The Ghost of Longthorn Manor and Other Stories Page 10

  “I'm sure it's nothing,” she says, turning back to her daughter. “Don't worry, the surveyor wrote a report and the house is in great shape.”

  The surveyor didn't bother coming down here. And that crack means something. I don't like the basement, and I think something bad might have happened here a long time ago. Why is my memory so bad? I should be able to remember everything that ever happened to all the people who have lived here, but there are gaps. Vast, aching gaps.

  “I'm going to go to my room and look at my dolls,” Kelly says suddenly, turning and running back up the stairs.

  At least she's out of here.

  Now I want Patty to leave too, and then I want the basement door to be locked and never opened again.

  Once Kelly has gone off to play, Patty starts humming again as she fiddles some more with the next machine. She doesn't react at all as the gray woman steps around her. In fact, she doesn't show any hint of awareness at all. Kelly appeared to notice that something was wrong last night, but nobody else in the family seems to have any idea. Patty just keeps on humming to herself, even as the large bookcase starts creaking slightly, and even as its uppermost section begins to lean forward.

  “Damn thing,” Patty mutters, holding up a tube that appears to be slightly damaged.

  Behind her, the bookcase leans even further, with the gray woman's hand resting on its side.

  “Great,” Patty says, starting to get to her feet. “Now we'll have to find -”

  Before she can finish, the bookcase tips over. Patty barely has time to turn and see what's happening, and no time at all to scream, before the entire bookcase crashes down on top of her with a sickening thud. I wait for her to crawl out from beneath the great weight, or for her to call for help, but she remains completely silent as the gray woman stands nearby and watches with a curious smile on her face.

  “Patty?” Brian calls out a moment later, from the top of the stairs. “Did you drop something? Honey, what was all that racket down there?”

  ***

  And now everything is silent again. Newly-arrived furniture has been left in all the wrong places, along with large crates that nobody had time to unpack once the ambulance was called. Brian and the children raced off to follow Patty to the hospital, and they were in such a hurry that they didn't even have time to lock the front door.

  Down in the basement, the gray woman is still staring at the patch of blood on the concrete floor. Some of the blood is dribbling into the crack. It tickles.

  Nine

  “But when's Mommy coming home from the hospital?” Kelly asks, standing in the darkened kitchen and holding her bear in her right hand. “You said she'd come home soon.”

  “She just needs a little longer to get better,” Brian replies, sounding exhausted as he sits at the table. He's eating a microwaved pack of noodles, and I can tell that he desperately wants his daughter to go to bed. “Her shoulder hasn't properly healed yet.”

  “Why not?”

  “I don't know, honey. Daddy's not a doctor.”

  “I want her to come home.”

  “We all do.”

  “But I want her to come home right now!”

  “Well, you're just going to have to make do with me for a little while longer.” He forces a smile. “Is that so bad?”

  “I want Mommy!” she continues, close to tears. “And I don't want to sleep in my room! There's someone in there!”

  “There's no-one else in the whole house, sweetheart. It's just you and me.”

  “There's someone in my room,” she continues, sniffing back tears now. “I don't know who she is, but she's in there! I want to sleep in the big bed with you!”

  “We've talked about this, honey. You're too old for that now.”

  She shakes her head.

  “There's nothing scary in your room,” he says firmly. “Now go up there and get into bed, and I'll come read you a story soon.” He pauses. “I'm not messing around, Kelly. Go to your room! Now!”

  It takes a while longer, but he finally persuades her to go upstairs. He doesn't follow immediately, though. Instead, he sits with his head in his hands at the kitchen table, as if he's completely exhausted. Ever since Patty's accident in the basement a few days ago, Brian has barely had time to even sit down, and all the stress is taking its toll. At first, I thought maybe he'd understand what happened to his wife, and that he'd take his family far away from here. Now, however, it's clear that he's determined to stay. He's making a terrible mistake.

