The House In the Woods

by Marguerite O'Callaghan

  Lydia leans forward.

  ‘You don’t need to tell me what it is, Jane. But there is something, isn’t there… something she’s protecting? You know, don’t you?’

  Jane actually looks shocked. She doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and Lydia thinks that Skype has stalled and frozen the screen, then her aunt looks down, and it seems like she’s about to say something. Instead, she looks back at Lydia, her eyes filled with tears.

  ‘I’m not feeling very well, Lydia.’

  She closes her laptop and disappears. Lydia gets up and walks to the window. There’s no doubt in her mind that Jane knows something. She goes downstairs to tell her dad what’s happened, but finds him asleep on the sofa; a heavy astronomy book on his chest. Molly is lying on the floor in front of him, and Lydia calls to her gently.

  Once they’re on the heath, Lydia lets Molly off the lead, does a few stretches using a bench, and starts to jog slowly. Molly runs along beside her. The insomnia and panic over the past few months has made Lydia weak, and she’s determined to improve her health with regular exercise and plenty of good food. When they’ve run around the duck pond twice, Lydia stops, and stretches again, then starts to walk towards the main road. She puts Molly back on the lead and contemplates walking through the village, but before she can decide if it’s a good idea, she spots someone she recognises. It’s Ida, the psychic she went to see when Kate first went missing. Ida’s already seen Lydia, is waving excitedly, and smiling from across the road. Lydia hasn’t thought about her in weeks, but is immediately delighted to see Ida. She starts walking towards her and suddenly feels the urge to tell her about her mum and Jane. Then, Lydia remembers something that gives her chills up and down her neck; Ida had mentioned someone called Margaret when Lydia went to her for a reading all those months ago! It was suddenly all starting to make sense! The pair embrace, Ida tells Lydia that she looks really well, and they chat for a few minutes, then Lydia asks if she might be able to fit her in for a session sometime soon. She tells Ida that there are a few things on her mind, and she could really use some guidance. Ida’s face is full of kindness and warmth, her smile makes Lydia feel safe and peaceful. She’s still like the grandmother she never had.

  ‘I’m free today. I just need to go to the post-office and pick up some shopping but... I could see you in about an hour or two? Say seven o clock?’

  Lydia nods, tells her that seven is perfect, says goodbye, and starts to walk home. There’s enough time for a bath and a call to Jared before she heads back out.

  10

  Kate lies awake. The things that Melvin has told her about her mother and the ranch have made her feel very strange; like she’s only just finding out who her mum is, after all these years. There’s still so much mystery surrounding her mother’s past; for one thing, her name isn’t even Barbara. Kate thinks she must have managed to go into some sort of witness protection programme or changed her name by deed poll, and moved to the UK that way. She wonders if her dad knows anything about any of this. What if she married him just so she could stay in England and be safe? Nothing seems impossible or far-fetched anymore. Kate also wonders if her mother was against her modelling career in the beginning because it meant the family would get photographed and have some sort of public profile. The people who were after her, Melvin’s family, might find her more easily that way. Then it dawns on Kate; that must be how he found them! How else was it possible? Her heart sinks. She’s the one to blame for all of this; if it wasn’t for her stupid modelling and wanting to be famous, this never would have happened, and they all could have lived their lives as a happy family.

  The moon is bright tonight. Kate cannot see it from the bed, and can’t move any closer to the window, but its light finds a way into the room through a crack in the curtains, filling it with a cool hue. She raises up an arm to examine it in the unusual light. Her skin seems a silvery blue, like there’s something luminous or ultraviolet in her blood, or some kind of film covering her skin. Kate imagines the moon is transforming her, and giving her strength. It reminds her of some sort of comic book story where an ordinary person gets superhuman powers after a freak accident, like being struck by lightning, bitten by a strange insect, or even swallowing some sort of radioactive substance. She needs something like that to get out of here. Kate decides to tell the baby a story about a girl who was locked in a tower by an evil man and was waiting for a prince to come and save her, until one day she realised that there were no princes left anymore, and instead, she had to save herself. She waited until the moon was at its fullest, then she soaked up all of its wonderful magnetic light.

