The Ghosts and Hauntings Collection

by Cat Knight

  With a smile, she started off. This was the party she was looking for. Why did she feel a hint of trepidation?

  When Mia reached the corner, she slid her way in among the merry makers into to the centre of the group.

  “Ah Mia! Welcome to the passing of Lucy the younger.” Oliver brushed a shock of black hair from his eyes and handed her a glass.

  Where ever Lucy was, Oliver would be, hanging around like a puppy, although Lucy barely noticed him. At least not in that way.

  The foam of ale splashed over her hand as Oliver poured from the jug of ale.

  “Ta very much Oliver. Any one would think you hadn’t had enough practice at this. Anyway, what are you banging on about?” Mia pointed across the table to where Lucy sat. “She’s right there.”

  Lucy’s, eyes were a brighter blue than usual, glowing with the warmth of ale.

  “Ah, no! You’re not seeing things right.” Oliver bellowed. “That is Lucy the elder.”

  Tonight, if anything, Lucy looked younger, not that thirty was old, but she seemed more energetic, sparkling. Maybe she had a new job?

  “So, what’s the impromptu celebration? Have you got a new job Lucy? A promotion? Are you leaving the library and moving on?”

  Oliver’s face took on an ‘all about the business’ demeanour.

  “No, no, that’s not it at all, Lucy, our young dizzy Lucy. has gone, and in her place has emerged a woman with purpose, a serious adult.”

  “You’re mad, Oliver” Mia said.

  “Entirely. Isn’t it grand? But I will not be upstaged. Our Lucy, has indeed found an escape from our life of transience… and parents’ basements.” He sloshed his ale and clinked Lucy’s glass.

  “Cheers to Lucy.”

  “Oliver, you’re drunk. And noisy.”

  “Indeed, I am. In the morning I will rue this condition, but at the moment, I praise the gods of barley and wheat.”

  Rolling her eyes, Mia moved past and around the table till she found a seat next to Lucy. For the moment, Mia’s anxiety disappeared. Lucy clinked her glass with Mia and hugged her.

  “You’re here,” Lucy said “Now, the party is complete.”

  What was it about Lucy that didn’t look quite right? Something niggled at Mia’s peace. She always knew when something was off, especially with people she knew. But it happened with strangers too.

  “So, if it’s not a new job, what kind of party is this?”

  “My coming of age party.”

  “You’ve had the key, haven’t you? Isn’t this a bit late?’

  “Chronological age has nothing to do with it.”

  Lucy took a happy drink of ale.

  “My good news is…. I am finally able to move out from under a landlord’s thumb. I’m striking out on my own in to the world of properly grown people and sailing away in a three-masted schooner. Well, it’s not really a schooner, but it feels like that’s what I’m doing.”

  “You’re not making sense.”

  “Mia, Mia in the fifteen years we have known each other, how many times have you told my future?”

  Mia didn’t answer. This was odd conversation for Lucy.

  “You’ve told it several times, and sometimes you were even right. Remember the time you read my tea-leaves- after Percy dumped me like a bad habit. You told me better things were coming?”

  Mia nodded. Mia did indeed remember that sorry episode in Lucy’s life. While Mia knew better things were coming, Lucy hadn’t been so sure.

  “Let’s not talk about Percy again. You were too good for him. I was definitely right about that.”

  “Precisely, but do you remember what happened when Percy ran off?”

  “Of course, I do. Your house got sold out from under you because you couldn’t buy him out.”

  “Yes, that’s right.” Lucy nodded.

  “And after everything was paid out you wound up broke. And then within two weeks he ran off with that bird Corrine, and you went into a deep depression.”

  “Yes, I did, but she did have a summer home by the sea and a winter villa in Spain, and apparently, she even owns an old castle somewhere, well her family does anyway.”

  “Well that’s old money for you, a house or a castle, or something in every port.”

  “And I landed up living in a dingy share house for a whole year before I could afford to move into a flat.”

  “Well what does this have to do with your – this - coming of age?”

  “We probably wouldn’t have stayed together anyway me and Percy. I mean he was handsome, and clever but he was – you know– a bit fickle.” Lucy began to look maudlin. “He was always looking for something better.

  Someone with blonder hair than mine, better prospects, that sort of thing.” Mia shook her head.

  “You need to put that torch down. And how many pints have you had?”

  “Don’t be a wet blanket. Not that many. Anyway, after you read my tea leaves you told me that I was meant to move on, and at some time in the future I would have my own place, my own piece of this old sod, this England. And I would discover something important.”

  “I do remember telling you that, and it’s true. But I’m still mystified.”

  “So here it is then, here is my good news. By this time tomorrow, I too will be one among the landed gentry, I will take my place in the empire with pride and I will be a person of means.”

  “I don’t know what you are on about Lucy. Do you have a hidden lover you’re moving in with or something? Are you getting married and keeping it secret? Don’t tell me you are going to join the aristocracy?”

  Lucy giggled. “Of course not! Don’t be ridiculous. No, when that day comes, you will stand at the altar with me. You will drink too much wine and leap high to pluck the bouquet out of the sky, so that you too may join the ranks of people chained together.”