  And now, behind him, the gray woman is stepping out of the shadows. She stops right next to him, and after a moment she places a hand on his shoulder.

  He doesn't react.

  I don't think he's even noticed.

  I watch as the woman leans down, and finally she starts whispering into his ear. He must be able to hear that, I'm sure he must, but still he shows no reaction at all. He simply stays at the kitchen table with his head in his hands, while the gray woman continues to talk into his ear.

  I can't hear what she's saying. All I hear is the very faint rustle of her whisper in the silent house.

  “Daddy!” Kelly yells from upstairs, after what feels like an eternity. “I'm ready for you to read to me now! Daddy, where are you?”

  Sighing, Brian gets to his feet. As he heads toward the hallway, the gray woman's hand slips off his shoulder, but she immediately starts walking behind him. She steps on the creaking board just beyond the kitchen door, but Brian doesn't even bother to look back. He doesn't even notice as the gray woman follows him up to the landing, or as she walks just behind him into Kelly's room. He seems completely unaware of her presence.

  “It's cold in here,” Kelly says as her father sits on her bed. “It just got cold when you walked in.”

  “I'll turn the heating up when I get back down,” he mutters, grabbing a book from the shelf.

  “Daddy, I want to sleep in your -”

  “Can you just cut it out?” he snaps, turning to her. “You're sleeping in your own bed tonight, Kelly, and that's final! You're a big girl now!”

  She stares at him, clearly close to tears.

  “Come on, don't do this to me,” he continues, as the gray woman steps closer and leans toward him. She starts whispering in his ear, but he still doesn't seem to notice. Instead, he simply sighs. “While your mother's in hospital, Kelly, I think this would be a really good time for you to grow up a little, okay? You're eight years old, but you act more like you're five. Do you want to spend the rest of your life being immature? Your mother coddles you, and it's not healthy. I want to prod you out of your shell a little.”

  She wipes tears from her face, but I don't think she really understands.

  With the gray woman still whispering in his ear, Brian places a hand on his daughter's shoulder.

  “There's no reason to be scared,” he tells her. “Growing up is a good thing. It means you can start thinking about being an adult. You're not worried about that, are you? Trust me, once you've grown up a little, you'll feel so much better. Physically, mentally, emotionally, you'll be a new person. And if you don't grow up, you'll get picked on at school. You don't want to be bullied for the rest of your life, do you?”

  “No,” she whispers, struggling to hold back fresh tears.

  The woman in gray is still whispering to Brian, but I can't make out any of the words.

  “It's really cold in here, Daddy,” Kelly says after a moment, hugging herself as if she's about to start shivering. “Can you turn the heating up?”

  “When I get downstairs. You want me to read to you first, don't you?”

  “I'd rather you turned the heating up. I don't need a story before bed.”

  “Is that right?” He stares at her for a moment. “Maybe I'm kidding myself, but I think you're starting to look more grown-up. More mature. Do you feel that way inside?”

  She watches him with fear in her eyes, and then finally she nods. I'm sure she's just trying to please him, though.

&nb
sp; “Yes, Daddy,” she stammers.

  “Don't call me Daddy,” he replies, placing a hand on her knee. “That makes you sound like a goddamn baby. Dad is okay, or you can just call me Brian.”

  She swallows hard, looking down at her stuffed bear.

  “And that thing should probably go on a shelf,” her father continues, reaching out to take the bear. When Kelly holds it tight, he starts forcing her fingers away. “Kelly, don't mess around. Only little baby girls hug a teddy bear at night. You don't want to spend the rest of your life as a little baby, do you?”

  Kelly hesitates, before releasing her hold on the bear and allowing her father to take it away.

  The woman in gray steps back, no longer whispering.

  “What were we talking about just then?” Brian asks, furrowing his brow as if he suddenly can't remember. He looks around, but it's clear that he still has no idea about the woman standing right next to him, and finally he gets to his feet. “Um, you should get some sleep, okay? Daddy'll turn the heating up so you're not cold. Does that sound nice?”

