HORROR

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Page 1

Caitlin hated long drives.  She imagined the journey much shorter.  But then she had been only 9.  Funny how time always distorts perspectives she thought.  The route had remained the same but her perception of it hadn’t.  She would’ve happily accepted these contradictions as a natural progression of gentle ageing had it not been for the fact that distorting perspectives weren’t the province of a childhood long past but occurred in the present with jarring effects:  Her recent divorce being just such an effect.  When the lawyer had informed her of her inheritance, Caitlin had been shocked but greatly touched by her relative’s generosity. Caitlin had spent her formative years playing in and around Aunt Mildred’s great mansion.  She had loved that house; She headed there now, seeking the comfort and security that had once cosseted her there as a child.

Her departure from the city in darkness contrasted with her arrival to the small town in glorious sunshine.  Caitlin noted the road sign “Welcome To Righteous.”  She felt relaxed and even smiled at the sudden irony: “Righteous” was appropriate, since her ex-husband of 2 weeks had blamed his affair with her best friend as a reaction against Caitlin’s “selfish, self-absorbed, self-righteous” attitudes.  Caitlin couldn’t deny the accusations but added “stupidity” to the list.  Max, her mischievous terrier barked agreement in the back.  Caitlin gave him a hearty rub behind the ears. ­‘You said it Max!  Stupid, that’s what I was.  Stupid not to see what was happening right under my nose…..’ She eyed the other furry bundle—‘ What d’you think Harry?’  But Harry the black cat wasn’t in a counselling mood, his chosen response, a gigantic yawn.—‘ Yup!  It’s all a tad boring isn’t it?’

Disillusioned, depressed and bored: verbs that could just as easily be adjectives when applied to her life.  She had said as much to Sullivan at KSA when she announced her resignation.

--‘  You can’t quit!  You’re my top ad exec!’

--‘  The Carson account should keep KSA healthy.  However my marriage…. Listen…I have to go….’  Infidelity aside, Caitlin had realised career pressures had factored highly in the break-up.  Now, she needed a divorce from KSA too.

--‘  Sure….  I understand….  No problem, take a couple of weeks….’her incredulity had made Sullivan stammer ­‘ a month… 3 months…’  her incredulity had continued, --‘ 6 months?….’ as she walked out he’d lamely followed, pleading, --‘… however long it takes….’

Caitlin had almost pitied him.  ­‘ I’ll be seeing you Sullivan.’  His panic abated but then he hadn’t heard Caitlin mutter ­‘ at your funeral….’under her breath.

--‘ Miss Harris? ‘a thin waspish man greeted Caitlin as she exited her car.

--‘ Mr Meredith? ‘ Caitlin correctly guessed her Aunt’s lawyer.

He handed Caitlin some keys ­‘ It’s all yours.’

She surveyed the property.  It was an unusual mansion ­ a mixture of Federal and Greek Revival styles.  3 floors were deeply recessed one upon the other, giving a tiered wedding-cake effect.  Flaking paintwork, chipped clapboards and tall windows grimed over, their shutters rattling off rotten hinges defined the exterior.  Caitlin’s rose-tinted nostalgia already slightly tarnished en route, annoyingly began to dim further.  She remembered the house being palatial and bright, but now it looked decidedly dull and dilapidated.  Meredith, noting her disappointment, stoically interjected ­‘ It’s a fine property…  Your Aunt… ah… never really …I mean… she liked things to stay the same….’ He changed tact ­‘ It’s been a while since you were here? ‘

--‘ 25 years’

--‘ Any plans?  Sell I presume?’

Caitlin replied hesitantly ­‘ Well, I was considering a B&B…..’ There was silence.  Meredith noted the time ­‘ Must go.  It’s getting late….. Where are you staying?’  Caitlin answered ­‘ Here of course.’

Meredith became alarmed ­‘ Here!?  You can’t!  It’s dangerous!’

--‘ Dangerous?’

--‘ Well… a woman alone….’

--‘ But my Aunt lived alone for years…’

--‘ Yes, but your Aunt was….’he suddenly stopped.

--‘ My Aunt was what?’ Caitlin prompted.  Meredith was in some sort of dilemma, its resolution vague.