  ‘Did you know that the moon controls the oceans, baby? It’s so powerful that it can tell the seas to flow in to the shore or out. It decides how big the waves are, and even has a role to play when tsunamis happen. The moon might seem small when we look at it from down here, but its power can be harnessed...’

  Before she can finish the story, Kate is asleep. She falls into a deep, heavy sleep, and dreams that she’s having a picnic on Hampstead Heath with her parents and Lydia. She doesn’t hear the arguing from downstairs, or the smashing of plates. The full moon can bring out the worst in people.

  11

  Christine was convinced that Melvin would give her permission to skip mass this week on account of her bruised face. When he pushed her the day before, she had hit it hard on the corner of the counter top, and it was still bright purple. But Melvin didn’t seem to care about how it might look, and told her to tell people she had slipped in the shower. Now, she is starting to feel embarrassed about what the people in the village might think. She is shy and quiet in public, and finds lying very difficult. She practices what she might say in her head, and tells herself that she can pass any blushing off as embarrassment at her own clumsiness.

  About an hour before they are due to drive into the village, Christine brings Kate’s breakfast to her. On the floral tray sits a small plate of scrambled eggs, two slices of buttered homemade soda bread, a glass of orange juice, and a small egg cup with three different vitamins inside.

  ‘Do you need the bathroom again before we go?’

  ‘I think I’ll be okay for a while. Thank you, Christine.’

  Kate responds with a smile, and when she looks at Christine, notices the large bruise on her face. Christine feels herself flush red, turns away, and busies herself with fixing the curtains.

  ‘It’s going to be a bright day I think, and the wind seems to have died down...’

  Kate decides to say something, although her first thought is to ignore the bruise, and play along with the small talk. But she has spent months living under the same roof as Christine, and there is every chance she could be an ally for Kate at some stage. She clears her throat, and waits for Christine to turn around, but she seems to be lost in thought, or is perhaps having a moment to herself. She continues to stand with her back to Kate, staring out the window.

  ‘Did he do that to your face?’

  Christine doesn’t respond or move. Her eyes stare across the lawn to the woods below. She doesn’t like this feeling; this girl speaking to her like she’s her equal. Christine turns around suddenly, and looks at Kate straight in the eye.

  ‘I slipped and fell. That’s all. Not that it’s any of your business.’

  Kate gets the message and nods profusely.

  ‘I’ve done exactly the same thing in the past. I’m so clumsy!’

  Christine takes a moment to assess whether Kate really believes her. If she can convince Kate, she can convince the people at mass.

  ‘If you’ve got any make-up, I can help you cover it for mass?’

  Kate takes a bite into the soda bread, and makes an appreciative sound. She doesn’t want Christine to feel belittled or self-conscious; that wouldn’t be good for anyone, especially Kate. She needs to be her friend now.

  ‘I’ll see you later on. Just leave your tray on the ground, okay?’

  Kate nods and smiles at her.

/>   ‘Thanks, Christine.’

  Ten minutes later, Christine is back in the room; she’s found some make-up that she picked up in the reduced section of the local chemist. She tells Kate that she’s never really worn make-up, but is willing to try, if it makes the bruise seem less obvious. Kate has been wearing make-up since she was about twelve, and relishes the challenge of covering Christine’s bruise. She squeezes some of the foundation on to the back of her left hand, and mixes it gently with one finger. She reaches out to dab some on Christine’s face and begins to blend it in gently. Christine is obviously uncomfortable at being touched. In all of the months that Kate has been here, this is the first time they have done anything that put them on any sort of equal footing. Christine clung to her status of Melvin’s wife like it was something to be proud of, and Kate could see that being married to him was her whole world, and all she had, really. It was pathetic, but Kate had to play the game, and tiptoe around the obvious glaring fact that he was a deluded psychopath, and Christine had been beaten and brainwashed into submitting to him for all these years.

