Chapter 16: Visions
All I could hear was the occasional drip of water echoing off the bare stone walls as each single drop fell into a pool. The air was cool and damp and the darkness was absolute. It felt like a cave of some sort, but I couldn't be sure. I moved forward, taking hesitant steps and feeling for some sort of structure but I seemed to be in an open space. The floor was uneven and strewn with loose rocks. I moved carefully toward the sound of the water, the only landmark I had in this void, but it never seemed to get any closer.
I had to move carefully because of the unsure footing. I stepped on one of the stones which seemed fairly firm, only to feel it break beneath my weight. Oddly, it didn't sound like stone, but like cracking wood. I reached down to feel it, and was surprised to find it splintered where it had broken. It also felt harder than wood, and smoother, and the splinters felt sharper and more crisp than I would have expected from a dried out branch or rotten log. I picked part of it up to trace its outline with my fingers and was horrified to realize that it was a large bone, probably a leg bone. I dropped it in surprise and the sound it made gave me pause. It was a dull sound, not the sound of a bone hitting a stone floor. It was more like a piece of wood falling onto a pile of firewood.
I knelt down with dread, exploring the floor with my hands, but I could not find it. All I could find were bones piled on top of other bones. I began digging through the layers, looking for a stable foundation, but no mater how many layers I moved, I could not reach the bottom. As my search became more and more frantic, I was stopped by the low moan I had heard earlier. This time it was close by, almost directly in front of me. I froze, fearing to face whatever kind of creature called this place home.
But at that moment I felt another presence, a presence that felt familiar. It was the unseen presence from my dreams, who hid at the center of everything. I heard the creature before me struggling and somehow knew it was no longer free to approach me any closer. I heard the moan turn to a growl and could sense the creature straining to lunge forward, but the other presence pulled it back with a loud “No!”
I started awake in the comfortable chair in my living room, the echo of that voice still ringing in my ears. I was covered in sweat and my heart was racing. Was that the being behind the moan I had heard earlier? Had it actually answered my request to reveal itself? If it was, this was no harmless ghost. This was something malignant and hungry, that had been collecting the bones of its victims for a very long time . At least I seemed to have an ally, but who was he, and why did he remain incognito?
I looked at my watch and was surprised to see it was already 3:30. “Shit!” I thought. “Sylvia will be at the rehab center soon, and I haven't had a chance to warn Ben.” I quickly changed and ran out the front door, thinking no more about the dream I had just had.
“Well it's about time,” Ben said with a smile when I appeared at his door. “I was beginning to wonder...What are you doing?”
I had immediately started straightening the room when I walked in. “Sylvia is bringing a few of the kids at four. We can't have your dirty underwear just lying around now, can we?”
He just laughed. “When did you start channeling Martha Stewart?”
“I would have been here sooner, but I dozed off,” I explained. “And the dreams I've been having! Wait a minute you little bitch, I'm not channeling Martha Stewart!” I stuffed a small pile of clothes into a cupboard, then turned to face him, defiantly adding, “It's Marie Kondo! Get it right. If anyone is channeling Martha it's you with all your knitting and crocheting.”
I gave him a wicked grin and he chuckled, “My mistake.”
“Oh, and I think I heard the ghost at the cottage this afternoon, too.”
“Really?” he asked, brightening at the prospect. “Tell me.”
“Well, I'm not sure, it may have all been part of that strange dream I had. I think I was awake when it happened, but now I'm not so sure. Anyways, it was just a distant moan, that's all, but I heard it twice.”
“Ooh, spooky, no one having sex in the crawl space or anything?” he asked with a grin.
“Not that I noticed.”
“Pity, I rather enjoyed getting to know the boys in the basement.” Then pointing to a stray cup near the window, he said, “You missed one, Marie,” and chuckled.
Before long Sylvia showed up with three of the kids and Ben was fully occupied. They stayed for about an hour, excitedly telling us about all the trouble they had been causing in our absence, and filling us in on the latest gossip. Kevin's potential boyfriend was high on the list. He had been trying to keep it a secret, so of course everybody knew. They left a bit before supper was to be served, which gave me a little time to be alone with Ben at last.
We both reveled in the quiet that followed their departure. As welcome as their energy and vitality was, it could be a bit overwhelming. “I've asked for an orderly to take me down to the dining room tonight,” he said at last. “I could have dinner up here, but now that I'm somewhat mobile, I want to push myself to get out of this room. Even if it does wear me out. What are you doing for supper tonight?”
“Phil has asked me to come over to the boarding house and eat with him,” I answered. “Or maybe I should say her, I'm sure it will be Miss McFiercen who will reside over the table.”
“Have all the students gone for the summer?” he asked.
“Evidently. He sounded lonely on the phone this afternoon.”
“Then it's good you're going,” he smiled. “Give her a hug for me and let her know she is welcome anytime she wants to stop by. I'd love to see her.”
“I will,” I said as I sat on the bed beside him and took his hand. “I wish we could be together alone,” I sighed as I leaned my head on his chest. “I miss us”
He leaned forward and kissed the top of my head. “So do I,” he whispered, stroking the side of my cheek tenderly. It felt so good to just be close to him, to feel the warmth of his body and steady rhythm of his heart beating just below my ear. We sat like this for long minutes, needing no words to fill the silence that surrounded us, but enjoying the brief fragment of eternity that we had been given.
Thus the orderly found us at the appointed hour, and helping move him to his wheelchair, I quietly accompanied them down to the dining room on my way out. “I'll stop in before bed,” I offered as way of a goodbye. “Just to say goodnight.” He squeezed my hand and the orderly wheeled him off into the dining room.
I walked back to the cottage to freshen up before heading out to the boarding house. I hadn't had a meal there since before Ben's accident, and thought a bottle of wine might be appropriate. So I left a little early to allow myself time to pick one up.
I loved Phil like a father, and was looking forward to spending a quiet evening with him, and I always enjoyed spending time in the boarding house. It held such wonderful memories of the days when Ben and I were just falling in love. I finally stood in front of the steps and looked up at the grand Victorian edifice, so lovingly restored by my friend, and sighed with deep contentment. The love that had been born here had already brought us through many trials, and I felt sure it would see us through our current difficulties. With that thought I climbed the stairs and let myself in to the building that felt more like home than any other place on Earth.
To get in touch with the author, send them an email.
