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| Unknown Friends by � coondogk9 She lay soundly sleeping. Her soft whispered breath in the still of the night echoed against her pillow. The second floor bedroom off the country road in the Eastern United States wreaked of mystery. Floorboards creaked in the night. Stairs sent footsteps when empty. Picture exchanged places by morning. A full hot cup of coffee sat on the kitchen table waiting for Brenda this morning. Before she got up and she was alone in the house. She'd gotten used to the phenomenon after a while. At first frightened out of her wits and thoroughly searching the house finding no one and no forced entry she resolved it was meant to be. Still she refused to drink from the cup and instead emptied it with shaking hands and washed it taking another and making new coffee. But now after finally testing a cup and finding it to her liking she now almost expected a cup to be waitin her arrival in the dawn hours. There was the constant feeling of someone watching or present around her much of the time. She felt secure outside and those feeling vanished once the door closed so occasionally she'd take her coffee to the front porch and watch the arrival of the morning wildlife. The birds and other creatures never came near the porch like they do at other homes. Some find fox, possum, squirrel, and raccoon on their porches or at the back door at times and always birds scared off when someone exits the house. But not here. She'd never remembered a creature of any kind seen on either the back or front steps much less the porch. She never knew for sure leaving the house and looking back if it was a figure moving out of view or just imagination in a window. She was finally able to rest after a time and now was able to fully sleep without nightmares or constant struggle dozing off. Her sleep had been peaceful as of late and free of worry and restriction. The house belonged to her husbands parents. He was in the military and they agreed she could use the house in his absence as his foreign duties were far too dangerous for family around him. I said she was alone in the house which is not entirely correct. She had two sons living with her. One was Brandon age 5 and the other was Sean nearly 3 now. both Sean and Brandon had told her of seeing and actually playing with people they couldn't touch or feel. They could see themselves holding hands but never feel the hand themselves. Asking the ghostly playmates they replied they also had no feeling of physical presence, only visuals. One in particular Sean liked to play with was a little girl named Mary. She appeared to be close to Sean's age his mother decided. Brenda ask her sons to question and find out more about their friends but they both answered they tried and the friends wouldn't answer and if they continued questioning the ghostly apparitions would disappear. Brenda went to the library, courthouse records and the local newspaper trying to find a lead linking the ghosts to the property but failed to find one shred of mention and after that she was afraid to question any towns people for fear they'd think her mentally off balance. Strangers just don't move to town and start asking questions about ghosts, missing persons or similar things with out raising some eyebrows and their own curiosity about the person doing the questioning and Brenda knew this or at least suspected as much. The months passed and Brenda fell into step with the bizarre lifestyle. One night she dreamed of talking with one of them and even seeing the face awaking to find she was awake. Not really frightened but uneasy she pretty much stayed awake the rest of the night. The next morning Brenda came into the kitchen earlier than usual being she hadn't and couldn't sleep. There sitting at the table was a young woman and a fresh cup of coffee. Brenda apprehensively sat down across the table from her all the while steadily keeping an eye on the uninvited guest. Dragging the cup and saucer across the table took a sip all the while eyeing the young woman. This was the same one she'd seen in the early night. Brenda sat holding the cup in her hand when the woman spoke. Brenda dropped the cup splattering coffee everywhere and shattering the porcelain cup as well as breaking the saucer. Unnerved and shaking she just sat, coffee draining off the table onto the floor. The young woman got up and opened a drawer, pulled out a dishcloth, wiped the spilled coffee, then returned to the counter bringing Brenda a new cup filled with coffee and sat it down in front of her then placing her hands on the table sat down herself. Brenda taking it all in was speechless. The woman was beautiful but behind in the fashion by at least 50 years. She had some color but it was more faded like an old photograph. Light colored, almost none, just sort of tinted but yet not black and white or grey. Brenda kept her cup on the saucer holding it in clenched hand unknowingly for a bit then felt the numbness and looked and her hands were nearly white from the pressure. She let go the cup and began rubbing the circulation back in her hands. My name is Mary said the woman. Brenda had taken her eyes off the woman but knew she'd said it. About that time Sean busted into the room hollering MOMMY and running toward his mother. Brenda covered the kitchen this time with spewing coffee and the cup went sailing into the air and she sat choking gasping for breath. Drooling and coffee running out her nose she bent over her lap letting it run onto the hardwood floor. Sean clutched his mother and tried climbing into her lap oblivious of her dilemma. She desperately pushed him away still trying to catch her breath and tears were streaming down her face from the choking and coffee in her lungs and still draining from her nose. Sean stood crying off to the side and rubbing his eyes with his small fists. Hearing