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

by Michelle Dorey

  Amanda crossed the kitchen and started sweeping. “Yeah. I was here and I still have a hard time with it.” Shaking her head, she said, “I already cleaned up the barn, and this is the last of it.”

  “You did the barn already?” Paige felt a sudden chill. “Why couldn’t you just leave it there?”

  Amanda huffed. “Because I don’t want to make a big deal about it when he gets home, okay? He’ll think I’ve lost my mind, silly.”

  Paige turned in her stool. “We were both involved, Sis. As well as Julian.”

  “Then he’ll think we all went bonkers.” She gave a small wave. “Look, Julian’s just a kid, so anything he’d say would be no big deal. But I really want to play it as low key as possible, alright?” She stepped over and put a hand on Paige’s arm. “We can tell him that we had the house blessed or something, and it was kind of odd, but that’s all. It’ll be easier to convince him if he doesn’t see the salt and stuff all around, okay?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Paige, come on. We both know that I’ve had a hell of a time with depression. This was the first that Josh has been away since I started going down the tubes. If he came home to hear all about ghosts and suicides and crap, he’d get really scared, can’t you see that? And not about ghosts… he’d get scared about me.”

  Paige nodded slowly. “Yeah, okay. But we ought to tell him the whole story.”

  “We will, don’t worry. But not right away. Let him get used to me getting back on my feet. Deal?” Amanda held out her hand.

  Paige shook it. “Deal.”

  Amanda collected the salt in the dustpan and then grinned over at Paige. “So you and Matt...where’s he taking you tonight?”

  Paige felt her neck grow warm and a smile spread over her face. Yeah Matt. They’d talked on the phone the last couple of evenings for hours it seemed and now she was actually going out on a real date with him—not a meeting with Barbara, followed by some kind of strange exorcism. It had been a long time since she’d felt this excited about going out with a guy.

  “We’re going on a dinner cruise. A sunset dinner cruise.” She clicked the mouse and then turned the laptop around to face her sister. The website was from a company called ‘Kingston 1000 Islands Cruises’. They did all sorts of them along the St. Lawrence River. The photos showed pictures of beautiful scenery and gorgeous sunsets. “This is it. Pretty fancy, huh? Look at the view of the islands. And dancing!”

  Amanda’s head drew back and she grinned from ear to ear. “Oh wow! And it’s a full moon tonight. That’s going to be spectacular on the water.”

  Paige smirked over at Amanda. “Told you things would work out, didn’t I?”

  Amanda took a deep breath and smiled. “Yes. And this time, I don’t mind you lording that over me.” She emptied the dustpan into the trash and then turned to Paige again. “What would we have done if Barbara hadn’t shown up? We owe that lady big-time.”

  ***

  Late that night, when Paige said goodnight to Matt at the door, she crept quietly into the foyer and tiptoed across to the stairs. The house was still and the only lights left on were the ones in the foyer and over the stairway.

  As she passed the entrance to the living room, she sneaked a quick glance at the picture on the wall. It was exactly right, hanging straight the way it should be. She felt her neck muscles relax. The house was clear now. No more ghosts of Cora or that guy in the barn.

  She climbed the stairs and peeked in at Avril. The child was sound asleep in her crib, her arm clutching the worn rabbit into her body, a sweet smile on her face.

  “Sweet dreams, kiddo,” Paige whispered.

  Chapter 33

  Avril was having a wonderful dream. She was in a meadow on a warm summer’s day chasing butterflies. She was with a very, very nice man. He was old, like she thought her grandfather would be if she had any. And he was really nice, as nice as Santa was at the mall when she visited him last winter. He made her laugh by doing tricks, and gave her nice things to eat. Even though she wasn’t hungry, they tasted so good!

  She loved Mister Pooka, even if he had a funny sounding name.

  “Do you like it here, Avril?” he asked, as they sat in the warm grass looking down the meadow to a pretty stream below.

  “Oh yes!” she said, looking up at him. It was hard to see his face, even though it was daytime, but she didn’t mind. She looked down to the stream. The water looked so cool and sweet.

