“I never said that!” Ashley interjected.
“You didn’t have to! Your actions speak very loudly.”
Cindy turned to John again. “And how dare you undermine my efforts when it comes to my daughter? It’s only because of me that this family hasn’t fallen completely apart! If it were up to you, God knows where we would’ve been!”
“I agree with that,” John returned. “Maybe if I’d put my foot down around here from the get-go things would be better.”
“What are you saying, John? Do explain.”
He folded the paper, wiped his mouth with a hand towel and started to get up.
“Where are you going, John? We haven’t finished our little conversation here.”
“I’m going to work.”
He went over to Ashley and kissed her on the forehead. “I’ll see you later.”
“Bye, Dad,” Ashley said.
She was used to her mother’s sudden tirades and her father quickly leaving the situation before the hot water boiled over. She wondered how he’d managed to stay with a woman who was so controlling and demeaning to him as a man. Although she deeply loved her mother, most times Ashley could barely stand her and yearned for the day she could escape their “perfect” life by taking off to college. One more year and she’d be as free as a bird, she dreamed. Away from a domineering mom and away from this house they’d probably never leave, unless someone decided they needed a new start again.
“Go on, then! Run off. Run away like you always do!” Cindy roared. “You’d better thank your lucky stars you have a wife like me who stuck by you after everything you’ve done.”
John was almost at the front door when he turned back around and approached his wife. “Everything I’ve done like what?” The anger in his eyes was evident.
“You think I don’t know, but I know everything. You can’t hide anything from me no matter how hard you try.”
His keys were jiggling in his hand. “I have no idea what you’re getting at.”
“Oh, you know!” Her stare could have pierced his eyes, while Ashley sat clueless to what they were talking about.
“This is stupid!” John gave up and headed for the door again.
“You think you married an idiot, but you’re mistaken.”
“Delusional!” He said as he opened the door, resisting the temptation to slam it behind him.
Cindy never left the table during the heated exchange and neither did Ashley.
“Finish eating your breakfast,” she said to her daughter. “No need to let a perfectly good meal go to waste. Hurry now! You don’t want to be late for school.”
Ashley was always amazed at how her mother could calm down so easily after an argument. It was as if she left the heat of the moment within the moment. Even though it seemed rather cold to her, she was impressed by Cindy’s ability to control her emotions, regardless of the situation.
As he drove to work, John’s heart was heavy and his eyes brimming with tears. Cindy’s subtle accusation had made him wonder if the decision he’d made before leaving Colonsboro was the right one. Granted, he’d do anything for Ashley, but he questioned whether sacrificing his happiness at this late stage in the game was really necessary. Besides, Ashley was no longer too young to understand; she was practically a woman and he’d hoped if anyone in the world could understand his reasoning, it should be her.
He slid out his cell phone and pressed the speed dial. The person he attempted to reach would be the only one in the world worth giving up everything he’d worked so hard to keep. More than ever before, he needed to hear that special voice and whether or not she wanted to speak with him would determine what major step he’d make next.
11
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Cindy was prepared for a full day ahead as she set out to do some chores around the house, as well as schedule a few viewings for the weekend. Working from home was new to her, but she was convinced it was the best move she could make at that stage of her life. She was willing to push harder than ever before because she could no longer depend on a salary and commission from a regular job. But she’d never been afraid of hard work and was determined to make her home-based realty business a huge success.
She placed some calls to a few property owners and tried to match what they had for sale with prospective buyers. She was able to schedule three viewings for the coming Saturday and another two the following Monday. She was really now getting into the swing of things and she felt good.
After getting “business” out of the way, she tied a head cloth on her head and started the laundry. While the clothes tumbled around inside the washer, she dried the dishes and mopped the kitchen floor.
She’d almost finished mopping when she heard a beautiful classical melody fill the air. She was almost enraptured by it when it dawned on her that the music was emanating from her own piano and no one else was at home.
She dropped the mop and dashed into the living room where she saw the piano and noticed the cushioned seat in front of it was unoccupied. Yet, the keys were being depressed on their own as the melody continued to play exceptionally well. Stunned by what she was seeing, her lungs filled with unutterable dread and for an unusually long second with her rational mind kicking in, she wondered if she was going insane. Then the music suddenly stopped; the piano silent. That’s when she heard a whooshing sound-what sounded like a cascade of water. She immediately ran off towards the downstairs bathroom, pushed open the door and there, behind the curtains, she could see the shower running. Slowly and cautiously, with every bit of courage she could muster while her heart thumped wildly, she pulled the curtain aside. To her profound relief, the bathtub was empty and she leaned over and turned off the faucet.
Unable to adequately process what had just occurred, Cindy sauntered back through the hallway toward the living room. As crazy as it was, she was ready to dismiss it all until she heard the sound of water gushing again, close enough for her to surmise it must be coming from the kitchen. She proceeded to the kitchen and just as she’d thought, the faucet was on at full speed.
