by Jake Uniacke
Georgia felt lonely driving down this road. It was getting dark, there were no other cars around, and she was in the car alone. She sped the car up a bit since the road was empty. She knew it was wrong, but she wanted to get all her anger out. And while the road was clear of other vehicles, now was her opportunity to do so. The car went from thirty miles-per-hour to fifty miles-per-hour in a matter of seconds. Suddenly, the figure of a girl ran out into the road. Georgia screamed and tried to slam on her breaks, but she was too late. The car drove straight into the girl, knocking her down. Georgia’s heart raced, sweat dripped down her face from her forehead. She was breathing rapidly.
“Oh my God!” she screamed. “What have I done?”
She got out of the car and looked back. The road was clear. She looked in front of the car. Nothing. She looked under the car. No one was there. A cold breeze brushed across her face, blowing her hair around with strands of it getting in her eyes.
“It can’t have been her.”
Chapter 2
“Mick, you need to listen to me!” yelled Georgia. “I saw a girl standing in the road and I am one hundred percent sure that I hit her with the car!”
“It’s just your mind playing tricks on you, honey,” said Mick. “Whatever you think you saw wasn’t actually there. It was all in your mind.”
Georgia began to grow frustrated with Mick. He wasn’t listening to what she was saying and just passing it off as a ‘figment of her imagination’. She knew she was right though. The girl in the road certainly was not part of her imagination, and she was really there. And the girl had a familiar appearance, too. At first, Georgia thought the girl looked like Emma. But then she realized that it couldn’t have been her. It was coincidental, and Emma was dead! Georgia wanted to scream. She wanted to scream and scream and scream until Mick understood what she was saying and believed her. But that would never happen because Mick was too stubborn and too stupid to even for a second think that what Georgia was saying might be true.
“You need to get some sleep,” Mick told his wife. “It’s been a difficult day for us all. The grief is getting to you. A good night’s sleep will do you good.”
“Bloody hell, Mick!” Georgia cried. “Will you just listen to me for once? I saw a girl, and she looked exactly like Emma.”
Mick laughed. “So now Emma is alive? Even though we watched her die right in front of us?”
“That’s not what I’m saying! For God’s sake! I think Emma’s spirit could still be alive. She’s still with us, just not as an alive human.”
This made Mick laugh more. He couldn’t believe what his wife was saying. It just wasn’t believable, and he knew that she was just repeating what she saw in her mind. The girl didn’t exist. Never had done. And the bit about Emma being that girl was laughable. How could their deceased daughter be wandering the streets like she was still alive? Georgia’s frustration became obvious on her face. The angry eyes, the red cheeks. Mick noticed and held her hand.
“Listen to me,” said Mick. “Emma is dead. Gone. You didn’t see her. Well, you might have done, but she wasn’t really there. You imagined her. You wish she was there. But she wasn’t. Please, just stop this nonsense now.”
Georgia buried her head into Mick’s chest. “I’m sorry.”
“What for?”
“I know it sounds crazy. I just really thought I saw Emma. The brown hair, those blue eyes. She was wearing a plain white dress though. No shoes, no socks. Just the dress.”
“Well, in that case, it certainly wasn’t Emma you saw. She never wore plain dresses. And she would always wear shoes. Heck, she’s even wearing them in her coffin!”
“You really have to make this so dark, don’t you? Our daughter is in Heaven. Not in a coffin.”
Mick smiled. “Sorry, you’re right. Go to the bathroom, brush your teeth, wash your face. And then come here and we’ll put a film on before bed.”
“Good idea,” said Georgia. “Maybe I am losing my mind. I’m probably just still grieving quite badly.”
Mick kissed her forehead before she got up and left the room. As she closed her bedroom door, Alex emerged from her room. Georgia looked down at her and took a deep breath.
“You should be in bed,” she snapped.
“I know,” Alex said. “I just heard what you were saying to Daddy about you seeing Emma. Is it true? Did you see her?”