  “It is very cool, and very sweet,” Mr. Pooka said.

  Avril turned back to him. “How did you know I was thinking that?” she asked with a laugh.

  “I heard you,” he said. She couldn’t see his face very good, but he had a nice smile.

  “How could you hear me if I didn’t say it?”

  “Beeee-cawwwse,” he said, with a chuckle, as he leaned forward and pointed to her chest, “I listened to your heart!”

  “Oh.” She turned back to the stream, and wished she saw rabbits and deer come to it to take a drink.

  Just then, a bunny hopped out of the bushes and a baby deer stepped carefully from the woods. They looked up at her, and then leaned their heads and began to sip the clear water rustling over the rocks by the edge of the stream.

  “Oh!” she said and clapped her hands. She looked back to Mr. Pooka and smiled. “You did that too!” When he nodded, she hugged him. His hands felt a little funny as they stroked her hair at first. Then they felt nice when she closed her eyes…

  Avril…

  She blinked her eyes, and sat up in bed. That was a very nice dream. Mister Pooka is a very nice man.

  Avril…

  She heard his voice in her head still! That was nice.

  You’re nice.

  “You’re still here!” she said, looking around her room. “Where are you?”

  I’m waiting for you, my dear. You can visit with me for real, but only tonight. You must hurry though.

  “Where? Are you downstairs?”

  Shhh… you need to keep quiet as a mouse or you’ll ruin the surprise!

  “A surprise?” She could hear the smile in his voice.

  Yesss… for your Mommy and Daddy! Would you like to give them a surprise?

  “Oh yes!”

  Then quick like a bunny and quiet as a mouse, come down to the barn!

  “Of course!” She scrambled to the side of her bed, put on her bunny slippers and bathrobe. It was chilly, but just a little bit.

  Don’t worry about it being cold, dear—the closer you get to the barn, the toastier you’ll be! She felt the slightest breath of the warm summer air from the meadow brush across her face and giggled. Let’s have an adventure!

  “Okay!” she whispered. And quick like a bunny and quiet as a mouse she crept from her room, down the stairs and out the door towards the barn.

  As she went up the pathway, she saw how pretty the stars were and marveled at how bright the moon was. When she came up to the barn, the two doors opened all by themselves! A greeny, kinda yellowy light glowed inside and she entered, giggling.

  We’re going to play a game…

  Chapter 34

  Julian was dreaming too, but his was not a happy one. He was thrashing in his bed, sweating and afraid.

  He was in the barn watching a crazy man. The man’s hair was wild and stringy, and he had a beard that splayed down his face. He was wearing a blue work coat that had rips and tears, and blue jeans that were filthy and ripped.

  But it was his eyes that were terrifying. Tiny black pupils were in the center of big white eyeballs. They looked straight at Julian.

  “I know yer here!” the man said, spittle running out of the side of his mouth. “Don’t matter none. Yer too late! The Lord of Darkness will have his chapel and everything will be well!

  He had a board in his hand and strode over to the wall beside the barn doors. Light from a full moon poured through it. The man was wearing a canvas carpenter’s apron. He took a pen knife from one of the pockets. Opening it,
he ran the blade across his palm.

  “Every board has a drop of my blood on it, as ordered by The Master. This last board has the most,” he said aloud as he smeared the board. He then took nails and a hammer from another pocket and banged the board in place.

  It was Elmer Larkspur!

  He then strode to the center of the barn and spread out his arms. “All for you, my Master! The work is done!” he bellowed.

  At his feet, the ground glowed. A square of light, a foot across shone from the very dirt of the barn, pulsing with a sickly yellowish green light.

  Julian stood transfixed in terror watching as a whirlwind of straw and dust enveloped the man. When it subsided, Elmer was holding a shotgun.

  “For you! For you! Always for you My Master!” he shouted as he left the barn. Julian was frozen by the doorway as the man approached. Elmer stopped before the boy and grinned.