the commotion roused Brandon and now he joined the two. He stood and had his arm around his mothers neck as she lay bent across her own lap still audibly gasping and finally clearing her breathing passage but still teary eyed. She got up and went to the sink and washed her face thoroughly. The cold running water felt good and took the sting out as well as shocking her back to reality. Drying her face she took the boys outside to the front porch and gulped in the fresh air. The boys on either side of her in the swing hadn't let up on the questions since their arrival in the kitchen. Both were leaning in hugging their mom with small hands around her neck and the other at her waist. She was just regaining control when the phone rang. Not wanting to go back into the house yet knowing it almost had to be family or her distant husband she reluctantly rose to go answer it. Want me to bring you the phone mommy? asked Sean already running and the screen door slamming before she could reply. She heard him on the phone talking as he came back walking with the cordless to his ear. I don't know daddy but she's crying. Brenda grabbed the phone and trying to hold back the emotions almost screamed into the phone. HONEY. Oh I'm so glad to hear your voice. Oh, it's nothing. Brandon was climbing and fell hurting his arm. Brandon immediately said loudly: no I didn't mommy. Brenda cupped the phone with her hand and shushed him and pointed to the swing. Oh, no it was nothing really. No nothing was broken. She saw Brandon already opening his mouth and with a stern look and a vertical finger to her lips stopped him. Brandon flopped back in the swing pouting and huffily crossed his arms. After the phone conversation with her husband and letting the boys speak with their father but not before reminding them not another word about the incident in the kitchen or the crying or the arm they returned to the kitchen. She fixed the boys breakfast and sent them off to play outside. She herself sat down to bacon, eggs, and toast when Mary returned before her eyes with an identical plate of food before her. They both sat eating although Brenda was nervous she couldn't let these people run or destroy her life. After all they'd done nothing yet other than cause her to upset herself. She and Mary were just finishing eating when Sean came in. Brenda saw him this time and she wasn't surprised. She wondered if Sean could see the woman at the table but before she could ask Sean said: Hi Mary and went on toward his mother. Brenda asked: do you know her Sean? Sean said: sure mommy. That's Mary. She's the little girl I told you about. Brenda said: no Sean. She's not a little girl. She is a grown woman like me. Sean argued. No mommy. She's a little girl just like I'm a little boy. Confused Brenda watched as Mary rose from the table taking her empty plate to the sink. Meanwhile Brandon joined them speaking to Mary also as he sat down at the table running a toy truck across the tabletop making hotrod noises. Brenda seeing no small child could reach the sink as Mary was doing she asked. Sean, what is Mary doing now? Sean replied. Geeze Mommy! Can't you see? She's washing her plate that had her cereal bowl on it. Brenda said: Sean a little girl your size can't reach the sink. Sean said: I know that mommy. That's why she's using the chair to stand in. Brandon says" She is not dweeb. She can reach the sink just barely and she hasn't got a chair either. Sean makes a face and thumbs his nose at his older brother. All right you two. Outside you go. Do your arguing out there if you have to and Sean quit making faces at your brother. Both boys went out the door calling each other names and making more faces. Brenda now completely confused but still getting a small picture of what was happening watched Mary finish washing her plate, less any cereal bowl as Sean mentioned. Mary placed the clean plate in the drainer and the minute she let go the plate disappeared. Shaking her hands of excess water Mary dried them on a towel which also disappeared as she hung it over the towel rack and let go. Brenda deducted that Mary was one person but whoever saw her saw the apparition at their own age level. Brenda never found out any more about the ghostly apparitions and only met one other. He was a young man her age or very close to it and of course the boys also gained a boy to play with at the same time. The truck was now loaded and her and the boys were standing in the yard looking back at the house. Her husband had been transferred and was now to be stationed in Florida where housing had already been arranged. Her and the boys were going ahead of the U-Haul truck containing the household possessions and await its arrival several days later. A friend was driving and all she had to do was pay his return fare and the expenses going down all of which would be reimbursed by Uncle Sam. The boys stood waving good bye at the boy and girl at the window as Brenda stood hiding her hand from the sight of the friend that helped load and was to drive the truck. With her hand blocked from view she waved a short goodbye to the couple standing at the window also. The friend grinned and said: it's amazing. Almost shocked Brenda asked: and why is that? The friend said: the boys. Waving good bye to a house. I think I remember doing the same thing when I was young and we had to move the first time. Then laughing to get her heartbeat back to normal she ushered the boys into the car and looked one final time as the figures moved to the side out of site and Brenda cranked the motor over and heard the hum of the engine and the gears shift as they pulled away down the dusty road. She looked back in the mirror and thought she saw the friend just finishing a wave toward the house then walk to the truck. She must have been mistaken though and put it out of her mind. Or tried to. Vision Quest � 2002 T Lovett. |