  Reaching out, he ruffles her head.

  “Yes,” she whispers.

  “And you've got Mr. Snuggles to keep you company,” he adds, setting the bear on her lap. “What was I holding that thing for, huh? Mr. Snuggles always makes you feel better.”

  She looks up at her father, and I can see the confusion in her eyes. Her father's attitude seems to have changed on a dime, and she genuinely doesn't know how to respond.

  “I'm exhausted,” he says, heading to the door. “Good night, angel. Sleep tight.”

  Kelly opens her mouth to call after him, but then she seems to have second thoughts. A moment later, Brian flicks the main light off and heads out of the room, pulling the door shut as he goes and leaving Kelly with only the light from her bedside lamp. The little girl sits holding her bear for a moment, and I actually start wondering if she might be about to look up and see the gray woman right next to her. After a few more seconds, however, the poor little thing simply climbs under her bed-sheets and reaches over to switch her lamp off, before deciding to leave it on after all.

  She doesn't sleep, though. Not for a couple of hours. Instead, she stares up at the ceiling, even when the gray woman leans over the bed and peers closer at her face. Finally, slowly, the woman's lips curl to form a faint smile, while down in the basement the crack is starting to widen.

  Ten

  I remember the day I forgot.

  There were men, stripping my memories away and carrying them out the door. Not all my memories, but a lot of them. And I was powerless to stop them.

  Eleven

  In this dream, I see Jennifer taking a can off one of the shelves. She reads the label, before turning and heading back up the stairs. Then she -

  No, I've forgotten. And now I'm staring down at the bed in the smallest bedroom, and I can't work out why Jennifer isn't there. It takes a moment before I realize that Jennifer has been dead for many years now, and it's Kelly who should be in this bed. I'm allowing myself to get confused. Kelly is the one who should be here. I can see the gray woman, standing on the landing, but there's no sign of Kelly.

  Where is she?

  ***

  It's late. Kelly's standing in the doorway, watching as her father drinks. Just like last night, and the night before that. She's holding her favorite bear, but her eyes are glistening with tears. She says nothing. She doesn't dare make a sound. And when her father finally turns to look at her, she lets out a faint gasp, as if she's scared.

  “What is it?” he asks, slurring his words slightly. “Can't you see I'm busy?”

  “There's someone outside my room,” she tells him.

  “Huh?”

  “There's a woman outside my room.”

  He stares at her, as if he's having trouble seeing properly. He's drunk so much tonight, I'm surprised he's even able to hold his head up.

  “There's no woman outside your room,” he says finally. “Go back to bed.”

  “She was looking at me,” Kelly replies. “I woke up and I saw her. I called out for you, but you didn't hear me.”

  “Go to bed,” he says with a sigh, waving her away before turning and pouring himself another glass of red wine. “We have to be up early tomorrow. We're going to the hospital to see your mother, remember?”

  “Daddy, there's a woman outside my room.”

  “For God's sake!” he hisses. “There's no woman outside your goddamn room! Go to bed!”

  “You'll see her if you go and look,” she tells him. “I felt her yesterday, but tonight I saw her.”

  Sighing again, Brian gets to his feet and stumbles across the room. He almost falls, and he has to steady himself against the jamb for a moment before heading out into the hallway and fumbling his way toward the bottom of the stairs.

  “Are you okay, Daddy?” Kelly asks. “You don't look very well.”

  “Oh, I think I'll manage,” he mutters, already stumbling up the stairs. “And once I've checked for monsters and things that go bump in the night, you're going to sleep in your own room, by yourself, with the lights off. Is that clear?”

  Kelly simply stands in the doorway and waits.

  Above, Brian finally gets to her bedroom door and pushes it open. As soon as he steps inside, it's clear to me that he can't see the ghost of the gray woman, standing just a few feet from him. Her eyes are wide with anger, and she looks as if she might launch herself at him at any moment. She watches as he wanders to the middle of the room, and as he turns to look around, and then she watches as he heads back out to the landing.

