MAGDALENA'S GHOST: THE HAUNTING OF THE HOUSE IN GALLOWS LANE (13 page)

Dragging herself to her feet she shuffled her way round the curve of the stairs. She descended the steps gingerly one at a time, feeling her way with her feet and sliding her hands along the wall. She almost collapsed with relief when she reached the bottom of the stairs and escaped through the door. She fled along the landing to her room and slammed the door behind her as she ran inside. As she leaned against the door trying to catch her breath, her legs wobbled like jelly. She slid the bolt to ensure the door was locked firmly in place, whilst she remained where she was until her rapid breathing subsided. But when the horrible cackling sound started again, Lucy’s chest suddenly tightened and she felt a strong jab at her heart which seemed to be slowly squeezing the life out of her. She couldn’t move as she held tightly onto the door handle as if it were her refuge and the only way to keep the demons out. She knew she was having a panic attack and there was nothing she could do to abate it.

She looked over to a large set of drawers in the far corner. She knew they would be heavy and she may not be strong enough to move them, but she was frantic and who could say what inner strength a human being could provoke in a moment of sheer terror and doom. She rushed over to them and tried to move them, but they weren’t for budging. She took out a couple of the heavy drawers and laid them on the bed and continued the practice until she felt the piece of furniture move. She could only shove it bit by bit towards the door in order to barricade it and it drained her of what strength she had, but she finally succeeded. She put the heavy drawers back into their spaces and felt confident that no-one could get into the room. She leaned against them, still breathless with the strain, but at least she felt safer barricaded in.

She clung to the drawers as she took deep breaths to calm her nerves, but her body began to tremble and her legs were weak. All her strength and energy had been sapped. She listened breathlessly to the echoing sounds of laughter and mirth as they invaded the empty spaces of the house. The wind, as it battered the walls outside and howled through the crevices in unison, seemed deafening. Lucy was convinced she was going mad. She pressed her hands to her ears to try to blank out the sounds, but it was impossible. But when she saw the flickering of the two bedside lamps as if the electrics were about to fail, she was overcome by the fear of being thrown into darkness in her only place of refuge. She had nowhere else to go where she would feel safe. And as her fears began to spiral out of control at the thought, she turned to see the old woman standing near the window grinning at her menacingly.

“Leave me alone,” Lucy screamed. “What do you want with me?”

Her voice was breaking up as the panic set in, and the old woman seemed to sense it as she laughed triumphantly. Lucy was distraught, there was no hope left as far as she could see. She was finished – and there was nowhere else to run to. If that old woman edged one inch towards her she knew she would die of shock and then it would all be over. But the old woman just vanished before her eyes like the extinguished flame of a candle.

Like grease-lightening Lucy headed for the bed and scrambled onto it, hoping she could burrow her way to the bottom of the duvet in an attempt to shut it all out. She was gripped by a fear that she had never known before and she wanted to scream until her voice was hoarse; such was the terror that had engulfed her. But she remained there still and quiet, not daring to move in case she prompted the old woman to appear again. An eerie stillness seemed to have pervaded the room and Lucy didn’t know which was the lesser of two evils: to flee from the house, or to remain in the sanctuary of her bedroom. Neither option offered much solace. The spirits which inhabited the house would not let her go, of that she felt sure, so there was no easy answer – she was trapped and she knew it. They clearly wanted something from her, but she had no idea what it was. And as she struggled to come to terms with the reality of the situation she now found herself in, the doubts that she had toiled with over and over again made way for the truth – the house was haunted.

Fixed rigid in her position on the bed, she sat and stared at the point where the old woman had appeared. She half-expected her to come back and she no longer felt safe now that she had invaded her space. The suspense did not last above a few seconds as she heard a faint voice, almost like a whisper, outside the door: “Billy, where are you Billy?”

Lucy realised it wasn’t over and she screeched in fear as she buried herself under the duvet in an attempt to shut out the horrible sounds.

“Are we having a cup of tea?” followed by a light tapping on the door and the turning of the handle.

Lucy held her breath under the duvet. She had scrambled to the bottom and was holding herself in a ball, hugging her knees to her chest in an attempt to shield herself as she feared the worst.

“Are we having a cup of tea?”

As Lucy remained where she was, perfectly still and her heart beating furiously, she heard a different sound. The voice had changed to one of distress, anguish, pain and sorrow. Sobbing had now replaced the earlier menacing voice and had become that of a tormented woman.

“Is Billy coming home?” it cried over and over again.

