Stitch (8 page)

15. Frustration

The floorboards under Isaac’s feet protested a loud creak with every step.  The cold had seeped into every crevice of the house, and despite the diligent efforts of the servants flitting from room to room with wood, Mason Manor’s many fireplaces did little to stave it off.  He rubbed his hands together as he walked, exhaling occasionally into his clasped palms in an effort to bring the color back to his extremities.

He descended the main staircase slowly to the first floor.  Reaching the foyer, he saw that his mother had made good on her promise to Josephine.  Jo was sprawled out on the floor in the parlor to his right, gently stroking the brown tabby cat who usually lived in the barn.  The cat was napping peacefully on the hearth in front of a blazing fire, a small bowl of milk not far from its side.

Isaac sat on the stiff sofa nearest Jo and she looked up at him with a relaxed smile.  “Ma gave the kitty some milk while I took my bath.”

“I see that,” Isaac replied.  “He must be relieved to get out of the cold.”  As Isaac spoke, the cat stretched out its paws and released a small contented sigh.  Isaac wished his own problems could be so easily solved.

He thought for a moment about how to broach the subject of the presence.  He wanted to be careful not to scare Josephine with the possibility of the house being haunted, but he needed to find out if she’d had any encounters with the woman he’d been seeing.  He decided to use the book of ghost tales in his study to break the ice.

Isaac cleared his throat in a way that he hoped sounded natural.  “I read a spooky ghost story while you were in the bath.”

Jo perked up, her eyes wide.  “What was it about?”

“About a woman who died in a big white farmhouse and haunted the new family who moved in.”

“Ooooh.”  Jo was mesmerized.  “Was she a mean ghost?”

Isaac pretended to think for a moment.  “Well, not exactly.  She never tried to hurt anyone, but she did appear out of nowhere and scare them sometimes.”

Jo leaned in toward Isaac, whispering, “What did she do?”

Isaac leaned closer in and paused to build the suspense.  Talking in a low voice, he said, “She would sneak up behind them… and when they least expected it… she would say… Boo!”

Jo jumped at his exclamation, then giggled wildly.  The cat peeked at her with one eye and promptly went back to sleep.  “You scared me!”  Still laughing, she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

Isaac smiled.  “It was only a story.”

“But maybe it was a real story!”

“Maybe it was in this very house!”

Jo squealed.  “That would be so creepy!  I’m glad I’ve never seen a ghost.”

It didn’t sound like Jo had had any experiences with the presence, but Isaac decided to press a little further to be sure.  “Well maybe she hasn’t decided to show herself to you just yet.  In the story, sometimes the ghost would slam doors or knock things off the table when no one was looking.  Did you ever notice anything strange happening in our house?”

Josephine screwed up her face in thought, then finally shook her head.  “I don’t think our house is haunted, Isaac.  I think you’re just trying to scare me!”

Isaac laughed.  “I told you it was only a story.  You’re the one saying it’s real.”

“Well I changed my mind.”

“Okay.”  Isaac smiled and rumpled her hair.

Jo returned his affection with a begrudging half smile. “Even if it was real, I wouldn’t be afraid of any old ghost.”

“I know you wouldn’t.”  Satisfied, Jo turned back to the cat, tracing the long black stripe down its back with her fingertip.

Isaac hoped she’d never have to confirm that theory.  He knew from experience that even when the ghost was a gorgeous young woman, it was still terrifying.  There was just something so unnatural about a person appearing and disappearing at will that it was hard to feel anything but unnerved in her presence.

Jo stroked the cat for some time and Isaac watched her in silence, reflecting on how he might try to contact the presence.  Suddenly Jo looked up at Isaac with an earnest face and asked, “Isaac, are you going to get married soon?”

Isaac was taken aback.  “Wherever would you get that idea?”

“Because I heard you the other day, talking about a woman.”

Isaac thought back – had he mentioned the presence to anyone else?  No, he was certain he hadn’t.  How could Josephine know about her?  “When?  To whom?”

“A couple days ago.  I came by your room in the morning to see if you were up yet, and you were talking in your sleep.  You kept saying her name.”

“What name?”

“Alessa.”

Now Isaac was beyond confused.  He didn’t know anyone named Alessa.  He didn’t think he’d even heard that name before.  Why would he be uttering it in his sleep?  He didn’t even remember having any unusual dreams lately.  “That’s odd.  I don’t even know anyone by that name…”

“Are you sure you’re not fibbing me?” Josephine narrowed her eyes accusatorily.