  Lucy giggled again – the ale was definitely having an effect. “Did I say that? In any case, no, it’s not marriage. I’m not marrying into the realm of property owners. I will become one. Alone.”

  “Lucy, I’ve known you all these long years, and unless you’ve robbed the bank of England, you don’t have the money to buy a tent let alone land.”

  “You are behind the times, my friend, woefully behind the times. It no longer takes the riches of Croesus or the guile of Beelzebub. If you have a pound, one quid, you too can call a house your own.”

  “You’re daft. If such a house exists, it will consist of a single board nailed to a single door that won’t close.”

  “Mia, Mia, Mia, the government, our government, owns any number of houses in need of owners. Oh, I’ll grant you that the houses are not on Fleet Street. They are like orphans, ugly and neglected. And there will be a need for security. I have no illusions about that. But I will buy a house tomorrow for a single lonely pound. I will hand over a coin graced with the Queen’s face and walk away with a deed. Do not envy me too much.”

  “I don’t envy you at all. But would I be out of place if I reminded you that owning might be cheap but keeping is dear? One pound won’t cover the council fees.”

  “You’re behind the times, my dear. The council, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to lend me many thousands of pounds in order to fix up the place. The terms are beyond favourable, they are angelic. And as far as fees are concerned, they are waived for some years. It is the sweetheart deal of the century.”

  “Not so fast,” Mia said. “Certainly, there is some dark cloud to this silver lining. What’s the catch? There’s always a catch.”

  “Not really, no not really at all. I must live in the house for a minimum of five years. And everyone has to live somewhere don’t they?”

  “Is that all?”

  “I did the math. Five years amounts to one thousand eight hundred twenty-five days, not counting leap year. So, by any reckoning, even though it’s a bit of a dump now, with in five years, it will be on the upward swing, and I’ll make a tasty profit!”

  “Well, here’s
cheers then.”

  Mia raised her glass, but only slightly. Something did not seem right. As soon as they set down their glasses, Oliver arrived with another jug.

  “You look thirsty,” Oliver said filling Lucy and Mia’s glasses.

  “The next one’s on me, but I can’t stay for it.” Mia said. “I’ll have to leave you lot to it. I’ve got a reading to do later tonight.”

  “Oh, really?” Oliver’s voice feigned too much interest and he made spooky ghostly noises.

  “Oh, shut it Oliver.” Lucy gave him a sidelong look, with a tiny smile.

  Mia ignored it.

  “Actually, I think the chap that I’m going to bring through has been bothering me since I got here. I’ve had this weird feeling ever since I walked in the door.”

  “Ok Mia, go and do your thing. But you will stop by and make sure there are no misplaced spirits at my house too, won’t you?”

  “Try and stop me.”

  Lucy winked at her and Mia felt another ripple of fear as she regarded her friend. Something about Lucy’s new venture felt decidedly strange and frightening. What was it?

  Mia didn’t know and couldn’t guess, but she was certain Lucy was in for surprises, perhaps awful surprises.

  “You know,” Mia said, “You’re in for a serious ride this time.”

  “Terribly serious,” Lucy answered with a bobbing nod. “And the drinking won’t help. But let’s drink anyway.”

  Chapter One

  November 2017

  Rochford House

  Essex

  UK

  Lucy held the keys in her hand and stared at a house that seemed worn down, beaten up. From where she stood it looked more than just a fixer-upper, but she had chosen her house carefully. Of those available, this was the one she like the most. It took pride of position on the corner with a small stretch of dirt running the length of the adjacent street, besides the usual back yard area. That little bit of extra dirt and the views of the house along two streets provided an advantage over all the others and Lucy was in this for profit after-all.

  The front door had been white, a long time before, but now the exterior was covered with stains and some black paint in a shape with which she was unfamiliar.

  She supposed it was some sort of gang symbol, and while that gave her pause, it wasn’t a game changer. Not that she wanted to alter her decision. It was too late anyway. She wanted a house, she had signed on the line, and now she had one.

  The council records showed the house even had a name. Once in a former glory it had been named Rochford House and Lucy quite liked that. The price was beyond anything she had ever imagined. In fact, her mother still didn’t believe Lucy had actually acquired a house for one little pound. It was like a dream, better than a dream because it was true. It made the keys jingle in her hands. Exhilaration surged through her. Here I go.

  She unlocked the door and stepped inside.

  “What the bloody hell have I done?” Lucy said out loud.

  The front room, the parlour was mostly dark. Even though her house was on the corner, it’s terraced design hadn’t included any extra windows. She instinctively felt for the light switch, and found a slight recession in the wall, where the switch hung loosely. The plate that secured it absent. Obviously, someone had raided the house. If there were no plates on the outlets, it probably meant they were dangerous and not up to code.

  That didn’t seem too awful especially since there was no electricity hooked up yet.

  The room did have carpet, but it smelled as if a hundred cats had used it for their litter box. Lucy held her nose and fossicked in her bag until she found a pack of tissues. She doubled it over and slid it under the tiny gap between the door and the floor, wedging the front door open.

