The Haunting Of Larkspur Farm (Ghosts and Haunted Houses): A Haunting In Kingston (The Hauntings of Kingston Book 4)

by Michelle Dorey

  She bit into an apple, munching while she typed her password. Three days without the internet and social media was like a lifetime. After reading and replying to the emails from her friends in Toronto, she pulled her cell phone out of her pocket. In a few minutes the connection was registered and the photo files she’d taken since they’d arrived, transferred over onto the laptop . The one she’d taken of the kids on the tire swing had been cute. She would send that along to Amanda and Josh.

  When she clicked the photo file open, it filled the screen. Her breath caught in her throat when she looked at the picture. What the hell? Julian smiled, gently pushing his sister on the tire swing but what was behind him made goose bumps skitter up her arms.

  The form of a young girl, wispy and ethereal except for the eyes hovered behind the little boy. And its eyes...she felt the hair on the back of her neck tingle, while she gazed at the red slits. There was such rage, an evil malevolence peering beyond Julian and Avril into the camera lens.

  THUD!

  She jumped up from her chair, almost upsetting the laptop. It had come from upstairs! Barney’s barks and growls were followed by a high pitched shriek. Avril! Paige raced through the house to get to the stairs, taking them two at a time.

  When she entered the room, Avril was huddled in the top corner of her bed against the wall, cowering. Barney snarled and snapped staring at the closet. The centre ridge of hair on his back bristled straight up. Oh my God. The change table dresser was laying on its side next to the dog. Diapers, baby wipes and paper towels were scattered across the floor.

  “Easy boy! Barney, hush.” Paige patted the dog’s wiry hair stepping by him to reach across the bed for Avril.

  The little girl’s eyes were bulging marbles when she turned and then scurried into her arms. Paige hugged her, rolling her hand gently over the toddler’s back. “There, there. It’s okay.” She stepped out of the room and hurried down the stairs. She could hear the dog’s nails click on the wood floor behind her.

  She settled onto the kitchen chair, rocking the small child back and forth on her lap. The dog was content to lay next to them, panting a bit before resting its head on the cool floor. Now that they were downstairs and quiet had once more descended, Paige willed her heart to slow, taking long slow breaths.

  The change table falling over was obviously what had woke Avril, and scared the hell out of her. Had Barney somehow caused it to fall? Her stomach tightened. Even as she wondered, she knew that wasn’t the case. At all.

  Just like the night before, there was something about that closet that vexed him. She snorted. That got his hackles up for real. And Avril...she had said there was a funny girl in the closet.

  Paige stroked the child’s long, silky hair with one hand and with the other she tapped the mouse pad of her laptop, waking it from the screensaver snooze.

  “Avril? Are you okay now?” She pulled back from the little girl’s head and looked down at her. Her dark eyes were wide above the thumb firmly planted in her mouth, but she managed a nod.

  Paige turned slightly in her chair, so that her niece could see the computer screen. “Avril? See my laptop? Was this the girl you saw in your closet last night?”

  Avril’s gaze shifted to the laptop. “Yes.” She turned her head, burying her face into the curve of Paige’s neck.

  Paige gasped and held the child closer, once more brushing her hand over her hair. Oh my God. That was the girl? The poor kid, seeing that thing in her room. No wonder the dog went so nuts...he sensed it as well.

  At the sound of Julian’s voice and the back door opening, Paige swiveled in her chair to face her sister.

  Amanda’s head twitched when she saw Paige holding Avril. “Is anything wrong?” She stepped over and Avril squirmed away from Paige, reaching up for her mother.

  Julian met Paige’s gaze and then stood beside her looking at the picture on the laptop. Paige turned the laptop slightly so that Amanda could see it.

  “Amanda, we need to talk. “

  “What the...” Amanda bent down so she could take a better look, squinting her eyes. “Tell me that’s some kind of trick caused by the light...or some kind of double exposure?” She pulled a chair out from the island and sank down into it, still holding Avril in her arms.

  Julian whispered looking up at Paige, “That’s her. That’s the girl in your room.”

