Emma gazed out the window. Funny, but she had never really noticed the old farmhouse before. But then again, she never had the chance to explore the area around the farm; her visits were always just for the day. “Yeah. It is kind of creepy. I’ll give you that. It looks ancient.” The downstairs windows and door were boarded up while the upstairs windows peered out at the world. Around it the grass was raggedy and long while a lone tree stood like a sentry next to it.
Grace took a deep breath. “I’d love to know the history.” She glanced over at Emma and a small smile appeared on her lips. “Someday, I’d like to be a writer.” She laughed. “I can’t decide whether I want to write like Hemingway or Stephen King. That place is definitely in Stephen King territory though.”
For the first time, Grace seemed normal—vulnerable even—the haughty facade dropped for a moment. Emma smiled. “Grandpa probably knows about it. We should ask him.” When she looked at her cousin, her eyebrows pulled together. “Did Aunt Cynthia ever tell you anything about that house?”
Grace’s eyebrows rose and she sighed, a long and soulful sound. “Not really. Just to stay away from it.” She smiled, changing the subject. “I wonder what Lily and Julia are up to. If I know my sister, she’s probably petting the pigs or cuddling chickens. She’s nuts about animals.” Her eyes closed and she huffed. “Not so good with people but give her a dog or cat and she’s all over that. She wants to be a vet when she grows up.”
“Not Julia. Her plans don’t include any sort of physical labour. If she can’t marry a rich guy, she intends on being a comedian. She’s crazy about Melissa McCarthy.” Emma’s face flushed thinking of the impression her kid sister had done earlier. “She’s actually pretty funny when she gets going.”
Grace shrugged and looked down her fine nose as she scanned the room with her eyes. With a disdainful look now, she said, “This room is smaller than my bedroom in New York. For all of us? And, I suppose we’ll all have to share the one bathroom in this place. How is that ever going to work?”
Emma could feel her neck muscles tighten. As if a switch was thrown, the old Grace she knew with disdain was back. “Grandpa put in an extra bath last year. It’s on the main floor so no, we all don’t have to take turns, sharing a bathroom.” Nana and Grandpa’s house was a farm house, not a penthouse suite. She and Julia shared their own bathroom at home and there were two other bathrooms besides that, but you didn’t hear her going on about it.
Twenty-seven days, eighteen hours and counting. She turned and walked out of the room, calling over her shoulder, “I’m going down. Nana made a cake and they’re waiting for us. They sent me up to help you but I think you’ve got it covered.”
Downstairs, she found Nana in the kitchen slicing the cake into sections. Grandpa sat at the table nursing a cup of tea in his big, gnarled paws. He looked over when he saw Emma and his eyes lit up. “Gracie all settled in?”
Emma sauntered over to him and put her arm over his shoulder, leaning in to give his cheek a kiss. “I think so.” There was no way she was going to let on about Grace’s snide comment. “Do you need some help with that, Nana?”
The old woman turned and shook her head. “Nope. But you can give a shout out the back door to call Lily and Julia in.” She slid slices of the cake on plates she had stacked and smiled as Emma stepped up next to her. She wiped her hands on her apron and turned to face her husband. “Actually this can wait a few minutes. Dan, don’t you have a surprise waiting in the barn for the girls?”
Emma’s head swivelled to face her grandfather and she saw the twinkle in his eyes.
He rose to his feet, smiling over at her. “Now’s a good a time as any, I guess. C’mon.” When they passed out of the kitchen he paused at the bottom of the stairs and called out. “Gracie! Come down here, darlin’.”
Emma watched as Grace’s hand fluttered on stair rail as she came down the stairs, the heels of her princess sandals making sharp tocks with each step. Coming around the newel post, she managed a small smile when her eyes met Grandpa’s. “What’s up?”
It was Nana who answered. “It’s a surprise. I think you’ll like it. Your Grandpa’s hit every garage sale in the county. He’s gone to a lot of effort.”
Emma turned to look at her grandmother. There was a note of warning in her eyes. They’d better like the surprise or she’d let them know about it. It was sweet the way Nana was so protective of him.