  ‘You’ve got perfect skin, Christine. People would die to have that softness, you know.’

  Christine hasn’t received a compliment for as long as she can remember, and can’t help but smile bashfully. She touches her cheek with one hand, and wonders if she ever really considered something as simple as the softness of her skin.

  ‘Right, I think I’ve done a good job! Go and take a look, then tell me what you think!?’

  Kate hasn’t been able to cover the bruise completely, but now you can only really tell it’s there when you’re close to her. So, people across from her at church won’t know. Christine can’t believe it.

  ‘That cost me two pounds in the bargain basket! It’s a miracle!’

  The two women smile at one another, but before they can say anymore, Melvin’s voice booms from downstairs. Christine springs to action and rushes to him without glancing back at Kate.

  As she hears their car disappear down the long driveway, Kate smiles and hums to herself; she’s not sure what her plan is, exactly, but it feels like things are improving around here. She places both hands on her tummy and looks down.

  ‘For the next hour and a half, it’s just you and me, baby.’

  12

  Brian returns from a jog at around 10 PM. He hadn’t meant to fall asleep on the sofa earlier, and had woken up at eight forty-five to find a note on the kitchen table from Lydia, telling him she’d gone to see Ida, and would have her phone off from seven. The jog has woken Brian up again, and now that he’s back home, he’s eager to find out how things have gone with Ida. He calls out Lydia’s name as he kicks off his trainers in the hall, and gives Molly a pat on the head. There’s no answer. Surely Lydia’s home by now, he thinks. It’s been over three hours since she was supposed to go and see Ida. He picks his phone up from where he left it on the hall table, and calls Lydia’s name out once again, before he starts to panic. A few moments later, she appears on the stairs. Her face is paler than usual, and she says nothing, but when she sees her father standing there in his green running shorts and baggy hoody, her eyes fill with tears.

  ‘Darling, you’re here. I was wondering.... what’s the matter?’

  Lydia walks down the remaining steps, and tells him she needs to talk. Brian follows her closely into the living room and they sit on the sofa. Lydia curls her legs beneath her, and hugs a large cushion. Molly comes and licks her face, then lies down in between the two of them. Brian cleans his glasses and awaits his daughter’s news. Lydia tells him about her visit to Ida, and how it was the most intense one yet. She had gone there asking about the name ‘Margaret’ again, and had confided in Ida about her mother moving out and refusing to tell them about her past. She told Ida about the bracelet too, showed her the photograph of her mother when she was younger, and also told her about the strange man who had showed up outside, asking about Margaret. Ida had gone into a sort of trance all of a sudden. It was terrifying. She started seeing things; visions of children, families who were all part of some kind of secret group, and there was a girl among them by the name of Margaret. When she was in the trance, Ida started describing what she could see to Lydia, and it sounded horrific. She said people, mostly children, were killed there, and the group worshipped someone; did sacrifices for them, and Lydia’s mother was part of it. After what seemed like half an hour, Ida came out of the trance, drank a lot of water, and used some selenite crystals to clear the room. She saw that Lydia was scared, and consoled her as well as she could, but Ida was sure that it was Lydia’s mother she had seen. She was part of this group.

  ‘Dad, I believe her. I think this is real, and Mum won’t tell us for some reason.’

  Brian’s face is grey. He doesn’t want to believe what he’s hearing, but instinct tells him there’s something to it.

  ‘Why is this all coming out? What does this have to do with our lives now, and with Kate?

  He hangs his head, and shakes it from side to side in bewilderment.

  ‘Dad... Ida thinks that this group took Kate. She says that every time she taps into Kate’s energy, she knows it has a connection to Margaret – to Mum.’

  Brian’s face is frozen in shock as his daughter’s words sink in.

  ‘Dad, Ida thinks Kate is still alive. And I know you do too.’

