THE APPOINTMENT: A chilling ghost story of malevolence and death
Page 11
Kelly suddenly leapt out of her bed, convinced that someone was in her loft. She groped around in the dark, wishing she had not closed all of her curtains earlier in an attempt to create a cosy atmosphere. She tripped over a chair and bumped into the table, as she made her way to the kitchen-diner in order to pull back the curtains which she had closed to keep the canal lights out. But by then the noises had stopped, and she was beginning to wonder if they had been coming from the canal after all and not from her loft as she’d first thought. In fact the more she thought about it, the more obvious it became. Of course the noises she’d been hearing would have been from the swishing water, causing the barges to rock to and fro and creating knocking sounds as they gently tipped against the canal side to which they were all securely anchored.
Breathing a sigh of relief, she walked over to the fuse cupboard to check it, but everything was intact. She had no idea why all her lights had gone out. Presumably it must be an electrical fault. She made a mental note to call out an electrician the next day. She walked around trying all of the switches and plugs but the lights wouldn’t come back on. Thankfully the lights from outside began to gradually reflect into her apartment and by now she was wide awake.
She looked up at her loft hatch and doubts set in again. Could she be certain there was no-one up there? If she didn’t prove it to herself, she may not be able to sleep. She was overcome by a strong determination to check it out before her courage failed her. So picking up the pole for the hatch, she jiggled it in place until it finally caught hold, and with more fervour than courage she pulled as hard as she could. But instead of opening, the hatch began to shake vigorously as if an earthquake was taking place. Holding firmly onto the pole, Kelly was almost pulled off her feet until she finally had to let go.
The hatch seemed to take on a life of its own as it continued to shake and rattle. Kelly was stupefied and stunned into silence, and all she could do was stand and stare at it. Then a sudden wave of anger leapt in and she thumped the hatch several times with the pole and yelled, “Whoever you are up there, you’d better come out now.”
But of course there was no reply and the hatch stopped as abruptly as it had begun - and at the same time all the lights came back on. When Kelly saw the damage which had been done by her thumping and banging with the pole, she began to fume. Unshaken in her determination, she hooked up the pole once again and tried to force it open. But it simply refused to budge. If a battle of wits were about to commence, Kelly was not going to give up. She retrieved some suitable ladders from a walk-in storage area and placed them under the troublesome spot. With pole in hand she climbed up to the hatch with a vengeance, only to be interrupted by the sound of her phone ringing. Huffing in annoyance she climbed back down and answered the phone stiffly to a surprised Francine.
“Hey Kelly, is something wrong? There’s an awful lot of noise coming from your place.”
Kelly sighed into the phone. “Sorry Fran, I didn’t realise - well, I guess I just didn’t think of the disturbance I was causing to anyone. It’s just that – well, I’ve been hearing those damned noises again. In fact at one point I was sure there was someone in my loft - I know it sounds daft but …”
“I’ll come round, just give me five minutes,” interrupted Francine.
“But it’s eleven thirty …” Fran had rung off before Kelly could finish. And now she felt guilty at causing a rumpus. She felt awful at Fran being disturbed so late at night. However, she left what she was doing and put some coffee on and left the door off the latch.
As always, Sod’s Law, everything had now gone quiet and peaceful. So what would Fran think?
Whilst she was alone with her thoughts, Kelly began to wonder if this latest episode was connected to her current hallucinatory condition. Everything which seemed to happen to her happened when she was alone. There were never any witnesses. She suddenly felt foolish and embarrassed and a feeling of dread overcame her, as she struggled to think of a good enough explanation for when Fran arrived. If the noises had occurred when Matthew was on the phone earlier, at least he’d be able to testify to her sanity. But even when Fran rang, the noises had stopped. She must appear utterly stupid to Francine – or mad!
She heard the sound of the front door opening and went to greet her friend. They hugged as they wandered into the kitchen together. Kelly picked up the two Lattes and carried them to the table, whilst motioning to Francine to sit down.
“Okay. Tell me what’s been happening?” Francine asked sympathetically.
“Oh, those wretched noises - they’ve been at it again,” Kelly sighed deeply. “I’m beginning to think I’m going stark raving mad.”
Francine turned round and surveyed the steps and the damaged ceiling.
“Well, there’s only one way to get to the bottom of it. I’ll go up there and check it out,” she offered.
“Hum, that’s the problem. I’ve tried to investigate myself, but the hatch wouldn’t open. It seems to be jammed shut. And then once I got part way up the steps it rattled like crazy – I thought the whole ceiling was going to come down. And just look at it now!” Kelly pointed over to the damaged ceiling. “The noises have suddenly disappeared – it’s simply gone dead! I lost my rag with it and hit at it with the pole like a madwoman. I think I must be losing it quite frankly.”