Grandpa led the way through the family room and out the back door. The red stained barn was about fifty feet away, the wide doors standing open. Next to them, a man with steel grey hair, in faded blue coveralls was hooking up a long flatbed trailer to a tractor. Emma’s stomach tightened into a knot. It was Frank. She saw him straighten and his eyes were like a hawk’s never missing a thing watching all of them. Would his face crack if he ever smiled?
Julia and Lily appeared from around the side of the barn. It would be hard to tell they were cousins if you didn’t know better. Julia was spritely and full of life, always grinning whereas Lily looked like she was ready to take flight any minute, her eyes darting every which way if they weren’t looking down. With her reddish blonde hair that hung in limp strands and pale, sallow complexion, her dark blue eyes with the long dark lashes were her one redeeming feature, if she ever dared to look at you.
“Hey! You should see the ducks in the pond out back. They’re so cute! One of them has a dozen babies that follow her around everywhere.” Julia skipped past Lily, making her way over to Emma. Her dark brown hair was a mass of bouncing curls above her wide grin. She had dressed for the farm that morning in jean shorts and an oversized Ottawa Senators’ T shirt.
“Glad you like them. That’s going to be a chore you’ll like—feeding them grain!” Grandpa chuckled and nodded to the open door. He could barely conceal his excitement. “But first, the bribe!”
“Go on with you! Just admit you liked getting them the—” Nana caught herself short and shook her head. “Oops. Almost gave it away.” Her dark eyes danced watching all of them.
“You’re right, of course.” Grandpa stepped into the barn and beckoned for the girls to follow.
Emma sneaked a peek at her cousin Grace. The older girl was choosing her steps carefully, avoiding any loose questionable dirt, while her nose was wrinkled with pinched nostrils. The barn smell of the animals and manure wafted heavy in the sultry air.
When Emma stepped inside, her mouth fell open in a grin. Four bicycles were lined up, leaning against the low barrier of the first horse stall. The second biggest, the one she knew was intended for her was purple. “Wow! Thanks Grandpa! How did you manage to get my favourite colour?” She grabbed the handlebars and wheeled it out the doorway and into the sunshine.
Behind her she could hear, Julia. “Grandpa! Thanks!”
Emma turned her head and watched Grace pull the biggest bike, the pink one, from the wall. The corners of her lips curled in a smile that didn’t extend to her eyes. “Thanks Grandpa. Where’s the gear shifters?”
Nana took a step over and her eyes were cool. “There aren’t any. You’ll just have to make do like the rest of the girls.”
Grace nodded slowly and then looked down at the bike, the streamers hanging from the handle bar suddenly very interesting to her.
Grandpa was on a roll with the bikes. He helped Lily with the last one, a yellow one. “If the seats or handle bars need adjusting, Frank will help you with that. He knows where all the tools are. “
Emma’s leg rose and she straddled the bike. There was no way she was asking Frank for any help. When her behind rested on the seat and she was able to touch the ground with her toes, she grinned. She wouldn’t need his help. Good.
Grace wheeled her bike next to Emma’s and then a genuine smile flashed on her face. “We’ll be able to explore!” She turned to face Grandpa when he appeared next to Lily. “Grandpa? That place across the field looks kind of neat, in a spooky kind of way. I’d like to check it out, up close. What’s the story—”
“STAY AWAY FROM THERE!” Grandpa’s dark eyes had narrowed, staring back at Grace. He glanced over at Frank, and the two men exchanged a silent gaze for a moment. Grandpa sighed and looked down at the ground, his face dark. “You can ride to the village, explore the lanes, go to the beach but that house...that’s one place that’s out of bounds for you kids.”
Emma could only stare at her Grandpa silently. She had never heard him raise his voice to her or anyone for that matter. He was always cheerful and smiling. This was something he really was in a knot about. Her face tightened but she could only wonder what it was about the place that had him so angry. It was just an old house that looked like it could fall over with the first gust of wind.
Nana spoke lightening the mood. “Don’t worry. There’s lots of great spots to explore without going over to the Hanson place. It’s dangerous to set foot in there. You might get hurt, going through the floor or something falling on you.”