--‘ ….extremely stubborn…’he smiled regretfully, --‘ I really must go.’  He handed her his card ­‘ Please, if you have any… problems… contact me, day or night…’

--‘  That was weird, ‘Caitlin remarked to Max and Harry ­‘ Mr Meredith acted like he never expected to see me again….’  The animals barked and miaowed, eager to be out of the car’s confinement.  Caitlin entered the house.  The animals stayed by the car, reluctant to approach.  ­‘ C’mon you guys!  Lets check out our new home!  ‘She coaxed to no avail; not ‘til the Scooby snacks came out, then Max bounded up with little reservation and Harry slowly followed, sniffing the air warily.  The best room on the first floor was the front parlour.  It was exactly how she remembered it:  The walnut woodwork, the grandfather clock in the corner, the Victorian easy chairs, the huge wooden fireplace with logs ready for lighting…  Suddenly those comforting memories flooded back.  She recalled the aged Aunt and the laughing child.

--“ Can I have your house when your gone?….” Caitlin had asked.  Childhood often eliminated the niceties.  Her Aunt had smiled slyly ­“ Maybe.  Depends.”

--” On what?”

--” On how brave and strong you are…”

Caitlin had checked the whole house except the attic.  She was pleasantly surprised.  Rooms were large, unfurnished and in good condition despite the exterior appearances.  She reached the attic.  The door seemed to be stuck.  Caitlin pushed harder.  She almost fell into the room.  It was completely cluttered.  Caitlin noticed dusty chests, covered boxes, familiar old toys including her favourite dolls house….a veritable treasure trove.  A lifetimes’ accumulation and Aunt Mildred had had a long, long life….  Evening had crept upon Caitlin and she decided to forgo further exploration, the lights being out on this floor.  Suddenly she heard a noise.  She whirled around ­‘ Who’s there?’  She had difficulty seeing the contours of the room, it was as if the walls had disappeared into a nothingness of black mist.  An uncontrollable fear grabbed her…..  She heard it again.  Creaking floorboards?  Footsteps?  She couldn’t tell.  Caitlin had to get out.  She tried the door.  It wouldn’t open ….

Page 2 by Mark Paxton

Again she tried it, but to no avail, the lock seemed to have seized up completely. Panic was now taking over her body and her actions. She had to calm down and be rational “Think” she told herself’ it was probably nothing more than a cat or a trapped bird that had got in through an attic window , after all had she actually heard a footstep or was it just a creak,the sort of noise that old houses made all the time, just part of the personality of the house, the creaky old house.
Now with the tide of fear under control she again looked around in the darkness, trying to define the room she was in.
This time she heard the noise,she knew it was a footstep and she knew it was close , she knew something was touching her arm and she knew she could hear breathing.
There was no pause for rationalisation, her senses overloading the short lived calm she had managed to talk her self into. Now came unstoppable fear surging through every cell in her body. She spun instantaneously, flailing arms and legs in all directions her only thoughts were to get out. Now!
Turning towards what she thought was the door , she ran. Crackkk. As she struck the attic beam and fell, she saw the face of a young black girl staring through the dark with her hands brought up clutching what appeared to be a bone cross,her large eyes wide with fear as she followed Caitlin's fall into unconsciousness.

It was the same face that greeted Caitlin eight hours later after having been carried down from the attic to the front room, but now the look on the girls face was one of compassion rather than fear. Caitlin grasped her head as she rose, feeling the telltale bump that signalled the ferocity with which she had hit her head the night before. But now as she felt the morning sun on her face she knew she must have passed out for some time.
The black girl looked on and held out a damp towel. --'Who are you and what are you doing in my house',Caitlin asked as she gratefully put the towel to her fore head.
--'I am Mary , Miss Mildreds helper. I didn’t mean to frighten you, but you sure did frighten me! I thought you were the devil himself coming to catch me.'
The girl smiled as she recounted how afraid they had both been,a gold front tooth glistened from amidst a sea of white.
She couldn’t be more than eighteen years old thought Caitlin.
--'I didn’t know that my aunt had a helper these days , in fact not since I was a child.' As Caitlin spoke the words her mind recalled the days she had spent in the old house as a child. The long summer days that never seemed to end,the smell of the grass and flowers in the gardens, her aunts lavender perfume and the home-made lemonade that always seemed to be available. Then the face of a young girl that she had played with all those years ago,the same face, not a day older , the same "gold tooth Mary". It was all too much for Caitlin to take in , barely knowing if the ill effects of the blow to the head were still controlling her mind, as she looked out into the front porch. How could she still look so young. As Caitlin was wondering what was going on in this once so delightful house, a sharp rap on the window focussed her attention. She turned to see where the noise was coming from and was met with a view that confirmed her worst fears. She had indeed hit her head the previous night , but she had,it now seemed died and been taken to heaven, for here, standing at her front door was God himself.