“What the hell’s going on around here?” she muttered, as she hurried over to switch the faucet off.
She looked around the room and shook her head, then decided it was probably time to take a break. She was certain she hadn’t been getting sufficient rest for the past few weeks. Maybe she wasn’t as mentally relaxed either and though her first inclination would have now been to find the piano and play one of her favorites, she wasn’t quite sure it would be a good idea, considering what happened only minutes before—even if none of it was real, but only an illusion created by her frazzled, overworked mind.
She headed upstairs to her bedroom, and was about to lie down when she heard the piano again, this time playing more softly. Then the faucets, yes—faucets were on again. But it sounded like…all of them, including that of the master bathroom. The sound was unusually loud as if the flow of water was forceful enough to burst through the very pipes in which it travelled.
She got up and pressed her ear against the wall and could hear the water gushing from the outlets. The next thought she had was to pinch herself. That way, she’d know if she was really awake or if what she was hearing was a figment of her imagination. She did just that—pinched her forearm and shrieked from the fleeting pain. Yet, the music got louder and the sound of flowing water remained constant. She hurried into the master bathroom, shut off the faucet and made sure the drain stopper was pulled up, then she headed downstairs into the kitchen and shut off the faucet. Same thing with the other bathroom. More terrified than before, she walked toward the living room and stopped when she noticed the keys moving again on the piano, playing a most alluring melody. At last, the whooshing sound caught her ear again and the piano was playing faster and faster, and she felt like her neck was being squeezed by the force of an invisible hand. She could not breathe! She struggled toward the front door and used whatever strength she had left to get herself out of that
house. She stumbled past the porch and onto the lawn with her hand at her throat, gasping for air.
Sara, who’d just walked outside with Max dashed across the street and over to Cindy.
“Are you all right?” She asked.
Cindy nodded as quickly as she could. “I… I think so.”
“What happened?”
As terrified as she was, Cindy’s pride got in the way. “Nothing. I’m fine. I probably just need a bit of fresh air, so I’ll sit on the porch for a while.”
“Oh, okay. Would you like for me to sit with you?”
Cindy shook her head and gulped. “No, thanks.”
Sara helped her over to a chair on the front porch and made sure she was comfortable.
“Well, I guess I’ll be off. I was just about to take Max for a walk.” She noticed that Max was still at home, sitting at the edge of the carport; observing them from afar. She wondered why he hadn’t run over to the neighbor’s yard when she did, considering he’d taken off over there before without her.
“I appreciate you coming,” Cindy said, as Sara started to leave.
“Think nothing of it. You go right ahead and soak up as much fresh air as you need.” Sara smiled.
She hadn’t let on, but she was suspicious of Cindy’s reason for leaving the house, in light of the fact that her reason was never truly explained. The woman looked as if she’d seen a ghost. And what about that music she’d heard moments before she and Max walked outside? She was thankful the dog hadn’t responded the way it did before when loud music travelled from the Morrisons’ across to their house. Max was as calm as could be. Sara also noticed the piano stopped just as they’d hit the carport and that’s when they saw Cindy stumbling into the yard. She was convinced the woman was an oddball.
Cindy remained on the porch for hours until it was time to pick up Ashley from school. Sara had even hailed her after returning from her walk with Max.
Although the music had long stopped and she figured the faucets must have too, Cindy was not yet prepared to enter the house alone for any extended period of time and she detested the thought that she’d cast all rationale aside and allowed impossible events to consume her with fear. Fear she’d never openly express with a living soul; yet pure, unadulterated fear she’d come to know firsthand. Maybe Ashley’s sentiments about the house were reasonable after all, she reluctantly considered.
With that in mind, she went and grabbed her car keys from the little table near the front door and headed out for her daughter.
12
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After Mira arrived home from work that afternoon, Sara filled her in on her encounter with Cindy Morrison earlier that morning.
They were sitting outside, sipping a tall glass of fruit punch juice. Mira hadn’t bothered to change out of her work clothes before deciding to ‘shoot the breeze’ with one of her favorite people in the world. After all, she and Rosie would be moving into Bobby’s house after the wedding and they won’t be able to have as many of those porch talks as they had before, though she intended for mostly nothing to change between them.
Rosie and Max hung out on the carport. Rosie threw a Frisbee and Max would run after it and promptly return it to her. It became a regular evening sport for them. Max never seemed to get tired and Rosie often kept at it for as long as she could.
“I saw something a few nights ago, that I didn’t get to tell you about,” Mira said to her mother. “I guess I didn’t want to alarm you either. I’m used to these things, but I don’t want you to have to deal with them all the time.”
“Don’t ever worry about me, sweetheart. What is it?” Sara sat up.
“I saw a ghost on the neighbor’s property.”
“A ghost?”
Mira nodded.
“Well, do you think it’s Rebekah?” She might not have crossed over. God knows, those boys of hers sold her house so quickly and she loved that house.”
