“Are you going to throw it away?”
Josie considered the question for a moment. “No, not yet. I’ll put it back in the box in this closet. It seems really old, it’s beautiful, perhaps it’s a keepsake. He might be crazy, but I’d feel bad tossing it in case it belongs to someone.”
“Here,” Michael said, approaching her, “Let’s put it up on the shelf. It will be out of the way.” They packed it in the box and Josie watched Michael push it back on the shelf in the closet.
As he shoved it as far back as he was able, Damien came in through the front door. “Hey guys,” he said. “What’s up?”
“Just putting that stupid music box away,” Josie said, arms crossed.
“I thought you liked it?” he asked, shedding his messenger bag and shoes.
“She did until she found out it came from a crazy stalker who attacked her today,” Michael chimed in, closing the closet door.
“What?” Damien stopped dead from removing his second shoe in shock.
“I wasn’t attacked. Some crazy guy was just talking nonsense at the office supply store. He was the same guy who caught me when I fainted at the mall. He was at the office store and was just saying crazy stuff to me.”
“Like what?” Damien asked.
“Like I need to remember who I am and he can help me and on and on, weird stuff.”
“And he grabbed hold of her and mentioned her nightmares and the music box,” Michael added, “so we know who brought this to the door and we know he’s not only been here at the house but in two other places she’s been. So, he’s stalking her and he could be violent.”
“Really, Michael? Violent? That’s quite a leap,” Josie said.
“Josie, you were shaking when you got home, don’t write this off.”
“I’m not writing it off. I’m just saying he might be unbalanced but not unhinged.”
“Did you call the police?” Damien asked.
Michael crossed his arms in frustration. “Nope, tried to, she didn’t want to,” Michael said. “But I’m insisting that she not be anywhere alone, including here as much as possible, until we know more or this guy crawls back under whatever rock he came from.”
“I agreed to that, yes,” Josie said.
“Yeah, sounds like a plan. I agree we should not leave you alone. But, are you sure we shouldn’t call the police, Jos?” Damien prodded.
“If he shows up again, we will. For now, I’d rather not,” Josie explained.
“Reason?” Damien asked, now removing his second shoe.
“I don’t know. I just, I don’t think he’s dangerous. He seemed kind of…” Josie paused. “Sad, I guess.”
Michael rolled his eyes. “He’s crazy,” he mouthed to Damien.
“I saw that. Let’s drop it. I’m going to order my supplies that I didn’t get when I ran out of the store.”
Josie made her way to the couch and set up shop, retrieving her list and creating her order. She did everything possible to keep the incident off her mind for the remainder of the day and evening. As bedtime approached, she was reluctant to go to bed. An uneasy pall hung over her and she was sure as soon as she laid down her mind would dwell on the incident.
Damien knew her well enough to sense her hesitance and asked if she’d prefer him to camp out with his favorite air mattress in her room. Josie loved how he could sense her moods and told him that she would appreciate that gesture very much.
Even with Damien so close, sleep escaped Josie. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw the man, remembered the wild look in his eyes as he begged her to remember, felt his hands grasping her shoulders, heard his voice, feverish by the end. Each time she would snap her eyes open to make sure she was still safely tucked in her bedroom. Sometimes she peered over the edge of the bed to check that Damien was still there.
After hours of fretting, she dozed off, sleeping restlessly, dreaming of the incident with the man, the music box, and a woman named Celine. She walked through the office store, but the aisles became winding tunnels and she became lost. The man appeared begging her to remember her true self. Somewhere the music box played, and she followed its sound. She wound through passage after passage, finding it playing on top of a shelf. She approached it and found a mirror behind it. She looked at the mirror and saw her reflection. But yet, it wasn’t her reflection. “No,” the reflection said, “I am your true self. I am Celine.”
Josie jolted awake, disturbed by the dream. She concluded that trying to sleep was useless. She rose from the bed and donned her robe. Tiptoeing out of the room, she made her way downstairs. She hoped some television would help distract her mind enough to fall asleep.
