The investigators stayed many hours trying to help, and then refused to accept any payment. Their equipment failed to pick up anything, apart from what they described as energy lay lines in the house.
The realisation we were alone with our problems sank me into a pit of worry and despair.
Before he left, Steve gave a word of warning. ‘The man I saw may have mental health issues due to his head injuries. This could explain the outbursts. It’s not normal for a spirit to throw knives, so I would exercise caution when dealing with him.’
As they drove into the night, I wondered if Steve was right, and if injuries could be carried on to the afterlife. We carried on as normal the next day, although Steve’s words still rang in my ears as I prepared dinner.
‘Caroline, was that you?’ Neil shouted from the hall.
I put down the potato I’d been peeling. ‘What do you mean?’ I said, as he entered the kitchen.
‘Oh nothing, just thought I heard the toilet flush that’s all,’ he said.
Normally it would not matter, but since the disturbances, Neil had become extra vigilant. The children were out, and there was nobody else upstairs. I picked up the peeler and carried on making dinner.‘ It’s probably just the pipes.’ I tried not to jump to conclusions. At least the smashing had stopped. We had yet to replace the broken crockery. Instead, we bought some plastic cups until we knew it was safe. After two weeks with no activity, we began to relax. With each passing day, we grew more hopeful that whatever caused the upset had left.
Neil read theories about poltergeists, which stated they normally only lasted for short periods of time. We hoped the entity found peace since the mediums had attended and given some explanation to his connection with Neil and Lee.
Winter turned into spring, and we redecorated the house. It signified new beginnings, and I felt safe enough to allow the children back into their own rooms. Neil was frustrated that he could not solve the mystery. Everything had to be kept private for fear of ridicule. I kept to myself in work, only sharing what had happened with my closest colleagues. Ian was my constant shift partner. With almost thirty years experience in the police, he was hard to shock. Having Stafford as a witness helped, and Ian accepted my experiences as truth. I tried to keep the occurrences to myself as much as I could. I was studying hard for my Detective exams, and the last thing I needed was this nugget of gossip getting out and ruining my credibility.
The house remained peaceful until May, when I developed a troubling feeling things were about to change. Dry static electricity filled the rooms and a heavy sense of oppression returned. I walked in the front door after work, and the edge in Neil’s greeting told me something had occurred. ‘Is everything all right?’ I said, dropping my bag on the floor.
Neil nodded towards Alice who was standing nearby. She was very intuitive and often hung around trying to glean some information.
‘Cup of tea?’ I coughed, nodding towards the kitchen.
Neil followed behind me and closed the door for privacy. He spoke in hushed tones while taking cups from the cupboard.
‘I’m sorry to tell you this, but it’s started up again.’
‘What happened?’ I asked. The thought of the entity being back in our lives made me feel physically sick.
‘Lee came around for a chat. I was making sandwiches for the kids who had just come home from school. Just then the oven turned on by itself. I switched it off, trying to ignore it. The next thing, a cup slid from the counter and smashed behind us. I barely had time to catch my breath as a glass smashed too.’
‘Why didn’t you call me?’
Neil shrugged. ‘There was no need, I was fine. Lee made a joke about not wanting the parrot to get out and bite him. The next thing I knew, the cage door was wide open.’
‘Is he alright?’ I asked, casting an eye over my new pet.
‘Yeah, he was flapping about a bit, but he was OK. I locked the cage door and tied some string around it. That cage door is hard to open. I think this thing was responding to what Lee had to say. I just don’t understand why it happened today, Lee has been here plenty of times before, so I don’t think he’s drawn it here.’
My shoulders sagged as the heavy weight of dread returned. ‘What are we going to do now?’
‘We’ll have to start looking for help. What about the Spiritualist church this time?’ Neil said. We recently declined their offer of help, as all was well.
‘OK, I’ll get back in touch and ask if they can visit. It’s worth a try.’ I opened the fridge door for milk. Pausing, I observed a chilled bottle of white wine. It had been a hard day at work and was not getting any better now I was home. ‘… And cancel the tea, I have a better idea,’ I said, taking my last intact wine glass out of the cupboard.