  As Julian stared into the now black empty eye sockets of the man, a purple haze washed over the scene. It began to billow and pulse with red highlights, and now cleared…

  Now Avril was in the barn in her jammies. She was smiling as she climbed up the ladder at the back of the barn towards the hayloft. Just as she was about to climb the last rung, with a laugh she turned and leapt from the ladder head first.

  “NO!” He shot up out of bed and ran from his room.

  Chapter 35

  Paige had also been sleeping fitfully. She didn’t like it when Amanda had removed the salt barriers from the doorways in the house and barn. Barbara had said that the barn must be destroyed and the only barrier of protection they had was gone.

  She shot out of bed when Julian’s cry shot through her mind. By the time she got to the door of her bedroom, he was already down the stairs. He made hardly a sound, but the cries of ‘Avril! Avril!’ echoed in her mind anyway.

  “Oh no!” She flew after him. She’d catch up to him by the time they got to the barn.

  The doors of the barn were shut tight. Together, they pulled and strained at the handle, inching it open with agonizing slowness.

  They could hear Avril’s voice inside. She was singing something, but they couldn’t make out the words.

  But they both knew the tune—the same melody from the music box.

  At that moment a crack of greenish light appeared in the doorway. “Demon light!” Julian hissed through his teeth. Holding the door handle as tight as he could, he braced his feet on the other side. Straining with all his might, he heaved with his legs.

  The door sprang open and they both fell to the ground. Before it could close again, they bolted inside.

  “Oh thank God!” Julian wheezed. Avril was still sitting in the center of the barn, right on top of the square of light below her. He ran to her and grabbing her under her arms pulled her off the ground.

  Avril gave a shriek of surprise, and the world fell in.

  From the spot where she had been sitting, a blast of dirt blew straight up in the air. On the ground, the square of light shone like a searchlight. At the same time a deep throaty roar of rage consumed the room. Avril, now terrified clamped her hands over her ears. An overwhelming blast of wind knocked the three of them to the ground. Tumbling and rolling they were pitched backwards to the now shut doors of the barn.

  Both Avril and Julian wet themselves as they tried to hide their heads from the howling wind.

  Julian struggled to his feet and staggering against the wind shouted “We have to break the stone!” Another cyclone blast knocked him back to the ground. He continued to crawl on his hands and knees towards the light in the center of the room. “Aunt Paige! We have to break the stone!”

  With what? Paige gawped about the barn madly, looking for something, anything they could use as a hammer. The light from the room fully illuminated the barn’s interior, but she could hardly see from the dust and crap in the air that wind was kicking up.

  Kicking up!

  She spun around to the doors of the barn. The horseshoe that Josh had found in the barn and nailed to the lintel of the doorway was still there.

  She leapt up at it, her fingers grasping onto it. In no time she was able to twist and pull it off the wall. She turned back to the light source. Julian was on his hands and knees batting at the ground with his fists.

  She struggled up beside him. The light coming up from the floor was so bright, even closing her eyes wasn’t enough. But it had to do. She smashed the horseshoe down onto the ground with all her might, feeling it bounce off a smooth hard surface.

  The howl became a shriek of pain as she bashed the surface again and again.

  Her final blow cracked the stone, releasing the loudest thunderclap God had ever imagined. The noise alone flipped her and Julian over onto their backs.

  And the barn became black in darkness.

  Paige lay on her back gasping for breath. She reached out and felt for Julian.

  “You okay?” she asked.

  She felt him struggle to his feet. “Avril!” was all he said.

  Paige got to her feet. She didn’t know which way was which. She slowly turned in a circle calling out to the child.

  They both heard the soft cries from the area by the doors. Bumping into each other, they stumbled and clabbered their way to her.

  Finding her with her hands, Paige lifted the toddler up. With one hand she pushed at the door of the barn and it opened with a creak.

  The pathway to the house was bathed in moonlight. As they came out of the barn, Amanda, holding a flashlight was making her way down.

  “What the hell just happened?” she asked.