Lucy’s terror was beginning to subside as her emotions pulled her towards the compelling voice of anguish outside her door. She felt a tear trickle down her cheek as she was overcome by an agonising sadness which she found unbearable, and one which she had never known before. It was as if she was inside the head and heart of another human being. But she knew that no matter what, she mustn’t give way to the feelings; she mustn’t weaken, because deep down inside she was convinced it was a deliberate ploy by the spirits to lure her to them. And the consequences of that didn’t bear thinking about. She remained glued to the spot, not daring to move, until the sobs disappeared to give way to the howling wind.

All Lucy wished for in that moment was Anton. She needed him to put his arms around her and make her feel safe. She cried helplessly, her mind confused and her heart troubled. Why had he brought her to this place? What had gripped him so strongly that he was prepared to risk their happiness by purchasing Juniper? How could he leave her alone in such a big, old, rambling and frighteningly sinister house? Why did he not believe that she had seen the old woman in the first place? He could have asked at the pub, and he could have investigated before being so keen to buy at any cost. Surely everyone must have known about it, that’s probably why no-one had ever shown any interest in buying it. Would their life together ever be the same again? She wanted life to go back to the way it was in the flat, the happiness they shared, the fun and the loving. Now they had nothing, nothing but the monstrosity she had been left behind in. She felt like the sacrificial lamb which had been led to the slaughter. She felt demoralised, abandoned, frightened, and devastated at the situation she had been put in at no fault of her own.

Their lives had changed beyond recognition. There was no fun anymore because they were always too tired, and too short of money to be able to live any kind of life. It was all work. Juniper had robbed them of everything they had ever known and she couldn’t understand why. Her fear also was that they were drifting apart. She felt unloved, uncared for, and insecure – emotions which she’d never had to deal with before. And the overriding fear was driving her into the ground.
Please come home, Anton, please,
she sobbed, her voice trembling uncontrollably. She no longer cared if her sounds could be heard, she let the tears flow relentlessly until finally the tiredness took over and she fell asleep.

During her troubled sleep, she dreamt that she was a young child being cradled by a beautiful woman with a rapturous smile who was gently humming a lullaby to her. It was a peaceful and heavenly moment and happiness filled the air, but after only a few seconds the woman’s face changed to that of the old woman; she was menacing and there was a sense of madness in her features. Lucy awoke with a jolt, the fear pumping through her veins once more. The memory of the earlier incidents came flooding back, as she heard the sound of sweet music coming from the distance. It was the same melody as the lullaby in the dream, and she realised the dream must have been brought on by the music reaching her subconscious as she slept. She listened intently as the tune soothed her fears. It was haunting and soulful, but at the same time beautiful. It drugged her senses and she didn’t want it to end. She had no idea where it was coming from and she didn’t care, she just didn’t want it to stop and soon she drifted into a deep sleep once more.

Anton was due home at any time soon and Lucy was ecstatic. She had been badly affected by the dreadful incidents which she had experienced recently, and it had been on her mind a lot ever since. However, there had been no further occurrences and she was immensely relieved, particularly as Anton would be home at some point that day and therefore her nights of being alone were over.

She was feeling on top form whilst getting organised for work. She was only doing a part-time morning shift, as she wanted to finish early and get some shopping in and have the house nice and tidy for when he returned. She sat at the dining table with her mug of tea and toast, whilst reflecting on how to tell Anton what had happened, and it wasn’t going to be easy – but tell him she must.

Lucy knew full well that he wouldn’t believe any of it had really happened, he would think it was her usual scatterbrain mind getting carried away with itself all because she had been on her own. But she needed to tell him so she could clear her head of the turmoil; she needed to share it and she needed him to understand. But most of all she needed him to comfort her and reassure her that she was still the most important person in his life and wouldn’t allow Juniper House, or its demons, to come between them. And the only way to do that was to get rid of it – put it back on the market for sale.

But the doubts flooded her mind again. Would he agree to abandon Juniper? Would he truly believe the incidents did occur and weren’t a figment of her imagination? Would the encounters happen again, but only when she was alone? Is that how it intended to tear them apart? But even if he refused to believe her, but promised never to leave her on her own ever again, it still wouldn’t be enough. She would be filled with doubts as to his genuine concern for her. Something in their relationship would die – trust! And how could they continue to live in a house whose previous occupants refused to let go?

Their relationship was going to be tested to the full. Everything hinged on his reaction once she relayed the events to him. If he doubted her and refused to take action – action of any kind which would reassure her of his devotion, she would be faced with a worse dilemma, she would have to leave him. And that thought filled her with dread and anxiety.

Her troubled thoughts moved back to the young child who she had witnessed outside the sealed door. She was still convinced that he was trying to relay a message to her. If Anton did agree to open it up, and she would have to make sure he did, perhaps something behind that door would explain the reasons behind the sightings. But what if there was nothing? Once again the niggling doubts pulled at her heartstrings and made her feel uneasy.

