Gifted

by Campbell, Jamie

  She was floating down the corridor of the second level after leaving the blue room. All the doors lining the walls were closed tight, except for the living room at the end. Soft moonlight was emanating from the doorway. She moved towards it. The room was aglow with the light silvery moonbeams. She glided around the room, the piano was still sitting in the corner. As she moved away from it, she thought she saw someone sitting on the stool, poised to start playing. It had looked like a woman, small and petite, dressed in a long black gown. When she looked again, it was gone.

  At the window that overlooked the backyard, she could see outside. It wasn’t the backyard she was used to seeing though, instead it was a graveyard. Hundreds and hundreds of tombstones lined the grounds, it seemed to go on forever in the distance. Large stone crosses marked some of the graves, others had wilted flowers marking someone’s visit.

  She backed away from the window and turned to face the room again. She glanced at the piano, the figure wasn’t there. She looked at the lounge suite, one of the cushions was on the floor. She was certain it hadn’t been there only moments before.

  The room suddenly felt oppressive, she wanted to get out of there as fast as she could. She had a sense of fear, that at any moment the room could attack. She glided back through the doorway and closed the door behind herself, hoping that would keep whatever was in there away from her.

  Moving down the corridor, she tried the doorknob of the mauve room, it was locked. She moved on past the staircase to the green room and tried the handle, it clicked to unlatch. She pushed the door open and looked inside. It was too dark to see anything. She felt around for the light switch and flicked it on. The room lit up and Charlie screamed.

  There was a black shadow that filled the room, the light did nothing to penetrate the haze. She stood staring at the mass, unable to move or scream anymore. She was inexplicably frozen in place.

  From the black haze came a face, not immediately recognisable as human. It had eyes that glowed orange, and wore a grin that sent a shiver down Charlie’s spine. It hovered there right in front of her, teasing her to run away. She stood steadfast, not from bravery but because she couldn’t summon up the strength to move any part of her body. The entity was sucking the life out of her, all her energy was being draining by an imaginary pipe between the two. The face dissipated back into the haze and was gone, just as quickly as it had appeared.

  Charlie dropped to the ground, unable to stay upright any longer. She felt like she had never slept for even one night in her entire life. She couldn’t move, her body was lifeless. It was the ultimate form of torture, being alive on the inside while dead on the outside. She tried to scream but her mouth wouldn’t move, her lungs wouldn’t co-operate.

  She moved her eyes to look at the floor beneath her and started to panic. The floor was giving way to a black hole that was growing larger and larger. Soon, it would be big enough to envelop her. And then what would happen? She tried to move again, but it was a pointless exercise. Nothing she could do with her mind would move even her little finger. All she could do was watch the hole expand, she dreaded what was about to happen.

  The bed that was sitting solidly in the centre of the room was swallowed by the black hole. It slipped into the floor and disappeared. Next was the bedside table, then the lamp. Each piece of furniture slipping away into the unknown. Her eyes grew wide, the hole was inches away from her body. The floor mat she was half lying on was sucked into the hole, it pulled her closer before giving way.

  Her legs felt the sensation first, it was a cold she hadn’t experienced before. It was as if she was being frozen from the outside in. First her skin developed goose bumps, then it was like her bones were nothing more than icicles encased in snow. They hung over the hole, at first in suspension, but then they were being vacuumed in by the black matter. They pulled at the rest of her body, tugging and coaxing her to fall in. The coldness flowed up through her abdomen, it gripped at her chest and tunnelled down both her arms.

  The last to experience the chilling sensation was her head. She shivered, her hands shaking so violently that she hardly recognised them as her own. Then she slid into the black hole, the only sound being the voice inside her head screaming.

  * * *

  Charlie awoke with a start and sat straight up in the bed. She was cold, even in the warmth of the summer night. She looked down at her hands, they were shaking but nothing like in the dream. She slid out of the bed and went to the window to pull it closed. As she walked through the moonlight flooding into the room, she noticed her breathing was causing a cloud of frosting mist. Surely she couldn’t be that cold? She quickly closed the window and dived back into the bed. Pulling herself closer to Blair, she pressed herself against his body, hoping to warm up. He didn’t wake up.

  She closed her eyes and tried to return to sleep but every time she did, she thought she felt the coldness slide over her body again. She snuggled into Blair’s side, hoping that if she did fall asleep again, the nightmare wouldn’t return to finish her off. She could recall in vivid detail how it felt to be sneered at by the black mass with a face like a demon. She also remembered how it felt to be pulled into the black hole and then fall into nothingness. She tried to push her thoughts aside, clearing her mind for nothing but peaceful sleep.

  * * *

  “Honey, wake up.” Blair patted Charlie on the shoulder, trying to get her to stir. She rolled over to face him.

  “What time is it?”

  “It’s about eight a.m. Time to get up. It looks like it’s going to be a nice day outside.” He got out of the bed and disappeared into the adjoining bathroom. “How did you sleep?”

  Charlie heard the shower start to run and raised her voice. “Terrible. I had a really bad dream. What about you?”