  “What?” Amanda reached for his arm, tugging until he swiveled to face her. “Julian, you saw this girl?” Her eyes sparked at Paige. “How is this possible? You did something didn’t you? You’re good with that kind of software. You tinkered with the pictures.” Her lips formed a frown. “This isn’t funny, Paige!”

  “No, Amanda, I didn’t.” Paige pushed the laptop farther away and reached down to lift Julian onto her lap. She sighed. Where could she start? She couldn’t hide this from Amanda any longer. Of course Amanda would be like Josh in all likelihood, not believing or even trying to understand but she had to try. Just because Josh and Amanda always looked for the most logical rational explanation for things, didn’t mean that there was one.

  “Amanda...” She paused and looked down at the table for a moment, trying to plan her next words. “I think this thing in the photo, this girl…is a ghost. She haunts this building and maybe even the barn.”

  Amanda shook her head and smiled before kissing the top of Avril’s head. “No. That’s crazy, Paige.”

  “I’m pretty sure Avril saw this girl last night in her closet. Barney acts like he can see her too, going all junk-yard dog, psycho.”

  Julian’s voice was high and his eyes were round watching Amanda. “I saw her too, Mommy. She was in Aunt Paige’s room yesterday. She was coming towards me and I ran!”

  “I don’t believe it. First of all, there’s no such thing as ghosts and even if there were, they would have told us when we looked at the house. I think there’s something in their code of ethics that makes them tell people if there’s something weird about a house.” She snorted and continued rocking back and forth on the chair with Avril clinging to her, the child sucking her thumb with renewed energy.

  Paige’s arms felt like lead holding Julian and watching the smirk on Amanda’s face. But she had to give it one more try at least. “Apparently this house has a reputation with the locals. That’s what I was talking to Matt about this morning. He’s going to take me to see his aunt. She knows the whole story about the house.”

  Julian tapped Paige’s arm. “Tell her about the music box and the barn.”

  Paige sighed. She had wanted to do this a little at a time, try to convince Amanda slowly, not bowl her over with everything at once.

  “What about the barn?” Amanda rose to her feet and wandered over to the window, staring out towards the dark building.

  “Nothing concrete, okay? It’s more a feeling that there’s something in there. Something watching us. And the door banged shut that first day here, even though there was no wind or anyone in there. I don’t think it was the deer, like Josh said.” Paige sighed. “We need to find out more about the house and its history. Maybe a priest needs to bless the house or something.”

  After Amanda set Avril down onto the floor, her eyes narrowed and she took a deep breath. “Josh and I haven’t experienced anything weird with the house—not when we first looked at it and even now, nothing odd. The photo is weird, I’ll grant you that, but a ghost? It’s pretty faded and the eyes could be a trick of the sunlight catching a leaf that’s already turned to an autumn color.”

  Paige couldn’t believe her ears listening to her sister, watching her casually saunter over to the fridge and get a couple of frozen treats out for the kids. Amanda was just like Josh, striving to find any logical explanation. Even the fear on Julian and Avril’s face hadn’t moved her.

  “How about you two go play in the living room so Aunt Paige and I can talk.” She smiled at Julian, handing him the frozen treats.

  He took the red sleeve of sweet ice and then looked over at Paige for a f
ew moments before he turned to his sister. “C’mon Avril. Let’s go.”

  There’d been a silent plea in his eye when he looked at Paige. But what was he hoping for—to go along with Amanda’s false confidence or stay true to the fact that there was something very wrong with the house. There wasn’t much time to deliberate it as Amanda took a seat across from her and began speaking again.

  “Paige, the house is old and I suppose, it could be considered spooky. In some ways it reminds me of Grandma’s house in Cobourg. Do you remember it? You were only seven when she died. Grandpa sold it to move closer to us after that. You were always afraid to go into the attic, even though there were trunks of wonderful old clothes to play dress-up with.”

  Paige’s mouth fell open watching Amanda sitting so placidly. She hadn’t thought of that old farmhouse in years. A flash of her twelve year old sister, her long dark braids swirling out as she rounded the narrow staircase leading to the attic, played in Paige’s mind. The only time Amanda had succeeded in talking her into going up to the attic, Paige had seen white orbs of light floating near the antique trunks. She’d stared, feeling dread and heaviness fill her body, and then fled.