She flipped through the choices on her streaming network and settled for re-watching a comedy series. The show did little to distract her, only providing background noise for the questions churning in her mind. How did the man even find her? Why did he think she was Celine? Who was he? How did he know about her nightmares? Why did he give her the music box and what did it mean? Was it Celine’s music box? Who was Celine? The questions would not cease racing across her mind.
Her thoughts converged on the music box. She had packed it away earlier, not wanting to see it. Perhaps that was a mistake. A sudden urge pushed her to want to see it again, to hold it in her hands and to hear the little tinkling song that it played. She went to the closet and struggled to pull the box down from the shelf. It was no use; she couldn’t reach it. She sighed, frustrated. Heading to the laundry room, she grabbed a step stool and dragged it to the living room. She set it up outside of the closet, climbed up and grabbed the box. As she was climbing down, she heard a noise behind her.
“What the hell are you doing?” Michael asked, still squinting in the light.
Damien was behind him, rubbing his eyes. He yawned. “Yeah, what are you doing?”
Josie narrowed her eyes. “What are you doing up?” Josie asked.
“Ah, you woke everyone up with all your banging around,” Michael responded. “Is that the music box?”
“Yes,” Josie answered curtly.
“Why are you getting that?” Damien asked. “It’s the middle of the night.”
“I wanted to see it,” Josie said, climbing down off the step stool and dragging it away enough to close the door.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to see it anymore?” Michael questioned her.
“Well, now I do. I’m allowed to change my mind,” she said, sitting on the couch with the box and beginning to open it.
“Josie, put that away. Go to bed. Try to get some sleep. You can see it in the morning,” Michael prompted her.
“I couldn’t sleep. I had a disturbing dream, not the same one, but a different one and I couldn’t sleep anymore. After everything that happened yesterday, I think that’s understandable.”
“Well, okay, sure, let’s put that down and we’ll hang out and watch some T.V. with you or we could play a video game or something, get your mind off of everything.” Michael sat down next to her and tried gently to remove the box from her.
“No, leave me alone!” she shouted, pulling the box back to her and away from Michael.
Michael shot a glance to Damien. This was not the Josie he knew; he was growing concerned. The lack of sleep seemed to be taking its toll. Damien’s concern equaled Michael’s. He approached Josie, sitting on the coffee table in front of her. “Jos?” Damien said, putting his hand on hers. “You should try to get some rest, let’s go to bed,” he said gently.
“Stop treating me like a child. I’m not a child. I’m not going to bed. I prefer to be left alone,” she said, pulling the music box from its package.
Michael and Damien shared another glance. Josie stared at the music box, running her hand over the top of it. She opened it and the bright music began to play. “Hey, didn’t you say that helped you sleep? Maybe you should take it upstairs with you and lay down and see if you can sleep now,” Damien suggested.
“Yes,” Josie said, soundi
ng almost dazed, “yes, I will.” She stood and made her way to the stairs.
“Okay, that’s weird,” Michael said when she was out of earshot. “Her behavior around that music box is odd. One minute she wants nothing to do with it and the next she’s rummaging around in the closet on a ladder to get it back in the middle of the night. And then she’s so touchy about it.”
“Maybe it’s the lack of sleep?” Damien offered. “I don’t know. I mean I’ve seen her at her best and her worst and I agree, this is odd behavior for her.”
“We need to convince her to get rid of that box in the morning. Or at least after she’s had a little sleep.”
“Yeah, that might be a good idea.” He yawned. “Speaking of, I’m going to try to get some sleep, too. I hope I can sleep with the mini concert playing in Josie’s room.”
“Yeah, I hope you don’t start acting weird after a night of listening to that thing.”
“Me too.” He yawned again. “See you in the morning.”