  “Kelly!” he shouts. “Get up here!”

  Footsteps can be heard in one of the rooms below, and finally they stop at the foot of the stairs.

  “Did you see her?” the little girl calls up.

  “There's no-one here! Get your ass back in bed! Now! Before I come and drag you up!”

  “Look again, Daddy!”

  “I don't need to look again. There's no-one else in the goddamn house! Now move!”

  He waits, but there's still no sound of Kelly heading up to join him. Sighing yet again, he stumbles along the landing and then stops to look down the stairs. Sure enough, Kelly is down at the bottom, still clutching her bear and watching him with fear in her eyes.

  “Did you see her?” she asks.

  “Get up here.”

  “But -”

  “Get up here, Kelly.”

  “But -”

  “Now!” he yells. “Don't make me come down there! I promise you, you'll regret it if you make me do that!”

  He reminds me of Ronald now. That can't be a coincidence, and I'm sure I once heard Ronald say almost the exact same thing to Jennifer.

  Slowly, cautiously, Kelly starts making her way up, although it's clear that she's extremely reluctant. I want to reach down and tell her not to be scared, but there's no way I can ever communicate with her. Instead, all I can do is watch as she reaches the top of the stairs, where she hesitates again while staring at her bedroom door.

  “Go to bed,” Brian tells her, pointing into the room.

  “Can I sleep in with you tonight?”

  “No, you can't. You're a big girl now and you've got your own room, so use it.”

  “But -”

  “Don't make me tell you again, Kelly. Seriously, I'm sick of this. Go to bed.”

  She pauses, before staring to make her way along to join him. She stops again as she reaches the door, just as the gray woman steps out and stops right behind Brian. This time, Kelly looks straight up at the woman, and it's clear that she can see her.

  “Daddy,” she whimpers, as tears start rolling down her eyes. “She's right behind you.”

  “There's no-one right behind me,” he replies, before pushing her into the room. “Now go to bed!”

  With that, he swings the door shut, and then he turns to look along the landing. He looks right past the gray woman, as if he can't even see her, and then he heads toward
the door that leads into the master bedroom. The woman waits for a moment, watching as he disappears from view, and then she slowly starts making her way after him.

  Jennifer, meanwhile, is sobbing her bed with the sheets pulled up over her face. No, wait...

  Not Jennifer. Kelly.

  It's happening again.

  Twelve

  This time, I dream of the night that Jennifer died. Except this time, I know it's not just a dream. I'm starting to remember.

  I had such a feeling of dread as the sun went down, and I knew without any doubt that something bad was going to happen. Still, I had no idea just how far Jennifer was willing to go, and how much damage she was going to cause.

  It was the night I lost my memories.

  Ronald stayed up late, as usual. He had one glass of whiskey, as usual, but no more. He read for a while once his daughter was in bed, and he stuck more or less to his usual routine. It was very clear that he felt things were back to normal, and that he was confident Jennifer had learned her lesson. I remember watching him for hours, feeling a sense of impotent anger rising through my thoughts. I so desperately wanted to reach down and wring his neck, but what could I actually do?

  In a way, that's my curse. I see everything that happens within my walls, but I can't do anything to change the course of events.

  Finally, Ronald set his book aside and began to get ready for bed. He was already a slow man by that point, feeling aches and pains in his joints, and it took a good half hour or so before he reached his room. He always snored a great deal, of course, so it wasn't hard to pinpoint the moment when he drifted off to sleep. And evidently I wasn't the only one waiting for that to happen, because after just a few minutes Jennifer silently rose from her bed and made her way downstairs.

  I remember the blank expression in her eyes as she went into the basement and took her father's spare can of gasoline from one of the shelves. She took a moment to read the label, and then she went back up the stairs.