She got up and took her dishes to be washed, but as she approached the scullery she jumped back in shock and almost dropped them to the floor. The old woman was sitting in the rocker grinning at her jubilantly. Lucy couldn’t take it in as surely she must be seeing things. But her legs threatened to buckle beneath her, and she felt numbed as the fear riddled her body once more. And before she could get a grip on herself, the woman had vanished into thin air.

Was this sighting a message, one which reiterated that the old woman, whoever she was, or had been, would triumph? Lucy was convinced that it was. The expression on her face and that grin and those eyes had said it all, and had left Lucy with no doubt in her mind. What she had just experienced reaffirmed in her mind that she was truly seeing another ghost. She had no idea who it was meant to be. Was it somehow connected to the images on the screen that she had watched that night on the top floor? The young boy who had appeared in the film, and also on the landing, could he be connected in some bizarre way to the old woman? She had no answers and no speculative thoughts about any of it. It was all too much of a mystery and they had known very little of the previous owners when they had purchased the house, so she had nothing to go on.

Her hands trembled as she continued over to the sink with her washing up. She did not hesitate to do what she had thought of doing in the first place, and that was to get rid of that old rocker regardless of what Anton might say. She was convinced that if she got rid of that, she would get rid of the old woman as well. Maybe, just maybe, she couldn’t survive in whatever form she had adopted, without that rocker. It was a grim thought, but a possibility no matter how remote. She marched towards it and grabbed it with two hands and walked determinedly across the hall, out of the front door, and over to the skip where she dumped it unceremoniously inside. She moved swiftly back into the house and picked up the cushion and the blanket and did exactly the same with those. Slamming the front door behind her, she rubbed her hands together in satisfaction, convinced that
that
was the end of that!

She felt much better for what she’d done, she’d had it in mind for long enough but Anton’s nostalgia had stopped her from carrying out her intentions. He wouldn’t like it, but when it came to that old rocker she was past caring. Now the challenge was between her, Anton, and IT, because as far as she was concerned that old woman could now sit in that old rocker whenever she wanted to and haunt the skip instead of her. And she could travel with the skip whenever, and wherever, it moved to, whilst exploring new horizons. Maybe when it reached the tip, the rocker would be disposed of and then the old woman might disappear into the ether – but then maybe it was all just wishful thinking on Lucy’s part as well. But right now she simply didn’t care, because all that mattered was that it wouldn’t be there when she got home from work.

Having tidied up and checked the time, she grabbed her coat and bag and left the house behind in order to catch the bus to work. Her excitement was increasing by the hour, as she looked forward to seeing Anton very soon.

Lucy arrived back home shortly after lunchtime feeling exhilarated. It had been the first time that they had both been apart and she hadn’t liked it at all. Thank goodness it was only this once and soon he would be home for good. She hurried to hang up her coat, keen to unpack her shopping and prepare an evening meal for when he walked through the door. She couldn’t wait.

She walked into the sitting room, and as she approached the scullery she saw that the old rocker was back in its place. She was stupefied at first, but then realised that Anton must be back, and for a moment she felt guilty about him finding the rocker in the skip – maybe she had been a little hasty. She popped outside again, certain that his camper van had not been parked anywhere in the grounds when she’d arrived. It wasn’t, so she presumed he must have nipped back out somewhere. Maybe he’d gone to the shops, perhaps to buy her some red roses to prove how much he’d missed her – but then as he didn’t normally do that kind of thing it was probably most unlikely. But she enjoyed her moment of fantasy, although in truth just seeing him was enough.

She wandered back into the house and let her guilty feelings about the rocker penetrate her conscience. The fact that he’d brought it back in said it all. Now he was going to be annoyed at her. But she wasn’t going to let it dampen their reunion – the old woman would like that wouldn’t she? She must have felt really exultant when Anton challenged Lucy’s behaviour by returning it back to where, in his opinion, it belonged – and with the rocker no doubt she came back too. She was no doubt gloating because she was in possession of the winning hand; but Lucy still had her cards to play – and who knows who would be the ultimate winner? Nevertheless a warm feeling of happiness spread through her veins knowing he was back and not very far away. Anton had been the best thing that had ever happened to her, and she couldn’t wait to see his smiling face again.

