***********************************************************************************
�
Mr. Lockwood looks up at the black clouds brewing in the sky. He hopes he can get this social call out of the way and be home before they unleash their fury. As he turns the corner he sees his destination. He had been told that his landlord was eccentric and a bit of a hermit, but still he was surprised at the condition of the lighthouse he called his home. Weeds choked the lawn and the paint on the aging tower had peeled to expose bare wood. Waves crash on the beach surrounding one side of the structure. He pulls into the driveway and steps from his car. Pulling the collar of his coat up over his ears he braces himself against the wind and walks to the front door.
�
As he rings the bell, he wonders again about the man that lives in this crumbling lighthouse. He had heard many rumors about his landlord, not the least of which that he is the devil himself. He scoffed at the idea at the time, and again now. Surely even the devil would not live in such a vile place.
�
Suddenly the door opens and a young woman stands in the doorway frowning at him. Mr. Lockwood is taken aback by the girls beauty. Long blond curls frame her cherubic face. However, her large brown eyes are dull and full of sorrow. She is dressed in torn blue jeans and a faded blouse. She looked like a bedraggled angel. How could such an angel of a girl come to be at the home of the devil?
�
"What do you want?" the girl asks contemptuously.
�
Gathering himself from shock of the girl's sad beauty Mr. Lockwood stammers, "I....I am the new tenant. I have come to introduce myself to my landlord."
�
"I can't imagine why," the girl says listlessly.
�
Mr. Lockwood feels the first drops of rain and the wind lifts the back of his coat. "Allow me to introduce myself. My name is Mr. Lockwood. And you are?"
�
"Michelle, my name is Michelle. Well come in if you are going to." Michelle stand back as Mr. Lockwood enters the foyer of the lighthouse. He follows her up the winding stairs to the door at the top.
�
Suddenly, a young man with jet black curls bursts out of the door and runs straight into Michelle. She teeters on the top step. The boy grabs her shoulders to keep her from pitching backward into Mr. Lockwood. A look of fear and then relief crosses the boy's face as he steadies her.
�
"Let go of me!" the girl screams. "Wouldn't you prefer that I broke my neck Mick?" she adds sarcastically.
�
Mick frowns and releases her shoulder. Suddenly his face lights up with an impish grin. "Don't tempt me Michelle," he laughs. Then his eyes light on Mr. Lockwood. "Who are you?"
�
"My name is Mr. Lockwood. I have come to call on Daniel Santos."
�
A man appears on the threshold. His dark curls are peppered with gray, and dusky circles ring his eyes. Still, there is more than a hint of the handsome man he once had been.
�
"I am Daniel Santos."
�
Mr. Lockwood rushes past the young pair to shake Daniel's hand. "Good afternoon. I am Mr. Lockwood, your new tenant at the Lewis house."
�
"Please come in Mr. Lockwood. Have a seat." Daniel motions to a chair at the table.
�
Mr. Lockwood makes his way to the table. He waits for his host to take his seat and then sits down opposite him.
�
"Would you like a drink?" Daniel asks him. Before waiting for a reply from his guest he shouts, "Dietz! Dietz! Where is that infernal old man?" He looks to Michelle and Mick standing in the doorway and demands, "Go downstairs and get Dietz!"
�
The boy and girl scamper down the stairs.
�
"So, Mr. Lockwood did you say? My real estate agent mentioned a new tenant at the Lewis house. How do you like Springfield so far? I myself loathe this town, and I think the feeling is mutual. Still, I cannot bring myself to leave. I suppose misery loves company."
�
Mr. Lockwood take a moment to ponder his host's strange comments and replies, "Although I have not been here long, I am enjoying your town."
�
There is a creaking at the stairs and an old man hobbles over the threshold. He is noticeably winded from the long climb and pauses for a moment to catch his breath.
�
"There you are Dietz, you old fool. Get our guest a drink," Daniel orders the old man.
�
"Yes boss," the feeble creature replies. He turns to the small kitchenette and curses softly under his breath.
