Entry #551261, added on 11-24-07 @ 7:24 am EST
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| The Bay Road Legacy Chapter 8 My Summer Vacation | Entry #551261 |
The BAY ROAD LEGACY
Chapter Eight
My Summer Vacation
The rest of the day was all very peaceful, and that evening as we sat on the front porch, with our guests, Alice retold the story of her encounter with the “ghosts”, still being a little reluctant to acknowledge them as being such. Louie kept prodding her to see if she had possibly seen or even caught a glimpse of what, or who, may have been in the room. She had not. He was a little disappointed at that, but insisted that if there were any “real ghosts, any “proper ghosts”, why they would eventually have to reveal themselves to someone. He believed in ghosts, and swore to having seen them on many occasions in his lifetime, and was actually, I think looking forward to seeing one again. Hopefully Alice would be present so that she would see it too, and put an end to her years of disbelief.
Louie went on to tell us of seeing his first ghost when he was about my age. He was living on a small farm in rural Maine, and according to his story, the ghost of a young girl, often times was seen walking along the old country road, which ran past his house. Why, almost everyone who lived in his town, could tell you of that particular ghost, was Louie’s claim. Just walk the old road anytime of the evening, when the first sliver of a new moon appeared, and you would almost certainly see the small child. The history of his first ghost was well know. The girl had lived in a house just a short distance from his own, about 100 years earlier. One evening, she was seen to have been walking along the old road, heading to her home, when suddenly and seemingly out of nowhere, a large horse drawn carriage, having no driver or occupant, came bolting down the road with a team of horses pulling it at great speed. The child had been startled at the approaching runaway team, and before she could jump aside she was struck and killed. There were others who had seen the carriage that night, but no one knew where it came from, or where it went to. In addition to having seen the ghostly specter of the young girl, Louie also claimed to have seen the image of the carriage and team on several occasions. He went on to tell us of at least two or three other instances in which he had claimed an encounter with the unknown. His story telling finished with Alice making apologies for his having told them, and her usual admonition to him that someday, someone might believe him and then he would really be in trouble, as everyone would know he was crazy.
Well, I believed him and I did not think that he was crazy at all. In my mind, I knew that Thursday, and Friday nights were just ahead of us and certainly, Alice would get a chance to see ghosts for herself. I suspect that we all felt the same way. We would just have to wait and see!
Thursday dawned bright and beautiful, and on this morning, Louie, who was used to sleeping late, was up and out before breakfast. He had a project in mind, and was anxious to start on it, was the reason for getting up so early. Louie had gone from barn to barn, shop to shop, stall by stall on a scavenger hunt to find the materials that he would need for his project, and he would not share it with us until it was done. Just a little something that he thought he would like to do for us all. Well that was okay as long as he was happy. Mother and Alice would spend the day together and would not go out to the barns to bother him. My brother and I were hard at work sweeping out the farm stand and getting it ready for Friday’s activity. By late afternoon, perhaps at four PM a light rain shower began to fall. We finished our work and returned to the house to wait for my father and sister to return from work, and for suppertime to arrive.
As we sat out on the porch, we were joined by Louie and Alice, and by mother. The rain was very gentle, and only a hint of a breeze was blowing. As we sat there, it was Alice who first noticed a sound coming from inside the house. Now Dusty and my nephew were also outside with us, and there was no one inside that we knew of. Still, there was sound. Mother told our guests that it was the same sound that we had heard on prior occasions, whenever it was raining and we thought that it might have been in someway caused by the rain falling or the wind blowing. Now that might have been a plausible explanation, but somehow, the sound by its very nature did not support this idea.
The sound was much too human in nature to have been just rain falling. Again, it was Alice who released her curious nature. “Dot,” she asked, “would you mind if I went in to look around for that sound”? Louie asked her if she were going ghost hunting! Her reply was a definite no. She was just going to find out for herself how a sound can be so human, and even a little sound, without there being a good reason. Louie said he would join her, just in case she found the source. Mother told my brother and me to stay right there on the porch, and just let our guests have their fun. I must admit, that we knew where the sound was coming from, and it was just a matter of a minute or two when Alice and Louie returned to the porch. Alice was a little shaken up in her appearance, and she looked at mother and said, “You know that the voice is in that little room, don’t you!” “Oh yes” replied mother, “did you want to go in.”
Well now a moment of truth was at hand. At that moment, the rain had stopped. The air was still, and not a sound could be heard anywhere. Alice thought for a moment, and walked to the edge of the porch, and looked up toward the sky. “Yes” she said, “I want to go in, but you guys will have to come up with us” We all stood to enter the house, and from out of the blue came a bolt of lightning, and the roar of thunder so loud it shook the entire house. Was this an omen? As we stood there, the sound from within the house became louder than it had ever been.