Grace’s voice was softer when she spoke. “I didn’t mean to upset you, Grandpa.” Her cheeks were flushed when she looked up at him.
Before he had a chance to say anything more, Lily pushed forward and she looked up at Nana. “Can we ride to the beach now?”
Emma’s head pulled back staring at her shy cousin. Lily had tried to ease the tension and get past this. She obviously felt sorry for her sister and was uncomfortable with the situation. Still, it had taken some gumption to speak up. More than Emma would ever have given her credit for.
Nana stepped over and placed her hand on Grandpa’s arm, patting it gently. “Not now, dear. I’ve got a surprise for you in the kitchen. How does cake and ice cream sound?”
Julia and Lily spun around and took the bikes back to the barn. They were half way to the house by the time that Emma balanced her bike against the low wall. She glanced over at Grace who was setting her bike to the side. Two pink spots still showed on Grace’s cheeks and her lips were a straight line.
Once more, Emma surprised herself that there was a leaden lump in her stomach feeling sorry for her older cousin. Grace had only mentioned the old house but Grandpa acted like it was such a big deal. “C’mon Grace! We’d better hurry or our sisters will eat all the cake.”
Grace rolled her eyes and sniffed. “Who cares?” Her nose wasn’t quite as high in the air on the walk back to the house. Grace wasn’t used to getting yelled at. Actually, neither was Emma.
The old house across the way was a real sore spot with their grandfather. It was something they’d have to put out of their mind and definitely avoid the subject with him. But knowing this, was like trying to not picture a blue elephant after someone told you not to think of it. If she felt that way, what was Grace feeling?
Chapter 4
At supper, Grandpa was back to his usual cheery self. He looked at each of them in turn, affection shining through from his weathered face.”It means a lot to us to have you girls here for a month. I only wish we’d done this sooner. It’s sad that it took us this long.” He shook his head. “It took selling the farm to think of this.”
Emma felt her throat grow tight and she swallowed hard to fight the sudden sadness that rose in her chest. Grandpa had to be almost seventy. She remembered other visits when he’d been a lot spryer. Now, he walked more slowly and sat down more. Frank was probably the same age but he was in better shape, despite the slight limp when he walked. If not for him, Grandpa would probably have sold the farm long before this. It had to be hard on her grandparents changing from a lifetime working the land.
She glanced over at her Nana. Her hair had gone completely white in the past few years and she looked a lot more frail than she’d ever seen her. Her hands were still steady but they were mottled with age spots and her fingers were thin and bony. But still, even though she was more stooped, her eyes were bright and she was usually smiling.
Nana shook her head and she looked over at Grandpa, sighing with a smile. “Family. That’s the most important thing. Remember that girls. You should get to know each other better. Someday...well, you might need each other. We’ll be long gone.”
“Let’s not talk about that. It’s too sad.” Julia pushed the peas around her plate, trying to hide them under her slice of beef. “I’m looking forward to playing in the hayloft.” She looked over at Lily. “We can make a fort or jump from the rafters.”
Lily nodded and her eyes were bright watching Julia. “That would be fun. And the animals...” She grinned.
Grandpa chuckled and sat back in his chair. “Speaking of animals...” He looked at each of them and winked. “I think it would be good if you did a couple of hours of chores in the morning and then had the afternoon and evening to do whatever you want.”
Emma’s gaze flickered between her grandparents. They had this all planned out, not that she minded helping with the chores. Grace looked like she had stepped in dog poo from the set of her lips, but Julia and Lily were eager.
Grandpa leaned forward and reached across the table to pat Grace’s hand. “Don’t worry, dear. It’s nothing horrible like shoveling manure or feeding the pigs. Just a bit of weeding the garden and helping your Nan with the dishes and clean-up.” He turned to Lily and Julia. “Since you two like the chickens and ducks, it’ll be your job to feed them.” He glanced over at Nana. “Nothing hard about it, just adding some structure to the day.”
