by Tracee Ford
“It’s for our trip that we shouldn’t go on,” she laughed.
He laughed hysterically as he pulled out a pair of sunglasses and tropical swim trunks from the box.
“You gave a straw hat to me, so I thought trunks and sunglasses may be useful for when we can actually take a honeymoon.”
He walked to her and grabbed her up in his arms, kissing all over her face. Eventually, they lay on the bedroom floor; clothing tossed everywhere, his hands roaming her body.
“We’ve got guests coming,” she gently reminded him.
“I’ll be quick…”
A devious smile flashed across her face and then her laughter filled the room as he nibbled on her neck. .
“This floor is really hard,” she said continuing to giggle.
He scooped her up into his arms and gently placed her on the bed.
“That better?” he asked as he laughed and kissed her collar bone.
“Much,” she said with a smile.
Their mid-morning rendezvous, although brief, fulfilled their desires temporarily. More pressing matters lay ahead for the day.
Bill, Leah, Terri, and Wendy enjoyed a wonderful dinner with Robin and Matt. They laughed and talked with not a worry in the world. Robin missed time with her friends; carefree time with no preoccupations regarding the house and the energies dwelling within. With work and responsibilities, there didn’t seem to be enough time to see friends regularly anymore.
After dinner, Matt sat at the checkerboard with Bill across from him. Leah and Wendy relaxed in the rocking chairs. Terri sat on the porch steps intensely watching the checker game. Robin relaxed in the swing with Cookie lying lazily by her feet.
Unexpectedly, a door inside the house slammed hard enough that something tumbled off the wall. Cookie’s ears perked and he stood. They watched as the dog, slowly and cautiously, walked to the screen door and looked in. Matt saw the fear in Robin’s eyes. He knew she was going back in time as she remembered the events she had described to him.
Everyone looked at each other, thunderstruck.
Matt rescued the situation and got up. “I must have left the basement door open. Sometimes it catches a breeze. I’ll go see what fell.”
He got up calmly, opened the door, leaving the dog sitting on the porch, and walked into the house. As he neared the basement door, he saw the shattered frame on the floor. He picked up the glass and sighed sadly. The photograph was taken at Christmas time; it was of Robin and Matt in front of the tree next to the fireplace. He admitted to himself that the situation was strange, but he couldn’t associate it with some sort of paranormal phenomenon.
He walked back out to the others and said, “Wind.”
He saw Robin’s eyes turn to him. And again, he saw the dread and fear.
“What fell?” she asked.
“Just a picture,” he said nonchalantly. “Frame is broken but the print isn’t hurt.”
The evening proceeded without further incident. When everyone left, Matt walked to the stereo and put on music by one of his favorite singers, Elvis. Because their love making was so hurried earlier in the day, he looked forward to taking his time and seducing his wife properly.
As the words of the song rolled out of the speakers, he heard the clamor of dishes as Robin continued cleaning up the dinner plates.
Matt walked in singing, “Shall I stay? Would it be a sin?”
Robin turned to him with a bright smile. He walked behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist.
“Dance with me,” he said romantically.
“Now?”
“You have no excuse not to. I’m the best dance teacher there is, remember?” he boasted.
“I remember,” she said with a seductive smile.
The dish in her hand found a safe place in the dishwasher. Then, she turned to him as he wrapped his arm around her waist and took her other hand in his. He wanted her to feel safe. Softly, she rested her head on his shoulder and Matt felt her arm around him and her finger held tightly to his back belt loop.
“We need to start going out more,” he whispered. “I miss dancing with you.”
“Why go out when we can dance right here?” she asked quietly.
“I guess you’re right. I just miss doing things with you, you know?”
“Marriage changes things. Time changes everything,” she answered.
“I don’t want us to change.”
“You and I will be like a fine wine, lover. We’ll only get better with age,” she whispered.
After taking a shower, Matt walked into the master bedroom to find Robin sitting up in bed reading. He stood in the doorway gazing at her; admiring her. With the turn of the page and the way her hands held the book, he felt himself becoming aroused. He loved watching her. Her shiny, dark hair hung in curls on her shoulders. The little wire-rimmed glasses sat on her nose and her smooth skin looked like silk.
Obviously, she didn’t notice him because she continued reading without looking up from the thick black book.
He walked to the bed and sat down in front of her.
“What are you reading?” he asked.
“It’s a book on paranormal phenomenon.”
“Whoa. No wonder you weren’t resting. You’re scaring yourself to death.”
“I got the book just yesterday,” she said calmly.
“Oh, well so much for that rationalization huh?”
Finally, her eyes met his. She stopped reading, put the book on the night stand, and took off her glasses. Each move she made looked like pure perfection. Matt loved her more than he could possibly put into words.
“Again?” she asked inquisitively as she recognized the yearning in his deep brown eyes.
“Of course again; you know I like to take my time with you. That today… that was too fast to suit me.”