The Spiritualist group attended the next morning. I opened the front door as they pulled into the drive. Storm clouds loomed overhead, and showers dappled the brick driveway in front of me. I pulled my hair from my face and shook hands with *Norman, leader of a group of three. He was a thin man in his sixties, with a weather-beaten face, dressed in brown polo neck top and dark trousers. Another man and a woman entered the house behind him, dressed casually, wearing apprehensive smiles. Walking around the house, they commented on the energy lines running through it. I had no idea what it meant, but they seemed to be picking up on something the previous mediums had mentioned. I did not disclose the other psychic’s findings as we did not want to influence them in any way. Taking purple crystals from a pouch, Norman placed them in corners of the kitchen and living room. After about an hour, Neil and I sat down with them to discuss their findings.
Suddenly Norman announced he knew the identity of the paranormal being. He stood up in the centre of the living room as if rooted to the spot. ‘I have the answer, I know who he is,’ he declared vehemently, rubbing his greying beard between his thumb and the crook of his forefinger.
I held my breath in anticipation. Could this be the answer? I wrung my hands with impatience as Norman stabbed the air with his finger.
‘The person causing this is a relative, possibly a grandfather. I see a man with an old-fashioned long moustache!’ Neil raised an eyebrow at me. I knew what he was thinking – no relative of ours would cause such mayhem. Eager for answers, I was determined to keep an open mind. ‘Well the only person I have ever seen with one of those moustaches was my father, back in the seventies. When I was little they were all the rage.’ I smiled at the memory. I was about to continue when Norman appeared to have had some kind of revelation.
‘There he is,’ he stated. ‘That’s the man there, in the photo. He doesn’t have the moustache but that’s him.’ I looked at the photo in disbelief. It was an old picture of my parents’ wedding day, given to me by my mother. ‘But that’s my father,’ I responded in a weak voice.
‘Yes, well that’s him,’ Norman said, resolute.
I folded my arms indignantly, ‘But he’s still alive.’
Neil stifled a snigger as he quickly walked out of the room.
I knew there was no point in these people being here. All the same, at least they had tried, even if it was a disaster. Fancy thinking my father was responsible for all that. He was a kind and gentle man who adored his children. Not to mention the fact he was alive, kicking, and living in Ireland. The mediums did not have much to say after that. I gave them some petrol money and thanked them for coming, assuring them we would leave the crystals in place. Anything was worth a try, although after the night’s performance I did not hold out much hope. Despite the apparent failure of the visit, the activity ceased.
David picked up the crystals and played with them. The house was a lot quieter and the heavy atmosphere lifted. As time passed, I felt more hopeful our lives could return to normal.
Neil refused to become complacent. He carried on with life, refusing to let it get him down. Months passed. It felt safe enough for me to visit my parents in Ireland and I decided to bring Alice with me. David was still quit
e young and could be a handful when travelling, so he stayed with Neil, Joe, and Sarah.
Neil admitted there had been strange occurrences at his work place. He was working as security with Lee at a holiday park when inexplicable noises came through their radios. At first they heard the radio click, click, click as the press to talk button was depressed. Someone was trying to communicate. Neil and Lee tried to concentrate on their work, but it was difficult. The radio clicked again. ‘Uhhhhhhh,’ came through, followed by irritated staff, ‘who the hell is that? Cut it out, we’re trying to work.’
The button pressed again and a loud ‘Grrrrrrrrh,’ followed in a gravelly tone. Menacing noises continued to filter through as the night progressed. The two other men working on security were baffled by the eerie sounds. Neil and Lee were called to the office to check nobody was fooling around. There were only four radios, so it had to be one of them. They switched channels and immediately the noises continued. They put the radios on the table. Suddenly they heard it tap… tap… tap. Neil discovered the background noise was the same wherever he went. If he moved to a noisy area, the growls and snarls had the same noise in the background. At one point they heard a flute playing, and a female voice screaming for help. Neil and Lee kept their opinions to themselves, counting the minutes until their shift was over. Neil reassured me nothing happened when he got home. I tried to pass off the incident as radio interference, not wanting to believe the entity was capable of such activity.
