News From Home
In the middle of my dream, I could hear Metallica's Enter Sandman. Where was it coming from? I started to search for the source of the song. Then I started shaking, bouncing against the walls as if I was in the middle of an earthquake. What the hell was going on?
As I stood there, clutching the wall, I heard a whisper, "Harper, honey, your phone is ringing. Wake up, sweetie."
I slowly opened my eyes and saw I was in my bed beside my husband, Logan. "Damn, that was a strange dream." He shook his head as he pointed to my phone. It was no dream; my phone had gone off with a text message from my aunt. At least, I think it was a text message.
As I picked up my phone, my chest tightened as I saw the time. It was after midnight here in Colorado. That means it's after two in Virginia. Bad news always comes after midnight. I hope it wasn't bad news from Virginia. As I looked to see if it was a missed call, I relaxed when I saw my aunt texted me.
Bitch, wake your ass up!
I chuckled after I read her message. Yet, I couldn't help wondering if there was bad news from home. I replied:
Auntie, it’s after midnight out here. Is everything okay? Are you okay?
The message sounded a bit on the panicked side. I've lived in Colorado for so long and there's been two times I've received bad news from home. As I lay back, Logan pulled me closer to him as he said, "Is everything okay?"
"I don't know yet."
I had been feeling off-kilter throughout today. Something was wrong, I could feel it. I knew something was wrong back home in Virginia. But what it was, I couldn't tell you exactly. Something did not feel right. My aunt messaging me after midnight didn't help the feeling either.
As we were lying there, I heard Metallica's Enter Sandman. My aunt had messaged back.
I need your help with a possible situation out here. It concerns your cousin, Stella. She's been blowing up my phone for months now about how there was someone in the house. Yet, she lives out in the middle of nowhere. She lives way out in the boonies! So, how the hell could there be someone there? Hell, I get lost when I drive to her place! I've been taking care of her for five years now. How sad is that?
I had to think of what to message back. It could lead to a smartass comment from my aunt.
What is going on at Stella's place? How far is she away from town?
That sounded like a safe reply to my aunt. I wanted to know the basics. Logan groaned as I got up from our bed. "Where you going, honey?"
"I'm going outside to have a cigarette."
I leaned over and softly kissed his lips with a smile. As I walked through the living room, I heard my aunt's ringtone. The living room was dark, so I had to be cautious. I didn't want to walk into anything.
Once I got out to the porch, I looked at her message. I couldn't help it but I started laughing until I felt the air had a bite to it. Brrr!
I'm changing the subject for a moment. I love you all, but come here and get your weather. It's drunk in our yards, stumbling around. Virginia is not known to get snow in March now. We're supposed to get snow tonight. You know it only snows when the circus comes to town.
I was laughing as I messaged her back.
Sharing is caring, auntie. I'm enjoying this warm weather out here.
Her response was a quick one as if she expected what I was going to say.
Bitch, this ain't sharing or showing you care about us. It's straight-out torture! We Virginians do not like the snow. That's a Colorado thing, not Virginia. So, bring your ass out here and take back your weather.
I was quick with my response, too.
Damn, a wee bit demanding, are we? LMMFAO! That's not my weather. Though it's a bit nippy, we are having spring-like days here.
I placed a few laughing-hard emojis to get my point across. After I sent my message, I knew she would have something smart to say. Hopefully, we go back to the topic at hand. I wanted to know what paranormal activity was happening at my cousin's house.
Just as I was lighting my cigarette, my aunt's ringtone echoed. The street was quiet except for a dog barking somewhere.
Back to the subject at hand; I don't know what to do with Stella. I want to say it's all the medications she's on. Yet, I've heard what she's been telling me about. So, how can it be her medications if I'm hearing the voices, too? I guess I'm going crazy, too.
I was getting curious about the house and what was happening there.
What else is going on, auntie?
For a moment, I wanted to tell her she was already crazy. I decided not to be a smartass...I'll hold off for now.
Canon City was quiet for a town with over seventeen thousand souls. The silent morning air was broken by a bark or two down the road from me. I shivered again as I sat down on the porch swing. The weather app on my phone showed it was barely thirty degrees this morning.
