A Haunted House

Ann-Louise never believed in haunted houses until she happened to live in one. Then it was too late.

It was an adorable house with red tiles on the roof, white painted walls, and two windows overlooking the street. It had a small backyard with grass and plenty of space for grape and flower beds. It wasn't that big, but big enough for the both of them, her friends, and they loved living there.

When they became pregnant with their first child, nothing could be more wonderful. Friends and family were frequent guests in the tiny household, and their future seemed bright. When the delivery of the loveliest boy was imminent, everybody agreed that Life was wonderful and miraculous.

Till day 4.

The child, named Jay, was healthy and exceptionally lively. But on day 4, disaster struck. That morning they found him dead in his crib. Although a doctor friend who stayed at the time was present, nothing could be done about the terrible fact that Jay had passed away during the night.

Instant horror set in, nobody knew what to do, and the young parents were more than devastated. They cried every day and night for months, not being able to cope with such a tragic loss.

Family and friends gathered around to support the young couple, and Ann-Louise was there every step of the way as their closest friend.

They laid him in a little crib upstairs before the funeral so everybody could see the little guy and say their prayers and goodbyes. She was one of the friends to stay with him whenever she could reciting poetry to his little vulnerable corpse.

Then they made a coffin out of wood and let him lay there. Closest family and she as their best friend were there putting nails in the coffin. The burial was sweet and very personal, with dozens of candles around the wooden coffin to escort little Jay to his afterlife.

In the following years, the house the couple lived in was not as happy as it was once before. And after some time they decided to move to another home. Ann-Louise was the one they wanted as the new tenant of the house, so they could visit Jay's last resting place whenever they felt like it.

And so Ann-Louise moved into the most adorable little cottage for miles around. She was delighted, living alone with her new kitten, having friends over, and enjoying life.

After a few years, things began to change. She got nightmares and had sleeping problems. The room where little Jay had spent his last week was now her study where she worked. She became anxious every time she entered the room as if the spirit of Jay was still there. She didn't even believe in spirits haunting houses, but the anxiety was real, and she became more and more uncomfortable in her own home.

Then one day, her beloved cat started to react weirdly. She would be looking at him and was thinking weird thoughts, like 'the cat can speak.' She would see his lips move and form sentences in her head as if the cat could actually talk to her.

Ann-Louise changed from a perfectly normal person into a deranged lady. Afraid in her own house, in her own bed, with her own pet. She started to wander around in the night, watching the red moon shining in her backyard. She walked for miles in the dark to escape her home, her life, and what she now started to believe was the little-haunted spirit of little Jay. In the dark woods at the end of her street, she sat for hours, looking at the sky, thinking about the death of little Jay and falling into a serious mental breakdown.

After a few months, Ann-Louise was so afraid of everything and everybody, she strangled her cat, buried him in the backyard, and disappeared to another state.

They emptied her stuff out of the house, and new tenants lived there happily ever after. Or did they?
Rumour had it they also began to act weirdly after a few years. The police would frequently visit the house because the people living there were acting out, having fights during the night, and were bothering the neighbors.

For years the house had an ill reputation. Until the house owner decided to tear the house down and rebuild it. Nothing strange happened after that. Perhaps the spirit of Jay had found its peace and moved away?

In another state, people liked weird Ann-Louise, the old cat lady. She would have twenty cats living in and around her house. When they passed away, she would put a small cross in her yard with her beloved pet's name and cried for a week. Some say she did penitence out of a bad memory when she was younger, but nobody knew her story. She was known for her generosity towards anything furry. If there were a stray, you would go to Ann-Louise and make a loving home for the animal.

At the age of 65, she died suddenly in her sleep. The neighbors told the police their story of Ann-Louise walking away from her house with a baby boy in her arms in the middle of the night. Everybody passed it on like they must have dreamed at the time. It was indeed a strange tale. At her funeral, a handful of people gathered around out of pity. They put candles near her coffin and said their prayers. But everybody went on doing their own business as nothing had happened. They forgot about her the very next day.

The cats were put up for adoption. Some found a new home, and some didn't and were put to sleep by the vet in town. A kitten was adopted by a girl named Laura. She named the cat Jay because she liked the name.

After a few weeks, the girl had trouble sleeping. Nightmares about a little boy, a cat, and an older woman in a lovely red-tiled house with white plastered walls and a green grape disrupted her mind.

WC: 1030


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Featured in "Horror/Scary Newsletter (December 23, 2020)"