The Fine Line Book One Between Worlds Series

by Tracee Ford

  At the hospital, Matt paced anxiously in his office. He felt like he had been waiting all day for Robin’s call. Finally, his patience paid off. The phone call from Robin confirmed everything. He would be a father again! He shouted happily and burst through the office door. He smiled brilliantly at Audrey and Stella who sat at their desks in the greeting area working on paperwork and files.

  “I’m having a baby! We’re having a baby!” he shouted.

  Stella smiled genuinely. “Congratulations sir. Please give Robin my best.”

  Audrey sneered. “Congratulations,” she bit out.

  Halloween approached. Robin and Matt decided to let Olivia throw a Halloween Party at the house for her friends at school. In preparation for such a grand occasion, Robin took Olivia to the local party supply store.

  As Olivia stood in the aisle, Robin observed her closely. She talked to herself. Quietly, she listened as she hid on the other side of the aisle.

  “I can’t help you right now. I’m shopping,” she whispered. She paused.

  “I don’t know. I’m kind of new at this. Yes, I see you, but I’m in a store.” She paused again.

  “I can’t help you right now.”

  Robin didn’t say anything to Olivia. From what she read in books about such things, however, she believed she understood what was happening. The trauma of the sexual abuse opened up a pathway for Olivia; a part of her brain and her soul that lay dormant until now. Robin believed Olivia possessed special abilities. She knew Olivia could see and communicate with the dead and she also knew Matt would never understand.

  As they made their way home in the Jeep, Robin knew the subject needed discussion.

  “Who were you talking to back there in the store?” she asked.

  Olivia’s face grew pale.

  “Oh, I was just talking to myself; trying to decide what color balloons I wanted.”

  “Olly, you don’t have to lie to me,” she assured her.

  Silence fell between them. Robin didn’t want to push her. She knew in time Olivia would open up and start asking questions.

  November marked Matt and Robin’s third wedding anniversary. The house had not presented any unusual problems for some time now.

  After one of Robin’s nightly walks on the property, she made her way back into the house to see Olivia sitting in the middle of the living room at the coffee table finishing her homework. Thirst overwhelmed her and Robin walked to the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the refrigerator. As she stood with her back turned, she felt eyes upon her and turned. Olivia stood behind the island.

  “Robin,” Olivia said staring blankly, “something was here.”

  “What?”

  “Something was here.”

  “I don’t understand.”

  “Something big.”

  “I’m not following,” she said as she took Olivia back into the living room. They sat on the couch.

  “Something scary and big was right there on the porch. I’ve never seen something so black.”

  Robin got up, walked outside, and looked around. She couldn’t see anything unusual.

  “Is it still here?” she called into the house.

  “Yes.”

  She walked back inside and sat down.

  “You can see it, can’t you?” Robin asked.

  “Yes. And I see Emma more. I talk to her. When we were at the party store buying things for my Halloween party, there was a man there. He talked to me. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you.”

  “You don’t have to be scared to talk about this. It just shows how special you are.” Robin smiled as she touched Olivia’s face.

  “But the big scary thing... I don’t like it.”

  “It’s still here then? Even now?” she asked.

  Olivia took Robin’s hand and walked her to the porch. She pointed to the far right rocker. “It’s standing behind the rocker.”

  “Here?” she asked as she walked to it.

  “Yes. It’s looking right at you.”

  “Is it saying anything?”

  “It just growls a lot,” she answered.

  Final confirmation: a demonic presence inhabited the house. Her faith shook unsteadily as the comfort of her belief system fell by the wayside. She had truly believed that demons didn’t exist.

  “Does it look like a person?” Robin asked.

  “No. I can’t see its face. It looks like it has a hood on.”

  Robin kept looking in the direction where Olivia described the figure to be. Still, she saw nothing. Moments passed.

  “It’s gone,” Olivia said calmly and then walked back into the house.

  Robin walked in behind her. They both sat on the couch again.

  “Olivia, do you understand what is happening?”

  “Kind of,” she answered.

  “What do you think is happening?”

  “Well, I see Emma all of the time now; she comes to me a lot. She talks to me about what she sees. I guess there are all sorts of things going on when you’re dead because she tells me about things all of the time. The lady that walks in the field doesn’t talk to me at all, but I can see her when she’s near. There’s also a man in the house, but he doesn’t want to talk to me either.”

  “Has Emma mentioned seeing a light?” Robin inquired.

  “She said that there’s one sometimes, but then it gets farther and farther away. Is that where we go when we die?”

  “My beliefs are a little different; probably more than anything else you’ve ever heard. I personally believe that all of us are timeless souls. I think that our souls are trapped here in these bodies and when we die, we’re not trapped anymore. When we die, we can go see the Creator.”

  “You mean God?”

  “Well, yes. We can meet the angels that have been with us throughout our entire human life. I also believe that when some people die, they get stuck and don’t know how to get to the Creator, so they sometimes need help from us to get there.”

  “Kind of like when you’re on the highway and you stop for directions?” she asked.

  “Exactly like that!” Robin answered. “I think that you have a gift. You can give those souls directions. They need to get to the light and you can help them do that.”