Haloed in the light was the image of a silver haired old man bedecked from head to toe in white, beckoning to her with a staff of light beaming rays in all directions. For some time Caitlin could do no more than sit and stare in awe at this beguiling image. As she watched he opened the porch door and approached Caitlin, as he came closer she saw , not God but an old man in a crisp white linen suit carrying a silver topped cane, his hair and beard were both grey and the sun shone behind him, through the glass as he crossed the room.
--'I thought I had seen a car arrive yesterday' he drawled ' I am Canderton Burrows and I presume you must be Mildred’s niece.' His voice was low and gentle almost hypnotic in its tone.
--'My deepest sympathies on your aunts departure my dear. I was a close friend of hers. If there is anything I can do to help you please do not hesitate to ask.'
His eyes glistened as he took Caitlin's hand, they were the eyes of a young man, charming and teasing , undressing her with every glance. She withdrew her hand feeling strangely over -powered upon meeting this old gentleman.
--'Well it is good to have finally met you again my dear, after all these years and I’m glad that you have decide to stay here indefinitely, I’m sure that we will be seeing a great deal of each other in the future.'
As Mr Canderton Burrows slowly walked away from the house Caitlin noticed Mary, who had been skulking in the shadows until now. She was watching him as he walked away, following every step as if to reassure herself that he wasn’t coming back. In her hands, she once again held the cross,the bone cross, a voodoo cross.
--'So how well exactly did he know my aunt.' Caitlin asked
--'They were very close friends Miss Mildred and Mr Burrows,very very close....'

Page 3

That’s strange thought Caitlin. Aunt Millie had never mentioned a beau. But then on further reflection, she thought why on earth should she have. Her contact with her Aunt had been relegated to phone calls and cards on public holidays and birthdays, neither of which were ideal times for delving into an aged relative’s love life. But now, Caitlin admitted she was more than alittle intrigued about her Aunt’s relationship with Mr Canderton Burrows. -- ‘ How long has Mr Burrows been see.. I mean, coming to call on my Aunt? ‘ Caitlin amended the phrasing, feeling the latter would’ve been better appreciated by her Aunt.
-- ‘ Forever ...’ Mary sighed heavily --’ ...seems like to me anyhow....’
-- ‘ You don’t like Mr Burrows very much do you? ‘
Mary shifted awkwardly, clearly wanting to lie, but settled with -- ‘ We-ell .. I ain’t got much business to do with Mr Burrows.... ‘ she added -- ‘ Miss Millie and me were getting on just fine ’fore he came along ....’ Caitlin noted the tone of resentment. Mary obviously felt she’d been abandoned by Aunt Millie, their friendship cast aside by the attention of a gallant and dandified old-timer. She smiled a wry smile. It didn’t seem to matter how old you were or what stage your life was at, if you let Love enter the front door, then a happy household was sure to suffer.... Caitlin stopped herself. What was she saying? She never used to be so cynical..... The divorce had been devastating but throughout it all, she’d been able to keep safe that lighted candle which at times of trouble, illuminated everything and made the the darkness less daunting. She recalled a line of Blake “ O rose thou art sick” and suddenly realised that the Divorce was bad but the Fallout was worse, because that was slow, insidious and ever creeping unawares to extinguish the candle.... Caitlin looked up to notice Mary staring at her, grinning her wide gold-toothed grin. -- ‘ You sure grown up pretty Miss Caitlin...’
-- ‘ I ... I beg your pardon ...’ Caitlin was confused.
-- ‘ I seen your pictures ...’ Mary continued -- ‘ Miss Millie shown ‘em to me' ‘ -- ' Oh. Yes. ‘ Caitlin hesitated -- ‘ I used to play here as a child ...’
-- ‘ I know ...’
A nagging memory pestered Caitlin -- ‘ Ah... Did you have a sister who used to work here ?’ she finally asked -- ‘ ...It’s just that your face ...well... I mean ... I seem to remember ...’
-- ‘ My mama would’ve been mighty pleased to hear you say that Miss Caitlin! ‘ Mary laughed -- ‘ She’s the one you’re thinking about.... when she passed away, Miss Millie asked me to stay with her ... sorta take over ...’ The confusion faded but one thing still niggled her -- ‘ But she had a gold tooth...’
Mary lightly touched her gold tooth -- ‘ She had this very same gold cap.... ‘ the look of surprise on Caitlin’s face amused Mary even more -- ‘Yeah ... I know it’s sorta weird but ... we like to think of it as like a kinda family heirloom.... My mama got it from her mama...’
-- ‘ Right.’ Caitlin was still unsure. Then again she thought, there probably were a lot stranger things to have as an heirloom, but not many ....