Georgia didn’t know what to say. She wanted to say that Mick told her it was just her mind playing tricks on her. But she also wanted to say something evil to Alex. To scare her. To be evil, just like her.
“Yes, I did,” Georgia said. “And she spoke to me.”
Alex’s stomach dropped, her face becoming an image of overwhelming worry. “What did she say?”
“She said she hates you. She hates what you did. And she’ll never forgive you. She even said she might come back to hurt you, just like you hurt her.”
“No!” Alex cried. “You’re lying!”
“It’s true. So, if I were you, I’d start doing good around here. Start behaving yourself. Otherwise, you’ll be getting a little visit from your sister.”
Georgia strutted off to the bathroom, leaving her eldest daughter in the hallway, crying in fear. Mick came out of the bedroom and scooped his daughter up.
“What’s the matter, sweetie?” he asked.
“Mummy said that she saw Emma!” cried Alex. “She said that she spoke to her, and that Emma hates me!”
Mick stroked Alex’s hair to calm her down. “Don’t be silly. Mummy would never say such a thing.”
“It’s true! She said that Emma is going to come back and hurt me because of what I did!”
Mick took Alex back to her bed and tucked her in. He reassured her that everything would be okay, and that Emma is not coming back to hurt her. He also told her he would have a word with Georgia. What kind of mother speaks to her own daughter like that to scare her? Mick knew that his wife was hurting, and he knew that what Alex did was wrong. But she was just a kid, and no mother would do this to her own child.
***
Georgia took her toothbrush from the charger and splashed some water over the bristles. She squeezed some of the green and white stripy toothpaste onto the brush and switched it on. The water kept running, slipping down the plughole. Georgia didn’t bother turning the water off as she would need it to rinse the toothbrush every now and again. Two minutes later, she finished brushing her teeth, and she wiped her mouth with a couple of sheets of toilet paper. She grabbed her face cloth, soaked it with warm water and slapped it onto her face, rubbing hard to wash off all the dirt. Looking in the mirror, Georgia let herself cry. She made sure that she cried quietly so Mick didn’t hear her. She didn’t want him to come rushing in to comfort her. Crying is what she needed to do, and she couldn’t let anyone, or anything stop it.
Looking into the sink, Georgia watched the water flush down the plughole, her tears joining in. They dripped from her eyes into the sink, each one making a little splash in the water. It was at this moment the water changed to a horrible, black shade. Georgia wiped her eyes as she grew confused over what was happening.
Ring around the roses.
Georgia pulled her head closer to the sink.
A pocket full of posies.
She couldn’t figure out where the singing was coming from. Her heart raced as the singing turned to a scary whisper.
Ashes, ashes.
The toilet paper roll began to shake, sending the paper flying across the bathroom.
We all fall down.
Suddenly, everything went silent and still.
No more singing.
No more movement.
Georgia let out a sigh of relief and she put her wet face cloth onto the radiator. Suddenly, blood splashed out of the sink, spraying red wetness all over the walls and ceiling, soaking her from head to toe. Georgia’s screams echoed around the room in horror. Mick stormed into the bathroom; then stopped in his tracks.
“W
hat happened here?” he said, his eyes searching across the walls and floor.
“The blood,” Georgia mumbled. “It splashed out all over me and the bathroom.”
“Christ, I thought you’d slit your wrists by the sound of your screams. There is no blood, Georgia. Don’t start this crap again. Your imagination is running wild.”
“I just told you what happened. I saw blood!”
Mick shook his head and helped Georgia to her feet. He rubbed her back in a comforting manner and kissed her cheek. “Okay. Okay, Love. You need to stop this now. You’re scaring Alex . . . and me. You’re driving yourself a bit insane.”
“I am not insane! I know what I saw!” Georgia screamed. “Don’t you dare call me a liar when you’re not the one experiencing this!”
