Grace gripped Emma’s arm. “What? Don’t blame her. You don’t know that!” Her eyebrows were a straight gash when she defended her sister.
Emma jerked away. “Yes I do! It’s in the bathroom upstairs!” This whole situation was Grace’s fault! If she hadn’t dragged them all over there, this wouldn’t be happening! “You’re to blame for—”
“Girls! Stop this!” Nana scowled at them, her eyes darting from one to the other. “Get a hold of yourself and help your grandfather lift the table.” She nodded her head to the side and then stepped over to help as he bent over to grip it.
Emma bumped Grace’s shoulder with her own as she stepped by her. She’d hold her tongue but not for Grace’s sake. Her eyes met Grandpa’s as she stood next to him, lifting the table to its original spot. The poor man looked like he was about to have a heart attack, his face flushed beet red.
“Grace. You pick up the fruit and the pieces of the bowl. Get another from the cabinet.” Nana strode over to the sink and poured a glass of water. “Dan. You’d better take your meds. With all this excitement—”
A high pitched squeal pierced the air. It was coming from upstairs! Emma spun around. Julia! As she ran to the stairs, taking them two at a time, Julia’s and Lily’s cries for help rang through the night. When she reached the top stair, gripping the newel post to round it, her hand flinched off of it as if she were scalded.
Her eyes were round discs looking down at it. It wasn’t heat she had felt, but rather icy coldness. Her breath formed a vapour before her, a white cloud forming in front of her face!
Julia and Lily pounded frantically on the bedroom door, their cries for help knifing through her body. She raced over to the door, vaguely aware of the others also running up the stairs.
The door handle froze to her skin and refused to budge. Even though it was a warm summer evening, the air and door were hoary with white frost.
“Help us! It’s so cold! The door shut tight and we can’t open it!” Julia’s words were mixed with the sound of her frenzied tears. “Emma! Grandpa!”
She felt hands tug her away and her grandfather was next to her, shouldering the door and trying to turn the handle.
“Get back! I’m going to break the door down!” He backed up a couple of steps and then charged the door. He cried out as his body bounced off the icy surface. He blinked and took a breath, preparing to hit it once more.
Emma turned away, looking at her Nana and Grace standing at the stairs. This was no use! There was no way they’d be able to break that door. It hadn’t budged a hair! They needed...
“Frank! I’m going to get him!” Emma pushed by Nana and Grace and she flew down the stairs. As she ran through the hallway to the back door, the sounds of the footsteps and creaks in their bedroom earlier filled her mind. Whatever thing had made those sounds in the bedroom was in there now with her sister!
She jumped from the back step to the walkway leading to the barn. Even though the warm air eased the prickles from her cold skin, she barely felt it, hardly noticed the flagstone path under her bare feet. Julia was in trouble! She had to get her out! She bolted by the side of the barn to the end of the yard where a low light shone over the trailer’s entry.
Her fists pounded on the door. “Frank! Help us! Hurry!” She pounded so hard her hands tingled with the shock of hitting the firm metal. Oh God! He had to have heard her. Hurry!
It seemed like an eternity before the light in the trailer lit up and Frank’s head appeared in the open doorway. His hair hung in long strands next to his stern jaw and his eyes were like dark coals peering down. “What’s going—”
“It’s Julia and Lily! They’re locked in the bedroom and...and...there’s something in there with them! A ghost or something! Hurry!” She turned and started for the house again, only looking back briefly to see him shoving his arms in a shirt, as his plaid pyjama covered legs closed the distance between them.
“Where’s Dan and Abby?” His voice was a low growl coming awake. He gripped her shoulder stopping her cold.
“He’s trying to break the door down! But he can’t do it! We need you!” Emma scrambled away, once more racing to the house.
When she got to the back door she turned to see where he was. As he came into view she could see his fist curled around a thick handle and the iron sledge above it. Behind her, the sounds of the girls screaming and thuds of Grandpa banging the bedroom door could be heard. “Quick! Help them!”