She busied herself in the house, set the fire for when he returned, and everything was taking on a homely feel. The she heard a cat mewing. She was puzzled because it sounded as if the sound was coming from inside the house. She wandered through the rooms listening for where it was coming from. Anton must have let it in accidentally when he got back, and unwittingly trapped it inside. She could tell it was within close proximity by the sound of it. She stood still and concentrated hard as she listened, finally working out where it was coming from. There was a cupboard under the staircase which they hadn’t yet got round to clearing out. It was just full of odds and ends which had been left behind, but that was where she determined the mewing was coming from. She opened the door and looked inside, but the noise had stopped. After a few moments she heard the sound again, but only faintly this time and it seemed to be coming from underneath a load of rubbish and cardboard boxes. She rummaged around to see if she could find anything, unconvinced that a cat could possibly have got trapped in there. But there was no denying it, she definitely could hear it.

At the bottom of the pile of junk, she could see a small, oblong, wooden box with metal hinges, but by now the noise had disappeared. Her curiosity aroused, she lifted the box and made a feeble attempt to brush off the years of dust which had accumulated on the lid. She placed it on the hall floor, knelt down beside it and opened the lid to look inside. There was an old piece of carpet which looked to be wrapped around something, so she lifted it carefully from the box and put it on the floor. It smelt stale and musty. She carefully undid the wrapping but jumped back in horror at what she saw. It was the skeleton of an animal which looked suspiciously like that of a cat. She quickly covered it up again and left it where it was for when Anton came back. It had freaked her out, because she couldn’t come to terms with the fact that the mewing sound she’d heard seemed to have come from it. Obviously she must have been mistaken. Juniper was a big house and virtually empty of contents, so it would be difficult to ascertain where any sound was coming from. But whilst she tried to assure herself that that was the only answer, the fact it couldn’t be heard anymore surely must speak for itself. A cold shiver ran down her back.

As the clock showed one hour after another passing by, Lucy was beginning to feel restless. She couldn’t understand where Anton had got to, if, as she’d thought earlier, he had returned and gone back out again. And as the time reached five o’clock, she began to feel uneasy. What if he hadn’t returned after all? That would mean that he wasn’t guilty of having put the old rocker back in its place. Then who did? She suspected she knew the answer, but she didn’t want to go there.

As darkness began to cast its spell once more, Lucy became jittery. She avoided going anywhere near the scullery, so that she wouldn’t see that wretched old woman again. She now had no idea what time to expect Anton. She had been so delighted to think he had returned early in the afternoon, rather than late at night, that the true implications of that old rocker had not really registered in her mind. She knew now, if she hadn’t known before, that she had a real fight on her hands and the old woman clearly didn’t intend to give up – and that thought frightened the life out of her. She desperately waited for Anton as she paced the floor and avoided the hall where the old box was.

When he walked through the door at seven o’clock, she ran towards him and flung her arms around him, almost sobbing in relief.

“Whoa, steady on Luce,” he exclaimed, as he put his bag on the floor. He picked her up, spun her around and gave her a big kiss. “Am
I
glad to be home,” he said enthusiastically, walking her towards the sitting room with his arm wrapped firmly around her shoulders.

If Lucy had suffered doubts earlier, they were replaced with a strong conviction that he was just the same old Anton with just the same feelings about her. She was pleased, relieved and ecstatic.

But as they passed the hall Anton stopped dead in his tracks, his nose twitching.

“Can you smell something?”

She looked over to the parcel on the floor and hesitated. She hadn’t really wanted to discuss that just yet, and she certainly didn’t want to spoil their precious moment together.

“Oh, it’s just some old rubbish I pulled out of the cupboard under the stairs. I was hoping to get it cleared out before you got back so it would be one less job to do,” she fibbed.

“Well, I’ll have to get rid of it whatever it is, it stinks!”

They wandered arm in arm to the sitting room and Anton’s face lit up at the sight of the roaring fire. He slipped his arm off her shoulder and walked directly to the scullery.

“I see you moved the old rocker back?”

“No – I thought …” but then she hesitated as she realised the implications of what she was about to say. This was not the right moment. “Err, sorry, I mean yes, I’d forgotten to be honest. I thought it would stay warmer in there for you,” she fibbed again.

She had never lied to him before and she didn’t want to start now. They had always had a very open and honest relationship – at least before Juniper that is. Now she’d been made to break that bond between them and that saddened her.

“Oh that’s really thoughtful of you Luce.” He gave her a hug and a peck on the forehead.

Now she
really
felt guilty.

“Tell you what Luce that smell coming from the range beats that stink in the hall. Whilst you rustle up that grub – let me guess, it’s a stew – I will dump that rubbish.” His face beamed at the thought of his favourite dish and he disappeared before she could answer; so she left him to it whilst she sorted out their tea.

Anton looked curiously at the item on the hall floor, and couldn’t resist opening it to look inside. He could see it was the remains of a dead cat and he wrinkled his nose. Carefully wrapping it again, he put it back in the box and pushed it under the stairs before joining Lucy in the sitting room.