Ghost House

by Carol Colbert

  “I’m sorry, Dawn, but we seem to get such funny looks when we come in here, do I have lettuce in my hair or something?” Sarah teased.

  “It’s the house.” Dawn whispered, before continuing to ring up the rest of Sarah’s purchases. Sarah was so shocked, she wasn’t sure she had heard her correctly. “Excuse me, what house?” Sarah asked. “You are renting that house on the corner a few blocks down from here, right?” “Why, yes, but how would you know that?” Sarah asked, startled and a little annoyed that anyone would be keeping tabs on her family.

  “We have had people coming in here before talking about that house. It is supposed to be haunted.” Dawn explained.

  “HAUNTED?” Suzanne yelled. “No, Suzanne, Dawn is just kidding, aren’t you?” Dawn looked down at Suzanne and handed her a lollypop. “Here, Suzanne, I was just teasing your mother, I hope you have a good time at the show, what movie are you going to see?” “Shawn The Sheep.” Suzanne said, forgetting all about the word ‘haunted’ as she took the candy. “Thank you.”

  Sarah wanted to ask her for details, if there were any. However, a line started to form behind her and they didn’t want to miss the start of the show. “Thank you, Dawn, see you later.” Sarah said. “I’m sorry if…..” Dawn started to say. “No, no, it’s alright, honestly, I will have to stop in again soon, we can chat then perhaps.” Sarah said, not wanting Dawn to think she was angry. She wasn’t happy that Suzanne heard that bit of news, but she herself was very curious why anyone would think that the house was haunted.

  When they got back from their movie they let Cooper outside to run around and Sarah started making BLTs. “Riley, have you given any more thought to what you want to do for your birthday party?” Sarah asked.

  “Yes, I figure if we can’t go home and Brianna can’t come here, then just a cookout in the back yard will have to do. I was thinking though, since I only know Julia, would it be O.K. if I also invited a couple of friends I have met of hers when I go over there?” Riley said. “This is a big back yard and it would look like a loser’s birthday party with only two people coming.” Riley reasoned.

  “I can understand that, sure, you can invite some of Julia’s friends to come. Next year will be different, you will meet a lot of new friends once school starts.” Sarah said. “What do you want for your birthday?”

  “I know, I know” Suzanne said in an excited voice, holding her hand up and waving it. “What, Suzanne?” “A swimming pool, and a Tennessee house, and a new friend for Freddie and Mr. Pickles.” She finished, half out of breath. “Oh yeah, just what I want for MY birthday, butthead.” Riley said.

  “A pool would be nice. I am just not sure if a pool would be a practical investment given the weather here.” Sarah said, thinking out loud. “But it is very hot, so whenever we start to look for a new house to buy that will be ours, maybe we can get one with a pool.” She said.

  “Or how about we just go back home?” Riley said on her way outside.

  Dinner was almost ready when Jim walked in the door. “Something smells good in here.” He said. “Pot roast, call the girls in for me, will you?” Jim yelled out the door to come and get it. Cooper and Riley came in looking hungry. “Where is Suzanne?” Sarah asked. “I didn’t see her outside just now.” Jim said. “She wasn’t with me and Cooper.” Riley said.

  “Oh my God! Jim?” Sarah said, panic in her voice. Jim looked at his wife and wondered why she was so upset. “She is probably just playing with her evil Pickle doll.” He said, trying to lighten the mood. Sarah went into the bathroom and both bedrooms calling her name. No Suzanne.

  Sarah’s throat constricted and she had tears in her eyes as she screamed at the top of her lungs “SUZANNE!!!!”

  “I’m here, mommy.” Sarah threw open the door that led to the upstairs bedroom and there was Suzanne, sitting on a step near the top. The sun was coming in the window and it made Suzanne’s light blond hair shine almost like a hallo.

  “Get down here right this minute!” Sarah yelled. Suzanne looked at her mother, her blue eyes open wide. “Why, mommy? What did I do wrong?” “You could have died up there!” Sarah screamed.

  Seeing the terrified look on his young daughter’s face, Jim gently moved his wife to one side and said “Come on pumpkin, dinner is ready.” Suzanne bounced down the stairs and said “O.K. daddy!”