The day before my trip, I was packing to leave when Neil walked into the room, slouching on the bed where I was packing. His expression betrayed his attempt to act normal. ‘Is there something you’re not telling me Neil?’
Neil shrugged his shoulders as he stared at the floor. ‘I don’t know. I’ve not felt right all day.’
I raised my head from my packing. ‘Why? What’s wrong?’
‘I can’t explain it. I just have a weird feeling, like something is going to go wrong. Like he’s coming back.’
We both knew who ‘he’ was, and the thought of it chilled me to the bone. Apart from the incident at Neil’s work, things had been quiet. I did not welcome a return visit from the entity to our home.
‘Would you prefer if I didn’t go to Ireland?’ I did not want to leave if Neil was worried about it, but the last thing he wanted was for me to cancel the trip. I had found it difficult to get the time off and had not seen my parents in over a year.
‘No, No, don’t mind me. I’m just being paranoid,’ Neil said.
I entered our en suite to gather some toiletries and moaned. ‘Ugh. Who put this here?’ Neil walked in to see me picking David’s sodden pants and socks out of the toilet. I was not happy. ‘How did they get in there? They were freshly washed too!’ Neil’s silence spoke volumes.
I left for Ireland as planned and felt a sense of relief when the plane touched down. It was good to be back. It had been a long time since I had been able to relax at night, and staying in my parent’s house was just the tonic I needed. I made it through arrivals and hugged my mother tight. I told myself that things would be fine at home, and nothing would happen in the short time I was away. I had no idea things were about to take a very nasty turn.
CHAPTER SIX
A Bad Premonition
July 2010
Neil could not shake off the sense of foreboding gnawing inside him. The build up of static electricity in the house also signified a bad omen. The next day Lee visited to watch television with Neil, and the home telephone began to ring as soon as he sat down. Neil hesitated, unsure if he wanted to answer it. Slowly he picked it up and put it to his ear. Silence. He disconnected the call, jumping as it rang into life again. Neil pressed the answer button and reluctantly listened to the phone again. ‘No answer,’ he said. He replaced the phone in its cradle, and it immediately rang again.
Lee looked at Neil, scratching his head. ‘Maybe it’s a fault with the phone line,’ he said, his words sounding hollow.
A cold feeling of dread washed over Neil as his mobile phone rang, demanding his attention. He stood in a trance, wondering how an everyday object could become such an implement of torment. Pulling the phone from his pocket, he looked at the display in disbelief. ‘How can this be? The call is coming from our house phone.’
Lee bit his fingernails as he paced the room. ‘Don’t answer it. Just leave it Neil.’
Neil pressed the button to reject the call, and the lights flickered from the ceiling overhead. ‘We’d better check the house, I have a very bad feeling about this.’
Lee sloped in after Neil into the kitchen.
Neil ran his hand over the black kitchen counter, everything was as it should be. He opened the door of the oven to ensure it was cold, and the cooker hob was switched off. Finally, he pressed his hand against the fridge and cupboard doors, ensuring they were closed. Shoving his hands in his jean pockets, he gave Lee the nod everything was OK.
‘It’s just trying to frighten us. Maybe you should put the telly on and try to ignore it,’ Lee said. They walked towards the living room, and a gust of wind hit them as the door slammed loudly in their faces.
Lee jumped back and looked at Neil. The door would not budge. ‘This is not going to get the better of me,’ Lee said. Putting his two hands on the door handle, Lee strained to open the door. ‘It won’t open… It feels like someone is holding the handle from the other side,’ he said through gritted teeth.