�
Daniel turns to his companion and laughs, "After all these years, he is not used to his new duties. Still, I keep him on as he was loyal to my mother."
�
Dietz delivers a bottle of whiskey and two glasses to the table. He scowls at Daniel as he turns to walk away.
�
Daniel pours the whiskey from the bottle and passes a glass to Mr. Lockwood. "A toast! To the Lewises! May they rot in hell!" He gulps down his whiskey and his guest frowns and does the same.
�
Michelle and Mick creep into the apartment and take a seat on the stairs to the top of the tower.
�
Suddenly a loud clap of thunder shakes the building and Michelle cries out in fear. Mick puts his arm around her shoulder and she tries to squirm away from him. She relents as another crack of thunder lights the room and rattles the windows. Michelle buries her face in the young man's collar and weeps.
�
Mr. Lockwood watches the two with amusement. "Ah, to be young and in love," he whispers pointing to the young couple.
�
Daniel turns and his eyes light up with rage as he sees the pair. "Get out of here! Just the sight of you like that makes me sick!" he shouts.
�
Mick jumps up and grabs Michelle's hand as he leads her up the remaining stairs to the top of the lighthouse.
�
"You get out of here too! I wish to be alone," Daniel snarls at his guest. Just as the roar of rain starts to beat on the roof.
�
Mr. Lockwood is confused, but regains his composure. " Surely, you do not expect me to drive home in this storm Mr. Santos. I am afraid I may be stuck here for the night."
�
"Do as you like. But leave me in peace." Daniel grabs the whiskey bottle and stalks out of the room.
�
Mr. Lockwood turns to Dietz who has taken a chair in the corner. "Is there a guest room or something?"
�
The old man smiles wickedly at him and says, "I suppose you can stay in the cellar. That is the best place for unwelcome guests."
�
With reluctant directions from Dietz, Mr. Lockwood made his way outside the lighthouse. The wind and rain beat against him as he searched for the door to the cellar. Finally, he spots the two doors jutting up from the ground. As he reaches for the handle he hears a wail coming from the beach. He turns and sees the outlines of a man with his arms raised to the sky. The figure appears to be cursing the heavens.
�
Mr. Lockwood shakes his head and mutters to himself, "poor tortured soul." Returning to his task, he lifts one of the doors and quickly steps down into the cellar. Darkness envelops him as he closes the door, and a dank musty smell assaults his nostrils. He searches for a lightswitch in vain. Suddenly, the ground falls from beneath him and he descends into the blackness.
�
A loud crash follows as Mr. Lockwood tumbles off the steps into a large pile of discarded belongings. After the initial shock of his fall wears off, he get up chuckling at his clumsiness and searches his pockets for a lighter. The glow of the flame reveals the elusive lightswitch and he turns it on.
�
Surveying the dismal surroundings he agrees that this is certainly the perfect spot for "unwelcome guests". Rickety shelves line one wall and mountains of boxes and bags litter the floor. There is an iron gate at one end of the room that looks suspiciously like a prison cell.
�
"I wonder if my gracious hosts have included an iron maiden and a rack in these lavish accommodations?" he thinks to himself. He looks to the gated cell and reluctantly decides this would be the best place to make his bed for the night. The rusty hinges of the gate squeal in protest as he throws them open. He sees a small window over a wide concrete ledge toward the back wall of the cell. Sheets of water pour down the glass of the window occasionally illuminated by flashes of lightning.
�
Mr. Lockwood climbs onto the ledge and presses his nose to the cold glass yearning for his warm bed. "I will surely become as insane as the other inhabitants of this horrible place if I don't find another form of entertainment," he says to himself after a while of this. A box of books in the corner catches his eye. Leaving his perch he opens the box and scans the titles. They reveal little of interest. Then, at the bottom of the box, he sees a small volume with a little brass latch.
�
Taking his treasure back to the ledge, he leans back against the wall and sets about picking the flimsy lock. The latch pops open with little effort. Mr. Lockwood opens the book and a small white pressed rose flutters into his lap. He gingerly retrieves the rose and sets it aside on the windowsill.