He stepped by her, his legs sure and steady as he rushed down the hall. “Dan? Hold up!” His footsteps pounded the stairs and Emma was just in time to see him reach the top and round the post.
When Emma got there, her grandfather was hunched with his hands on his knees straining for breath. Frank swung the sledge back and was about to slam the door with it. “Step back, you girls!”
THUD!
The heavy iron hammer bounced back as if on a spring. There wasn’t even a dent in the surface of the wood. Frank’s head jerked back and his face became a tight knot of confusion. He took a deep breath and eased the hammer away, his muscles flexing below the short sleeves of his shirt before once more giving a mighty swing.
THUD!
Again, the hammer bounced away, fast enough that it was wrenched from his grip. It landed with a bang next to his foot. His eyebrows were a tight line over narrow eyes as he gaped at it. “What the devil?” His voice was low and hoarse. He looked over at Grandpa and shook his head. “It won’t budge, Dan.”
Emma felt her stomach lurch at the eerie wonder in his eyes. Oh God. Her sister was trapped in there!
Chapter 14
“Oh my God! It’s happening again!” Grandpa straightened and the whites of his eyes showed. “The door. The bloody door...We can’t break through it!”
Grace raced by the two men and pounded on the door with her fists. “Lily! Lily! Are you okay?” Tears rolled down her cheeks and onto the floor. Her hands flattened on its surface and she slumped lower to her knees.
“Grandpaaaa!” At Julia’s blood curdling scream, Emma rushed forward. The fear that had been in her sister’s voice was now terror. “Oh please God, help us!”
“Julia! What is it? Tell me!” Emma’s heart was going a mile a minute, standing still as a stone next to Grace and trying to bore through the wood with her eyes.
“Something’s wrong with Lily! She’s twitching and rolling on the floor! Help us!” Julia’s voice was pure hysteria now.
Grandpa stepped forward and pausing for a deep breath, his voice was steady. “Keep her from hurting herself! If there’s something to put in between her teeth, like a pencil or washcloth, do it! Try to stay calm, Julia. Help her!” He turned and there were tears in his eyes when he looked at Nana and then to Frank. “This is all my fault. I never should have—”
“Dan! That’s not helping!” Nan rushed forward and took him by the hand leading him away from the door.
Her grandfather’s words echoed in her mind. ‘It was happening again...’ Emma took a deep breath and turned to face her grandparents. “It’s that hair brush! If Lily hadn’t brought it back here, this wouldn’t be happening!” She started towards the bathroom but Frank’s words brought her to an abrupt halt.
“Wait! She brought something back with her? Where is it?” He took a step towards her, towering high, his face a lined mask of anger.
Emma’s mouth fell open for a moment and the muscles knotting in the back of her neck loosened. For Frank to be this angry, there had to be something to it. “It’s in the bathroom—an old silver hairbrush on the counter.”
He reached for her arm and then stepped by her pushing his way into the small room down the hall. He emerged after a few minutes and his face was blank. “What hairbrush? There’s only a comb and a bottle of hand soap. It’s not there!”
“What?” Emma raced down the hall and into the room, leaving him standing there watching her. It was true. Her forehead creased as she stepped closer to the sink and vanity, looking at the
floor on each side to see if perhaps it had fallen. Nothing.
Her heart spiked along with the hair on the back of her neck. It had been there earlier. As far as she knew they’d all been together so no one had been in there to move it. Where the hell was it? The breath caught in her throat. Oh my God. Had Lily come in there while they were downstairs and got it? Was it now in the room with the two of them?
She shook her head at Frank and raced down the hall to pound on the door again. “Julia? What’s going on? Did Lily take a hairbrush from the bathroom into the bedroom?” Her hands closed over her arms and she rubbed the skin briskly. It was so damned cold up there.
“Hang on!” The sounds of Julia’s footsteps followed and her voice sounded on the other side of the door. “Lily’s quieter now. She’s just laying there like she’s sleeping.”
Emma’s eyes closed as she exhaled a bit of tension. Julia was still scared but at least she wasn’t terrified anymore. “A hairbrush, Julia! Is there an old hairbrush in the room?”