Mick had no words for his wife. Instead, he grabbed a towel and dried her the best he could. He took her to the bedroom, grabbed some clean pyjamas from the wardrobe and handed them to her. She got changed whilst Mick took her wet clothing to the washing machine.
Georgia sat on the bed, still in shock from the blood-spattered bathroom episode. A buzzing sound came from the bathroom. She could hear it through the wall.
“Mick?” Georgia called. “Is that you?”
There was no answer. She got up and walked over to the door, which connected the bathroom to the bedroom. She turned the knob and slowly opened the door; the hinges creaked in their old age. The light was off, and no one was in there. But there was a loud buzzing noise. Georgia switched the light on, but the buzzing carried on. She looked up at the cupboard on the wall and saw the green light on her toothbrush.
I must have forgotten to turn it off.
Georgia pressed the button on the toothbrush to turn it off, before putting it back onto the charger. She switched the light off, but just as she was about to shut the door, the buzzing started again, Georgia gulped. Fear rushed through her body. She switched the light back on. Her toothbrush was on again.
What the hell is going on?
Once again, Georgia turned the toothbrush off. Only this time, it turned itself back on immediately. The buzzing grew louder and louder. She clamped her hands over her ears to block out the noise, but it was no good. The buzzing burrowed into her head until she thought it would explode her brain into a million pieces. Georgia let out a horrific scream and collapsed to the floor. The toothbrush fell from the cabinet, hit the ground with a thud, and went silent. Georgia sat on the floor, whimpering. Mick hurried into the bathroom once again and sighed when he saw Georgia in a heap on the floor.
“Right,” he said. “Another blood-bath? This is getting ridiculous now, Love. I think there might be some sleeping aids in the medicine cabinet. Get to bed and I’ll bring you a few. You need to sleep. You’re driving yourself crazy.”
Georgia didn’t say anything to him. Instead, she stumbled to her feet and trudged back to the bedroom. Clutching the covers to her throat, she tried to warm her frigid body. Something wasn’t right. She knew someone, or something, was in the house. And she was determined to find out what they wanted.
Chapter 3
Since Emma died, Georgia had been off work for six weeks. Today was her first day back, and she was anxious about going in. Mick had reassured her that everything would be okay, and her colleagues were caring and understanding enough to know that she was still struggling with the fact her daughter is no longer here.
“If everything gets a bit much for you,” said Mick. “Then please speak to someone you work with. They’ll be more than happy to help you.”
Georgia nodded and smiled. “I will. Love you.”
She kissed Mick and then left the house. Working as a vet, Georgia was faced with death almost every week. Someone would come in with a poorly dog or cat and they would end up having to be euthanized since it was the kindest thing to do for the animal. Georgia wasn’t sure if she was ready to face doing all that again, so she had requested to her boss that she starts off small—just annual check-ups, giving animals their shots and things like that. She was not ready to face putting an animal to sleep just yet.
The sun shone outside, and the birds sang their morning song. Georgia sat in the car for a few minutes, taking deep breaths and staring out of the windscreen, contemplating whether today was the best day to return to work. She knew she had to go back, eventually. But was today the best day, especially after what happened last night with the blood and toothbrush?
She shook the horrific memory away. No, I must go in.
Georgia started the engine and drove off down the quiet estate. She spotted Anne, the elderly lady who lived a few houses away, walking her pug dog. She waved politely and Anne smiled and waved back. The veterinary clinic was a twenty-minute drive from the house, so it gave Georgia plenty of thinking time. Due to her overwhelming emotion, she had to plan every day exactly. She had to know when she was going to do something and how long it would take her. Keeping a schedule helped her manage her sanity, and that was something crucial in her work.
The drive to work was busier than usual. As it was nine o’clock in the morning, rush hour had passed but it was still quite busy on the roads. Was there a festival in town? A concert? Georgia didn’t know much about what was going on in town lately. Her mind had been so occupied elsewhere that she had completely forgotten to check what was going on. Probably nothing of interest to her, anyway. Lots of trucks drove past, each one with a fairground ride.
