by Mark Tufo
When she got into the dining room, she pressed her back against the wall, chuckling to herself and thinking about what a scaredy cat she was being. She walked through the dining room into what was known as the 'reception room'. Her breath was starting to slow, finally. She reached the front door that opened onto the large porch. Her breath hitched again as the door opened before she could touch the handle. She saw her breath materialize in front of her face, even though it was early spring.
The work crew had finished and gone. They must not have closed it all the way, she rationalized.
Sunny put the key into the lockbox after she engaged the locks. Walking down the stone walkway, she felt a weight lift from her shoulders. She was thrilled to be out of that house, and felt better with every step away. When she got into her car, the bad feeling was almost completely gone. She drove away praying that the morning would bring a sale, and get this house off of her hands.
2.
When Ben and Cara Barlow pulled into the driveway at 1122 Pine Creek Lane, they were both stunned. They had seen the pictures on the internet, but they did not do this house justice at all.
The Victorian style house towered above the surrounding homes. It was one of the only two stories in the neighborhood. The red brick that covered the bottom half of the home and the porch looked old, weathered and homey. The newly painted siding was a warm cream color with bright white trim. The screened wrap around porch looked inviting.
"Ben, we could put two rocking chairs out there!"
"Maybe I could whittle, and you could knit." Ben teased.
"Maybe." Cara stuck her tongue out at him.
"Sexy." Ben said with a smile.
"Look at the landscaping! It is so perfect!"
"Don't gush. We want to try and take the hard line here. I want to get the best deal possible. I don't want to seem too eager." Ben lectured.
"I know, I know." Cara huffed. "Did you see the price, though?"
"Yes, I did. If we can save a little more, I want to try." He was trying his hardest to be stern.
"Ok, cheapskate." Cara leaned over and kissed his cheek as he parked the car.
The agent was standing on the porch outside the door. She looked to Ben, just like her picture. Sunny was the perfect name. She looked super cheerful, and overly pleasant. Her blonde hair was perfectly groomed, and her blue business suit was perfectly pressed and perfectly accessorized.
When they got out of the car and walked up to the agent, Ben noticed that her 'sunny' look was actually a little bit dim. She looked worried, and maybe a little scared. Even though it was a cool day, it looked as though she was sweating. Ben detected some nervousness as she shook their hands.
"Nice to meet you." They exchanged introductions.
"Shall we go inside?" Sunny said with a small waver in her voice.
"Yes, I can't wait to see it!" Cara said and rushed to the door.
Ben noticed that Sunny held her breath as Cara reached for the door. He couldn't quite figure out what was wrong with her, so he decided to ask.
"Are you feeling alright, Sunny?"
"Yes. I think I have a touch of allergies. All these shrubs and flowers, you know." She gave Ben a weak smile. "Let's take a look inside."
Cara had already gone in and was looking at the hardwood floor in the foyer. She was also eating a cookie.
"I love this flooring!" She exclaimed.
"The previous owners did a lot of remodeling. New hardwood entryway and new flooring throughout. There are brand new maple cabinets and black granite countertops in the kitchen and bathrooms, also. All new fixtures, fresh paint in all of the rooms and the outside. New wiring and all new appliances. The fireplace has been inspected. I have the pest inspections and home inspections right here. This home is in perfect shape." Sunny was trying to push. Hard.
"Can we look around?" Cara asked, taking Ben's hand. She was almost vibrating with excitement.
"Feel free to look wherever you'd like." Sunny said with another smile. "I have some paperwork to fill out. Just let me know if you have any questions."
Ben took note that Sunny did not seem to want to go any deeper into the house than the foyer, no matter where they went.
Cara practically pulled Ben off of his feet in her haste to get up the stairs. Ben followed, still eyeing Sunny.
They reached the top of the stairs and Cara bolted down the hall to the bedrooms. Ben looked around slowly as Cara frantically raced from room to room.
"Oh my God, Ben, you should see this bathroom! It is gorgeous!"
Ben chuckled to himself and went to find his overly excited wife. As he walked into the master bedroom, he could see why she was so excited. This room was huge! It had Wedgewood blue walls with white trim, and beautiful crown moldings. Ben felt like he had been transported into an 18th century drawing room. He walked into the bathroom where Cara was laying in the huge claw foot tub. Ben laughed when he saw her, and then climbed into the tub with her. She squealed and laughed. He kissed her deeply.
"It has a shower, too!"
"You love it, right?" He asked her.
"Yes!" She leaned into him in the way she knew would melt him.
"Well, let's buy it then."
"Really!?"
"Yes."
Cara screamed with delight and kissed him all over his face.
"Ok, ok." He laughed. "Let's go tell Sunny."
They made their way downstairs.
"Sunny?" Cara called out. No answer. "Sunny?"
Ben could see her through the window out on the porch. They walked outside to tell her the good news.
Sunny stood up with a start, dropping her paperwork all over the porch.
"Sorry, you startled me."
"No problem, totally my fault." Ben reassured her as he bent down to pick up the scattered papers.
