Authors: Nicole Smith
‘
Why am I
back
here?
’
I shuddered as I stood up. I debated which way to go. I really wanted to run away f
rom that house, but maybe I’m
supposed to go back there, maybe I shou
ldn’t run from it. I looked towards the woods and thought
Anton must be right,
I should stop running. I need
to face my fears. I turned and walked
slowly
towards the
white farm
house.
As I neared the backyard, a comforting warm breeze surrounded
me
.
I felt a little stronger as I placed my foot on the first step leading up to the front porch. I really didn’t want to go in, but if I kept running, so
mething else would just appear.
I approached the front door and opened it. The house smelled older and mustier than I remembered. The door creaked shut. The floo
rboards below my feet
moan
ed
with each step I took. I ventured toward the kitchen and felt the warm breeze circle around me
again
. I am
not alone.
The house
change
d
as I turned around. It became
lit and warm. The sm
ell of dinner cooking
fill
ed
the room
s
. The wal
ls were painted, the floors polished, the windows looked
clear. I walked to the stairs
and looked up. The light is
on
now
. I took a deep breath and went up. The
red runner on the stairs hadn’t been there before
. The ha
ndrail didn’t exist
when I lived here
either
.
I held it as I walked up.
‘Whose h
ouse is this now?’ I whispered.
“It’s th
e house I should have given you,” t
he familiar voice frightened me. I passed the first bedroom, the one with the hole in the ceiling that we n
ever used, now appeared p
atched and repainted. The room felt
warm and
bright
ly lit
. I passed by
John’s
old room, it looked
so nice too, so
very
different
from when he lived there
. Why couldn’t it have been like this for us? I
pee
ked into Luke’s room
. I stood at the door. It didn’t appear to be
dark and cold anymore. A tear rolled down my face as I fixated on a photo of Luke and my mo
ther cuddled in a chair, laughing
.
“I miss you,”
I cried. I turned to leave. I wanted to run, but I saw the light in my room on and the door open.
Curiosity over took me, I needed to
see what it could have looked like.
I walked over to it and took a step down into that old room. As I stood there curtains appea
red on my window. The walls were given a
beautiful lilac colo
r. My mattress lifted off the floor and a canopy appeared over it. A white dresser with a large mirror filled the space and a drawer opened to reveal clothes neatly folded. I sat down on the white shag rug
placed in the middle of the room
.
“This is not my room
. All of this is too late Daddy,
” I whispered.
Silence surrounded me.
“
Y
ou should know that none of this matters. Even when we had nothing, all I really
ever
wanted was
to feel safe. I wanted to feel happy. I wanted to laugh. I wanted to eat. I just
wanted your love,
” I
told him. I
knew he still lingered
here, in the room with me.
“That’s all any of us wan
ted. That’s all Anne wanted too!” I stood up. The room went
back to the w
ay I
remembered it, dark
, cold and empty.
“I’m sorry Natalie. My curse is to live with what I have done for all eternity. I’m trapped here, in this shame and regret. I can’t escape it. I’ll take this punishment
though
. I’m so unbelievably sorry,” h
is voice quivered as he spoke. He sounded like a wounded animal, on the verge
of death but still holding on.
“I want you to suffer
, I want you to wallow
in the pai
n, because
it’s probably not even close to
t
he pain you have inflicted on
John and I
. We have to continue living
without our mother and the regret we feel
for not saving Luke from you. How can I possibly forgive you
for this loss
?
” Crying isn’t possible now, instead
I fe
lt empty. I felt nothing
. My anger’
s gone
now
. I still felt
an ache in the pit of my stomach that I wasn’t sure would ever go away. Now though, when I looked over at him standing in the cor
ne
r of an old empty house, I felt pity. Pity
for
the man he beca
me, t
he wasted life
he lived
.
His
time here
must come
to
an
end.
In order for me to try and move on he had to go.
I reached into my pocket and felt the
Kris
in my hand. I wrapped my fingers around it
, unsure if it would work here in this world
. I s
tood in front of him
.
“It’s over now. I will somehow
have to
forgive you
, someday
. I have to believe
the person that killed
my mother and my brother isn’t
my father but some sort of possessed creature that needs to be destroyed
,” I whispered.