Isaac reassured her.  “How could I be secretly courting a woman?  I never even leave the grounds!”

Jo considered for a moment and nodded her head in concession.  “I guess that’s true.  You just sounded… I don’t know.  You sounded like you loved her.”

Isaac smiled soothingly.  “I promise, I don’t know any Alessa and I’m not going anywhere anytime soon.”

“Good.  I don’t want you to go.”

Isaac’s chest panged with guilt.  More gently he said, “I have to go someday, Jo.”

“But why?”

“Well, everyone has to grow up sometime.  I may want to go to university and study science and become a great inventor.  I couldn’t do that if I stayed here, could I?”

“No… But why can’t you just run the farm like Papa does?”

“I could, but… I just, well, I don’t know if that’s what I
want
to do.  Don’t you ever yearn to see the city?”

Jo scowled.  “I like the farm.”

“I like it, too.  But I may want to spend a few years away, to work on my studies and find myself a wife.  Wouldn’t you like to have a sister?”

Looking down at the cat, Jo replied, “Only if she was fun.”

Isaac smiled and took her small hands in his.  Jo looked up at him.  “Of course.  And you know that when I go, I will miss you dearly and I will come back to visit you often.”

Josephine loosed a small smile and appeared satisfied.  Isaac let her go back to playing and headed up the stairs towards his study.  He wondered again where the name Alessa might have come from.  He tried to recall any dreams he’d had lately, but nothing came to mind. 

Alessa.  He rolled the name on his tongue and oddly enough it did feel familiar. 
Had
he met an Alessa at some point?  Perhaps he had read the name in a book or the newspaper.  He couldn’t pinpoint any particular instance, but obviously this name had gotten lodged in his subconscious at some point.  Isaac made a mental note to keep an eye out for any Alessa references he might come across, in hopes of finding the source.

Alessa.  No, that name just wasn’t ringing any bells.

16. Anxiety

Alessa cleared her throat audibly.  She was standing at the open doorway of the office of the librarian, Mary Brighton.  As might be expected for someone who chose to devote her life to books, she was engrossed in a thick volume and didn’t seem to notice Alessa’s presence.  “Excuse me?” Alessa piped.

“Oh!  Sorry, dear, I didn’t notice you there.”  She gently closed her book and set it down on the desk.  The librarian seemed to recognize Alessa.  “Are you back to work on your paper about 33 Mason Manor?”

Alessa smiled brightly.  “Yup.  I finished going through the record books the other night and I was wondering if you knew of anywhere else I could look for information…?”

“As a matter of fact…” Mary Brighton shuffled some papers on her desk and pulled out a thin manila folder.  Inside was a piece of lined paper with a series of numbers jotted down in a neat cursive hand.  “Ah, here we go.  I had a feeling you might be back, so I took the liberty of checking the microfilm archives for newspaper articles about the Masons, the family that owned the property.  Here’s a list of reel numbers and slide positions for the articles I found.”  She handed Alessa the paper across the desk.  There were two lines of numbers carefully recorded on the page.  “All of the film and the reader machines are on the fourth floor.  They’re relatively easy to use, but feel free to come get me if you run into any trouble.”

“Thanks again for your help.”  Clutching the paper, Alessa turned to go.  This was already far more than she had been hoping for and she was eager to see what the articles contained.

Ever since her encounter with Isaac in the bathroom a few days prior, Alessa’s obsession had taken on a new heat.  He’d finally seen her.  She was no longer an invisible bystander, but a fully acknowledged player in this strange game.  By the look on his face, Alessa surmised that he had been just as surprised about this turn of events as she had.

After he’d vanished the instant before she reached him, Alessa had slammed her arms into the water in frustration, streaking the walls with a splash of bubbles.  The situation was infuriating to Alessa.  She’d been
so
close to a breakthrough, and then nothing.

She wondered what he had seen when he looked at her.  Did he realize he was dead?  If he’d been wandering that house alone for almost 100 years, she could only imagine what a shock it would be to turn around and find someone else there.  Did he know who she was?  Did he think she was another lost soul?  She hadn’t a clue how to find out, but she was determined to try.