  “Hell’s got a lot to do with it, Mom,” Julian said. He took the flashlight and went back to the house leaving the others at the barn.

  “What is he talking about?” Amanda asked as she took Avril. The child was fast asleep, sucking her thumb. “And what in the world are you three doing out here wandering around at this time of night?”

  Paige peered at her sister. “Didn’t you hear Julian screaming? And running outside?”

  Amanda’s face screwed up. “No! What the hell are you talking about?” The two women began to walk back to the house.

  Before Paige could begin to explain, Julian returned down the path. He was carrying the barbeque lighter from the unit beside the house and the gasoline can from the garden shed where they were storing the lawnmower.

  “Julian Jenkins! What are you doing?”

  “We have to burn down the barn, Aunt Paige,” he said, ignoring his mother.

  “What! You’ll do no such thing!” She reached for the gas can, but Julian skittered backwards. Amanda, still holding Avril in one arm swiped at the boy again. “Paige, stop him!”

  “Hold on, little buddy,” Paige said. “We got to explain it to your Mom.”

  “But then we’re going to do it, right?” Julian’s eyes were fierce. “Each board that place was built with is stained with the blood of Elmer Larkspur!” He waved the hand holding the barbeque lighter at the structure. “I know what that place is now! It was never a barn!” He turned to Amanda. “It’s a church!”

  “What!” Amanda’s eyes followed his. “Julian…”

  “It’s a church for the devil! And the devil took over Elmer Larkspur when he went broke, then took over Cora Slipp, and tried to get Avril!” He turned to Paige. “Help me explain to her, Aunt Paige!”

  Paige nodded slowly. “Did you see all that in your dream, Julian?” When the boy nodded back, she turned to her sister. “That’s good enough for me. Amanda, as soon as we took the salt away, whatever was in there tried to get Avril.” She stepped over to Julian and put her arm around his shoulder. “He woke up and ran out to rescue her.” She sighed. “Some of us in the family have a sort of gift, you know that.”

  “Paige, I can’t take any more!” Amanda clutched her daughter to her chest.

  “I know. But you have to come with us. Then you’ll understand.”

  “No!”

  “Amanda! This ends tonight! Now!” Pai
ge took her sister by the arm and pulled her back to the barn. “You’ll see the proof.”

  “What is it?”

  “I don’t know. I think it’s a portal of some sort.”

  “We have to smash it, Aunt Paige. Then throw all the pieces into the lake.” Julian’s voice was low and steady, as if he was in a trance. She saw his eyes. They were gazing off into space. “It wasn’t the devil himself, Aunt Paige, it was one of his minions.”

  “It was Mister Pooka,” Avril said from her mother’s arms. “He was nice at first, but then got really scary when you guys came for me.” She ducked her head down into her mother’s breast again. “He’s gone now. He went through the doorway in the floor.”

  “POOKA?” Amanda asked. “Was that his name, darling?” She softly rubbed the back of her child’s head.

  “Yes,” came the muffled reply. “He called me in my sleep tonight. He’s magic or something. We had such fun at first…” She lifted her head. “I don’t want him around anymore.”

  “And that’s his name. Pooka.”

  “If we close the portal, Mom, all will be as it should,” said Julian.

  “Let’s go.” Amanda began to stride towards the barn.

  “Whoa!” said Paige, trotting to catch up. “What got you onside?”

  “That beast’s name! That horrible, horrible beast!” They went through the barn door, Amanda in the lead. “This is OUR HOME you bastard!” she cried out to the walls and rafters. “You stay down in your pit!”

  Julian came up beside her and shone the flashlight onto the ground in the center of the barn. “That’s the portal, Mom. I think Elmer made it… but I think he had some help or something.”

  On the floor, recessed into the packed dirt was a square of stone the size of a floor tile. It was mottled with green, and yellowish green swaths of color throughout, the color of bile and dying plants. A disgusting odor wafted up from it. Two large cracks ran through it where Paige had smashed at it moments before.