  “How can I learn more about how to help them? None of them scare me, not even the ones I see when I’m not at the house. They all just seem so sad.”

  “I can teach you to meditate and to talk to the Creator through prayer. Those angels I just told you about, I call mine spirit guides. When I’m sad, one is assigned especially to me to make me happy. They can protect you and give you guidance.”

  “Wow,” Olivia said with wonderful astonishment.

  “I can teach you about how to get to know your guides,” Robin said with a smile.

  “I would like to do that,” Olivia replied.

  Each day, Robin took time to talk to Olivia about her spiritual gift and offered advice with researched explanations. Olivia was wise beyond her years. She accepted spirituality willingly and without reservation. She learned to meditate and to pray. She learned how to seek out answers for her own questions. Robin introduced spiritual meditation books to Olivia also and took time to read passages to her.

  As much as she wanted to talk to Matt about everything, Robin didn’t. She hated hiding things especially since they had made a pact to always be honest with one another. However, she knew that he would debunk everything. Olivia didn’t need that. She needed positive reinforcement and assurance about her feelings, thoughts, and gifts. Most of all, she needed acceptance.

  One evening Robin stood looking out the window of the porch facing the field. She rubbed the little bump protruding from her abdomen. A sort of uneasiness returned. She couldn’t attribute what she felt to pregnancy jitters either.

  Glancing over at the rocking chair on the porch, she watched as it moved back and forth. Suddenly, she felt she wasn’t alone. In her mind she saw the woman in her dream. “I know you’re here,” she
whispered. The familiar sadness swept over her.

  The incident helped Robin make an important decision. Monday she would research the house. She needed to know why the woman always felt sad.

  As she continued standing at the door, the mood changed. It felt more foreboding and darker. The temperature dropped several degrees and she felt the woman leave. A sinister presence emerged.

  “I know what you are,” Robin said quietly.

  She turned and walked down the stairs to the basement where Matt stood, boxing. With her hands on her hips, she bit out,

  “I just want you to know that I’m going to research the house Monday. It’s time.”

  He stopped.

  “Why, what happened?”

  “I’m just creeped out. The rollercoaster of emotions is too much and I want to find out what has happened in this house. Sometimes I feel such overwhelming hatred; not toward anyone or anything. It’s just an awful feeling.”

  “I thought things were better,” he interrupted. “And you are pregnant. You’re emotions are going to be out of whack.”

  “Things are better, but Olivia saw something and I believe what she saw was the demon.”

  “She saw what?”

  “I know you’re not very open about these things, but I know she saw it.”

  “The demon?” he asked in disbelief.

  “Yes. It’s the only thing that makes sense. Are you still so closed off you can’t accept any of this?”

  “None of this has ever made sense.”

  “I know you don’t believe Matt.”

  “I’ve tried believing and I’ve tried to be open-minded. A demon; even though your dad and I’ve talked about it I still can’t quite believe it. In fact, you mentioned this before, but you weren’t even sure that you believed it.”

  “It’s the only thing that explains what Olivia saw. I’ve been wrong not to believe. It’s possible that whatever has happened in this house could have ushered in a demonic attachment of some kind,” she explained.

  Matt sighed.

  “Since this whole thing began I’ve had to swallow some pretty incredible things. Stuff I never even imagined existed; I’ve had to accept those things as truth. Do you realize how difficult this is for me?”

  “I do, but what Olivia described to me explains the dark figure you saw standing over me even after the house was blessed,” she continued.

  The conversation troubled Matt as he found himself battling another sleepless night. He had wrestled with his own belief system a great deal since he had been with Robin. His mind felt heavy and cluttered as he lay awake rolling his wedding band around his finger. A million unanswered questions bounced around in his brain.

  Rapidly, the temperature in the room changed. He glanced over at Robin as she gathered the covers up, snuggling under them. He watched as the breath moved in and out of her nose. He looked down and realized he could see his own breath., too.

  His eyes then focused on the doorway to their room. A tall, dark misty figure floated in the doorway. He watched as the black mist entered the room and walked to the end of Robin’s side of the bed. Paralyzed by fear, his hands felt as if they were chained to the bed. Helplessly he watched as the covers were pulled off of Robin and her bare legs were exposed. He observed as depressions were made on Robin’s legs as if fingertips were pressing down onto her flesh. Still unable to move or speak, Matt felt the temperature in the room as it continued dropping.

  Robin stirred and instinctively grabbed the covers pulling them over her. Matt, still powerless and immobile, watched as the covers were pulled off again by the intimidating dark mist. It groped Robin, pushing down on her skin. Suddenly, three bloody scratch marks appeared and she woke immediately. She turned toward Matt. He knew she was preparing to blame him, but then her focus turned to what stood at the end of the bed. Quickly, she turned on the light.

  Matt gasped for breath. He sat up and leaned forward taking in air, coughing.

  “Are you okay?” she asked.

  He nodded and then got up to get the first aid kit for the scratches on Robin’s body. He walked back in with it and sat down at the end of the bed.

  “Are we going to talk about what just happened?” she asked.