He leaned in close to her and reached over to turn the light off. The romance began as they nestled onto the mattress. They drank the moment up hoping to become intoxicated with each other.
He kissed all over her body. He knew every square inch of her now and had perfected the things that turned her on. Knowing how to push her to the brink is what he took pride in.
He inched his lips across her stomach and kissed her bellybutton. Finding her inner thighs, he gently touched his lips to them. The way her fingers twisted through his hair aroused him even more. He leaned into her touching his tongue to her. Giggles rose up from her. Glancing up at her, he saw her sweet smile.
“Am I tickling you again?” he asked as he kissed the inside of her thigh.
She nodded. “Always,” she replied.
“You always taste so good. Should I stop?” he asked as he teased her.
She grinned, “I didn’t say you had to stop.”
As he continued pleasuring her, her back arched. He knew exactly how far to take her.
“Just come here,” she demanded as her arms reached out to embrace him.
“Ready for me so soon?”
“Yes,” she whispered breathily.
He spread her legs apart and gently pushed himself into her. Firmly, he placed her legs around his waist as he continued to move into her.
Slowly, they made love kissing and touching passionately. Their souls melted into one another.
As Matt changed positions and sat with his back against the headboard. He pulled her over onto him. She straddled him and then moved slowly to stimulate herself. Resting his hands tightly on her hips, the sensations felt so good that he moved his hands and cupped her breasts in his hands
He looked into her eyes and saw his reflection. Even after a year, he was still trying to come to terms with her. It was still hard for him to accept that a love like theirs was even possible.
“I love you,” he whispered as his lips found hers.
“Love you too,” she replied quietly as she gave into his kiss.
As her lips kissed his chin and neck, Matt felt Robin moving slightly faster. Her warm breath on his shoulder and
her sensual movements were sure signs she was very close to climaxing He felt her body tense a little.
“Let go baby. Let me have all of you,” he whispered in her ear.
He heard her moan and felt her tighten even more around him. Several soft sighs reverberated through the room. He pulled her hair away from her neck and kissed her ears and shoulders.
He opened his eyes and something across the room caught his attention. Standing in the doorway of the master bedroom stood a tall man. Dressed in a turn of the century tuxedo, Matt noticed him only for a few seconds. Still, he was alarmed. He couldn’t hide it either. His body jerked with fear. Robin stopped and looked up at him.
“What’s wrong?” she asked as she stopped.
Gently he pushed her off of him and grabbed his shorts from the floor.
“What is it?” she asked again.
He still didn’t answer and walked to the doorway and then into the hall. He returned shaking his head. He sat down on the side of the bed. Confused and very tense, he knew the physical moment between them was ruined. The intimacy passed and now questions settled into Matt’s mind.
“What is wrong?” she asked again as she inched her way toward him.
“It’s nothing,” he continued.
“It must have been something. You’ve never done that. Did I do something wrong?”
He sat back against the headboard again watching as Robin pulled her robe from the bedpost and wrapped it around her body.
“Of course not,” he answered. “You didn’t do a thing wrong.”
“You and I promised to always be honest with one another, Matt. So, I want you to be honest with me now.”
He sighed and dropped his head.
“I could have sworn I saw a man standing in the doorway.”
“I’m telling you Matt, there’s something going on in this house. There are things happening that you and I can’t explain.”
“I think I’m just tired,” he replied as he quickly ran his fingers through his hair.
“Matt, you’re not tired. These things are real; as real as you and me.”
He sighed deeply.
“I saw a woman in the field, too. She was walking toward the O’Bryan’s place.” He paused. “And today when the basement door slammed, I didn’t leave it open; there’s no way the wind could have caught it.”
She sat facing him. “Matt, what did the woman in the field look like?”
“She had long black hair. I couldn’t see the front of her.”
“My dream,” she whispered.
Robin told a tale of horror as she explained the dream to Matt. He was astonished by what he heard.
“So you think the woman in the field and the woman in your dream and the voice you heard is the same person?”
“I think it’s very possible. Either way, I’m calling my dad and I’m going to ask him to bless the house. I know I gave up those fundamentalist religious views a long time ago, but maybe a blessing will help. I can’t do this anymore.”
Matt heard the hostility in her voice as she continued.
“You may not believe in all of this stuff, but I do,” she shrieked as she pointed her finger at him. “I know there is a world beyond our own. I’ve grown up knowing it. This isn’t the first time things like this have happened to me. I guess I wanted to believe things like this couldn’t happen to me again. I was terrorized as a child by these sorts of things.
“When I was a little girl, I saw and heard things. When I was a teenager it stopped. I really thought it had been my imagination. As I grew older and became more open to things again, I felt like my religious upbringing blinded me.” She dropped her head. “I just hoped nothing like this would ever happen again. And my dream… my dream, I know is significant in some way. I know it has something to do with this house.”
“Why didn’t you share these things with me before?” he asked.
“Because I thought you would accuse me of being crazy. Let’s face it, Matt, you are full blown skeptic.”