She felt rather than saw Frank close the gap between them and stand behind her.
“Why are you asking about an old hairbrush? Just get us out of here!” Julia was on the verge of tears. It was in her voice.
“Just do it! It’s why we can’t get the door open!” Emma didn’t know how she knew this, but it had to be so. There was no logical explanation to any of this. “Lily took it from that creepy house! You need to find it.”
The sounds of Julia’s frantic footsteps and objects overturned and hitting the floor followed. Emma looked up at Frank. “What if it’s in there? What do we do then?”
Frank straightened to his full six feet and his dark lips breathed out a long sigh. “It needs to go back where it was taken from. You disturbed the forces in that house. They won’t rest until it’s returned.”
The door creaked, opening...slowly.
The sound and sight sliced through Emma’s core making the hair on the back of her neck spike. Over at the bedroom window, Julia stood, her white nightgown shimmering in the moon’s ray. Her dark eyes seemed to almost pop out onto cheeks that were pasty white, but it was her hand that sent a cold shiver up Emma’s spine. Julia’s fingers clutched the hairbrush.
A few feet away, Lily was flat on her back on the floor. A drool of pink spittle on her cheek was the only sign that she wasn’t merely asleep, but rather unconscious from the ordeal.
Emma rushed forward, but stopped short when Frank gripped her arm spinning her around. “Stop! You can’t touch her or the hairbrush! It’s bad enough that it’s here...that she has it in her hand.” The whites of his eyes showed around ebony pupils and his mouth was a fierce gash.
“I’m going to—” Emma’s words were cut short by the explosion of noise in the floor below her feet.
Blaring music interspersed with the cacophony of banging sounds, hard enough to shake the floor under her. She turned, her mouth wide with horror looking at her sister. Julia stood at the open window, tears rolling down her face, her shoulders wracking in sobs.
All hell had broken loose in the house and the cause of it was gripped in Julia’s hand.
Chapter 15
Julia’s arm flew at the window opening. “I can’t let go of it, Emma!” She reared back again, trying to throw the hairbrush through the opening. “It won’t let me let go of it!” she shrieked. “It won’t leggo!” Her face was terror stricken. “Help meeee!” Her knees fluttered. “I can’t move my feet Emma!” She reached out to her sister, tears shining on her face.
Emma walked slowly over to her sister, standing outside her reach. Her heart broke seeing Julia standing helplessly crying. Why she couldn’t touch her, take that blasted brush and throw it out the window, she didn’t know. But in this, Frank knew what he was talking about. He knew.
Grace and Nana rushed into the bedroom, dropping down beside Lily.
Grandpa’s eyes were blue chips of flint when he stepped up beside Frank and gripped his arm. “We’ve got to get that thing out of here! We need to end this, tonight!”
“Julia? We have to go back over to the Hanson house. We need to take the hair brush back. Don’t worry. I’ll be with you and once this is done, we’ll be fine.” It was hard to get around the lump in her throat, trying to keep her voice steady and calm. But she needed to be strong for Julia.
Julia looked down at her hand holding the brush, the silver catching the light from the window behind her. All the while, the house was being ripped asunder by whatever was downstairs, the cacophony of noise ear splitting, shaking the floor under her feet.
Julia’s lip quivered and more tears glistened in her eyes. “I can’t move my feet! Even if I could, I won’t go in there again.” She began to hiccup.
Frank jostled Emma aside and squatted down in front of Julia. His voice even and deep, he looked into the eyes of the small girl. “You’re a very brave Princess,” he said. He held one hand out before her eyes, his other clutching something hanging around his neck. “You’ll be brave now, hah?”
“I’m scared! Help meee!”
“Shhh... child,” Frank said. “Now watch my hand and feel yourself grow still...” he began to move his hand from side to side. “Now just ignore all the noise and stormin’ and watch my hand...” He repeated the phrase over and over again and Julia’s eyes focused on his swaying hand. She began to rock slightly in time with his movement and her hiccupping eased.