My aunt's ringtone sounded louder in the quietness. Her text message was like a mini-novel.
Stella is the only one in that big, old house. Well, she's by herself after I leave for the night. I am her caretaker during the day. It surprises me why you didn't ask me why she takes all those meds. Stella has Parkinson's disease and it's slowly taking over her. She is also bipolar. I've researched her meds and some of them do cause hallucinations. Yet, I'm hearing the same voices and footsteps, too. I've tried to convince her to move to a smaller place. She tells me this place is perfect for her since she has many grandkids. Can I call you? If I type any more, my fucking hands will fall off.
I laughed as I replied to my aunt.
Sure auntie. I'm outside, having a cigarette.
When I heard my aunt's ringtone, I jumped. I wasn't expecting her to call this quickly. Not to mention, it was so damn quiet out here.
I picked up the call by the second ring. "Hey auntie, enjoying our weather out there?" I couldn't resist teasing her about the weather. Colorado is usually a cold and snowy state. Virginia, spring starts in early March. Yet, they are about to get snow and we're warm and dry here in Colorado.
She laughed as she said, "No bitch, you need to return our warm spring weather, like now. I hate that we're supposed to get snow. And I don't care that it's even a small amount of snow. Virginia ain't supposed to get snow now."
“Naw, I love the warm weather here,” I stood there looking down the empty street. "Though, this morning is a wee bit chilly."
"Good, it's still supposed to snow tonight here," she told me and I bit back a laugh. "Anyway, I've heard footsteps when I'm there during the day. There's been a few times I've spent the night. I've heard voices, and people arguing back and forth. You know I love ghost hunting. I don't get spooked that much until one night. Someone grabbed my arm."
I've never met my aunt, but over the years we've been talking, I could tell she was a woman who doesn't rattle too easily.
"What can you tell me about the history of the house? Did anything horrendous happen there?"
For a moment, my aunt was quiet, gathering her thoughts before speaking. "There have been stories passed down through the years of murders, crime of passion kind of murders. The house is over three hundred years old. Thomas Gatlin married a young girl from a plantation down the road. She was sixteen and rumor is she was seeing a British soldier. This was around the Revolutionary War. The rumor is her family married her off to keep her away from the British soldier she was seeing. Had she run off with him, her family would have been considered traitors to the colony."
"What about the murders? How were they crime of passion?"
I heard the click of a lighter over the phone as she spoke, "The story goes, Thomas fell in love with the governess, Hester. He talked Lavinia into going out on the water. As they were out boating, he shoved her out of the boat. She drowned but her body never showed up downriver. Thomas went on and married the governess. That marriage didn't last long, around five years. Hester must have gotten tired of Thomas and poisoned him. She was never convicted. All the blame was put on a house slave who was demoted to field hand. Harper, you can imagine what the crowd did to him."
No, I didn't want to imagine what the crowd did to him or her. I knew the crowd hung them from the nearest tree.
"Auntie, that is fucking savage there!"
"You have to remember; she was a white woman. It was easier to pass the blame off to a slave especially if one is pissed off at the plantation owner. Now, this leads me to my question to you. Can you come out here and help me out? I don't know if Stella is having hallucinations or if she's hearing the spirits here."
Without any hesitation; I said, "Give me a week or so, auntie. Logan has to give his work time to find someone else."
"That's fine with me baby girl. I don't want to ship Stella off to the nut farm if she is of sound mind. Yeah, I've heard them too and I'm questioning myself. I want to see what you see and hear."
"I can't wait to come back home, auntie. And I'll help you out as much as I can."
"Thank you, baby girl. I can't wait to meet you finally. It's been too long. We have so much to catch up on. I love you. Later."
"I love you too, auntie. Laters."
We hung up and I stayed outside to have another cigarette. It was a bit nippy outside. I haven't seen my aunt since I was two years old. In a few weeks, it will be my thirty-ninth birthday. Four years ago, I found my dad's side of the family. My mother told me no one wanted to talk to me, but I found out she was lying about that.
I told Logan about the phone call as I came into our room. He agreed with me about us returning home. My family needed my help and I was going home to help them. What I didn't know though, my presence was going to awaken the spirits
