Was it Franco? Was it Maria?” she asked herself. The thought of either of them being down that cellar doing this to her sickened her to death. After a few more minutes of hearing nothing, Rosalie gained her composure, then headed to her bedroom, listening only to Michael’s words of comfort in her mind. He promised that they would soon put a face to these voices. She trusted that this will be the case because she believed in Michael. First thing tomorrow, she planned on calling Michael to let him know what transpired after he left. He won’t be surprised since they expected as much. Together they will decide their next move. Rosalie closed her bedroom door behind her, crawled into bed and pulled the covers up over her body. She sunk into her comfortable pillow and fell off to sleep in no time. Rosalie was grateful for that last glass of wine at dinner which relaxed her body and helped send her off into dreamland tonight with Michael being the last thing on her mind, not the “voices”. Those voices cannot threaten Rosalie any longer. She knows someone escaped from her cellar tonight, and that knowledge gave Rosalie strength and endurance. Now “they” know she is on to them. Tonight that “someone” is out there feeling just as frightened as they made Rosalie all this time. The tables have turned and karma is a bitch.