My brother elected to remain on the porch with Dusty, who was now trying to squeeze under a chair, and with my nephew. Alice had made a commitment and so we ventured into the house. The rain began to fall heavily, and the sounds grew steadily louder as we climbed the stairs. We moved directly to the small bedroom, and each wondering what may be next, stood facing the unknown of what lay behind the locked door. A new smell was in the air. It was the unmistakable smell of fire, of wood burning. No more fresh lavender or spring rain. This was the smell of smoke.
The door had to be opened, and Louie reached forward to move the bolt to one side. As he reached for the bolt, one last scream, a real mournful scream, that could only be attributed to a person in severe pain, called out from behind the locked door. Louie moved the bolt, and told every one to stand back as he was about to open the door, and none of us knew what would be inside. He pressed in on the door, and again as before the flash of lightning and crash of thunder lit and shook the entire house. Then, at the very moment that the door flew open, a blast of hot humid air rushed from the room and it was done. Not a sound, not a movement, nothing visible, just the same empty room as had been seen so many times before. No smell of smoke, no screaming, no movement of the old rocker, just stillness. Each of us felt a sudden release of our tension, and none felt fear. We stepped into the room, and were amazed at the silence and calm within.
“Okay, Okay” said Alice, where is everybody, what is going on in here, what In Gods name is wrong with this room?” Alice had been converted. She was no longer a non-believer in things that go bump in the night. It was plain to everyone that she too had encountered a force, a presence, a “ghost” that defied explanation. We did not have an answer to give her, and it would be months before an answer would be known. The room was again locked and we descended the stairs and preparations for supper were under way as Father and Joan returned from work that day. The rain had ended, and the evening brought only the smells of sweet grass, and fresh cut hay. The moon rose full and bright, and we enjoyed a peaceful night again on Bay Road.
Friday morning found Louie up before everyone else once again. He was working out in the old dairy barn. Finishing up his secret project. Mother was in the kitchen, and looked out of the window, just in time to see the old man that she had seen several times before, as he entered into the barn where Louie was at work. Oh good, she thought to herself, maybe Louie will get a chance to say hello to the old gentleman. It would be nice if someone spoke to him before he thinks we’re all unfriendly. About five minutes later, Louie came racing toward the house. He was calling out for Alice to come out and go with him into the barn. She heard him calling, and still wearing her bathrobe and her large pink plastic curlers in her hair, she ran out to join him. “Louie”, she said this better be good, getting me up before I am ready. Just what is the big deal? I haven’t even had my coffee yet.
“Alice, you won’t believe this unless you see it. I was right over there, in the middle of the doorway, in the sunlight, and this nice old guy comes walking right by me. Hi there says me, and do you think he would answer. No way, he just blows on by me like I’m not even there. Ok, so I follow him to see what he’s doing, and he goes over to the old silo door over there, and then, get this, he’s gone. Poof gone, not even a sound, he just walked right through the wall right next to the steel door.” Going on, Louie said that he walked over to the wall, and pounded on it, with a hammer that he had been holding. He demonstrated this to Alice, pounding with great force on the solid wall through which he had seen the “nice old guy” disappear. After a moment passed, mother asked Louie, “do you suppose that he is a ghost too?” His response, with a very animated display of hitting his hands against the rock solid walls of the silo, was that unless the old guy could walk through walls, there was no way that he could have gotten out of that barn unseen. He walked right through that wall, and that is a fact that you can put your money on!
Well, here we were on another Friday at Bay Road, and still another mystery had found its way into our lives. This episode had so un-nerved Louie that he decided that he wanted at least two, maybe three cups of coffee before going back to work on his secret project.
Louie returned to the barn, my brother and I opened the farm stand for business, and Friday began to unfold in the usual way. Mother and Alice had gone into town for groceries, and some shopping for the house, and would not be back until mid afternoon. This was a very fine day, with traffic at the stand at times being three or four cars deep.
Word that we were open had spread and summer visitors were stopping in to buy at a steady pace. Before this day was ended we would sell over one hundred and fifty dollars in fresh produce. A little past noon. Louie had finished his project. Very carefully, and with some real fine leather work, Louie had fashioned a new and improved harness just for Greg. This fit around his waist and was strong and could be adjusted. No more coarse straps and old ropes. This was a thing of beauty, and he was pleased with his handy work. Louie was still concerned about his morning encounter, and asked us if we had seen the old man. I don’t think that at that point either of us had. He was disappointed to think that we had missed him. He repeated again what he had seen, and made a comment that he kind of felt the old silo had some mystery to it, ever since the first day that he arrived.