�
The inside cover of the book is inscribed with the handwritten words:
�
"Michelle Bauer's Book"
�
Mr. Lockwood opens a page in the small diary and reads:
�
I cannot believe what happened to me today. I was having lunch with Jesse and I realized I needed to put a quarter in the parking meter. When I went outside that awful man Danny Santos comes up and kisses me. Just like that! He grabbed the back of my head and pulled me to him. Then he kissed me. I was about to slap him when he just walked away!
�
Nobody has ever done anything like that to me before. If he is trying to unnerve me it is working. Even so, if he thinks he can get me to tell him about Mick he is wrong. I will never tell him what happened on that beach the night his brother died.
�
I didn't tell Jesse what happened. He would have gone after Danny and ruined everything. It was so hard to just sit there with him and pretend nothing had happened. My lips were burning the rest of the afternoon.
�
A few pages later he reads:
�
He did it again!!! This time in front of everyone! I answered the door to the apartment and there he was. He smiled at me and said, "morning sexy." Then he kissed me again. It was all we could do to keep Jesse from killing him.
�
Drew told me later that she thinks he likes me. I don't think so. I think he is trying to drive me crazy. But, I can't let him get to me. All of our lives depend on it.
�
The next page reads:
�
It has been a few weeks since my last journal entry. In that short time my life has ended. My new name is Michelle Bauer Santos!!!!!!!!! I am the blushing new bride to Mr. Daniel Santos. So much has happened. I can't believe Drew told Danny I was the one who killed Mick. She conveniently left out her part, but I won't betray her like she did me. She claims that she was trying to protect Jesse from Danny. Maybe she is telling me the truth. Maybe she just wanted to get me out of the way.
�
One thing she may have been right about is that Danny cares about me. His evil mother, Carmen, ordered him to avenge his brothers death. But, when he found out I was the one who killed him, he married me instead. He told Carmen that she couldn't kill a member of the family. That is the family code or something. It is good to know even the mob has some rules. Now I am stuck in Casa Santos pretending to be the loyal wife of a man I loathe.
�
I miss Jesse so much. He was crushed when I told him I married Danny. When I saw the look on his face I wanted to rush into his arms and tell him the truth. But, I knew if I did it would be the death of him and everyone I love.
�
A loud clap of thunder shook the lighthouse and Mr. Lockwood dropped the diary in surprise. Retrieving the volume he turned again to name inscribed in the inside cover. He wonders about the sad girl with the same name upstairs. "She could not possibly be the author. The pages have turned yellow and brittle. No, this must have been written by another young woman many years ago," he thinks. He resumes his place in the diary and reads:
�
I hate Danny Santos!! I hate hate hate him. We had to go to dinner with my family tonight at the country club. Carmen insisted on it. I was alone outside the dining room when Jesse showed up. Danny caught me kissing him and I thought he would kill Jesse. Carmen threatened me again after that. She knows our marriage is a sham. I am so scared. I am going to have to find a way out of this. Maybe I should call the FBI and have them drag every disgusting member of the Santos family off to jail. I am afraid that this may be my only way out of this nightmare.
�
Now Carmen wants up to have a real wedding. She doesn't think we will be able to stand before God and say the same vows we said to the justice of the peace. I think she may be right.
�
The next entry reads:
�
Well, tomorrow I will become Mrs. Daniel Santos in the eyes of God and the church. How am I ever going to pull this off? Today we went to my house to beg my family to attend the wedding. They were reluctant, but I think they will come. I tried to call the FBI today. Danny came running into my room and caught me on the phone. Luckily, he thought I was talking to Jessie. I told him I was calling a friend from school, but he didn't believe me.
�
I sat on the bed and he came up behind me and told me, "I am a man�I care about you�I desire you�I want to reach out to you." What am I going to do? He expects our "marriage" to be consummated after the ceremony. I know he cares about me and that just makes everything worse. This is getting a little too real.