“I can see you’ve had a right good hammer at it.”
“To be honest Fran, at one point I truly believed there was someone up there.”
“I don’t blame you, I would’ve thought exactly the same. But I wouldn’t have been waiting for you to call me if I thought someone was in my loft, I can assure you. I’d have been on the phone to you without hesitation.” Francine sipped at her coffee and pondered for a while.
“When was the last time you went up there?”
“Not since I moved in. It hasn’t been opened since I had my parents’ belongings put up there.”
“I think that explains it then. It’s probably sticking through lack of use. Maybe when you tried to open it, it loosened it just enough to cause it to vibrate. It probably got stuck between the open and shut position.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right, that makes sense. But there’s one slight snag with that explanation…”
“And what’s that?”
“It doesn’t explain what the noises were which were coming from up there in the first place.”
“You’ve got a point there. It’s late, the brain’s not in gear.”
“To be honest Fran, I think the noises were probably coming from the canal boats. I think I’m suffering from paranoia.”
“I’ll just finish my coffee and then I’ll have a go at opening it. If you’ve managed to loosen it with all the jiggling, then it might just open immediately.”
“Yes it’s possible. After all, I did get a bit carried away – as you can see. I’m rather surprised it hasn’t just dropped open. Oh, I forgot to mention, there was a problem with the lights going on and off as well. They couldn’t make their minds up what to do.”
“Are they okay now?”
“Yes, as you can see, they’re all working. I’m going to call out an electrician to-morrow, because this isn’t the first time I’ve had a problem.”
“I’ll take a look shall I?” Francine slid her chair back and got up.
“Are you sure Fran? It is rather late and I feel really guilty at disturbing you - especially as everything seems to have calmed down now. I probably made it worse by getting so angry because I had settled down for the night. I was just so frustrated at having to jump in and out of bed.”
“I would have reacted exactly like you Kelly. Everything seems worse at night too, especially when we’re in bed. But I won’t be leaving until I get to the bottom of it. It’s probably just mice.”
“They must be big ones! Believe it or not, it sounded like someone dragging something across the floor.”
“Well, that makes sense. If something is up the
re trying to drag something into a corner which represents food – vermin eat almost anything - then those sounds in an empty space like the loft would echo and sound much louder.”
“I suppose so,” Kelly replied with a yawn.
They both walked over to the steps.
“It’s pretty quiet now, isn’t it? Maybe whatever it is, has nodded off after supper.” Francine joked.
They looked at one another and broke into a fit of giggles.
“I feel silly now letting you go up there to explore. It’s pretty obvious there’s nothing up there – it has gone dead quiet. Shall we just leave it? There’s always another day.”
“No, I think we should just check it out and secure the hatch properly and make sure everything is okay. Then you’ll have peace of mind and so will I.”
“Okay, you’re right, as always. Anyway I have some good news which I’m just dying to tell you.”
“Oh, what’s that then?”
Kelly leaned against the steps and excitedly told Francine about the conversation she’d had with Matthew.
“And he wants me to join him in America as soon as possible. He suggested I ask Evelyn for some leave, three months in fact, to give us time to sort out our future plans.”
“Wow! That’s a bolt out of the blue isn’t it? And how do you feel about that?”
“Scared, I guess.”
“I must admit, it is a big step. America is so far away. But it’s pretty exciting!”
“Yes, it is. And I’ve never been to the States before - and lately I’ve come to the conclusion that I do need a break.”
“I suppose that rules out our little cruise then?” Francine teased.
“I guess so Fran. You’ll have to accept being second best.”
“But I haven’t given him my seal of approval yet – I haven’t even met him.”
“Well, I did say I was keeping him to myself. He is rather special.”
“Perhaps you’ll find someone for me in America,” Fran jested
“I’ll do my best.”
They both laughed jovially together. Francine couldn’t be happier for her friend it was just what she needed. Kelly deserved someone special, and as far as Francine was concerned she shouldn’t delay the plans for a moment longer than necessary.
They moved the steps out of the way and Francine picked up the pole first to see if she could get the hatch to open, so that they could pull down the loft ladder. But before she had even got the pole connected to it, the lights all fused again and they were in total darkness.
“That’s exactly what happened before,” said Kelly despairingly. “I’ll go and check the fuse-box.”
But without warning the loft hatch sprang open and the ladders came clattering down. Kelly saw them just in time and managed to lurch forward to push Francine out of the way. They crashed to the floor, missing Francine’s head by a whisker.
“Gosh, that was close! Good job you were quick witted just then Kelly.” Francine was clearly shaken by the experience, and she didn’t want to think what the consequences might have been if she hadn’t been pushed out of the way in time.
