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But it ate her dog,I thought to myself.Or I guess ‘Penny’ could have been a cat.
Still, for a child to write in their diary that they’ve seen a “monster” in the woods was not something worth putting any stock into, but I did arrange the open diary on the bedspread and took several photos on my cellphone to use in my project. Even if it didn’t mean anything, I couldn’t deny that the entries were quite creepy, and they added a little something to the so far very vanilla story of a haunted mansion.
I inspected the photos and made a few editing adjustments directly on my phone.
“But if I’m already calling the house ‘haunted,’ is it truly so outrageous that there’s amonsterhanging around too?” I muttered to nobody in particular, just for the comfort of hearing myself speak.
I sat on the bed with the diary in my hand, bouncing my knee in nervous concentration until the sound of a weed wacker going to town in the back garden pulled me from my thoughts. My journalist brain wanted to solve the mystery of this house immediately, right now,today, but I knew the information wasn’t going to fall into place without more help on my end.
I pulled my phone from my back pocket. It was half-past four, so I knew Ted was nearing the end of his day. He did say that this entire mansion was essentially my home for the next month, so I could check things out as intimately as I wanted over the next four weeks with nobody to tell me not to.
I tossed the diary aside and decided I needed to stretch my legs and do some exploring. There was too much mansion to see and too much to investigate for me to sit in my room with the door closed any longer. As far as I was concerned, whatever was in this house with me—whether it was something as simple as a draft closing my suitcase, the world’s largest squirrel taking up residence in the attic, or something else entirely—was just another part of the old mansion I would have to get to know.
I turned off my speaker before vacating my room. The only sounds to keep me company were the whirring of the weed wacker outside and the sound of my feet padding along the hardwood floor. I cleared my throat and was surprised to find that even a noise as mild as that echoed through the huge space of the foyer and living room. Still admiring thatthiswas my job for the next month, I leaned against the banister of the indoor balcony and took in the sight. Whatever maid my employer had hired had done a really great job. Even as the late afternoon sun cascaded through the windows, I couldn’t find a trace of dust anywhere. I switched sides of the balcony to get a closer look at the taxidermy that hung up higher on the walls of the foyer and noticed it felt emptier than it had when I first arrived.
The bobcat was missing. I realized then that the platform the animal had been occupying was actually not his own at all, but a space between two other mounts it had perched between with front paws on one mount and rear paws on another. When my grandmother had told me her beliefs, she’d said that spirits and the like were similar to what folks said about bees and dogs: that they could tell when you were scared, and they would use your fear against you.
The sight of the missing wildcat was frightening. Not because there could be a wild animal loose in the house, but because I knew that if what I thought happened actuallydidhappen, it was definitely not an ordinary bobcat. Wild animals didn’t pretend to be taxidermy. Wild animals didn’t perfectly arrange themselves on the wall to trick people inside an old mansion.
I knew what I had hoped for coming here, and I was getting exactly that. However, no amount of articles read or podcasts listened to could have prepared me for the moment I realized there reallywassomething going on in this place. Instinctively, my hand gravitated toward the hunk of polished piece of black tourmaline that hung around my neck by a hemp cord for protection. After taking a deep breath in and out, I reminded myself that I could do this.
I gathered my wits around me and decided it couldn’t hurt to introduce myself to whatever creepy crawly was surely hanging about.
“If anyone can hear me,” I said in a voice a bit louder than usual, “I’m really not here to cause any harm, or make any trouble. Truth be told, this isn’t even my house.” I spoke and walked at the same time as I made my way downstairs. “I’m only here to make sure kids don’t keep hopping the fence and making a huge mess outside. Honestly, make as much noise as you want. It doesn’t bother me. I’m sure my being here isn’t exactly your ideal situation, so I’m happy to give you the space to be upset.”
After a moment or two, the awkwardness of speaking to nobody started to disappear. I was absolutely certain this wasn’t what she meant when my grandmother used to say you must communicate with spirits respectfully, but it felt right to me, so I just kept going.
“All I ask is that you save your big temper tantrums for my employer. He’ll supposedly be here in a month. Torment that guy all you want. It’s seriously not my problem.” I reached the bottom of the staircase and hopped over the final step, landing surely on the tile floor of the living room. “Let’s just agree… to be cool with each other.”
“You talkin’ to someone in here?”
I almost jumped out of my skin as I was suddenly face-to-face with Ted, who looked greasy with sweat and was covered in grass-stains.
“Holy crap, you scared me,” I said as I clutched my hand to my chest.
“I surely didn’t mean to.” He giggled. “I was just coming in through the side door off the kitchen. Wasn’t trying to sneak around or nothing, I’m actually getting out of here for the day—weeds will still be there for the whacking tomorrow.” He removed his hat, scratched his balding head, and gave me a curious side-eye. “Heard you yammering on. Everything okay, or does the place already have you going cuckoo bananas?”
“Oh, no, I’m fine,” I said with a nervous chuckle. I hadn’t heard the lawn-care machine switch off, and I definitely hadn’t heard him enter the mansion, and now I had to come up with an excuse for why I was talking to myself or risk sounding like an actual lunatic. “I was just… rehearsing what I was going to say to my friend when I called. She and I are kind of fighting.”
All I could do was cross my fingers and pray he had only heard the last part of my speech, and I thought I could pull off the lie.
“Ah, I see,” Ted answered sympathetically. He flopped the sweaty ball cap back on his head. “All friendships have bumps and bruises, but the fact that you care enough to give your reconciliation a practice-run says you care enough to make it work.” The groundskeeper then rested a hand on my shoulder for a moment before patting it politely and letting out a big sigh.
“On that note, I will see you tomorrow, my dear.”
“Have a good night, Ted. It was good to meet you,” I called to the man as he hobbled toward the front door.
“Likewise, missy. Enjoy your first night in this old place.”
The groundskeeper gathered the toolbox he had dumped near the entrance and whistled as he exited the mansion for the evening, seemingly happy to be headed home to his wife and kids. My first moments alone in the house hit me like a wave, and for the first time, it occurred to me how genuinely alone I was out there, so I figured it was a great time to touch base with my dad, Blair, and my boss, to let him know I’d found the place alright and settled in just fine. I wandered into the living room and found a seat in the corner of a couch, and it surprised me to find it much more comfortable than it looked.
I sent a text to Blair and Dad individually.Made it safely! Place is nicer than I expected. Love you, miss you already.
I then opened the email app on my phone and typed out a quick note to Mr. Silver to let him know I was “on the clock,” so to speak. I also wanted to let him know that I appreciated him going the extra mile to make sure the house was updated for my stay, and that the old house was much nicer than I imagined it would be. He would be very pleased with his investment when he finally got to see it: all the modern comforts while retaining the mansion’s antique charm. I even threw in a little smiling emoji, even though they weren’t entirely my thing. It was just important to me that I was being sincere, and I knew tone could get lost in text.
With everyone updated who needed to be updated, I flopped my arms to the side and allowed myself to sink deeper into the couch. As soon as I felt relaxed, I heard another rumble, but quickly understood it was my stomach growling. All at once, it hit me that I hadn’t eaten anything since the gas station snacks I’d purchased before crossing the West Virginia border, and I was starving.
I hauled my body off the couch to investigate the kitchen and wasn’t at all surprised to find it entirely empty except for the standard hotel-style niceties. Coffee. Powdered creamer. A few granola bars arranged perfectly in a glass jar on the counter. Those little packets you can use to add flavor to a water bottle. I knew it was too late in the day for me to even consider driving to town, grabbing groceries, and cooking dinner. Besides, I had already driven all the way here and unpacked all my stuff, so I felt I deserved a chill night.