  Jim and the girls were well into their dinner by the time Sarah had composed herself and joined them. “Suzanne, the other day when I came back from the store, I found Cooper on the stairs where you were a little while ago. He was very hot and had trouble breathing because it is so hot upstairs. When we couldn’t find you, I was so scared and then when I saw you on those stairs, my heart just stopped!”

  “Your heart stopped, mommy?” Suzanne said, eyes wide again.

  “No, honey.” Jim said, glancing at his wife. “What mommy means is that you scared us. Didn’t you hear us calling for you? Why were you sitting on those steps? How long were you there?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s not hot where I was.”

  “It is too, Suzanne, we don’t use that room or even go up there because it is so hot.” Sarah said.

  “No, mommy, where I was it is cold. That is why I sit there. It’s too hot everywhere else.”

  “You have done that before?” Her father asked her.

  “Yep, me and Mr. Pickles and sometimes Freddie.”

  “Don’t make me put a lock on that door, Suzanne, you are never to open that door again, do you understand me?” Sarah said rather harshly. “Yes, mommy.” They ate the rest of their meal in silence and when the girls asked to be excused, they both ran into Suzanne’s bedroom. Cooper looked at Jim and Sarah and then trotted off to join the girls.

  “Don’t you think that was a bit extreme?” Jim asked. “No, I do not, you did not see Cooper that day, and he was panting so hard, he looked like he was dying. He had no energy or strength to him and he is just a puppy.” “But Suzanne knows how to open a door.” “Apparently so, what is your point, Jim?” Sarah snapped at him. “My point is that unlike Cooper, our daughter knows enough to open the door and walk out if she is feeling uncomfortable.” “Fine, it’s just me then. Excuse me.”

  Sarah got up and poured herself a glass of wine and went outside to sit at the picnic table. Her mind had a jumble of thoughts not one of them connecting to the others. She felt, rather than saw, someone looking at her and she looked towards the street. There was Mr. Joe Witters slowly driving past the house in his old beat up truck. “Go screw yourself!” Sarah said out loud, after the truck had passed.

  “Whoa, strong words Mrs. G.” Sarah jerked her head around and saw Alex standing behind her. “Where did you come from?” “I was walking by the front of the house and thought I saw Suzanne’s little Freddie doll over there by the fence, so I went to look. It wasn’t anything but an old newspaper though. Who were you talking to?”

  “Just the world in general.” Sarah answered, embarrassed to have been caught. “Hey, Alex, you weren’t around here last night late sometime with your basketball, were you?”

  “Last night? Naw, it was raining like a mother. Why?”

  “No reason. You did a good job on the grass. Did Mr. Gaunter pay you?” “Yeah, all taken care of, thanks.”

  “Alex, you have been around here a long time. Have you ever seen that garage door over there opened? Do you know what is in it?”

  “I kinda like that it’s always locked. No one who lives here can put a lawn mower in there. I don’t remember ever seeing it open. I did see that Witters guy around your house the other day, you weren’t home.”

  “What was he doing?” “He had a couple of gallons of water and he was watering the flowers over there by the basement window. I called to him just to let him know someone saw him, but he didn’t seem to care.”

  “I feel like ripping out every damn one of those flowers!” Sarah said before she could stop herself. “Dude, I could like have an accident with the lawn mower.” “No, sorr
y, Alex, forget I said anything. “Let me know if you change your mind.” Alex said as he bounced the ball down the street.

  Sarah sat there for a long time deep into her thoughts. She heard giggling behind her and turned, no one there. She heard it again and this time when she turned around she was just quick enough to see a little blond head duck down from the bedroom window.

  Sarah got up and walked over to the window and this time when Riley and Suzanne’s heads popped up Sarah said “BOO!” That had them all three laughing. Sarah looked down and noticed that she had stepped on a flower and broken the stem. Oh, what a pity. She thought, then stepped on the one next to it.

  Chapter 10

  “This sucks, mom!” Riley said looking out at the rain. “I know, honey, we will just have to move the party inside, it does not look like it is going to clear up before this afternoon, but even if it does, the grass will be too wet to have the party outside.”

