"Uh-huh," Ava grinned. "What else?"
"Hey how about I show you the rest of the house?" He quickly changed the subject.
"I’d love that, but it’s late and I'm a little tired, could we start the tour tomorrow?" She asked.
"Of course Ava, of course, I’ll walk you to your room."
Once she was safely inside her room, Magnus walked two doors down and settled into his. He prayed that he wouldn’t have a sleep walking episode in the middle of the night. But his prayers wouldn’t be answered, as the clock struck three a.m., he arose quietly from his bed and made his way to the kitchen.
"Damn, I knew I should have brought a bottled water up from the kitchen," Ava swore as she climbed out of bed. She was thirsty, and as she cupped her hands under the bathroom faucet prepared to take a drink, nothing came out. After trying both knobs, she decided to make her way down to the kitchen. Although the long hallway was carpeted with a thick oriental runner, the floor still creaked against her bare feet. She hoped that she wouldn’t disturb Magnus as she slowly crept by his room. She noticed a small hint of light coming from beneath his bedroom door. He must be writing, she told herself as she made her way down the long, elaborate staircase.
The moon light coming in through the windows illuminated her way and as she walked into the kitchen, she saw Magnus standing in front of the pantry. His stance gave her a start and as she opened her mouth to speak to him he suddenly turned and looked at her.
His eyes seemed to glow with warmth and he looked at her as if he was seeing her for the very first time. A loving smile came across his face and he reached out to her. "Magnus, are you alright?" She asked. He was shirtless and his body glistened from the moonlight coming though the kitchen window. The scent of gardenias filled the air and it was intoxicating. She felt a sudden need to take his hand, and she allowed him to pull her into his embrace.
"I’ve been waiting for you for so long," he said in a dream like voice.
"And I'm here now," she replied just as dreamily.
He took her face in his hands and gently lifted her chin; it was then that he kissed her. Slowly and softly he ran his lips against hers before taking her into his warm embrace. He whispered in her ear as he ran his fingers along her back. "You’re my love, and my love for you will cease to exist, when those beautiful gardenias start blooming in the harshest of winter."
When she heard those words, her heart fluttered
Then, something she could not see ripped her from his arms and began pounding on her. She felt the tight grip of hands on her and could see her tank top being pulled away from her as she tried to get away. Screams for Magnus to help escaped her mouth as she fought hard against her invisible attacker. And then as suddenly as it started, everything seemed to stop. Sweat was pouring down her face and she knew then that she'd been beaten by an unseen force.
Magnus looked as if he'd been holding his breath; he let out a deep gasp. His eyes had returned to normal and his chest was heaving. He took a frightened Ava into his arms and quieted her sobs, neither of them understood what had just occurred but whatever it was, it was at that moment that they realized they would have to figure it out together.
Over cups of steaming hot tea, the two went over what had just happened. It was four thirty in the morning and they both knew that sleep would not come calling for them this night.
Once Magnus admitted that he had been doing his supernatural routine almost nightly, and filled her in on the little bit of history that he was aware of, things began to get a bit more clearer for her. She understood now that although Gavin sending her there had been a coincidence on his part, it certainly wasn’t one on hers. "It was all meant to be," she anxiously said to Magnus and continued to tell him the story of how she wound up accepting the job. She did not however let him in on the fact that she had caught her boss/boyfriend having sex with her best friend on his desk in the office.
At the end of her story, Magnus ran his hand through his hair. "My god Ava, do you think that we were put together so that we can figure out the history of this place? To find out why the son killed himself? Do you think he was that in love with a young slave girl? I mean so in love that it left some kind of imprint?" Magnus was growing more and more inquisitive by the minute. He was going into writer mode and the questions began to soar throughout his head.
Ava wrapped her arms around herself; she was getting goose bumps. Just thinking about the history of the place and what she’d seen when she first arrived was enough to make a person wonder in fear. But she knew that fear was simply caused by ignorance and she was not about to let an old legend or hocus pocus change her mind. She was determined to find out the history of the place and set free if she could, the two lovers that were obviously trapped here.