Emma chuckled. The apple didn’t fall far from the tree. Her Dad was the stickler about chores at home. “I don’t mind. Julia and I are used to making our beds and cleaning the mess in our rooms. Gardening is new, but we can learn how to do it.” Emma glanced at Grace again and the corners of her mouth twitched in a smile. Grace’s manicure and polish were going to take a beating working in the dirt.
Grace inhaled slowly and her chin rose looking at her Grandpa. “I suppose we can. But what will that hired man do, if we do all the chores? I mean you pay him and you don’t want him sitting around with nothing to do all day.” She sat back in her chair and smiled sweetly...the kind of sweet that was anything but.
Grandpa shook his head and smiled. “Frank, you mean; his name is Frank. Don’t worry about him. He’s got plenty to do. And even if he didn’t, I’d still never part with him. He’s not just a hired man, Gracie. He’s my friend. I owe a lot to him.”
Grace pulled her head back and rolled her eyes. “I can’t see what you would owe him. Thanks to you, he’s got a job, and a place to live, especially at his age. What will he do when you leave?” She picked the napkin from her lap and dabbed the corners of her mouth.
“He’ll be all right. Wherever we go, there’ll be a place for him. I owe him my life.” The smile had fallen from his lips and he looked down at his plate for a few moments.
Emma sat forward on the edge of her seat. “How’s that Grandpa? What happened? Tell us the story.”
He shook his head and his eyes closed for a moment. “Never you mind.” He looked over at Grace, tapping the top of the table with a fingertip. “Just stay away from that Hanson farm. There’s plenty to do without nosing around over there.”
Emma sat back, her mind a million miles away from Julia and Lily chattering about their plans for the next day and her Nana getting up to start clearing the plates. She rose and took her plate to the sink. Whatever was up with that Hanson place, it had something to do with Frank. Why else had her Grandfather mentioned it right after talking about his friend?
***
Later that night, Emma sat propped up in bed, sending a text to her friend Ginny about the day. She looked up when the door to their room opened and Grace walked in. She was dressed in a blue night shirt, her fingers clutching a towel and her toothbrush. She stopped in front of the window and looked out into the dark sky.
She spun around and her eyes were wide when she beckoned for Emma to join her. “Quick! Come see this!”
“What?” Emma’s eyebrows pulled together and she slid out from the warm cocoon she’d made of the bedclothes. She glanced over at Julia and Lily nestle
d on the highest bunks and then tiptoed over to join her cousin. She leaned in close to Grace and whispered, “What is it?”
Grace grasped her arm and pointed out the window. “Look! There’s a light on over there! Isn’t that house supposed to be abandoned?”
Emma leaned forward and looked across the fields to the old farm house. Grace was right; there was a light shining from the old farm. It didn’t make sense, not after what Grandpa and Nana had said. “There’s someone there! Someone must be living there. But why would Grandpa...” Her eyes lit up. “Maybe someone broke in. Some bum or squatter or...” She gasped. “Maybe they’re doing something illegal, like growing dope or something.”
Grace squeezed her arm. “Maybe the place is haunted! Grandpa probably knows that and that’s why he doesn’t want us over there!”
Emma jerked back. “Noooo. You actually believe in that stuff? There’s no such thing as ghosts and haunted houses.” She shook her head. “I think he’s scared of us getting hurt, that’s all. The place looks like it’s falling down.”
“Then why is there someone there with the light on, if that’s the case?” Grace looked back through the window. “There’s more to this than Grandpa’s letting on. I’m going to find out what that is.”
Emma’s mouth fell open. “But we can’t! He was really fired up about us not going over there.” She looked back out the window trying to see any sign of movement in the house. This didn’t make any sense.
Grace folded her arms across her chest and her chin rose. “Grandpa doesn’t have to know if we go over there and check it out.”
“What?” It came out louder than she intended. Emma looked over at the still forms of her sister and Lily. Thankfully, they were still sleeping.
Grace leaned closer and her voice was barely above a whisper. “Tomorrow afternoon. We’ll head to the beach but detour when we’re out of Grandpa’s sight. We’ll sneak over there and just have a look. We don’t have to go in, just see what’s up with it.”
The Ghosts of Hanson House: A Haunting In Kingston Novella (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 5) Page 3