  “I slept fine. I heard you talking in your sleep at some stage, thought it better not to wake you. They say you shouldn’t wake someone who’s having a bad dream.”

  “I think that’s for sleepwalkers. Was I saying anything comprehensible?”

  “No, just mumbling.”

  She pushed back the bedcovers and walked to her suitcase. She shuffled around in the clothes until she found a suitable outfit to wear. She had come prepared for house work, choosing a simple pair of blue shorts and a white tank top. There was going to be nothing glamorous about this holiday. She wasn’t disillusioned about the fact that she was here for a domestic purpose only.

  Blair turned the shower off and stepped on to the cool white tiles of the bathroom floor. He dressed quickly and started to shave. Charlie stepped into the shower, making sure the water was hot. Her mind still drifted back to the nightmare and how cold she had been in the night. Every time she thought of it, a shiver coursed down her spine.

  “I think we’ll be painting the conservatory today. What do you think? A good place to start?” Blair mumbled while brushing his teeth.

  “As good a place as any. Does Cate have the paint for that room? Or do we need to get supplies first?”

  “She’s already got the paint and brushes. We should be able to start straight away. It should be fun, getting in some manual labour for a change. Sure beats looking at text books and wondering what the hell they’re on about.”

  “I agree. I think it helps Cate too, knowing that we’re here.” She turned off the shower and dried herself before getting dressed. She joined Blair at the vanity and finished getting ready. Her routine was simple, brush teeth and hair, apply moisturiser and all done. She wasn’t the type of girl who had to cake on make-up just to go to the letterbox. It was one of the many things Blair loved about her.

  They walked down the stairs and entered the kitchen where Rahni and Cate were already finishing their breakfast. Sleeping in so late had purely been an accident, they were usually early risers to ensure they made it to classes on time. They greeted everyone with a “Good Morning.”

  “So, conservatory today.” It was a statement rather than a question. Blair poured himself a bowl of corn
flakes and sat down.

  “Are you sure you don’t mind? I can do it myself over time,” Cate had a touch of guilt in her voice.

  “Of course we don’t mind Sis. That’s what we’re here for. Believe it or not, we’re actually looking forward to it. What are you two doing today?”

  “I thought I’d help you in the conservatory. Rahni will probably play in the playroom,” she looked at her daughter, who nodded while taking a bite of her vegemite toast. Cate turned her attention back to her guests. “Was the room comfortable last night?”

  Charlie thought about just how uncomfortable she was last night, but that had nothing to do with the room. She plastered a smile on her face. “Yeah, it was great. I love the shade of blue that the bedspread is made out of.”

  “Thank you, it’s called serillion blue. I fell in love with the colour as soon as I saw it in the bedding store. James said it reminded him of the sky just before the sun disappeared at night. It thought it was a very appropriate description.”

  She picked up the empty breakfast bowls and placed them in the dishwasher. Charlie and Blair exchanged a glance, unsure what to say. Grabbing a damp cloth, Cate proceeded to wipe down the table. When she was finished, she clapped her hands together as if to get everyone’s attention.

  “Well, there’s no time like the present - let’s get to work.”

  She marched out of the kitchen, down the foyer and into the conservatory at the back of the house. Charlie and Blair trailed close behind.

  The sun came over the house from front to back, at this time of the day the conservatory was in shade. While it was still warm in the room, it was pleasant rather than stuffy. If they attempted to work here during the afternoon, it would be too hot to be comfortable. Blair’s suggestion of starting there was well thought out.

  Cate laid out an old cream sheet to protect the floor while Charlie put together the paint brushes. The walls were original, being so uneven it was useless to use a roller brush on them. It was going to be the old fashioned paint brush the whole way. It would be more time consuming but couldn’t be done any other way. Blair carried over the paint tin and opened the lid with a metal rod. He stirred the paint to make sure the colour was even. Cate had chosen a soft buttery yellow colour to go on the walls. It was bright enough to bring a light airy feeling to the room, yet not bright enough to blind people as they entered.

  Once the edges and cornices were covered with masking tape, they set about painting the walls. There were only three walls to the conservatory, the fourth was all set it glass. They each chose a wall and started smearing on the yellow paint. The room was large, the distance between the walls made it difficult to talk without shouting. Cate retrieved a radio from the kitchen and plugged it in. The pop music filled the silence and made the mundane task slightly more interesting.

  By lunchtime, nearly all the walls were finished. After the two end walls were complete, the girls both helped Blair with the middle wall. It ran the length of the house and was by far the most labour intensive. Blair could easily be forgiven for not completing it by himself. They continued to focus their attention on the one wall until it was finally all covered in buttery yellow paint. By this time they were exhausted and the room was starting to warm up like an oven. They put their brushes down for lunch and went back to the kitchen.

  Cate made sandwiches and called for Rahni to come downstairs and join them. Her small footsteps could be heard moments later running down the staircase. She ran into the kitchen and sat herself down on the chair next to her mother. They ate their sandwiches in silence, all the adults were feeling the effects of a morning’s work of painting. Rahni was more interested in her lunch than anything else.