She hadn’t been able to stop replaying the scene in her mind, wishing she’d had the courage to move faster, or the insight to realize sooner that he’d been looking at her.  She
had
to be ready to act the next time she saw him, and in the meantime, she needed to do everything she could to learn more about him.

Alessa took the stairs two at a time up to the fourth floor and followed the signs to the microfilm archive.  The shelves of film were neatly organized and clearly numbered, and it was only a matter of moments until Alessa set her eyes on the reels that the librarian had indicated.

The microfilm projectors had instructions posted nearby and Alessa was able to load the first reel easily enough.  She turned on the scanner’s backlight and booted the attached computer, double-clicking the icon for the scanner program on the desktop.

The first slide popped up immediately.  It was an issue of the local paper,
The Courier
, from 1916, the year before Isaac’s house had changed hands to his uncle.  Alessa checked the list Mary Brighton had given her and navigated to the suggested slide.

Alessa gasped.  There in black and white was Isaac, dressed smartly in a dark suit and grinning with pride.  She’d never seen him so cheerful.  He was standing alongside two well-heeled middle-aged adults, who Alessa guessed were his father and mother, and a young girl who must have been his sister, Josephine.  In the photo, a man behind a podium was handing some sort of plaque to Isaac’s father while they looked on, smiling.  The headline on the article indicated that he was being presented with an award by the local Chamber of Commerce.  Alessa continued to read.

Mason Manor Honored for Mercantile Achievement

On August 10th, Albert Mason, owner of Mason Manor, was recognized by the Chamber of Commerce for Outstanding Achievement in Production and Trade.  Mason Manor was one of 11 local businesses nominated for this year’s award.  Remarks from Chamber President Thomas Browning indicated that Mason Manor was selected for continuing economic achievement.  “This growing season, Mason Manor is producing a variety of crops at record levels, marking our township as a popular center of commerce for traders throughout the region.  The Mason family has been an influential member of our town for many generations and we are proud to honor Albert Mason for his service.”

The article was only a stub, but the photo was more valuable than any words could have been.  Alessa couldn’t take her eyes off of Isaac.  It was surreal to see him here, to have clear evidence that he actually
existed
, that he was once a person with a life and a family and hopes and dreams.  Affection bloomed within her chest.  She longed to see Isaac as he once was – whole and happy and alive.

Alessa took a screenshot of the photo and article and logged into her webmail, attaching the screenshot to an email addressed to herself.  On second thought, she added Janie to the email as well.

Alessa sat back in her chair, still gazing in awe at the photograph on her screen.  The hair, his build, those eyes – they were all the same as the figure she’d been seeing.   Isaac, her ghost, was
real.
  There was no question in her mind anymore that she’d imagined any of it.

Alessa’s head was swimming.  She’d had her suspicions about the ghost’s name and what had happened to him, but there was always that voice of doubt in the back of her mind, whispering that none of this made any sense.  But now Alessa knew for certain that the ghost was once an actual person.  Now she had genuine proof.  Without a doubt, the ghost was Isaac Mason.

Alessa’s hands trembled with excitement as she removed the first film.  She didn’t know what she would find in the next article, but she was certain that whatever it was would give her a fuller picture of Isaac’s life, and help her to better understand who he was and maybe even why he had appeared to her.  She fumbled with the second reel while attaching it – she felt like she couldn’t move fast enough.

Alessa paged through the slides with a hunger, finally stopping on the spot the librarian had designated.  It was the front page of
The Courier
from the 14th of April, 1917.  Alessa’s eyes greedily scanned the page, impatient to find the next bit of information.

She didn’t have to look far.  It was blared across the main headline, in big bold letters:

Mason Family Perishes in Tragic Fire

Bile rose in the back of Alessa’s throat.  The blood drained from her head and her vision blurred as she tried to digest what she’d just read.  The whole family had died in a fire.  No.  All of them?  Isaac and his parents and little doe-eyed Josephine?  The thought of that much loss was too terrible to entertain.

The strength of Alessa’s reaction surprised her.  She’d
known
Isaac was dead, and she’d already guessed that something tragic had happened to the family.  But it hadn’t felt real before.  In this moment, it didn’t feel like Alessa was reading a sad story that happened to some long-gone family over a century ago.  She felt like she was reading about people she loved.

She felt like she was reading about her parents.