"Yes, that’s exactly what I think and it’s going to be up to us to find out what really happened Magnus," she said looking into his eyes.
She couldn’t help but wonder if he remembered kissing her, she’d never felt such warmth before and wondered if he thought he was kissing someone else. Or maybe I was the one kissing someone other than Magnus.
"Magnus, do you remember… I mean, I felt such a connection, those words. Did you…maybe we imagined it," her voice trailed off.
"I felt the connection too Ava and yes I remember what I said and that I kissed you. There’s no way that either of us imagined it, what transpired here tonight really happened, there’s no doubt in my mind," he assured her.
"Well if it did, someone or something wants to hurt me," she told him and reached for his hand.
As she made her way through the bayou, the old woman looked down upon the snakes. The water moccasin population had grown quite rampant around the swampland surrounding Montieu Plantation, more than they’d ever been. She smiled when she saw the insects buzzing around; off in the distance a wild boar ran through the thickened oak forest and an alligator silently made its way from water to land. All around her the bayou was coming alive and the old woman knew why, the dead were soon to be resurrected.
A faint gasp escaped the old woman’s mouth when she came upon the big house. The House had undergone an almost immediate change within the last few hours. She remembered how it looked only hours before when she’d come and snatched up the bloody tissue that the girl dropped. Now the place seemed to be living, and breathing. Seeing the almost instantaneous transformation of the house and the way the bayou began flourishing, the old woman no longer needed an affirmation as to whether or not the young woman was Celeste. The sun was rising and as she shielded her eyes from it, she looked up at the bedroom window of the young woman, and thanked the spirits for finally sending Celeste Montgomery back to her home.
Chapter Six
It was well after daybreak when Ava and Magnus decided to try and get some sleep; they knew that without at least a couple hours of rest, neither of them would be able to start digging into the background of the house. Even though the plantation had seen its share of owners throughout the years, most never stayed very long and the ones that did never thought or cared about the history of the place. Magnus managed to dig out a few documents from the library located near the back of the old mansion. He was sure there was more documentation and now that he had an extra hand from Ava, was positive that they’d find a lot more.
"Between the library, attic, and the town hall, we should be able to uncover a lot of information," he told Ava before they both retired for a few hours’ sleep. She was glad that the sun was shining brightly, it was peeking through the drawn curtains in long sunlit streaks and she welcomed the sight. Had it still been dark she would have found herself begging Magnus to let her sleep in his room. Normally she was quite skeptical when it came to anything paranormal, but after what happened to them in the kitchen just a few hours earlier she quickly became a firm believer. "I just hope that I can help them all, whoever they are," she muttered before she fell into a hard sleep.
Before he fell asleep, Magnus thought about everything that had
just occurred. Not only had Ava witnessed his nightly kitchen ritual but she hadn’t run away screaming, she had experienced something too. But unfortunately for her, the experience was bittersweet. Something had tugged on her while he stood there, lethargic. He wondered what the hell could be after her and why just her? Why hadn’t whatever it was gone after him as well? Sleep was weighing against his eyelids and before he gave in, he quietly made a promise; he wouldn’t let anyone or anything take Ava away from him.
Located deep in the heart of the bayou was a broken down old shanty, it had stood there for centuries. Even after the worse of hurricanes and tropical storms the old shack never faltered. Inside however was a different story, the floorboards had been tore up and even now as the bayou began to buzz with life, something underneath the shanty was stirring. This is where Sinta liked to practice her Voodoo.
Despite the fact that she knew that Celeste had been reincarnated into that of a modern young woman, there was still work that needed to be done. Sinta had to ask the spirits to help her gain access inside the big house. They had already granted her own resurrection and she knew that time was running out. She would have until summers end to convince the young woman that she indeed was the reincarnation of Celeste and that the man who now owned Montieu plantation was a direct descendant of the man who had raped and murdered her.