  “I don’t think I even want to,” he said shaking his head as he tended her wounds.

  “You saw that, right?” she asked.

  He looked intently into her eyes and nodded.

  “I saw it.”

  Chapter Thirteen

  History & Discovery

  Robin and Matt sat waiting as property records were pulled for their house. Robin sighed impatiently. Finally, a lady brought in a very large box and then left. They were unsure where to even start, but bravely opened the lid and pulled the paperwork out in handfuls. There were stacks of papers, technical drawings, news clippings, and other things that might help them understand Pikeview Manor.

  As they sifted through the news clippings Matt’s mouth dropped.

  “What is it?” Robin asked.

  He read from a news clipping dated March 1870.

  “Local butler suspected of murder. Mr. Michael Sims was arrested today on suspicion of murder. Sources say Mr. Sims assisted a local doctor with performing unsavory acts on runaway girls. Sims refuses to reveal the whereabouts of the master mind behind this and remains in the county jail without bond.”

  The dream came rushing back into Robin’s mind. She remembered the woman on the table with the two men standing over her. Things made sense now. She continued listening as Matt read.

  “This one is dated a month later,” Matt continued, “‘Michael Sims escaped today from county lock up. He has not been located. A man hunt continues as Sims is said to be armed and dangerous. If seen, please contact the police.’ Then this one is from just a few days later. ’Michael Sims found dead this morning in the Pikeview Manor on West Elm Lane. Sources say Sims hung himself from a rafter in the basement of the home.’”

  “Oh my God,” she whispered as she grabbed her throat.

  She remembered the incident in the basement when she felt the noose around her neck.

  “Do you remember?” she asked.

  Blankly, Matt looked at her.

  “The day that I told you I felt like someone was trying to hang me?”

  “This is real,” he said softly. He continued, “And he killed girls on our property. So why didn’t we see the other women? What about the other victims? Why just the one lady?”

  “Maybe the others crossed over already.”

  “Crossed over?”

  “Many believe that when you die, your spirit leaves your body and you have the choice to either stay on earth or go into the light. If someone dies tragically, the person may not even realize that they’re dead and will miss the light altogether.”

  “What about the little girl?” Matt asked.

  “Well I found something here,” she replied as she pulled out another clipping. “Apparently, our house was owned by a Mr. and Mrs. William Cleary. They had a daughter, Emma. She died suddenly. It says here she fell down the stairs and broke her neck. I had a dream about this. I was falling down the stairs. I was chasing a ball. When I fell, my neck broke. All this time, these spirits have been trying to communicate with me about how they died. They’ve been trying to find answers. I just wish I would have known all of these things before now.” She looked down at the clipping in her hand. “Look at the picture of Emma.”

  Matt got up and walked to her, looking over her shoulder. The picture featured a little girl with a red ribbon in her hair, exactly the child Olivia had always described. “Unbelievable. What’s the date of the death?”

  “June 1868. According to the article, Michael Sims was working for the family at that time also. It says here that her parents left the home after she died. They left Sims in charge of maintenance and care. He eventually bought the home.”

  Matt sat back down.

  “So, a little girl died in the house, there have been
multiple murders, and the butler hung himself. Doesn’t this sound outrageous to you?”

  “It can’t be outrageous. These are clippings; news articles,” Robin added.

  Matt continued combing through the information. “These property records say that there is a cemetery on the back of the property. Do you ever remember seeing grave sites in the woods behind the house?”

  Robin shook her head. “I’ve never gone back there. Have you seen headstones in the woods?”

  “I’ve never really been back there to explore either.”

  Robin kept reading through the stack of shuffled papers. “Oh my God,” she whispered as she clasped her hand to her mouth. “Matthew, our house served as the county morgue in the early 1900’s. It was purchased by the county. The basement was used as an autopsy room.”

  “This just gets better and better,” Matt bit out smartly.

  “Listen to this,” she began again, “’Pikeview Manor said to be haunted.’ It says in this article that after the morgue moved to the other side of town, the Rawlins family moved in around 1925. They lived there for approximately five years. The wife, Sophia Rawlins, died during child birth in our house.”

  Matt looked at the article and shook his head.

  Robin kept reading, “Then in 1931 another family moved in. They moved out within three years. Family after family have moved in and then within less than five years, moved out. The O’Bryans said the house sat empty for at least 12 years when you and I bought it. Which means it was abandoned in 1986. It says here that another family moved into it in 1936 and then another in 1940 and again in 1948… the list goes on and on. The occupants in 1980 talked to local press about strange things happening in the home. ‘Ginger Morgan, resident of the historic Pikeview Manor reports strange phenomenon occurring in the home. Morgan reports hearing voices, seeing figures in the house and on the property, talks about encounters with a phantom child who is believed to be the deceased daughter of the Cleary family, and reports violent occurrences. Morgan reports that on one occasion while walking down the stairs, she was pushed by an unseen force, breaking her arm and ankle. Morgan says she hears terrifying noises coming from the basement; screams. Objects being moved, appliances coming on with no explanation and items from the home disappearing are also common.”