  When they had completed their meal, Blair helped Cate clear the table while Charlie was led upstairs to play with Rahni. She hadn’t been able to refuse the begging of the seven year old. They had already decided that they would continue their painting tomorrow, this afternoon was going to be too warm to get any productive work done. They had achieved enough for one day.

  They climb the stairs and walked down the corridor until they came to the playroom at the end of the hall. It was a large room, right next to Rahni’s pink bedroom. When Cate had first told Charlie her plans for the room, she was sceptical. Why a child needed a whole second room to play in was beyond her. But looking around the room now, she understood. In the corner was the large dollhouse they had played with yesterday, next to that was a castle cubby house made out of plywood and big enough to comfortably accommodate several children. At the other end was a hammock full of stuffed toys and cushions scattered all over the floor. In the centre of the room was a small table and chairs, a tea set was laid out ready for some imaginary tea and cupcakes. There were so many toys filling the room that any toy store in the city would be jealous.

  “Come on, we’ll have some tea,” Rahni took Charlie’s hand and led her over to the small table. They both sat down in the miniature chairs. Rahni picked up the ceramic teapot and began to serve the invisible tea. She offered Charlie a teacup which she accepted with a pleased look on her face.

  “That looks yummy,” she beamed. She watched as Rahni kept pouring. In total, she set the place for three people. “Who’s the third person joining us?”

  “Alice. She’s sitting there, can’t you see her?”

  Charlie looked at the empty seat, she didn’t want to upset her niece by not playing along. She doubted whether her psychology professor would agree, but it seemed wrong to ignore the little girl’s imaginary friend. “Of course I see her, I just didn’t realise she had joined us already. Just to make sure we’re looking at the same person, what does she look like?”

  “She’s got grey hair and she’s wrinkly.”

  “How old do you think she is?”

  “Old - like great-grandma.”

  In her mind, Charlie scanned through her family tree. Her grandmother had passed a few years ago, Rahni wouldn’t have known her. She must have been referring to someone on her father’s side of the family. “That old, huh? What’s she wearing?”

  “A white nightie, it goes all the way down to the floor. Not that she’s very tall anyway.”

  “Right, that sounds just like the person I can see too.”

  “You can see her too? Really? You’re not just lying?”

  “Well, I think I can see her, but I don’t think she’s as clear to me as she is to you,” Charlie really didn’t want to disappoint the girl, she had to keep up the charade.

  “Can you hear her? She’s talking to you.”

  “No, she must just be talking to you. What’s she saying?”

  “She said that you should leave.”

  Charlie was taken aback by the comment, she thought Rahni had been pleased to have her there. Was it possible she was conveying her real opinion through the guise of her ‘friend’?

  “Why should I leave? I thought you wanted to have some tea with me?”

  “She’s not talking about the tea, she’s talking about staying here in the house.”

  “Rahni, do you not want me to stay here for a few weeks? I thought it would be nice, Blair and I helping your mum around the house.”

  “Auntie Charlie, of course I want you to stay here - you can live here forever if you want. It’s Alice, she doesn’t think you should be here.” Rahni kept looking from the empty seat to Charlie and back again, it was starting to make her aunt feel very uneasy.

  “Can you ask Alice why I shouldn’t be staying here? I hope I haven’t said anything to offend her,” she tried to keep her tone light, playing along with the game.

  “She says it’s not safe.”

  “What does she mean?”

  “She said that for someone like you, this house is dangerous. She said that you should leave straight away.”

  “That’s not very nice of Alice. Does she say anything else about me?”

  Rahni shook her head, no. “I don’t feel like playing anymore.” She put down her teacup and back
ed her chair away from the table. Charlie did the same.

  “Okay then, do you want to play any other game?”

  “No, I think I’m going to help Mum,” she mumbled and stalked out of the room, leaving Charlie to watch her go. As soon as she was out of sight, Charlie looked again at the empty chair. It looked innocent enough. She definitely couldn’t see anyone sitting there, let alone an old woman.

  She was starting to think Rahni was suffering from her father’s death a lot more than she had originally thought. Maybe she should concentrate on helping her more than Cate over the next few weeks. You can easily patch a wall, but fixing a child is a whole other ball game.

  She shook her head, it was silly to be taking an imaginary person’s words so seriously. However, she still couldn’t stop replaying the conversation in her head. Combining the warning from an invisible person with her nightmare from the previous night, it gave her the creeps. She didn’t want to be in the room alone anymore.

  She left the playroom and headed back downstairs. In the living room, Cate was ironing a basket of clothes. Blair was keeping her company while watching the television. She sat down next to him on the lounge.

  “Blair, do you feel like going for a walk?”

  “Sure, let’s go,” he readily agreed. Anything to get away from daytime television.

  They extended the invitation to Cate and Rahni who both declined. Charlie was hoping they would, she needed to just get away from everything for half an hour. A walk in the fresh air would help clear her mind and put everything back into perspective. They walked through the foyer and out the front door.

  A path ran from the stoop and diverted down the front lawn into a Y shape. The left path took the walker across to join the driveway, the right path led down the front lawn and out to the street. They chose the right hand side path and walked until they met the road. From there they turned right again and continued down the street.