  “I hate Michigan!” Riley yelled, storming off down the stairs.

  Sarah looked at the balloons and streamers, not sure what to do with them. The house wasn’t really big enough to have a party inside, unless they had it in the basement. I guess we will have to, either that or cancel at the last minute.

  Sarah called Riley up from the basement. “Look, it is not going to stop raining, would you rather have the party set up in the basement, or up here?” She asked her. She did not have time for Riley’s drama. “I guess downstairs.” Riley said as she sulked around the kitchen and plopped down into a chair in the dining room.

  “Why don’t you call Julia and ask her if she would like to come over early and the two of you can hang balloons and decorate the basement together?” “What am I, ten?” “You are sounding like it right now, Riley, work with me here.” “I guess.”

  Riley and her dad went to pick up Julia and a few last minute items. Suzanne was helping her mother make cookies and cupcakes for the party. Suzanne had as much icing on her clothes and face as she did on the four cupcakes her mom gave her to ice.

  Sarah was bending down to get her cookie sheet from the lower cupboard when she heard Suzanne giggle. “Mommy, you are so funny.” Sarah, believing the giggles had to do with her backside which was close to Suzanne said “It is a small kitchen, Suzanne, I can’t help it, have to get this cookie sheet out.” Suzanne giggled again. “Alright young lady, it is not that funny.” Sarah said. “Yes it is, you have a cupcake on your butt.” Suzanne said laughing out loud now.

  “What?” Sarah turned around and saw a frosted cupcake on the kitchen floor and Cooper lapping it up. “Suzanne that icing might make Cooper sick, don’t give him anymore.” “I didn’t, you did.” Suzanne said.

  The side door opened and Jim, Julia and Riley walked in with two other teenage girls and some grocery bags. “Hi mom. This is Ava and Emma. This is my mom and sister Suzanne and that is Cooper.” Riley finished her introductions pointing down at their little puppy with the pink icing all over his face.

  “Nice to meet you girls. Jim, could you fill the laundry tub with ice and put the bottled water and pop in it?”

  “Sure, girls, bring those bags downstairs.” When Riley and her friends had gone downstairs, Jim said “You might want to change before anyone else gets here.” “Why?” Sarah asked. “You have icing all over the back of your slacks, what did you do, sit on a cupcake?” Sarah did her best to turn and check out her backside, but she couldn’t see. Suzanne started to giggle again. “That is not funny, Suzanne!” Sarah said as she went to change her slacks.

  Two of Jim’s co-workers arrived with their spouses and daughters that Riley had met when they went to JAMICO for the company’s bring your daughter to work day. Alex knocked on the side door and had four of his buddies with him. While Sarah was glad that Riley had enough other kids to make the party more fun, she worried about having only one bathroom. It was hard enough for the four of them when they were used to having three bathrooms in their house in Tennessee. What was Jim thinking renting this little house? Sarah thought, not for the first time.

  The music was loud in the basement and Sarah heard the side door open and close a few more times while she and Jim were entertaining Jim’s co-workers. Jim and one of his friends from work left to pick up pizzas and Suzanne, although she had cleaned up and changed before the bulk of their company arrived, was walking around with icing on her face again.

  Sarah had gotten a glance of some of the teenagers when she got up to make another pitcher of ice tea. A few of those kids looked like they were closer to twenty than to fifteen. She was tempted to go downstairs to see how many kids had shown up, but she did not want to embarrass Riley. However, the last boy who had run upstairs to use their restroom looked way too old to be attending a fourteen year old’s birthday party. She was glad they had planned the party for one p.m. instead of later in the day. Sarah was worn out already.

  Jim’s co-worker’s wife was asking Sarah how she liked Michigan when their big flat screen TV came on, startling everyone. “That is strange, sorry.” Jim said, taking the remote to turn off the loud television. The TV would not turn off and eventually Sarah solved the problem by unplugging it from the wall. “Must be the wiring in this old house.”

  Suzanne, sitting on the ottoman with Mr. Pickles on her lap, giggled.

