the freedom of her new life in the drafty old farmhouse. First day here and she
had made new friends. Sissy and her husband John Robert had come by and
introduced themselves. They turned out to be nice folks. In fact the epitome of
down home southern hospitality. After a nice chat, they had said their goodbyes.
She poured herself more coffee, and began the task of unpacking the box closest
to her.
A knock on the door stopped her from her chore. She brushed a loose strand of
blond hair from her face as she headed toward the front door. Her landlord Mr.
Evers was standing on the other side. “Mornin’ Miss Kylie.” Being from the city,
Kylie was still adapting to country grammar. Good morning Mr. Evers! How are
you this fine day? “I can’t complain Miss. came by to drop off the shed key. ‘It’s a
mess in there but if need be, you can store extra items.” ‘I’ll have Jesse come
round later in the week and clean it up a bit. “That would be fine sir” Mr. Evers
nodded, bid a good day and left in his old rusty Chevy.
The day was spent unpacking, and by early evening Kylie had the living room
area cleared out. As soon as her butt hit the couch there was another knock on
the door. “And here we go” Kylie headed to the door just to find that no one was
there. Finding it hard to believe that in the middle of the country, someone would
be playing games she had encountered in the city. The closest farm was a mile
and a half away, which is where Sissy and John Robert resided.
Needing the fresh air anyhow, Kylie headed out the screen door to investigate.
She was enjoying the view of the hills and trees against the silhouette of the
evening. The knock on the door was all but forgotten. Kylie turned to head back
into the old farmhouse. Out of the corner of her eye; she spotted a shadow drift
past the old shed.
To deny her curiosity, was like denying a computer geek an iPod.
Automatically goosebumps appeared on her arms as she felt an obvious drop of
temperature in the July heat. Perhaps it was as simple as a deer. It was a pretty
big shadow she had seen, and she didn’t recall any sound.
Like an unsuspecting cat heading for a waiting dog in the bushes, she headed
toward the shed which was located on the back far right of the house. The closer
she got to the shed, the colder it became. The gloomy aging white paint was
chipping off the sides, and the door was a sharp contrast of blackness. Slowly,
very slowly, her hand reached for the knob. Instantly she met resistance and
realized the shed was locked. The key is in the house! she remembered. The hairs
on the back of her neck rose up as she felt a presence behind her. Quickly she
turned around to find nothing there! A quick look in the back yard told her that if
there were something lurking, it was gone now. She walked faster than usual to
the front porch, and into the house.
The rest of the evening went without incident.
7:32 a.m.
When she awoke, it was to the quiet rumble of thunder. A slow moving storm
system had made its way to the country side.
Kylie knew unpacking would have to wait for the time being. Impending deadlines
were quickly approaching for her article submissions, and both were due by
tomorrow. Skipping coffee for a quicker caffeine fix, Kylie opted for a Mountain
Dew.
She cleared off her desk and popped open her laptop. Using the battery option
because of the storm, she cracked the window by the desk just enough to let in
the breeze from the fresh rain. Through the white lace curtains, the gloom cast an
eerie glow on the living room and the wooden floor settled with creaks and groans,
perhaps from the moisture.
Nonetheless, it added to the tense atmosphere. So much that after only a half
hour of writing, she just couldn’t shake the feeling that she was being watched.
“Would be great if I wrote scary fiction” she thought out loud. She arose from her
seat, and couldn’t help but to glance around the room. Of course it was empty.
She sat back down determined not to let her mind get away from her and
resumed typing. It was probably best that she had sat down when she did. A
black translucent blur passed right behind her neck.
9 pm
Articles submitted, and bored out of her skull, Kylie decided to check out the attic.
She had in her mind that with old houses, come old treasures just waiting to be
rediscovered. Too many episodes of Antiques Roadshow She chuckled at the
thought.
The trap door opened with a creak and dust was the first thing to greet her. “It’s
freezing up here!” Her eyes settled on an old chest in the corner. It was riddled
with cobwebs. She wasn’t the kind of girl to shy away from a cobweb or two.
Excitement filled her like a child readying to open a present as she headed toward
the chest. Though the trip was a short one, as almost instantaneously the chest
started to scoot steadily across the floor toward her! The attic entrance seemed
like a million miles away as she quickly turned and ran toward the trap door.
There was a presence in, and surrounding this home, no, home is the wrong word,
a home has warmth. A heart and soul. This was just a house. A cold, unwelcoming
house. Something didn’t want her here and it was making it very clear. She went
down the ladder about ten times faster than she had gone up it,
And made her way toward the front door. Safely out in the yard, she realized that
her car keys were inside and Kylie wasn’t about to go back into that house!
As she looked on considering her options, a loud banging drew her attention
toward the shed. A blue glow emitted through the crevices. She had never looked
in that shed, nor did she want to now. Kylie opened her car door, grabbed her cell
phone and walked swiftly down the dark dirt road. She would have someone come
around and pick up her things.
Tracey Huntley
PROOF Paranormal