you?” Betty licked
her lips nervously. “We just stopped here for a few minutes on our
way to the gulf coast.” Her jaw trembled. Tears misted her brown
eyes.
Gladys turned to stare at
her friend. “You had your accident in this house.”
“ Yeah, Gloria and I ran into
the house to look around. We heard our parents whispering about
this old place, and we wanted to check it out for ourselves.” He
pointed to the stairway. “We ran…” The words dried up in his
throat.
“ We ran up the stairs. We
had to see the old safe.” Gloria took up the story. Her hand locked
with Ross’s squeezing it hard. “Someone was in there. We heard
footsteps as we got close to the old bedroom. We stopped just
outside the door and peeked around the doorway. The safe was
open.”
“ What happened then?” Gladys
demanded.
“ I stayed upstairs. Gloria
ran to tell her father. I knew better. I shouldn’t have gone inside
that room, but I wanted to look inside. I had to see what was in
there.” He looked up at Gladys, meeting her gaze. “I’m sorry. I
should have told you the whole story before we left
Arkansas.”
“ I thought you were holding
back.” Gladys patted his hand. “Tell me the rest of the story.” She
gave him an encouraging smile.
Ross closed his eyes for a
moment, as if to compose his thoughts. “I crept inside that room,
walking on tip-toes. Real quiet, no one could hear me. I made it to
the safe and peered around that big steel door.”
“ What did you see?” Gloria’s
voice squealed.
“ You saw the painting,”
Betty said.
“ Yeah, I saw the picture,
with the faces of all those people in torment, but there was a man
standing inside the safe. A big man with dark hair, his mouth
circled with blood. A woman lay on the floor, blood draining from
two holes in her throat.” Ross squeezed the joystick.
A loud crash shook the
house to the foundations. Gloria and her mother jumped, wrapping
their arms around each other.
“ Sounds like someone is up
there now.” Gladys straightened, her face set in a grim determined
look. “I’m going up there to check things out.”
Ross caught her hand. “No,
not yet, you need to hear the rest of the story.” The temperature
dropped further. Vapor plumed from his open mouth.
“ That’s when you fell, isn’t
it?” Gloria glanced apprehensively at the staircase.
“ I ran from that room and
slipped on the stairs. When I woke up I was in the hospital.” He
looked up at Gladys. “Now you know. For years, I thought it was
just my over active imagination, but it was real.”
Betty’s jaw quivered. “You
broke your back in the fall. We took you to a hospital in Jackson.
My husband laid you out in the back seat. So you'd be more
comfortable. It took us over two hours to get there.”
“ I remember,” Gloria shifted
her attention to her mother. “You went upstairs to see if any
prowlers were up there. I remember hearing that solid metal clang
when the safe closed.”
“ I did that, but the only
thing inside was the painting, no man or woman, only the picture.”
Betty wiped tears from her eyes. “I put it down to childish fears
and a horrible accident.”
“ Ross, take these ladies to
town, find a good motel and stay there for the night.” Gladys
pulled a .32 revolver from her large handbag.
“ Grab your coats and
purses,” Ross ordered. “You heard her. We need to get out of
here.”
“I won’t go.” Gloria stamped her foot. “We’ve been here for over
two weeks and we haven’t been harmed. I’m staying.”
A window banged open on the
second floor, followed by the throaty howl of a wolf. The biting
cold gradually lessened.
“ Whatever was up there seems
to be gone.” Gladys removed her glasses and laid them on a nearby
coffee table. “Find a safe room down here and stay put. I’ve got
business to take care of.”
“ We can go to my room. It’s
right over here.” Betty walked toward the side room. She nervously
peered over her
her lips nervously. “We just stopped here for a few minutes on our
way to the gulf coast.” Her jaw trembled. Tears misted her brown
eyes.
Gladys turned to stare at
her friend. “You had your accident in this house.”
“ Yeah, Gloria and I ran into
the house to look around. We heard our parents whispering about
this old place, and we wanted to check it out for ourselves.” He
pointed to the stairway. “We ran…” The words dried up in his
throat.
“ We ran up the stairs. We
had to see the old safe.” Gloria took up the story. Her hand locked
with Ross’s squeezing it hard. “Someone was in there. We heard
footsteps as we got close to the old bedroom. We stopped just
outside the door and peeked around the doorway. The safe was
open.”
“ What happened then?” Gladys
demanded.
“ I stayed upstairs. Gloria
ran to tell her father. I knew better. I shouldn’t have gone inside
that room, but I wanted to look inside. I had to see what was in
there.” He looked up at Gladys, meeting her gaze. “I’m sorry. I
should have told you the whole story before we left
Arkansas.”
“ I thought you were holding
back.” Gladys patted his hand. “Tell me the rest of the story.” She
gave him an encouraging smile.
Ross closed his eyes for a
moment, as if to compose his thoughts. “I crept inside that room,
walking on tip-toes. Real quiet, no one could hear me. I made it to
the safe and peered around that big steel door.”
“ What did you see?” Gloria’s
voice squealed.
“ You saw the painting,”
Betty said.
“ Yeah, I saw the picture,
with the faces of all those people in torment, but there was a man
standing inside the safe. A big man with dark hair, his mouth
circled with blood. A woman lay on the floor, blood draining from
two holes in her throat.” Ross squeezed the joystick.
A loud crash shook the
house to the foundations. Gloria and her mother jumped, wrapping
their arms around each other.
“ Sounds like someone is up
there now.” Gladys straightened, her face set in a grim determined
look. “I’m going up there to check things out.”
Ross caught her hand. “No,
not yet, you need to hear the rest of the story.” The temperature
dropped further. Vapor plumed from his open mouth.
“ That’s when you fell, isn’t
it?” Gloria glanced apprehensively at the staircase.
“ I ran from that room and
slipped on the stairs. When I woke up I was in the hospital.” He
looked up at Gladys. “Now you know. For years, I thought it was
just my over active imagination, but it was real.”
Betty’s jaw quivered. “You
broke your back in the fall. We took you to a hospital in Jackson.
My husband laid you out in the back seat. So you'd be more
comfortable. It took us over two hours to get there.”
“ I remember,” Gloria shifted
her attention to her mother. “You went upstairs to see if any
prowlers were up there. I remember hearing that solid metal clang
when the safe closed.”
“ I did that, but the only
thing inside was the painting, no man or woman, only the picture.”
Betty wiped tears from her eyes. “I put it down to childish fears
and a horrible accident.”
“ Ross, take these ladies to
town, find a good motel and stay there for the night.” Gladys
pulled a .32 revolver from her large handbag.
“ Grab your coats and
purses,” Ross ordered. “You heard her. We need to get out of
here.”
“I won’t go.” Gloria stamped her foot. “We’ve been here for over
two weeks and we haven’t been harmed. I’m staying.”
A window banged open on the
second floor, followed by the throaty howl of a wolf. The biting
cold gradually lessened.
“ Whatever was up there seems
to be gone.” Gladys removed her glasses and laid them on a nearby
coffee table. “Find a safe room down here and stay put. I’ve got
business to take care of.”
“ We can go to my room. It’s
right over here.” Betty walked toward the side room. She nervously
peered over her
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