  It had been haunted up there. Even Grandma Sarah had said so when she tucked her in that night. She said it was a secret that Amanda would never understand and to stay away from the attic. She’d also warned her to never go anywhere near the old well. Of course there was always the risk of falling into it but there was more to it than that. Something about dark power and some lines running through the earth.

  So the fact that Amanda was defending the house, really shouldn’t surprise her. She’d never sensed anything supernatural before. It was one thing that Josh and Amanda were totally in sync with. Their minds were closed about the possibility of there being anything else in the universe.

  “I remember Grandma’s. I remember it was haunted even though you didn’t believe it. Amanda. There’s something wrong here, in this house. I’m going to find out what it is and then I’m going to fix it.”

  Paige grabbed her laptop and stormed out of the kitchen to join the kids and make sure they were all right. When she got there, she smiled, seeing Barney sprawled in the doorway. It looked like he had the same idea.

  Chapter 17

  The kids were coloring in their books, the bright markers scattered in a pile between them, where they lay on the floor. Julian got to his feet when Paige entered and the two of them sat close together on the sofa.

  “Mommy doesn’t see what we see, Aunt Paige.” He glanced over at the laptop which was still open displaying the scene at the tire swing. “That girl looks mad. Why would she be mad at us?” He nestled in closer to Paige’s side, his gaze never leaving the screen of the laptop.

  There was a lump in the back of her throat looking down at him. He was so sweet and innocent trying to figure this out. “I don’t know, Julian. But I don’t think she’s mad at you but rather mad because she used to live here, like us. And now it’s like she’s trapped here when she should have left.”

  He looked up at her and his eyes filled with tears. “I think she used to sleep in your room. The bird that broke the window...I wasn’t supposed to be in that room. You were.”

  The hair on Paige’s head and neck tingled and she closed her laptop with a snap. Whatever was here, Julian had a much better sense of its nature than she did. “When we were near the barn the other day, was it this girl you sensed in there?”

  He shook his head and then looked down at his lap. “No. That’s something else in there. Something really old—a man.” A tear fell onto his hand and he smeared it on his pants. “I need to go to the bathroom. Will you come with me?”

  Paige looked down at Avril who was busy filling in the dress of a Disney princess, the tip of her tongue curled in the corner of her mouth. “It’s okay, Jules. Your Mom’s in the kitchen right next to it. You’ll be fine.” She got up and held out her hand, tugging him to his feet.

  When he left the room. Paige glanced over at the picture hanging next to the TV. Her eyebrows rose and she smiled seeing it the way it had been left earlier—hanging straight. She squatted down next to Avril and began coloring the opposite page. “Good job, Avril. You’re staying inside the lines.”

  There were still some boxes sitting on the far end of the room that were ready to be un-packed but this was more important right then. Doing something normal and mundane like coloring to get Avril past the earlier shock.

  Oh God, that room. Even with Barney sleeping on the floor next to Avril, it wouldn’t be enough. This girl ghost wasn’t going to be put off by the dog or anything, just showing up and scaring the dickens out of everyone. And the dresser falling over? Someone could have been seriously hurt. There was no way she was going to let Avril sleep in there on her own anymore. She’d stay in there with her until things got sorted out.

  Her gut churned. But what if they didn’t? What then?

  The sounds of Amanda working in the kitchen doing dinner prep and tidying up drifted into the living room. She sighed and her hand moved slowly, coloring the page. She didn’t want to fight with Amanda but her sister wasn’t taking any of this seriously enough.

  When Julian entered the room again Paige smiled and got to her feet. While he moved off to the upholstered chair near the window, turning the small black tablet on to play a game, Paige settled on the sofa. She opened the laptop and typed in the search bar ‘protecting yourself from ghosts and evil spirits’

  Her eyes widened seeing the screen fill with hits—everything from Wiccan spells to herbs and prayers in the suggested links. She opened a few and spent the next while reading about sea salt, candles, prayers and holy water.