Neil watched Lee’s face redden as he tried to force the handle down. He was right, it would not shift. If one of the children managed to go into the living room without them knowing, there was no way they would have been strong enough to stop Lee opening the door. All the same, he needed to check. Neil walked through the other entrance to the living room and shouted through the door. ‘There’s nobody touching the other side mate, can’t you still open it?’
Lee sounded exasperated, ‘No… Oh!’ He fell through the door as it suddenly released.
Neil frowned as he considered the implications of what just occurred. ‘I’m getting the kids out. We’re leaving.’
Lee stood back from the door struggling to comprehend what just happened. He surveyed the redness on his hands as he waited for his friend to gather up the children.
Neil ran upstairs. ‘Hey David, we’re staying with Nanny and Granddad tonight, you’ll like that won’t you?’
Sarah groaned loudly from her bedroom as Neil opened the door. She hastily grabbed the array of course papers scattered on the bed around her. She scowled at Neil. ‘Why can’t we stay? I was just in the middle of…’
‘I said we’re leaving NOW Sarah, don’t ask questions. Just pack a bag as quick as you can.’
‘None of my friends have to contend with anything like this,’ she huffed, shoving her homework into her drawstring bag, crumpling the pages.
Neil telephoned his parents to tell them he was on his way over. Bang. A door slammed loudly downstairs. ‘Hurry up kids,’ Neil said.
Lee helped him usher the children outside, putting on coats and grabbing bags as they hurried out the door. Bang. Another door slamming from inside the house. Neil secured the front door. Fleeing from the house to the cars, he heard what he presumed were hailstones. In July? It didn’t make sense. ‘Clack… Clack… Clack.’ Objects clattered against the roof of the house and bounced on the ground below.
Neil looked upwards and realised it was not hail stones, but small pebbles, enough for several handfuls, being thrown from thin air. ‘Christ!’ he said, fighting to keep control in front of the children as the stones pelted down.
Sarah squinted upwards. ‘What is that?’
Neil shepherded the children into the car, ‘Nothing, it’s okay. Just put on your seat belts.’ He fumbled with David’s car seat and clicked the belt into place. Jumping into the front seat, he could not get out quick enough as the pebbles clattered to the ground. Revving the engine into life, he pulled away from the drive, giving the house one last disbelieving look. Neil watched
Lee turn off for home and gave him a grateful wave. He would speak to him later. Right now, he needed to get the kids to safety.
He was astounded by what had just occurred. This thing was not following the traditional hauntings that were reported in books and on television. It was as frightening as it was unpredictable. Neil gripped the steering wheel tightly, feeling an overwhelming responsibility for the children in his care. How the hell was he meant to keep them safe? Just how powerful was this thing? What did it want from him? The journey passed in a blur and before long, he was in Clacton.
Valerie was ready for the children and had food prepared. The children beleaguered Neil with questions that he could not answer. Valerie tried to pacify them, and soothed away the younger children’s concerns with chocolate treats and cuddles. That evening Neil settled the children and arranged to pick up Lee and return to the house.
‘I don’t like you going back there,’ Valerie whispered, walking out to the hall with Neil, ‘it’s not safe.’
‘It’s OK Mum, I’ll be with Lee. Besides, I have to check on the dogs.’
Valerie winced as she rubbed her shoulder. ‘I’d go with you, but my arthritis is really playing up.’
Neil grabbed his leather jacket on his way out the door. ‘Don’t be daft, I’ve got my mobile on me, I’ll call if we have any problems.’ He patted his pockets absently. Cigarettes, lighter, keys, phone. Good to go. Feeling like he was going into battle, he squared his shoulders as he walked to the car.
He picked up Lee on route, he was ready but not willing. Neil knew he was asking a lot of his friend, but nobody else understood. The journey to the house felt endless, and Neil’s stomach began to churn as it came into view. Cursing the dimming light, he pulled the car outside the drive. He did not know if it was a premonition or just nerves, but every atom of his being screamed at him not to go inside. He planned to let the dogs out, leave them food, water, and secure the house. A loud clatter hit the roof of the car.
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