At that moment his eyes opened and
he
glared at me as I lifted the
Kris
and stabbed him
swiftly
. I felt the
weapon
tear his ski
n and break his ribs. For an instant I felt his
pain and anguish
, then I watched it
leave him as he transformed into
a small ball of light before
vanishing
.
I only stood for a moment, the
n as fast as I could I ran from that house. I bolted out the front door and ran towards the hi
-w
ay. I have to get back to Hayden.
As I ran along the hi
-
way I prayed for a car to pass me, but nothing appeared.
I looked ahead and saw no one. I slowed my pace, wondering if there was mor
e I’m supposed to do. I slowed my pace
. As I walked I
decided
to
try and
find Luke
. He is still out there
somewhere
. He still needs me. I have to release him from this world too. As I walked
,
I felt compelled to return to the house he died in. I closed my eyes and
outstretched my arms. The
warm breeze surround
ed
me as
I
spun in the gentle wind
, lifting
briefly. When I felt the breeze
subside I opened my eyes. Standing
in the
ir
living room
, I shivered from the
cold
. No one has been living here since the murder. I wasn’t alone
though
.
“Luke?” I heard a shuffle upstairs
. I waited for him to approach me
.
“Luke, it
’
s me, Natalie. Can you come down? I need to see you.”
I waited
patiently.
I heard the stairs creak. A picture frame fell from the wal
l. A candle on the mantle
burst into flames. Is
he trying to scare me? H
e doesn’t know who he’s dealing
with. A smile spread across my face as I heard the pots c
lang in the kitchen. I he
ld back a smile as a butcher
’
s knife flew into the living room and landed stiffly
into the hardwood coffee table.
“Are you done now?” I asked.
S
ilence
followed
for a few minutes. A slight
breeze entered the room and swirled around me
.
“Hi Luke, I have something very important t
o tell you. Please listen to me,
” I ordered. He appeared in fr
ont me. He looked the same as he did
the last time I saw him, only slightly older. His
brown curly hair remained
disheveled. H
is big brown eyes and pale skin
still reminded me of him as a child
. I smil
ed and held out my hand to him.
“
I knew you could see ghosts,” h
e laughed. He held my hand for
a moment the
n stepped away.
“You feel real to me. I haven’t felt th
at from anyone living since I
died
. Not that I’ve haunted anyone,
I just seem
to go
right
through them
though
,” h
e w
asn’t laughing anymore, he actually seemed afraid of me.
“That’s the way it is suppose be
, I’m just different, more sensitive I suppose.
I have to tell you something Luke, it
’
s more
important than my special gift.
”
I tried to explain.
I knew I should just say it but I wasn’t sure how. Luke
nod
ded, waiting f
or me to continue.
“He’s gone
. I sent him into his afterlife,
” I just blurted it out
. Luke looked puzzled at first.
“Isn’t this the afterlife?” h
e asked.
“No Luke, this is different. It’s like an in between place. It’s where all my ghosts have been
I think
. It’s where you are. Luke, you can decide to leave it if you want and move o
n. I can help you, if you’re ready to go
?” I wasn’t sure exactly how to explain all this to him. The room felt cold
all of a sudden. Luke’s gone.
“Lu
ke!” I shouted. Only silence surrounded me as I stood in that horrible room, alone.
“Now
what?” I whispered. I didn’t know where to go next.
“Hayden!” I shouted his name
.
~~~
“Did you hear th
at?” Hayden asked as he stood
over her
. Carlos jumped over and stood
beside him
, looking down at her
.
“What did she say? I could barely hear her
,”
h
e
asked as he
sank down closer to her
.
“She called me
, she called my name
,
” Hayden exclaimed happily as he
l
eaned
over her
, listening for a breath
. He sighe
d with relief when he heard it.
“Natalie! I am here Natalie,
right beside you. Where are you?” h
e shouted. There was no reaction. N
o reply.
“It has to be a good sign,
” Carl
os
said, he had to believe that
.
~~~
“Mother,
” I cried
as I sa
nk down on to the floor.
“Mother, I need you
now,
” I sobbed uncontrollably. I jumped as a
thin familiar
hand squeezed my shoulder.
“It’s okay Natalie. Come on now, where’s my
big
strong girl?” I wrapped my arms around her
, so relieved to have her here with me
.
“I’ve missed you so much,” she said as s
he brushed the hair from my face and wiped my tears
with her sleeve.