"I just really don't feel well." Sunny said as Ben stood up. He noticed that she looked worse than before. Cara looked on with sympathy.
"We'll take the house." Ben said, trying to cheer her up.
Sunny looked as though he had told her that her tumor was benign, or that she had just won the lotto. Her face lit up and her grin went from ear to ear.
"Great! Let's go to my office and we can get all of the papers in order." Sunny gathered up her things and headed off the porch to her car. Ben thought she might literally have a fire under her ass, she was moving so quickly.
"Ok, see you there." Cara called as Sunny loaded herself into her gray Volvo.
"Wow. What was that all about? She didn't even lock up." Cara asked.
"Maybe she had horrible gas or something. Had to make a quick getaway." Ben joked.
"Well, let's get down there and get started. I'll lock the door."
Ben stepped out of the porch as Cara turned to lock up. When she reached for the doorknob, the door slammed shut, seemingly on its own. She jumped back, and then dismissed it as just a breeze. Maybe a window was open somewhere. She turned to go. This would be their home soon. A place where they could start a family and grow old together. She smiled as she got in the car and kissed Ben.
"I love you, Baby."
"I love you, too." Ben kissed her back. They drove off on the way to their new life.
3.
When the moving truck pulled up in front of the house, Cara was so excited. She started directing the movers where to put everything. She looked to Ben like a petite little General commanding an army of box carrying soldiers. Her long chestnut hair gleamed in the sunlight. Ben thought she looked her best just this way, no makeup, relaxed, hair flowing over her bare shoulders. Dressed in a simple tank top and shorts. She was so beautiful, he just wanted to hold her and protect her from everything in this world.
Ben ran over and swept her up in his arms. He carried her up the steps to the porch. He dodged the movers that were running in and out, and carried her over the threshold.
"There you go, My Lady." Setting her feet on the ground.
"My hero!" She clasped her han
ds to her chest.
"Now, get that kitchen set up, woman!" He said with mock authority, hands on his hips.
"Whatever." She rolled her eyes and went to the kitchen.
"Get me a beer, too."
"Ha, ha." She said blandly.
Ben laughed and went off to the conservatory. He had decided that this room would be Cara's art studio. She would love painting while looking out across the lawn at all the trees and flowers.
He was going to use the study in the back to write the newspaper columns that paid the mortgage, and the novel that hopefully made him famous.
As he was figuring out where to put Cara's easel, he heard a blood curdling scream. He turned and ran into the kitchen. Cara was standing in front of the cabinet with her hand over her mouth. She had gone completely white. He ran to her.
"What is it? Are you ok?"
She pointed to the open cabinet. Ben recoiled when he saw the rat. It was dead, but not just dead. It looked like it had exploded. Its insides were lying in puddles around its ruined body. It looked like something had been eating it. He swallowed back the bile that had risen in his throat.
"Oh, honey. It's just a rat. An exploded rat, but still just a rat."
"It's gross. Please get rid of it. I thought Sunny said she had a pest inspection."
"She did, honey. Probably just a stray. I'll get rid of it."
"I am going to call her. This is bullshit." Cara said indignantly. She reached for her cell phone and found Sunny's number while Ben scooped the dead rat into the garbage and took it outside.
When Ben came back in, Cara was holding her phone with a blank expression on her face.
"What's wrong?" He asked.
"Ok, I'm sorry. Thank you." She clicked the phone off. "She's dead."
"What? Who?" He asked with alarm.
"Sunny. Car accident. Her car went off a bridge. They don't know what happened." Cara looked like she might be sick all over again.
"Shit. When?"
"This morning after she left this house."
"Oh my God."
They stood in silence for a few minutes, and then they went about unpacking.
4.
The shower felt so good after a long day of unpacking. The movers had gotten all of the furniture in. She had finished unpacking the kitchen and the bathrooms. Ben had gotten most of the bedroom done. It might have to be redone, but at least they could sleep on a bed not surrounded by boxes.
The hot water rained down over her head, rinsing all her aches and pains down the drain. She lathered her hair. Through the shampoo bubbles and flowing water, she heard the door to the bathroom open. Maybe Ben was planning on joining her. She loved to shower with him. They both ran three miles a day and ate well. It was important for both of them to stay in shape. Ben had an amazing body. He was tall and strong. She felt safe with him, and had never been as attracted to any man as she was to him.
"Hey Babe, did you come to join me?" She hinted, trying to be coy.
She saw his shadow approaching the curtain. He stood there, saying nothing. All she could see was the dark outline of his sexy frame.
"Babe? I'm all clean. Come in and get me dirty again." Whipping open the shower curtain, she saw…nothing. Ben wasn't there. She tried to figure out what it was she had seen. She knew that she felt like a total dumbass standing there with the shower curtain open, naked and soapy. She also felt scared and confused; because she had been so sure it was him standing outside the curtain.
Closing the curtain, but not quite all the way, she finished rinsing and turned the water off. She stepped out and grabbed her towel, all the while looking around for the thing that had made the shadow. Toweling her hair, she was starting to relax a little. She flipped her head up and wiped the steam off of the circular mirror in front of her.