They both headed up for the night. Damien found Josie in her room, already asleep. The music box played on the night table. He considered closing it but decided not to. The last time Michael did that, Josie had become annoyed with him the next morning. Perhaps it was better for him to wait until she had more sleep to approach the subject. He laid down, trying to tune out the music and fell asleep despite its constant droning.
The man nursed a drink at the local bar. His first attempt at getting through to Celine had failed, miserably. He must have sounded like a raving lunatic. He had to find a way to reach her, sooner than later. He had to keep at it; had to keep pushing until she remembered. So many lives depended on it.
Chapter 8
Josie groaned as her alarm chirped, tired from another restless night. The little music box tinkled away on her night table. Funny that she almost threw it away when it had such a mellowing effect on her. She decided she would take it with her to have her morning cup of tea on the porch again after her jog. Closing it for the time being, she got ready for her jog in the en-suite bathroom before tiptoeing out of the room and down the stairs.
She had returned, changed clothes, and made her cup of tea before anyone else was up. They must be sleeping in since neither planned to go to the office today. Retrieving the music box, she set it up on the porch along with her tea. It was another pleasant summer morning. With her shoes kicked off, she swung gently on the porch swing, the cool morning breeze caressing her skin. The music box tinkled away as she sipped her tea. She let the gentle movement lull her into a relaxed, dreamlike state.
She held her legs out in front of her as she swung, letting her gaze fall to her feet. She smiled, thinking how much she loved being barefoot in the summer. Without warning, another image dashed across her brain. It was fleeting but vivid. It seemed like a memory, yet she couldn’t place it. She was swinging, watching her bare feet in front of her. The scent of flowers hung heavy in the warm air. She leapt from the swing and splayed herself onto the lawn below, the grass cool beneath her. Her curls fell around her, her hair much longer than she ever remembered wearing it. She stared into the crisp blue sky, with white clouds dotting it here and there. The bright sun shone down upon her. She closed her eyes as it warmed her face. “C’est un jour parfait pour être heureux,” she murmured aloud.
Josie stopped the swing, snapping back to reality. Where did that come from? It seemed like a memory. But she did not recognize the place. And it was impossible for her to remember speaking in a language she didn’t know. The so-called memory confused her; her head began to ache. The pain drove the memory from her mind. The music still playing from the music box began to irritate her. She slammed it shut, rubbing her temples.
“Ready to pitch that thing yet?” Michael asked, leaning against the front door jamb, coffee in hand.
Josie sighed. “Please stop startling me like that.”
“Sorry,” he said, making his way over to join her on the swing. “Did you end up getting any sleep?”
“Yes,” she said, still irritated from the pain throbbing in her head.
“Doesn’t sound like enough.”
“I just have a headache. I need some aspirin and another cup of tea.”
“Okay. Hey, I was thinking, we should get out of the house today, take your mind off of things, you know? We could see a movie. Or take a trip to the park. Whatever you want.”
“Yeah, I’ll consider it,” Josie said, hovering in the door. “Let’s see if my headache goes away,” she said, disappearing to retrieve her aspirin and more tea.
She returned about fifteen minutes later, Damien in tow. “Look who I found,” she said, sitting on the swing.
“Did your headache pass?” Michael asked.
“Yes, the aspirin seems to be working already. I think we should go out today. What about a movie? It’ll be too hot for a hike today.”
“Right, yeah, what’s it going to hit over ninety today or something?” Damien asked, always willing to forego physical activity.
“Okay, I’ll even let you guys pick the movie, as long as you promise not to pick something boring,” she teased.
After having a lazy morning, the three selected a matinee showing of an action movie and planned to grab an early dinner after the movie before heading home. The darkened theater erased any traces of the headache Josie experienced earlier in the morning, leaving her relaxed. They left the theater, joking about a few scenes in the movie. Pushing through the exit doors, the heat and bright sun greeted them.