“You were obviously right Fran I must have loosened the hatch. Are you alright?”
“Sure, I’m fine. Shall we go and investigate the fuse box whilst I’m still in one piece?”
When they checked the fuses they were all intact.
“That’s rather strange. You’ve clearly got an electrical fault here Kelly.”
“I have a few candles around somewhere I’ll have to use those until the electrician sorts it out. There’s not much we can do in the dark and it’s getting late. If we can get the hatch to close, I’ll leave it until to-morrow. I don’t relish you having another experience like that again. Next time you may not be so lucky.”
“Have you got a torch? I’m not giving up now.”
Kelly looked for a torch and Francine went over to the hatch again.
“If we can prop these ladders up to the opening, I should be able to look inside the loft. I think you’ll need to steady them for me, they’re a bit unstable.”
“Maybe we should leave it Fran. It’s too risky. It’s late and it’s dark.” Kelly walked over to her with the torch.
“I’m wide awake now and determined to get to the bottom of it - hey, take a look at this.”
Kelly joined a startled Francine who was staring at the loft hatch. It was securely closed.
“That is weird!” said a bemused Francine. “In fact the hairs on the back of my neck have just stood on end.”
Kelly and Francine just stared at one another.
“I’ve no idea what’s going on,” Kelly said in amazement.
“Well, I intend to find out. You shine the light and I’ll jiggle it open again.”
Although Kelly was hesitant, she knew she wouldn’t be able to go back to bed until they got to the root of the problem, so she went along with it. But when three faint knocking sounds came from the loft, Francine and Kelly grabbed each other’s arm.
“My god – what’s that?” gasped Francine.
“Perhaps it’s the mice.” Kelly whispered unconvincingly. But neither of them believed that for a moment.
They continued to clutch at each other until the noises stopped, and when they did they both held their breath and listened in silence.
“That’s that! You’re definitely not going up there now,” ordered Kelly, as she loosened her grip on Francine’s arm.
“I’m not prepared to leave until we establish what’s going on.”
“I’m now feeling nervous - what do we do if there’s someone in there?” Kelly asked anxiously.
“I’m not sure. Have you anything we can use to arm ourselves with?”
“Arm ourselves with what? Would we not be better calling the police?”
“How can we call the police unless we know for sure? If its mice, we’ll look pretty stupid.”
“I don’t care. If someone’s up there, we could be in danger.”
“I think we’re both probably overreacting don’t you? We need to apply some common sense to this, after all why would someone hide in your loft? They would’ve shown themselves by now anyway. Think about it – no-one can get into your loft without being in your flat in the first place. It’s obvious when you think about it, that a bird - or something, must be trapped up there. And in any case, how would you possibly sleep if I just leave and go home without us solving the riddle? We’re just being paranoid. It’s late and we’re both tired and we’re not thinking straight.” Francine suggested, having pulled herself together.
“I suppose there could’ve been some damage done to the slates during the recent storms. If there are any loose slates that would explain how something is getting in. It could be a large bird, come to think of it. There could also be a draught getting through, which could also be the reason for some of the noises and the hatch being disturbed,” Kelly added.
“It all makes sense when it’s thought out rationally, doesn’t it?”
“It does and what’s more, if we find any damage up there I will have to report it to the management. So I suppose I should go up there and investigate and you stay and hold the ladders in place.”
“No Kelly. You know that you’ll only get upset if you see your parents’ things. It’s bound to bring memories flooding back, and quite frankly I don’t think you’re ready for that yet. It was my idea to go up there, so I intend to finish what I started.”
Kelly disappeared from the room and returned a minute or two later with a wooden mallet.
“Here, take this up with you, you may need it.”
Francine looked at the mallet questioningly, and a smile of amusement crossed her face.
“You may need it for the mice,” Kelly proffered unconvincingly.
Francine took the mallet from her. It was big and it was heavy. “This could so some damage Kelly. Where on earth did you get it from?”
Francine laughed as she waved it around in the air. “It’s like holding a dumbbell. I’ll probably drop if before I reach the top.”
“Let’s hope you don’t need to use it.”
“If I’m going to carry this thing, you’ll need to shine the torch into the opening whilst steadying the ladders. Can you manage that?”
“Sure.”
Francine put the mallet on the floor whilst she wiggled the loft pole into place, and Kelly aimed the torch to help her see what she was doing. The hatch opened without much effort.
“You keep your eyes firmly on that opening and I’ll prop the ladders up against it. If it closes again I want one of us to see why,” said Francine whilst trying to position the ladders.
Kelly stood close to the opening and shone the torch around. She could just make out the outline of part of the inside of the roof, but nothing else. Everything was quiet.