  When Avril popped up to her feet, holding the picture she’d just finished coloring, Paige’s head jerked back. Avril’s picture was your typical Disney princess with the frothy pink dress and golden hair but she’d had done the eyes a fiery red. Paige’s gut tightened, while her eyes flitted from the picture to Avril’s smile. “Nice coloring, but Belle’s eyes are supposed to be brown, Avril.”

  Avril giggled and turned the book to look at the page again. “Cora did it. She has red eyes and she wanted Belle to have red eyes too.”

  Paige’s heart pounded hard in her chest. Cora? This girl or ghost had communicated with Avril?

  She looked up at the picture hanging near the TV and gasped. Once more it was tilted, held only by the corner of the frame. Oh my God.

  Chapter 18

  Amanda appeared in the doorway, flipping the dishtowel over her shoulder. “I made some brownies for dessert tonight.”

  The air in the living room had suddenly become chilly and damp and Paige found it hard to breathe. Brownies were the last thing she needed, as she gaped at the picture in Avril’s book. This thing, or this girl, had been there! She’d been right next to Avril while she colored! And just to make sure that there was no doubt about her visit, she’d messed with the picture hanging on the wall...again!

  “What’s with you Paige? You look like you’ve seen a—”

  “Ghost, Amanda? Yeah. She was right here in this room with us, coloring with Avril! Look at the picture on the wall, Amanda! Think I did that? Think again.” Paige hardly ever raised her voice to her sister and the look of surprise on Amanda’s face made that clear.

  “Mommy?”

  Amanda looked over at Julian who was tucked into the overstuffed chair, looking back like a deer in the headlights.

  Avril ran past her mother and her small feet clamored quickly up the stairs. Amanda turned and took a few steps following her. “Avril! Come back here. Where’re you going?”

  Paige raced across the room to the door, dodging by her sister. “Avril! Stop!”

  With the dog following closely on her heels, Paige rounded the newel post and stepped into Avril’s room in time to see the little girl disappear inside the closet. The door behind Avril, banged shut so hard the floor shuddered. Paige stepped by the change table that was still strew
n on its side and reached for the door knob.

  “Avril? Come out. What are you doing?” Paige twisted the knob and pulled but the door wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t locked, not from the way the knob moved. But there was no way it was opening. Something was holding it tight!

  Amanda’s footsteps sounded over the dog’s low, rumbling snarls.

  “Paige! What’s she doing? Where is she?”

  Paige’s head spun and she her sister’s face, eyes wide with fear. “Help me, Amanda! She’s in the closet and I can’t get the door open.”

  She turned back and the door flew open on its own. It happened so quickly, she stumbled back a step, but caught herself in time. With round eyes she stared into the closet where Avril stood looking shyly up at her mother.

  “Avril! What are you doing, hiding in the closet? You scared your Aunt Paige and me.” This time it was Amanda who brushed Paige’s shoulder on her way to scoop up the tyke. “What were you thinking?”

  “It was Cora.” At Julian’s voice, Paige spun to face him.

  A dark wet stain spread from the crotch of his jeans to his knees. Tears blurred his eyes and then he slumped down onto the floor, falling onto his side.

  She rushed over and gasped when she saw his closed eyes. She shook his shoulder. “Julian! C’mon Julian! What's wrong?”

  There was nothing, no movement. His eyes were shut and he was sound asleep, breathing gently.

  “What’s wrong with him?” Amanda handed Avril to Paige and she reached for her son. “Julian!”

  BANG!

  The closet door behind them shut with such force that the walls shook.

  “We've got to get out of here! Quick! Pick him up, Amanda!” Paige led the way out into the hall, and stood peering into the room.

  Amanda, with her hands clutching Julian stumbled forward into the hallway. Her eyes squeezed shut and she hugged her son. “Julian! Oh my God!”

  Barney gave a final, pained yip before racing from the room. While the baby clung with her arms and legs tight around her body, Paige darted over to yank the bedroom door shut. Her heart was racing and for a moment she felt faint. Oh my God, this was a nightmare!