  Sarah had wondered if she should have put Cooper into one of the bedrooms with his food and water. She knew she hated it when animals jumped on her when visiting her friends in Tennessee. But Cooper minded his own business and did not jump or even bark at all the activity going on around him. He took Freddie in his mouth and went into Suzanne’s bedroom and jumped on the bed.

  A loud knock on the front door surprised Sarah. No one ever used that door. She opened it to find two police officers, one of whom had been there the night their basement window had been shattered.

  “Oh, hi, did you find out anything about who broke our window?” Sarah asked, trying to keep her voice down as to not bring attention to the policemen at the door. “No ma’am. We are here because we received a complaint about the noise.”

  “What? It is….three p.m. on a Saturday afternoon.” Sarah said after consulting her watch. “We are having a birthday party for our daughter, but they are in the basement, not outside. We have a living room full of people who have been able to carry on a normal conversation without having to speak loud. Who complained?”

  “Don’t have a name, no doubt one of the neighbors. You seem to have plenty of adults here to oversee the party. I don’t know, have you had any beef with any neighbor recently?” The officer asked. “We have to come out and check for ourselves when we receive a call like this.”

  “I understand, officer, but I haven’t met even one of our neighbors since we moved in here last month.”

  “If you plan on having more parties, if might be a good idea to introduce yourself to some of the folks around here. It is a good neighborhood. I personally don’t think the noise level warrants our attention, but like I said, we have to check out every complaint.”

  “I understand, thank you.” Sarah said closing the door and turning back to her guests.

  By five p.m. Jim’s co-workers had left, taking their daughters with them. The basement had cleared out as well. Riley had asked if Julia, Ava and Emma could spend the night and Sarah said that would be fine, as long as she spoke to their mothers on the phone first.

  “Do I dare ask what shape the basement is in now?” Jim asked Riley. “We will clean it up, dad, it’s not bad.”

  “Can I go down there now, Riley?” Suzanne asked. “No, you have to wait until tomorrow, it is still my birthday!” Riley said. Ava and Riley were the only two who laughed.

  Sarah and Jim cleaned up the living room and the girls brought up two garbage bags full of pop bottles. Sarah rinsed out each bottle and put them back into the bags to be recycled next time they did their grocery shopping.

  Jim and Sarah sat on their living room couch. “Well, what do you think? Think the kids had a
good time?” Jim asked.

  “Certainly sounded like it. I’m glad Riley had a good birthday. I was worried about the number of kids who showed up though for a moment.” Sarah said. “It bothers me that someone called the police about the noise. I honestly did not think the kids were overly loud and living on the corner like we do, it could have only been the people right next door to us. Have you ever met them, Jim?”

  “Nope, never even seen them, not that I have been looking. A few hours on a Saturday shouldn’t have bothered them, even if they were outside it shouldn’t. That’s what yards are for.” Jim said. Cooper walked up to Sarah and made eye contact and then ran half way to the side door and back again to her. “Not the only thing backyards are for.” Sarah said, getting up to let Cooper outside.

  As soon as Cooper cleared the door he started barking. Sarah was shocked to see Joe Witters standing to the left of their side door. “Mr. Witters!” She screamed.

  “Look at this mess! Cigarette butts, pop cans, just what is going on here?” Demanded Mr. Witters.

  Jim, who had heard the commotion, quickly went to aid his wife. “Good afternoon, Mr. Witters. What can we do for you?” Jim said, trying to keep his temper in check.

  “You can tell me why my backyard looks like a garbage dump for starters!” Joe Witters spat. Sarah and Jim exchanged glances. They were surprised to see the mess outside. There was a pizza box under the picnic table and a few more pop cans there as well.

  “We had a birthday party that just ended. There might be a cupcake left if you are interested.” Jim said, trying to smooth things over. But Sarah wasn’t having it, she was sick and tired of having this mean old man telling them what to do and when to do it. She squared her shoulders and looked Mr. Witters in the eye.

  “Mr. Witters. We have repeatedly asked you to keep your distance from this house. Yesterday I saw you drive past here, twice.”