As Josie stepped out, the sunshine blinded her after being in the darkened theater. As soon as she pushed through the door, she felt like a brick struck her. She doubled over, clutching her head. Thoughts raced through her brain, but they made little sense to her. She heard her friends calling her but they sounded like they were miles away. The sensation, while intense, passed within seconds. She recovered, righting herself and taking a deep breath.
“Josie, are you okay? Get the car and bring it,” Damien said to Michael. Michael disappeared, keys in hand to bring the car around.
“I think so,” Josie said. “I got this intense pain in my head and my mind was so blurry. I guess from the sudden heat and sun,” she surmised.
“Yeah, I’d believe that if you didn’t just pass out and end up in the ER. I think you should revisit the hospital.
“No, no way, absolutely not. I’m fine!” Josie insisted.
“Okay, well, maybe we should head straight home, at least.”
“No, no, I’m fine, let’s go eat. I just need some food, my popcorn lunch may not have been a good idea.”
“Are you sure?” Damien asked as the car pulled around toward them.
“Yeah, I’m sure, I’m fine.” She smiled, trying to portray an air of confidence.
Damien opened the door for her and got her into the car, then hopped into the backseat. “Home?” Michael asked, pulling away from the curb.
“No way, I’m hungry, let’s go eat!”
“Really?” he questioned.
“Yes, really. I’m fine, the sun just blinded me, that’s all. I’m fine. I’m fine.”
Michael shot Damien a glance. He shrugged his shoulders. Josie rolled her eyes. “Oh stop it, you two, I’m fine. I won’t be fine if someone doesn’t take me to get something to eat soon though.”
“Okay, okay, we’ll go get something to eat,” Michael said, easing the car onto the road and heading for the restaurant they selected.
The three were seated quickly after arriving and ordered shortly after. Josie excused herself to use the ladies' room after ordering. She looked at herself in the mirror as she washed her hands. What had happened to her when she stepped out of the theater? Despite all her protestations, she wasn’t sure she was okay. The thoughts that spilled through her mind during her attack made no sense to her. They were akin to the image she experienced this morning while sitting on the porch. It seemed as though she was remembering someone else’s life. What was wrong with her? Pe
rhaps she was overtired and her mind was playing tricks on her, she contemplated, as she dried her hands with a paper towel before exiting the bathroom.
No matter what it was, she decided, as she pushed through the door into the hallway, she would not let it ruin her dinner. She would do her best to push it from her mind.
“You’re remembering aren’t you?” a voice said from behind her as she entered the hall.
“What?” she said turning to face the person speaking.
“I said you’re remembering, aren’t you?” the man said again, smiling at her. Josie recognized him, it was the man from the mall and the office supply store. It was obvious now that he was following her.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” Josie lied, “I told you to leave me alone.” She turned to leave; he wouldn’t dare follow her to the table with her friends unless he planned on getting into a world of trouble.
“I can help you when you’re ready, Celine!” he called after her.
Josie returned to the table. “Everything okay?” Michael asked, as she sat down.
“Yep,” she lied. “Even better now that the appetizer is here,” she said, helping herself. Neither Michael nor Damien were convinced, but neither wanted to push it.
“Excuse me, miss? I believe you dropped this.” Josie looked up as someone placed something on the table near her. It was the man who had been following her. He left as quickly as he came, turning slightly, giving her a half-smile as he walked away.
Although astounded, Josie said nothing to either of her companions. Instead, she called a ‘thank you’ after him and reached to put what he left into her purse. She glanced at it as she shoved the card in. It was the manager’s card for the restaurant. On the back was scrawled ‘Call me when you’re ready’ along with a phone number. Josie didn’t understand why she didn’t tell anyone else who the man was nor that he had left his phone number with her, but for reasons unknown, she decided it was the best course of action. Instead, she acted nonchalant and returned to eating and conversing as if nothing happened.
Shadows of the Past: A Supernatural Suspense Mystery (Shadow Slayers Stories Book 1) Page 6