Chapter One.
The Haunting
of Poundbury Hill.
By John R A Smith.
Introduction.
Short Stories.
Detective Liza Dunbar was retired from the Somerset and Avon Police, and had settled in a small but beautiful village of Poundbury, having inherited her mother’s home in Kirtland only minutes if that away from the centre of the village and its shops. The building was well over a hundred plus years in age and held a huge old barn at the rear of her garden, and in general she was extremely happy.
That was until a certain incident unnerved her, Kissy her German Shepard dog had been with her one early morning as they ventured for a walk down Poundbury Hill, it was early and only 04.45am the dog had been restless and Liza usually from habit awoke every morning by 05.00am but had awoken early because of the dogs activity. So, washing and dressing and then having a coffee she took the dog for an earlier than usual walk. The morning was misty, but as they ventured down the hill into lower Poundbury area the mist became a fog and visibility lessened.
It was then something unexplained and strange caught Liza’s attention, a child was seen running only yards ahead of her and she was scantily dressed and looked scared. Lisa called out and she kept looking back as if she was been chased, and then turned into what for Liza was at that point an unseen entrance, only as she drew closer to where the child had been Liza saw a driveway and turned in looking for the child. There the fog seemed to lift and before her stood the strangest house she had ever seen, it looked as if she was in the village next to a church, only not Poundbury and there was what appeared to be an endless drop into open space, only the house was strange and confusing to look upon.
There was a terrifying scream and she saw the child running and then fall, then there was blood and a voice deep sinister and yet quiet and only just heard. “You can never escape me…, you are mine as are the others,” it said.
Then just before the fog returned she saw a man, well it was human in shape and looked like a man, only his profile was dark and out of focus, as he turned with the girl now in his arms he faced Liza directly and stared at her evidently seen her as he spoke. “I know you; you live at the old farm house.”
And then he and the child vanished, while Kissy her dog had been lying flat to the ground with its teeth showing growling and its hackles raised. Liza could sense a deep dark evil, almost a presence that turned her blood to feeling cold, and she tried moving forward to help the child only to touch a stone wall, the house and driveway had gone, and there was no longer a child and then the atmosphere changed and the fog lifted leaving Liza confused and scared, very scared.
Elsey Dunbar had lived in old Poundbury all of her life having been born in 1913 and was now One hundred and Two in age and she was dying, having opted to die in her home while resting upon her bed. Her vital signs were weakening and having already suffered three strokes her voice still remained but was frail. The private nurse tended to her while Liza her daughter, and holding her mother’s hand and reading to her from a diary she had written since a child. Elsey had requested to be read about the time she met her husband to be.
Liza settled comfortably in her chair and opened the diary following her mother’s guidance to the correct page. “Peter your father was such a rogue, but Oh goodness he was good looking and never once cheated upon me, at first so many girls wanted him, and I never thought I stood a chance, then one day in the village hall he ask me to dance, me …, could you believe it, and the other girls stared in shock and anger, as they were wealthy and better dressed and looked down upon me…, but he chose me and from that day we were as one.”
She laughed and then coughed bringing up blood…, “He the old rogue took me behind the church and it was my first kiss, we…, well we did things good girls in that time were forbidden to do, but he was so gentle and we laid would you believe upon old graves and he had placed his coat upon the ground so I could keep my dress clean. She paused as Liza found the page and started reading.
’It is 1934 and my father James Alexander Armstrong had allowed me to my first village dance, I was twenty one and now recognised as an adult in my own right, he had over protected me as children had started going missing and the locals were accusing gypsies, even when they were nowhere in this area, but they preferred that explanation to others. My mother made me a beautiful dress and I looked like a hundred pounds, it was so beautiful, but I was nervous having never been to a dance before. Yet my heart fluttered at the thought of Peter Dunbar a local black market supplier and farmer’s son.
His father owned some three hundred acres and was although not an important man in the community he was looked upon with respect, and tended to gift parts of his harvest to the community and those in true need. The dance was held in the old village hall opposite St Michael’s church and all the unmarried girls wanted to find a mate or catch a wealthy partner. In truth I thought I never stood a chance as I was plain looking and we had so little that I truly thought I never would find a partner.
When I arrived band music was playing and as I was a little late a waltz was been played, I made my way to the seats and sat watching them dance. As the music finished I saw so many men and women all dressed so smartly, and looking so wonderful but I felt I was been ignored, and it kind of upset me, then I heard a voice and looked upwards, and there before me stood Peter dressed in a suit and looking like a dream, I blinked and he grinned, “I just ask you if you would like to dance” he said, stupid me, I turned to see if he was talking to someone Elsey. “You Elsey Armstrong, I am asking you no one Elsey” he said and then he took my hand and led me to the dance floor.
Honestly it was as if I was in a dream, and at first I got my steps wrong and others laughed at me, but he ignored them and when the dance ended he kept hold of my hand and we danced through all the following dances and then left about an hour before the dance ended. From there Liza stopped reading as her mother had fallen asleep, marking the page she closed the book and accepted a coffee from the nurse.
Her mother died and from there Liza had to arrange the funeral, after the reading of the will the estate was left to her in its full and upon paying taxes etc. she moved into the home having retired some ten years past and selling her home she moved into Kirkland Farm. Her mother’s belongings were stored in the loft and slowly Liza tried to rebuild her life, now no longer working in the police force and having reached detective sergeant before retiring. Now she lived alone, well not strictly alone as her German Shepard Kissy was an ex police dog in whom she adopted, and was now over thirteen years of age.
Life had passed Liza by having never married, her job had taken too much of her time and before she realized it Liza found herself facing compulsory retirement, now she involved herself within the community doing charity work and helping where she could in St. Michael’s church. Her home which Liza had inherited was a well-known building, and was well over a hundred plus years in age and held a huge old barn at the rear of her garden, and in general she was extremely happy.
That was until a certain incident unnerved her, Kissy her German Shepard dog had been with her one early morning as they ventured for a walk down Poundbury Hill, it was early only 04.45am the dog had been restless and Liza usually from habit awoke every morning by 05.00 am but had awoken early because of the dogs activity. So, washing and dressing and then having a coffee she took the dog for an earlier than usual walk. The morning was misty, but as they ventured down the hill into lower Poundbury area the mist became a fog and visibility lessened.
It was then something unexplained and strange caught Liza’s attention, a child was seen running only yards ahead of her and she was scantily dressed and looked scared. Lisa called out and she kept looking back as if she was been chased, and then turned into what for Liza was at that point an unseen entrance, only as she drew closer to where the child had been, she saw a driveway and turned in looking for the child.
There the fog seemed to lift and before her stood the strangest house she had ever seen, it looked as if she was in the village next to a church, only not Poundbury and there was what appeared to be an endless drop into open space, only the house was strange and confusing to look upon.
There was a terrifying scream and she saw the child running and then fall, then there was blood and a voice deep sinister and yet quiet and only just heard. “You can never escape me…, you are mine as are the others,” it said. Then just before the fog returned she saw a man, well it was human in shape and looked like a man, only his profile was dark and out of focus, as he turned with the girl now in his arms he faced Liza directly and stared at her, and evidently seen her as he spoke.
“I know you; you live at the old farm house, and prevented my acquiring a chosen victim, Clarrest Wilson, do you remember.” And then he and the child vanished, while Kissy her dog had been lying flat to the ground with its teeth showing growling and its hackles raised.
Liza could sense a deep dark evil, almost a presence that turned her blood to feeling cold, and she tried moving forward to help the child only to touch a stone wall, the house and driveway had gone, and there was no longer a child and then the atmosphere changed and the fog lifted leaving Liza confused and scared, very scared.