  13

  Kate has just finished washing herself with a basin of hot water and a cloth, and Christine has given her a clean pair of leggings and a hoody to put on. Christine hums as she locks the chain around Kate’s wrists again, and they both jump when they hear Melvin shout up the stairs. Christine rushes to him, and Kate can hear both of them raise their voices. A few minutes later, Melvin appears at the door and tells Kate there is nothing to worry about.

  ‘You stay calm. We don’t want your blood pressure affected or anything.’

  Kate asks if everything is alright, and Melvin says that some people in the village are a little bit nosy, but it’s nothing he can’t handle. Kate is secretly pleased that Melvin is having a hard time; she resents the fact that he gets to saunter in and out of town whenever it suits him and pretend to be this god-fearing, anglophile. But, part of her also wonders if he might be a little stricter with her now that people are being nosy. Perhaps Christine’s bruised face was noticed, even through the make-up. The locals must think it’s strange that no-one has been in this house, too. Well, no-one has since Kate’s been here. Melvin might feel like he needs more control now. Kate uses her excellent instincts, and asks him if she can have a word. She whispers the request softly, and gives Melvin a look that could almost be seen as flirtatious. Thankfully, since she fell pregnant, Melvin hasn’t forced her to have sex at all, and Kate feels fairly confident that he now sees her as some sort of blessed baby-vessel, and that makes it safer for her to be close to him.

  ‘Melvin, I’ve had the most amazing dream. I wasn’t sure if I should tell you...’

  Melvin’s ears almost visibly prick up at her words.

  ‘Yes? Tell me about it?’ he says, as he walks over to Kate.

  ‘Well, in the dream I think I met your father. He came to me and said that he was happy that I was having this baby. He said that God was happy too, and that the prophecy that he had all those years ago was finally happening and he was proud of you, his son.’

  Kate can’t believe she is going this far. She had toyed with the idea of convincing Melvin she believed his bullshit, and saw it as a way that he would trust and respect her more; perhaps leading to more privileges in the future, or even a chance to escape. She didn’t think she would be able to act so believably, but it’s as if Melvin is desperate to hear what she has to say, or was waiting for it, somehow. He raises his arms out in front of him, opens his palms so they’re facing upwards, closes his eyes, smiles, and begins to pray.

  ‘Praise Jesus. The girl is saved! My son, my son! The one who will save the world, he has touched her sinful blood, and brought her to you, Go
d.’

  He opens his eyes and sits next to Kate on the bed, then reaches out and embraces her. Kate forces herself to hug him back although every cell in her body is repulsed by him. She whispers in his ear:

  ‘Thank you for leading me to God.’

  That night, Melvin comes back to read the bible to Kate. He stays for over an hour, and when he’s finished reading, she thanks him, and bows her head. Before he leaves the room, he wishes her goodnight and Kate smiles back at him sweetly.

  ‘I wish I could go to mass with you and Christine. Maybe I will one day...’

  Melvin doesn’t respond, but as he descends the stairs a few moments later, he nods and smiles to himself. He can’t believe everything is going so smoothly.

  Christine asks what he’s been doing when he enters the living room, but he ignores her and puts some wood on the fire. Her words, her voice, irritate him. She starts to say something else, and he interrupts her before she can finish, and tells her to mind her own business. Christine is starting to be more of a hindrance to him these days. She has devoted her life to Melvin, helped him to pass as a regular married man in this country, she has committed a number of terrible acts for him and he still has no respect for her.

  14

  Brian hasn’t told Lydia, or anyone, that he’s meeting his wife. He stands outside the pub across from the entrance to Primrose Hill park with two flat whites from their favourite deli. He sips at his nervously. Today, he is meeting the woman he loves more than anyone in the world, the same woman he’s been married to for twenty-one years, and he’s more nervous than the day he asked her to spend the rest of her life with him. Barbara spots him from across the street and gives a little wave as she walks to him. She nods at the coffees and smiles.