Settling in beside him, she put her head in his lap as he brushed her hair with his fingers.
“What sort of things happened to you when you were a kid, Robin?” he asked.
“When I was small, maybe 4 or so, I heard things in my closet. I dreamt a witch lived in the closet. She always stood just outside the closet door, watching me. She was so haggard and her eyes terrified me. My brother believed me because he said he had seen her, too. But, everyone else, my mom and my stepdad, they just thought it was a silly thing I was doing for attention; no one believed me.
“I had horrible nightmares and saw terrible things. It was like my mind was my own worst enemy. I used to wake up screaming. The only way my mom could get me settled down was by praying. I had to hear the prayers to find peace. The dreams… the witch… it all went on for what seemed like forever, but we moved out of the house and when we did, everything stopped. There was something in that house; just like there’s something in this one.”
“So, do you have abilities, like to see the past or read minds or something?” Matt asked.
“I wouldn’t say that. I think maybe I can feel things and understand oddities. I think that is why I have had all of the experiences I’ve had. But, this kind of fear; the fear I feel sometimes from being in this house… I can only associate it with the things that happened to me as a child.”
Even with the clear explanation given by Robin, Matt still had difficulty believing in the supernatural. He believed if he couldn’t see it or couldn’t touch it, then it didn’t exist. There was always a logical explanation.
His rationalizations brought him back to the vividness of a child’s imagination. He believed it was possible that Robin’s imagination and creative nature may have caused some of the things she explained she saw. Nevertheless, he still couldn’t find an explanation for the man standing in the doorway.
Chapter Seven
The Awakening
The gorgeous Saturday afternoon gave Matt the opportunity to mow the large yard and gave Robin the opportunity to work on laundry. As she stood folding the fluffy towels, she felt that performing a blessing on the house would be the first step in bringing peace to the home.
Richard had not agreed with her change in her faith, but he respected it. He had always told her he wouldn’t judge her. He had always encouraged her to seek out the truth in her own way and be independent in her beliefs.
She picked up her cell phone lying on the laundry table and dialed. The happy voice of her stepdad boomed from the device. With her head bent and the phone to her ear, she really didn’t have any idea where to begin. So, she made small talk, but after a few moments Richard knew something was wrong.
“What’s going on ladybug? Something’s wrong,” he stated bluntly.
“Daddy,” she started, “the house needs blessed. I thought maybe you could…”
“But I thought…” he started.
“I know. I know.”
“You told me you didn’t believe in all that anymore.”
“Daddy, I know what I said. But I’ve also said there’s a little bit of truth in every religion. How could a blessing on the house hurt anything, you know?”
“Why don’t you tell me what’s been happening baby girl? You sound scared.”
“I just want a blessing done on the house. It will make me feel better,” she answered.
“Okay. Well, tomorrow afternoon okay with you? Me and your mom will make a day of it.”
“The sooner, the better, Daddy.”
“See you tomorrow,” he concluded.
****
The sun’s heat wasn’t overpowering yet as Matt drove along the property line on the riding mower. The sound of the blades chopping up the grass reminded him of white noise as he zipped up and down the large lawn on the edge of the field. From the corner of his eye he saw Mr. O’Bryan waving and walking toward him. He turned off the mower, hopped off, and with a friendly smile, met him in the middle of the field, han
ds outstretched for a friendly shake.
Curtis O’Bryan had always been kind to Matt and Robin. He had conveyed a deep appreciation for the land and his family during the times he and Matt had talked. They met one another when the renovations on the house began. Curtis conveyed to Matt how happy he was to finally have neighbors again.
Curtis and his wife, Katie, had made Matt and Robin feel very welcome. The O’Bryan’s had baked pies. Robin and Matt had also been to their home for dinner a few times.
“See ya’all made it through the winter and the spring in that ol’ place,” Curtis said with a smile.
“Yes. Here we are in June already. Can’t believe it,” Matt said with a nod as he brushed the sweat from his face.
“You and the wife doing okay?” Curtis asked inquisitively.
“She’s tired, but we both are. Seems like all we do is work.”
“I remember what that was like,” he started, “Katie was a school teacher; seemed like we never saw each other much before we retired. Don’t know how we found the time to raise three kids. You two expecting any little ones yet?”
“Not yet.”
“I see a little girl playing over there,” he continued.
“She’s mine from a previous marriage.”
“I see. Well our grandkids are at our house constantly when the weather’s warm, so anytime she wants someone to come over and play, well, you just send her our way. We’d love to have her. I know my granddaughter gets awfully bored sometimes when she’s here. My son and his wife are airline pilots, so they’re gone a lot. During the winter months she is usually with her mom’s mom, but during the summer she can’t seem to get enough of us.”
“I will certainly send Olivia over. She’s coming to visit today.” He paused hesitantly as his mind went to a more serious place. “Let me ask you something Curt…”
“Sure,” he answered as he crossed his arms.
“The people who lived here before, did they ever say anything to you about strange things happening in the house?”