Sinta needed to provide protection for Celeste and the young woman who was staying in the house. The malevolent spirit of John DuPonte was strong and she needed to ask the spirit of Aizan for help to guard against him. Aizan was a strong spirit that offered protection against anyone or anything harmful; she was also very knowledgeable of the complexities of the spirit world. And Sinta knew that being mounted by the spirit Aizan meant that she would be able to protect Celeste and anyone else around her. Once the offerings were made to Aizan and the mounds of earth were sprinkled with oil and palm leaves, Sinta began to invoke the spirit. The ground underneath the shanty trembled fiercely and as the spirit answered her request, both Ava and Magnus awoke with a start. The sky grew dark and storm clouds rolled in along with the sound of rumbling thunder.
Magnus jumped out of bed and swung open his bedroom door. He didn’t bother knocking and rushed in to check on Ava. "Are you alright?" He asked. She was already sitting up in her bed, and the look on her face was one of peace.
"Yes," she said. "I'm alright, but you don’t look so good," she said as she got up and went to him. He was burning up with fever and all the color seemed to have drained from his face. "What the hell is happening to me Ava?" He asked. He had felt fine before he fell asleep and now he felt sick to his stomach.
"Come here and lie down." Ava led him over to her bed and gently coaxed him to get in.
"I think I’ve got some aspirin in my bag," she said and reached inside. When she couldn’t find any, she went into the bathroom and placed a washcloth under cold water from the sink. She needed to bring his fever down and something told her that this was the way to do it. Magnus closed his eyes as he let her caress his skin with the cool towel. His skin felt like it was on fire but the moment she laid her hands upon his face he began to feel the fire dissipate.
The storm clouds lifted and the sun shone brighter than ever into the room. It was then that the room began to take on a life of its own. The painted walls had turned to papered ones as the once feminine looking room turned into something more masculine. Ava and Magnus sat in awe, neither were afraid at seeing this transformation, it was as if the room was going back in time and it was taking them with it. From out in the hall footsteps could be heard. As the sound drew nearer, Ava sat closer to Magnus. Whoever and whatever was coming, was coming into her room. They quickly exchanged looks as the two of them sat frozen and watched the antique doorknob being turned.
"I’ll be back down in a minute mother!" The young man shouted before closing his door. Ava grabbed hold of Magnus’s hand and squeezed tight, she didn’t know whether to scream, say hello or just sit there, she decided to just sit there and observe all she could. This was happening for a reason. But she was incredibly grateful that Magnus was by her side.
They watched as the young man walked around his room towards his desk. It was obvious that he couldn’t see them and both were thankful for that. She was cutting off the circulation to his hand but Magnus didn’t open his mouth. He liked having her so close to him, even if it was during a supernatural event, they were witnessing a part of everyday life on the Montieu plantation. The young man drew from his desk a sheet of paper, dip pen and inkwell. He spoke out loud as he began writing the words. "My dearest Celeste, oh how I enjoy our time together, meet me tonight at our special place.
Forever yours,
Will."
Ava and Magnus exchanged looks and when they did, the room took them back to the present time. The two continued to sit on the bed; it was as if they were paralyzed. Ava was still holding on to his hand when she spoke. "Please tell me that really just happened," she said in as calm a voice as possible. She was trembling now and Magnus could feel her shudder. He pulled her closer. "Yes it did," he said and let his eyes wander to the place where the young man’s body seemed to disintegrate. Ava looked at him with amazement; a smile crept across her face as he boldly leaned in and kissed her.