He helped us to clean up the last of the produce, and to sweep out the stand, and put things in order. Just as we were about to close up, mother and Alice returned with a car full of groceries to be put away. Mother asked if we had saved any corn for her and was surprised that this week we had put aside several dozen of the best ears. This time, having had such a good day, we insisted that the corn was our treat. She could not pay for it at all.
We all went up to the house, and as soon as everything had been put away, Louie brought out his new harness work. Well it was a hit. It fit just the way that he had planned. Greg was comfortable in it, and it was well made. Alice, just smiled, and patting Louie on the head, said, “Just look at you, just like a kid at summer camp. We have been here all week, and we’ve told ghost stories, and you’ve been out to play with the boys, and now your trying for a gold star with your handicraft project. You must be real pleased with yourself, young mister Bond”. Next week you’ll be telling all your friends at the beach about this place. Maybe Dot will let you come back again, maybe she will even rent you a room upstairs.” Louie grinned at the thought, and quickly said he would like that, any room but the little one, because that was already occupied.
Friday evening, and the table was cleared and the dishes all done, and we again sat out on the porch. There was no sign of rain or thunder or any other unusual event. None that was until we had all said good night and headed off to bed. First off to bed were my sister and Greg, next my brother and I and then Louie and Alice, with Dusty following behind.
Dusty did his usual inspection tour and settled in just outside the bedroom door. I think we all expected some form of disturbance from the unseen entities that we all knew made a Friday night habit of disturbing our peace. The moon was full, and looking out of our windows, it was almost like daylight. We could see for miles in every direction. Once again all the windows had been left open, and only the sounds of night birds could be heard. I think that if a pin had fallen in the old house, we each would have heard it, as clear as a bell. I guess as I lay in my bed, I had very mixed feelings about this silence. I knew that I was tired, and could easily fall to sleep, but somehow, this Friday night silence was almost disappointing. Had all our “spirits” left us and moved away? I could hear Louie and Alice talking quietly across the hall in their room, and I heard my sister’s footsteps as she walked about in her room. It was becoming obvious that we were all just staying awake, just in case something happened, and believing that it most probably would.
Footsteps, I’m hearing footsteps. Are they my sisters? No, there are too many for one person. Laughter, I haven’t heard laughter before! Now what, what is that sound? That sounds like chairs being pulled up to a table. Yes, someone is sitting at a table. How odd, I think, there is no table in the little room, but the sounds are definitely coming from that small locked room. Louie is up now, I can hear him, and Alice too I think. Dusty is coming into my room, and going under my brother’s bed. Don’t breathe now, just listen. These voices are men, and they are very easy to hear, now that there is no rain, no thunder. I get up from my bed, and go to the window, thinking maybe I can hear better if the windows in the little room are opened. No the voices are clear only inside the house. I think about the guns in the closet. Jimmy had his gun when he confronted whatever it was. No, I don’t think the guns will do it.
I move toward my doorway, and saw Louie and Alice staring down the hall. My sister with Greg in her arms walks down the hall toward us, and the noise begins to grow louder. Alice says she can understand what is being said. “Their French Canadians“, she declares. “I worked with them for years back up in Maine, Hush now I want to hear what they are saying“. Joan has decided to take Greg downstairs to mother’s room, and walks very gently toward the stairs. Mother and Father are standing at the bottom of the stairs, and waiting for her with open arms. Now there are four of us standing at the front of the hallway, each holding our breath, and waiting. Alice says there are men playing a card game, and their accusing someone of cheating. Suddenly the voices are angry. Now a crash of a chair being tipped over, or a table breaking. A single scream of pain, and then just as quickly a single gunshot. Plain unruffled, and very distinct. Another crash as if the door was being thrown open, and in a moment, as we stand there looking down the dimly lit hallway a figure can almost be seen and can definitely be heard as it stumbles forward, not toward us but toward the stairs. We watch and listen as it stumbles and falls down the stairs past Mother and Father. The bell on the door rings out and suddenly, just as quickly as the whole thing started it is over.
Alice is very silent. Mother yells up the stairs, “Is everyone alright”. Louie says we are, and we all walk down the stairs together. Father opened the still closed front door, and we all peer out into a beautiful moonlit night. There is no sign of anyone, or anything visible anywhere on the property. Inside the house remains calm and silent. Alice, feeling the need to express some form of emotional release, first looked around slowly at each of us, and then, with a definite expression of her feelings, brought her hands together in rapid applause for the spectacle which we have all just seen. “This was the greatest show that I have ever seen” she said. “I don’t think that a movie could have been any better. Do they do this every weekend or only when you have company? Can they do it again? Dot, you have got to sell tickets to this place, why it’s a gold mine.” We laughed, we roared until our sides hurt with the thought of calling on “Our Ghosts” to become “Live” performers in a weekend spectacle, staged every Friday night, in “Living color,” and with full “un re-hearsed” sounds. This Friday nights experience had now conformed with all of our prior experience at Bay Road. We, and now our guests, had become almost comfortable with the living conditions in our new home. We were beginning to understand what was going on around us, although it would be months before the truth was known.