  Maybe some of the stench would find its way out of the house. She pulled out her mobile and started a list of items that needed fixing. The carpet became the first note of many that would come as she surveyed the damaged walls.

  In a way, she was glad that there were holes punched in the walls and dark stains on the nasty carpet. It would enable her to make decisions easily. While she had the loan which the council had made available, she was determined to spend the money judiciously.

  If she was to live in the house for the minimum five years, she needed to get as much value as possible from what she had.

  The house was going to be a solid investment — and from the look of the front room — a place in need of security. The council wasn’t selling houses cheap because the neighbourhood was on the rise.

  But that wouldn’t last forever. Things would improve relatively quickly, over the next five years, she hoped. But until then, she would have to install alarms as well.

  Lucy moved out of the room and started down the hall. The narrow long stretch became darkened the further she moved from the front of the house. Something about it felt claustrophobic, probably the closeness of the walls. Switching on the torch app of her mobile she moved along the confining space to the loo. As expected, it lacked facilities, but the pipes were in place. She knew there was no water at the moment, but the plumbers were coming the next day.

  The council in their wisdom and eagerness to offload the houses had everything arranged to go go go, at almost the same day possession of the deeds was handed over.

  And Lucy did indeed possess those now. Water and power was only twenty-four hours away, or so the council had assured her.

  And she had seen the most darling accessories that would make the half bath inviting.

  She could hardly wait for the housewarming. Once it was tastefully refurbished wouldn’t her friends be green with envy? Wouldn’t Mia bring some incense to christen the house? Wouldn’t she swish her smudge around making it curse-proof? Even if she privately thought Mia a bit loony, it was better to be safe than sorry wasn’t it?

  Opposite the loo was a small sitting room. A hole in the ceiling indicated where the chandelier had been.

  A new one would hang there soon. There was one on the Ikea web site that would fit the space perfectly! And she knew a bloke or two that would put the furniture together in a thrice for a pint. Her money would go further if she could hire work by the ale. Of course, she wasn’t going to trust the blokes with complex jobs. With her luck, one of them would electrocute himself. That would put a damper on things… no… she’d have to be careful about who she let loose on the place. Best to let the council use their contractors, people who knew what they were doing.

  While the torch app allowed her to spot the most obvious problems, she was certain that the contractors would find many more than she could chronicle on her phone.

  Leaving the room and continuing down the hallway, Lucy shone her torch forward, but the torch couldn’t reach all the corners, all the shadows, all the darkness.

  And it did seem so very dark. Lucy held her torch light high upwards toward the balcony on the 2nd floor.

  The light shone dimly into the blackness casting a white glow but revealed nothing. A small knot formed in her stomach. Instinctively she found herself looking back over her shoulder considering for a moment whether she should have come alone.

  Dismissing the thought, she pushed on, disappointed in herself. It wasn’t like her to be so jumpy. And she’d been so looking forward to this moment.

  Maybe in her haste she had taken on too much and anxiety was kicking in. That and the hangover from the party. That must be it. That would explain the shakiness she was feeling.

  “I’ll have you bright and new in no time,” she said aloud, “because honestly, you’re a little bit…. creepy.”

  Shuddering she pushed the thought away and walked through the door on her left to the dining area. A musty stench filled her nostrils and an itch started in the back of her throat. Lucy coughed, and tried to clear the itch, but it persisted. Holding her torch in front of her she ran the beam around the walls.

  Pulling the corner of her jacket over her nose she walked to the corners and held the torc
h high. A scattered line of black dots hung in the corners of the wall and spread upwards in long spotty fingers. Mould. Well I knew you wouldn’t be all daisies and butterscotch. She added the word to her list. She wasn’t terribly afraid of mould, but mould was not something she wanted to share her house with. Making her way from the room to the adjoining kitchen she found it in the same condition as the rest of the rooms.

  The sink would need to be replaced and while the cabinets would need a fresh coat of paint, they looked in good enough shape. But the appliances were non-existent. Lucy was happy about that, at least she wouldn’t have to pay to have them hauled away.

  If there had been a stove it would no doubt have been antiquated and filthy. Now she would be able to choose appliances that fit her eye and her needs.

  She heard the rustle behind her and spun. Even with the back windows, the house remained gloomy. Torch in hand, she searched. The light revealed nothing. She squinted.

  She wanted to see something. She wanted a reason for the rustle even if it was a mouse, although she found precious little for the mouse to eat. As long as it wasn’t a rat, she felt OK. Rats were bigger, harder to handle.

  The rear door had no windows, and for security’s sake she found that reassuring. It would take a lot more work to get through a solid door. She entered the first of the keys in the lock, testing them to find the one that worked. The lock was a bit rusty, but eventually it turned and clicked the way it should.

  The back yard was tiny, as they all were, and had grown wild and fierce with weeds from neglect. It would require some TLC before she could host a summer party. Still, the yard had some positive features. There were hedges on the side and a fence in back with a gate that had its own lock. Lucy walked across the shaggy turf and again tried every key until she found the one that unlocked the gate. Once open, she stepped into the alley and its array of trash bins. What were the pickup days?

  She would have to find out. Satisfied, she returned to the back door and pushed.