Ah, the fair is coming soon. I completely forgot about that.
Every year, the fair would come to town during the summer. It would stay for two weeks, before moving on. They used to go to it as a family annually. They had never missed a year unless one of the children was ill, of course. This year would be different. Georgia wasn’t in the mood to go to the fair, especially with Alex. The fair just wouldn’t be as enjoyable without Emma. It needed to be all of them, or none of them at all.
***
Georgia arrived at work, and she was instantly greeted by her colleagues. Each and every one of them gave her a massive hug before letting go. Georgia eventually told them to stop because all the hugging was making her too emotional.
“How are you, Dear?” Sue asked.
“I’m doing okay, thanks. Still struggling, but I’m getting there slowly,” said Georgia.
“That’s good to hear. I’ve spoken to Patricia, and she has told me that you’re on smaller duties for the next month. The computer system is down, so we’ve had to write out the appointment schedules. Yours is in your room.”
“Thanks, Sue. I’ll get going in there.”
Georgia went into Room 3 and closed the door behind her. She hung her coat and bag up in the storage room at the back and then proceeded to check her appointments for the day. Her first appointment was a nice one—check-up for a ten-week pregnant Labrador. She liked giving pregnant dogs a check-up, as it was always nice to see the little ones growing. She even had to assist with the birth of puppies last year. Sue came into the room and smiled.
“Everything okay?” she asked.
“Yeah, yeah, I’m fine,” said Georgia. “Honestly, I’ll be fine.”
“Sure?”
“Absolutely. I do have a funny story for you though.”
Sue giggled. “Oh, do tell.”
“I’ve been having these strange things happen to me at home recently.”
“Is Mick spicing things up?” Sue laughed, winking at Georgia.
Georgia couldn’t help but laugh. “No, nothing like that. I mean, it’s almost as if the house is haunted. Last night, I heard this singing in the bathroom. A child singing. Then blood splashed out all over me, and my toothbrush kept turning itself on and off. It was so strange. And then, the night after the funeral, I saw a girl. On the road. And I ran her over. But when I got out of the car, she was gone.”
Sue was extremely confused by Georgia’s story and found it hard to believe. But she went along with it anyway, since she could tell that Georgia was invested in telling her what
had happened. Georgia continued the story, and by the end, Sue was more confused than before.
She furrowed her eyebrows and pursed her lips in a matter of disbelief. “I’ve heard of such phenomenon’s after we lose someone close to us. Are you saying you think that Emma has somehow found a way back to the living realm and is haunting you and your family?”
“No. Just haunting me. Mick doesn’t believe me because he doesn’t see or hear anything. I have no clue about Alex, and Connie is just a baby, so nothing bad should happen to her,” Georgia felt tears pulling at her eyes. Her voice came out a hoarse rasp. “I’m scared to be in my own home. My dead daughter is haunting me, I just know it.”
Sue wrapped her arms around Georgia in a sympathetic embrace. “I can see how hurt you are, how scared.”
Georgia saw the look of disbelief in Sue’s eyes. Of course, she didn’t actually believe her story because it just wasn’t possible. Georgia pulled herself away from Sue and composed herself.
“I’ll be fine,” said Georgia. “Once I get working and I’m busy, my mind will be distracted.”
“Are you sure?” Sue asked. “I can have a word with Patricia if you need me to.”
“No, no. Really, I’ll be okay.”
Sue rubbed Georgia’s arm and then left the room. Georgia let out a deep breath and walked over to the sink to wash her hands, ready to treat the first pet. She never understood why as she needed to wear gloves anyway, but she did it just to be more hygienic. The clock struck ten o’clock and the veterinary clinic opened for the day. There was a light knock on Room 3’s door.
“Come in,” Georgia called.
A middle-aged lady came in with a Labrador. Georgia smiled and helped lift the dog up onto the table.
“We’re just here for a check-up, really. Just want to make sure the puppies are all okay,” said the lady.