She screamed when she saw him in the mirror. A shadow standing directly behind her. She turned around on her heels and saw that it was Ben. She was overcome with relief and terror, and anger.
"You shit! What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" She hit him in the chest.
"Hey, hey, hey, you called me up here from downstairs. Why are you hitting me?"
"I did not call you, and I'm hitting you because you scared the hell out of me."
"You are so sexy when you're mad."
"Shut up." She feigned irritation and turned away.
Ben grabbed her around the waist and kissed her neck.
"You shut up." He said and smiled lasciviously.
He pulled her into the bedroom and they collapsed onto the bed. As they made love for the first time in their new home, Cara had an odd feeling that they weren't alone.
5.
Cara awakened from a troubled sleep. She had dozed off in Ben's arms after they had made love. Her dreams were ugly and caused her to toss and turn all night. Dreams of monsters chasing her and trying to devour her. She wanted to put them out of her mind and get on with her day.
Today, the plan was to move some extra boxes to the basement. She couldn't get comfortable with all of this clutter around her. She needed open space, and all of these boxes were screaming at her to get off of her ass and put them away so she could breathe.
She gathered up a box of old art supplies that did not get put to use anymore. Next came a box of old clothes that she couldn't seem to part with. Cara wondered to herself when she had become such a hoarder. There were so many things from her childhood that she couldn't bear to even think of throwing away.
Sipping from her cup of herbal tea, an old trunk caught her eye. It was hers from when she was a little girl. Opening the lid, sitting right on top was Sally, the doll that she had slept with every night as a child. She had loved that doll so much. She had been too young to realize why her father had given it to her at the age of seven.
Later that year, her Dad died of cancer. He had bought that doll the day he found out he was terminal. Year after year, her recollections of him became more and more fuzzy. She remembered him teaching her to read books. He had loved her drawings of princesses and puppies, and had put them up at his office. He bought her first easel and paintbrushes. But, when she tried to remember his face, it was a cloudy haze of blue eyes and wavy brown hair. He was thirty-two years old when he gave her that doll, and he had turned thirty-three in a hospital room, hooked up to an IV, unable to speak. She had kissed him on the cheek and told him she loved him as big as the sky. She read a book to him that day. He had smiled at her when she finished the story, and then he died. It had been quiet and peaceful. He had just fallen asleep. She had held onto her Mom and cried for what felt like months. Sally had never been far from her from that day forward.
She wiped away her tears, pulled herself together, shook off the feelings of loss and closed the trunk. The pink trunk full of her childhood would have to go to the basement along with the rest of her treasures.
The door to the basement had a large brass deadbolt on the upper portion. Cara thought that was very odd, but she dismissed it and twisted the large knob to open the door. A cool breeze wafted up and hit her in the face. The basement smelled like dirt and old things. She smelled something strange, but couldn't quite place it. She carried the pink trunk down the dimly lit stairs and looked for a place to put it. She settled on an area under the stairs. The basement had wooden shelves against one wall that Cara imagined had been used for canned veggies and fruits, or homemade jams and preserves. She put the first box down in the alcove. On her way out to get another box, something drew her attention. On one of the shelves across the room, there was a picture frame.
She picked it up and looked at the middle aged woman in the picture. The lady wore a high collared lace dress and a stern look. Cara thought that the lady looked angry as she started up the stairs again with the frame in her hand, transfixed on the woman in the photo. That's when she heard the slam above her.
Her head jerked up and she saw that the door had slammed itself shut. She hurried up the steps, want
ing to be anywhere in the world but in this basement. She reached for the knob and nothing happened. She pushed against the door trying to open it, but it was no use. Feeling panicked, claustrophobic, she continued to ram the door with her shoulder, but it was not budging. The tears were coming, her breath was quickening, her pulse racing.
"Calm down." She told herself, breathing deeply.
She looked down at the picture again, and could have sworn that the woman in the picture now had a grin on her face. Cara squinted in the darkness to see the woman more clearly. Yes, the lady was smiling now. Cara was on the verge of a complete freak out when the door opened of its own accord. She ran up the two steps, out the door and shut it behind her, locking the deadbolt. Still holding the picture frame, she looked at it again. The woman's face was back to normal. One minute ago, Cara would have bet her life that the woman had been smiling at her. Now, she wasn't so sure.
She decided that the boxes could wait until Ben got home from the grocery store. She sat down at the table in the dining room and stared at the picture as she sipped her tea. The frame was heavy carved wood, early nineteenth century. It was quite beautiful. She turned it over in her hands. There was something about it that captivated her, something unexplainable. There were words carved into the back of the frame that she couldn't quite make out. She got up and got Ben's magnifying glass from his desk. When she placed it above the words, only fragments were legible, the rest being worn away by time.
"La_a, mid___ 1924" She read aloud. "What the hell?"
Cara jumped at least two feet in the air when Ben slammed the front door and burst into the dining room.