“Now hold up the hairbrush brave one,” Frank said, and Julia raised her hand. Frank focused his gaze upon the silver piece. “You! Listen! We’ll return it! But you must let her step away now! We’ll bring it back!” He kept his voice even, but Emma could hear in it a boiling rage and strength. “Release her.”
Julia staggered, and looked down at her feet. She lifted one, then the other off the floor and looked at Frank in wonder.
“Now, Princess, be still and we’ll be done soon.” Frank stood up.
Emma stepped before her sister. “Grandpa and I will be right next to you.” She ached to reach out and take Julia in her arms. Her sister was too fragile and small to have to do this. It wasn’t her fault, any of this. She was innocent for God’s sake!
“I’m coming too.” Grace stood up and stepped next to Emma. “This is all my fault...and Lily’s.” Emma saw her cousin swipe a tear from her eye and look back at her sister. “She’s going to be all right, isn’t she Nana?” Her voice quivered.
Frank stepped to the door of the bedroom. “Come on! We’d better get this over with before the house blows apart!” He gestured with his hand and stepped to the side making room for them to leave. The cacophony downstairs had taken a breath and now resumed with higher fury.
“Go! Don’t worry about Lily. I’ll take care of her.” Nana lifted Lily and held her in her arms, rocking back and forth. She looked up at Grandpa who was standing silently in the doorway. “Be careful, Dan.”
He nodded and made his way down the hall, pausing at the newel post to look back at the rest of them. His stooped shoulders had never been lower. “I’ll get the truck.” With that he continued down the stairs and out of sight.
Emma fought back the tears when she gestured for Julia to come forward. She waited until Julia had passed her before moving. It was a horrible nightmare that she wished she could wake up from. But the maelstrom on the floor below was real!
“Just breathe, Julia. Try to think of something nice, like ice cream or swimming. We’ll get through this.” Emma was also trying to garner her own inner strength, stepping close behind Julia but not touching her.
“Or Mom and Dad?” Julia wailed, her shoulders heaving again. “I wanna go hoooome!”
Emma felt the final thread of her heart break following her sister. If only they had listened to their Grandpa. If only...She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders This wasn’t helping. They had to just...get...through...this. Please God. All the while the floor below blared and shook, making her knees weak.
The three of them; Frank, Julia, then
Emma with Grace at the back climbed down the stairs, holding the banister.
When they were halfway down, Grace piped up from the rear, “I’m so sorry, Julia! If I could take that from you, I would in a heartbeat. This is all my fault.” Emma looked over her shoulder at her cousin. From the tears and tightness of her face, it was clear she meant it.
When they reached the kitchen doorway, Emma almost walked right into Julia. Her sister had paused and shrank back at the sight there. Emma’s heart nearly jumped from her chest and she froze staring into the room.
Every drawer of the kitchen cabinets opened quickly and then shut with a resounding bang! The doors on the cupboards swung wildly, back and forth before closing with a thundering clap! The elements of the stove glowed bright orange and the table rose and fell shuddering hard against the wooden floor. Nana’s Mixmaster was floating a foot above the counter! The pots and frying pans were clanging where they hung from the rack! All the while the radio blasted and the sound of the television boomed from the living room.
Frank backed into the cabinets, holding the doors closed with his body and clearing a path through the mayhem. “HURRY!” His fist closed around the thing hanging from his neck again. He looked around the room and roared! “BY GOD, THAT’S ENOUGH!”
The mixer dropped like a stone, slamming to the counter. Emma’s jaw fell open. The silence that followed Frank’s words was palpable. Her ears rang from the suddenness of it. She could hear her heartbeat pound in her ears.
“Quick! Go! This won’t last long.” Frank gestured wildly with his arms for them to leave while his back strained hard against the cabinets. The vein in his forehead bulged and pulsed darkly.
The three girls scurried through the kitchen. When Emma passed Frank she looked up at him for a moment. What kind of power did the old man have that he could make it...all the supernatural craziness stop?
“GO!” His eyes protruded above a lined, leathery face.
The Ghosts of Hanson House: A Haunting In Kingston Novella (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 5) Page 10