She returned his kiss with fierce determination, but then something came over him, his body jerked and he began turning his head from side to side as if he was trying to shake something loose. In a swift move he pushed Ava down on the bed and began pulling and pawing at her clothing, things were getting too rough, he was getting too rough. When Ava tried to protest, she felt his hands wrap around her throat. Immediately she knew that it was not Magnus who was trying to hurt her, it was someone or something else. She quickly began reasoning with him. "Magnus, I know you can hear me! This is not you Magnus. I know you would never hurt me, please fight him Magnus; fight him!" She shouted. "Let him go!" She screamed and with all her strength managed to push him off, Magnus landed on the floor with a thump.
It took him a minute to realize what was going on. "Oh my god Ava, did I hurt you?" He reached out to touch her but recoiled.
"Magnus, I'm alright, it’s alright," she said and gathered him in her arms. "I know that wasn’t you. That thing, whatever it is took control of you, and we’ve got to figure out who it is and get them the hell out of this house." The two sat like that on the floor, holding each other for a very long while.
"You know Magnus, you really should have mentioned this whole ghost possession, haunted thing in your job description," she teased. It was noon time and the two had gone outside for some much needed fresh air. While they walked around the property, Ava couldn’t stop thinking about how despite everything that was going on, even though it was only her second day there, she had felt such a strong attraction to Magnus and why did the conversations between them flow so damn easy?
She had known Gavin for a lot longer than she’d known Magnus and yet with Gavin, sometimes it was like pulling teeth to get him to talk, or even listen for that matter. Except when they were making love, when he made love to her it was as if they were the only two people alive. Maybe that’s just how I wanted it to be, she thought to herself. But maybe Gavin was simply telling me what he thought I wanted to hear.
She felt so much closer to Magnus than she’d ever felt to any other man. But it wasn’t just a physical thing, it was an intellectual thing and she felt strangely vulnerable because of it.
While she listened to Magnus talk, her conscience broke in. What does your intuition tell you Ava? Do you think this guy is for real or some nut job trying to pull a fast one on you? After all, he did try to attack you on your bed, her conscience reminded her. And he was also able to fight it. Besides, I know that wasn’t him, she silently replied back. She had been so wrapped up in her thoughts that she hadn’t noticed that Magnus had walked up ahead and now stood frozen as he stared at the appearance of the front of the house.
The pillars that were crumbling yes
terday had now become anew, the layers of peeling paint had somehow smoothed themselves out, and although the grass was still tall and dead; wild flowers had seemingly sprouted and bloomed overnight. The step that had caused Ava to trip looked as if it had never been damaged. Magnus turned and looked at her. "Ava, this house is glad you’re here," he said. "There’s no other explanation."
Given what they’d both been through in the last twenty four hours, Ava quietly agreed. "Now all we have to do is figure out what all of it means," she said as she touched the smooth spot where the step had been broken.
"We’ll talk about it over some lunch, grab your purse, I'm taking you out. The both of us could use some time away from this place," he said.
Chapter Seven
From the outside, Sam’s Seafood Shack looked as if it hadn’t seen a customer in days, the parking lot in front of the small restaurant was empty.
Ava gave Magnus a hesitant look. "Trust me Ava, it may look like nothing on the outside but the food is amazing," he said and led her inside. The tiny place may have looked like a shack on the outside but once they walked in, wonderful smells instigated their senses to come alive. Ava smiled when she heard the lively sound of the blues coming from an old jukebox in the corner. Nothing about the place looked modern and she liked that, she liked the feeling of stepping back in time. She liked it even better as she was sure there would be no ghostly apparitions offering her a menu or pouring her drink.
"So what do you think?" Magnus asked. He’d hoped that she would like the place. He remembered the first time he’d taken Jeanette there and needless to say, she never wanted to return. But something told him that Ava was different, she wasn’t all about glamour and glitz, she was down to earth and he liked that about her.
"The looks on the outside are a bit deceiving, but this certainly makes up for it," she said while glancing around at the French inspired, eclectic creole decorations. "I bet the food tastes just as good," she beamed. "Thank you for suggesting we go out Magnus, you were right it does feel good to get out of that house."
Echoes in the Bayou Page 5