“It’s not Mrs. Sinclair,” Mira said.
“It’s not?”
“Nope. It’s a much younger woman. I’ve never seen her before around here.”
Sara sat back a little, surprised by the revelation.
“She’s been digging herself out of the ground and entering the house through the upstairs window,” Mira went on.
“What?”
“For the past few nights around ten o’clock, I’ve seen her do the exact same thing.”
“That’s weird.”
“It is—even for a ghost.”
“Why do you say that?” Sara was flabbergasted.
“Because she doesn’t need to do that. I mean…she can enter the house through the wall if she wants to. But each time, she does the exact same thing and before she climbs into the window, she looks back at me as if she’s trying to tell me something.”
“What’re you going to do?”
“The only way I’ll know what she wants is if I can meet someone who lives in that house, since it’s obvious she’s attracted to the new owners,” Mira replied.
“So, you’re going over there?”
“I don’t want to. I have to think about this.”
Just then, Ashley, who’d been watching Rosie and Max through her bedroom window for a while, exited their front door and walked over to the Cullens’ carport. Cindy was taking a nap and her father hadn’t yet arrived home from work.
“Hi. My name’s Ashley,” she said to Rosie.
“Hi, Ashley. I’m Rosie. This is Max.” She smiled.
“Hey, Max!” Ashley patted the dog’s head, who in turn, tried to lick her fingers.
“I live in that house across the street.”
“I know,” Rosie replied. “We saw when you were moving in. My grandma and I were over there that same day to welcome you all to the neighborhood, but your mom didn’t seem very interested.” She spoke softly.
“I know how my mom can be. You’d have to excuse her; she’s not very friendly.”
Ashley played with Max some more, hovering her fingers above him and tempting him to jump.
The kids giggled.
Rosie noticed a strange woman standing at the Morrison’s front door. She looked like she didn’t belong there and at first, Rosie hesitated to mention it. “I know this is gonna sound strange, but do you know that woman who’s been visiting you at night and doing all those weird things?”
Ashley’s eyes widened with shock. “How…how do you know about that? Did someone say something to you?” She knew it couldn’t have been her mother who spilled the beans and she could almost bet it wasn’t her father either, so how could this girl she’s never met before possibly know anything about that?
“No one said anything to me. I just know,” Rosie replied.
Ashley leaned in. “Are you psychic or something?”
Rosie felt embarrassed. “I wouldn’t say that.”
“Well, do you know what she wants? My parents think I’ve made the whole thing up or have gone mad.”
“I’m sorry. I have no idea what she wants. Maybe my mom can help. She’s usually good at these types of things.”
“Will you ask her for me?” Ashley was pleading.
“Okay.”
Just then, Mira and Sara approached the girls.
“Hi. I’m Mira. How are you?” Mira said to Ashley.
“I’m fine, thank you,” Ashley replied, sheepishly.
“Have you met my mom, Sara?”
“No, I haven’t. Pleased to meet you both.”
She looked Rosie’s way again. “Well, I have to be going now. My mom doesn’t know I’m over here.” She lowered her head.
“Okay, well, nice meeting you,” Mira said.
“You’re a lovely young lady,” Sara added.
“Thank you.”
She nodded to Rosie and headed back across the street.
“See ya!” Rosie said quietly behind her.
“Looks like you got your wish and met one of the Morrisons, huh?” Sara said, as she and Mira ent
ered the house.
Mira took her mother’s glass and rested it in the kitchen sink along with her own. “It’s her bedroom that the woman climbs into, but she’s not there to scare her. She just can’t get through to her the way she needs to and she doesn’t realize she’s terrorizing the child.”
“Is there anything you can do?” Sara was very concerned.
Rosie and Max came in behind them.
“Mom, I told Ashley I’d ask you about the woman she’s been seeing in her room.”
“She came right out and told you about that?” Mira asked.
“No. I sort of mentioned it to her,” Rosie clarified.
“So, you’ve been seeing this woman too?”
“Just today after Ashley came over.”
She told her where she’d seen her and that she knew what she’d been doing.
“She wants to know why the woman keeps bothering her. She sounds really afraid. Can you help her, Mom?”
Mira sighed deeply. “I’m afraid if I help her, I’ll ruin her at the same time.”
Sara and Rosie were both startled and puzzled by those enigmatic words.
13
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John Morrison arrived home around 6:30 p.m. He met Cindy and Ashley sitting together in the living room waiting for him.
“Is there something wrong?” He asked, resting his briefcase on the table.
Cindy got up and walked over to him. “Ashley and I were just talking. She explained to me more of what she was trying to tell us all along about what she’s been experiencing ever since we moved into this house. I believe her, John.”
John shook his head while loosening his necktie. “I’m too tired for this.”
The Cornelius Saga Series (All 15 Books): The Ultimate Adventure-packed Supernatural Thriller Collection Page 76