After “The Show” was over, we all returned to our rooms and to a full nights sleep. When Saturday arrived, we spoke with more laughter about the prior nights “Performance”. We were sure that each Thursday, and Friday would be the same. No one, not even Alice could deny the occurrences that had taken place. Today, with summer full upon us, and it being Saturday, we all went off to do the tourist spots at Lake George. When we visited an old fort at the lake, one of the guides, suggested that there had been reports of a ghost seen in the fort. As a group, we expressed false shock at such a suggestion, and assured the young man that there were no such things as ghosts. Alice, playing the role of devils advocate said that she thought that maybe there were such things as ghosts, but that he should not worry about them, because as she put it, “ghosts are probably just dying to be seen”.
Our day ended back at our favorite ice cream stand, and more banter with our favorite waitress. She was as usual filled with questions, about our house and how things were going. She never waited for answers, but could perhaps read our expressions and come to her own conclusions.
We returned home that Saturday evening, and as we sat on the porch, we were all aware that Louie and Alice would be leaving the following morning. The Fourth of July weekend was coming up and they new that the beach and their activities would be picking up as summer kicked off in full swing. They would I think, liked to have stayed longer. Mother, had enjoyed their visit, and was aware of their need to go back. Her reflection on the weeks visit was summed up by a comment to Alice, “Oh Alice, she said, I hope you enjoyed your visit”. Alice responded, by taking my mothers hand in friendship, and assuring her that she wouldn’t have missed this week for anything.
On Sunday morning, Father went into town for his newspaper, and to bring back some fresh donuts for breakfast. Louie and Alice packed for their trip home, and we helped them to pack up the car. Mother prepared the breakfast table and made up a pot of coffee. Joan and son Greg with his new harness on were sitting in the yard. It was another glorious day, and we were all just taking it easy. On Fathers return we enjoyed the donuts, and were discussing the past weeks visit, when Alice asked if she could go upstairs, and have one more look at the small room. Mother went with her, and just to surprise Alice, she brought Dusty up with them. Mother opened the door to the room, and walked in and went straight to the windows. They had not been opened for over a week now, and Alice, having heard the stories of my Uncle Jimmy’s battle with them, was sure mother would not be able to open them. Well, this being Sunday, mother had a thought, a theory, that just maybe they would open. She reached up and opened the first window with ease, and then the second one in the same manner. Dusty entered the room, without any prompting, and walked over to the rear window, and putting his paws up on the sill, pushed his head up into the fresh breeze that filled the room. There was no evidence of any abnormality within the room at all. Dusty curled up on the floor in the middle of the room, and mother and Alice walked toward the rear of the house, opening up the rest of the windows. They stepped out onto the porch on the second floor at the rear of the house, and talked for a short while.
They stood there talking, for about twenty minutes, when they heard Dusty start to growl. Quickly they returned to the room, and now Dusty was outside in the hallway just staring in and growling. The ladies patted his head and assured him it was okay. Mother reached out and shut the door, and locked it. Just as she turned to walk down the hallway, there were two unmistakable sounds from within the room. Alice turned to mother, and promptly asked her what just happened. Mother, in a very calm manner explained to her that the windows had just been closed. “Oh really” said Alice, “I suppose they just closed by themselves”. “Oh No” said mother, they were closed by something that just came back into the room. If they close by themselves you would hear a crash all over the house. No they were closed by something, and they will not open again, until next Sunday.” “Dot you can’t be serious” was Alice’s response to this the latest of my mother’s observations. The two women stopped and turned around in the hallway, and walked back to the room. Mother opened the door one more time, and she and Alice walked in. The room was again very cold, and mother invited Alice to open a window. Well, no matter how hard she tried to push up first the rear window and then the side window, they would not move.
Mother turned and motioned Alice out of the room, and she then turned around, before shutting the door, and offered a simple apology to whatever unseen presence was in the room. “Sorry to disturb you, whoever you are,” she said. As she backed out of the room to close the door, the old rocking chair began to move as it had so many times before. The room was locked, and the ladies continued down stairs, with Alice still in a very confused state of mind. “Dorothy,” she said you must write it down, keep a journal of what is going on and what time it happens and what happens. No one will ever believe this place. I don’t think I can ever tell anyone how I spent my summer vacation. No one will ever believe it. You have to write it down and please write to me every week and let me know what happens. Promise me you will.”
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© Copyright 2007 Peter Yule (UN: peteryule at Writing.Com). All rights reserved.
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