The last rays of the sun slipped away signalling the end of a stifling hot day and the approach of a stifling hot night. Julius Meredith hated the night and he hated being late. He should’ve been home an hour ago. He sighed. Another ten minutes he thought, I’ll give him another ten minutes. Important client or not, he had to go home. Mrs Meredith was only sympathetic to a point and that point was now. He picked up the phone to call her again, bracing himself for the harangue to follow. -- ‘ Leaving already? ‘ As usual Julius hadn’t heard or seen Canderton Burrows come in. Meredith attempted a half-hearted reprimand; looking at his watch he tutted significantly. Oblivious, Burrows walked over to the desk, sat down and smiled benignly -- ‘ You’ve disappointed me, my dear Mr Meredith ...’ Meredith became nervous --’ well..ah...um..I..I.. did explain the circumstances in my letter...’
-- ‘ You assured me that this matter would be straightforward .... ‘
Meredith spoke quickly -- ‘ It was. Until Miss Howard tore up her will. The previous will came into effect. Miss Harris being the main beneficiary.' Burrows was still except for the finely chiselled dark wood cane he carried, softly tapping against the desk, measuring his thoughts. -- ‘ Did she say why she destroyed the will? ‘
-- ‘ No ...no... I remember she was quite agitated and worried that day ... I didn’t want to upset her by asking any unnecessary questions ‘ he paused -- ‘ Of course afew hours later, it was just too late because she ... she ... was... ‘
-- ‘Dead ‘ Burrows completed the sentence. Meredith nodded uncomfortably. He had liked Mildred Howard despite all the rumours about her. -- ‘ I got to know Mildred very well... ‘ Burrows started earnestly --’... and she wasn’t exactly ...’ he leant forward conspiratorially -- ‘ compus mentus ... especially these last few months....’ he continued lightly -- ‘ Perhaps she didn’t mean to destroy the will .... Perhaps it was a copy...’
The assumptions made Meredith fidgety -- ‘ Ah ..ah...yes..perhaps... However, she was accompanied on that day by Mary and I dare say Mary will have an alternative perspective on Miss Howard’s mental health... and the will....’
Canderton Burrows became irritated -- ‘ Mary! Why Mary’s nothing! She’s just a sl...’ he stopped and recomposed his thoughts -- ‘ Mary’s a might slow ... I doubt very much if she had any comprehension of the proceedings ....’ he ended deliberately -- ‘ I want that house Mr Meredith...’ Meredith couldn’t miss the cold edge to his words as all pretence of pleasantness evaporated. He coughed awkwardly -- ‘Ahem..ah.. I’ll see what I can do. Miss Harris’s now our client.... I’ll mention your interest in the property ...’
-- ‘ No.’ Burrows was abrupt but then the charm returned -- ‘ I think I would like the pleasure of getting to know Miss Harris more .... personally...’ He rose -- ‘ I strongly advise you to search for the will, the correct will...’ he smiled a sterile smile -- ‘ I’d hate for you to disappoint me again....’

Page 3 Winner : Claire Soames, Yorkshire UK

Deadline Page 4: 28th June 2005