Alessa’s realization took her right back to the night her parents had died, standing in the doorway as it dawned on her why the police had knocked on her door in the middle of the night. The nausea, the dizziness, the denial.  It was the same.  Alessa sucked down air as she struggled to stay upright in her seat.  She felt like someone had opened her up and scraped out her insides, leaving her empty and exposed and cold.

She took a moment to steady herself before she read the article, each word a searing stab in the chest.

Mason Family Perishes In Tragic Fire

Mason Manor was the site of a tragic barn fire which claimed the lives of all four members of the prominent Mason family yesterday evening, including Albert, 42 years of age, Martha, 41, Isaac, 17, and Josephine, 9.  The Fire Department and Sheriff are still investigating the official cause of the fire, but witnesses on scene speculated that it was likely due to an unfortunate accident.

The Masons' housekeeper, Henrietta Jameson, was the first to notice the blaze.  As she explained, “I was in the kitchen preparing supper and I saw little Miss Josephine heading out toward the barn.  A few minutes later, I smelled smoke, and when I looked up, the entire barn was aflame.  I called to Mr. Mason and he and the Missus ran outside to help.”

The Masons and their household servants doused the barn with buckets of water and were able to free many of the horses that were trapped inside.  After a short while, they heard young Josephine Mason calling for help from inside the barn.  According to the housekeeper Ms. Jameson, “When we realized Miss Josephine was in the barn, that’s when things really got bad.  She always loved to play in that hayloft and I suppose she was up there when the fire started and got trapped.”

Mr. Mason rushed to his daughter’s aid.  Eyewitnesses report that shortly after he entered the barn, a section of the wall collapsed, but as far as they could tell from the outside, Mr. Mason had not been hurt.

At that point, the family’s son, Isaac Mason, had noticed the blaze and come out to join the firefighting effort.  When he learned from his mother, Mrs. Martha Mason, that Albert and Josephine were inside, Isaac too dashed into the inferno.

A tearful Ms. Jameson recounted his last words.  “He turned to Mrs. Martha and said, ‘No, this is all my fault.’  Then he just leapt into the flames the same as Mr. Mason had done.”

At the time Isaac entered the burning barn, the building was showing signs of severe structural damage and instability.  Witnesses report that shortly after Isaac disappeared from view, two walls and the roof of the barn collapsed inward.  All three Mason family members inside were killed.

Though Mrs. Mason was safe from the blaze, she was severely affected by the emotional trauma of the incident.  Not long after the barn collapsed killing her husband and two children, she suffered a heart attack and doctors were unable to revive her.  Mrs. Mason was known for many years to have had a weak heart.

The tragic and sudden loss of this well-known local family has left many in a state of disbelief.  The Masons were best known for their successful agricultural business and were recently honored by the Chamber of Commerce in August of last year.  The Masons are survived by Albert’s brother, William, a prominent local businessman, and will be honored in a ceremony at St. Anthony’s Church later this week.

Tears splattered onto the keyboard in front of Alessa with a soft whap.  The sound pulled her back from the article and she remembered where she was.  She wiped her face self-consciously and glanced around. Mercifully, there was no one nearby to see her weep.

Alessa hung her head in her hands, mentally reviewing the devastation of the article.  A barn fire, Josephine trapped in the loft.  Albert rushes in to save her, then Isaac comes outside and learns what’s going on.  It’s “all my fault,” he says, and runs into the burning barn.  Isaac’s mother watches helplessly as her family is burnt alive, then dies from the shock of it all.  It was a wonder that Isaac was the only ghost she was seeing.  It was just too horrible to contemplate.

Alessa felt physically sick.  She knew she should have expected something like this, but she’d been completely blindsided by the article, especially coming off the high she’d felt after finding Isaac’s photo.  Isaac’s entire life had flashed through her mind in the span of only a few moments, and it was more than she could handle.  Alessa felt like her chest had been ripped open and now only an empty hole remained where her heart had been beating moments before.

She wanted to do something to comfort Isaac, but what could she do?  Having lost her own family, she well understood the intense emotional pain he was experiencing when he had died; she was still feeling it over a year later.  There was no way he could have accepted his loss in the few moments he had before the barn collapsed, and so he’d gotten trapped between this life and whatever came next.  He’d probably been reliving that horrific night over and over again for a century, a fate far worse than death.

How could she help him move on?  She knew now that Isaac was more than just a figment of her imagination.  He was a real person, and one she felt as obligated to as if he were her own family.  She
needed
to do something.  The only question was, what?