�
Mr. Lockwood's head drops to his chest as he finally drifts to sleep. His fingers relax their grip on the diary and it falls to his lap. He wakes with a start to a tapping at the window. "That damned wind is going to keep me up all night," he complains. He reaches up to the window latch meaning to remove the twig or stick that is knocking on the glass. The latch holds tight. In a fit of anger he smashes his fist against the window. The glass shatters and he reaches onto the night. His hand grasps the offending object, and to his surprise it grabs him back.
�
Mr. Lockwood struggles to free his hand from the icy grip. Suddenly, a face appears in the window. A woman's face surrounded by long blond curls matted with rain. Her flesh seems to shimmer as it fades from opaqueness to transparency.
�
He stares in shock at the apparition before him. Momentarily, he thinks it is the girl upstairs playing an evil prank on him.
�
"Let me in," the spirit wails.
�
"Who are you?" he replies.
�
"Michelle. Please let me in. I have been lost for so long," she cries. "Let me in. I am so cold."
�
Fear makes him cruel. Finding it useless to shake the creature off he grabs its wrist and pulls it onto the broken pane. He rubs it back and forth until blood pours forth soaking the sill. Still her grip persists.
�
"Let me in," she pleads. "Let me in."
�
Almost maddened with fear he replies, "How can I? Let me go if you want me to let you in." Finally the grip relaxes and he pulls his hand free. Leaping from the ledge he grabs the box of books in the corner and stacks them in a pyramid against window.
�
"Let me in."
�
He plugs his ears with his fingers hoping to silence the wails. He turns his back to the window and chants a silent prayer. After what seems like quite a while he unstops his ears and turns around. Still the moaning persists.
�
"Begone!" he shouts. "I will never let you in. Not if you beg for twenty years."
�
"It has been twenty years," she replies.
�
There is a terrible scratching outside, and the pile of books thrusts forward. Mr. Lockwood tries to run, but he is frozen in fright. He screams aloud in a frenzy of fear.
�
Suddenly, he hears the cellar doors creak open and somebody descends the stairs.
�
"Is anybody here?" the intruder whispers.
�
Recognizing Daniel's voice, Mr. Lockwood rushes through the iron gate into the main part of the cellar. The creak of the hinges startles Daniel and his face turns ashen.
�
"It is only me, Mr. Lockwood."
�
"Damn you Lockwood! Who showed you to into this room?" Daniel snarls. His hands gathering into white knuckled fists. "Who was it? I have a good mind to throw them out this very minute."
�
"It was you servant Dietz, and I don't care if you do throw him out, as he richly deserves it. I suppose he wanted to get more proof that this place is haunted, at my expense. Well it is swarming with ghosts and goblins! I assure you, no one will thank you for a night in this den." Mr. Lockwood grabs his coat and starts for the door.
�
"What do you mean?" asks Daniel, "and what are you doing? Lie down and finish out the night, since you are here. But, for Heaven's sake, don't repeat that horrid noise. Nothing could excuse it, unless you were having your throat cut!"
�
"If that little fiend had gotten through the window no doubt that is what would have happened. Claimed to have been walking the earth for twenty years. There is no way I am going to subject myself to another encounter with Michelle."
�
Daniel stiffened at the sound of that name. "How dare you speak that name to me," he shouts with rage. His shoulders slump, and a tear forms in the corner of his eye.
�
Feeling a stab of pity for his host, Mr. Lockwood says, "I am sorry. I was reading a diary I saw the name�I guess I must have been dreaming. I'll go sleep in my car for the rest of the night."
�
Daniel ignores Mr. Lockwood and stares sadly at the window.
�
Mr. Lockwood climbs the stairs and quietly watches from the landing.
�
Daniel tears at the books and climbs onto the ledge. He cries into the night, "Come in! Come in! Oh Michelle please come back just once more. I have been waiting for so long." Finally he collapses on the ledge, and his body shaking with sobs.
�
