Lost soul of the past

On a dark, rainy windy night there I sat alone curled up on my grandparents old sofa with my legs tucked u Dee my butt as I nervously listened to a psychic medium on the radio relating her encounters with the dead, while engaging the audience of the supernatural; all the while, my breathing became laboured with anticipation as I hung upon her every word.

I desperately wanted to shut the podcast off but at the same time was enthralled to know the outcome. When the psychic began explaining evil entities my body went numb with horror.

Suddenly, out of no doing of my own the bag of carmel popcorn that I had been nervously shoving in my mouth out of out of fright - flew out of my hand & scattered about over the living room carpet.

I screamed so loud that grandpa’s black cat jumped off the chair beside me with all claws extended & landed on the coffee table then took off like a bat-out-of-hell & hid under the sofa.

At that point I to jumped up & turned the radio off & flicked on every light switch I could find. I’ve never been so scared in all my life. I stood at the bottom of the staircase staring up to where my bed with the thick comforter awaited my trembling limbs, offering me calm, but yet I just stood there frozen in what seemed like forever.

Out of the blue the kitchen door handle began turning & in walked my Nan & Pops. My heart sank with relief! Nan slowly made her way to me; planting her hand on my shoulder she stated, “ you look like you’ve witnessed a ghost girl!” Pops didn’t help matters any when he asked, “ you didnt watch Helter Skelter did you?” Then he laughed as he headed for their bedroom.

I made awkward eye contact with Nan & then slowly made my way up the creeking stairs without saying a word. My comforter was my best friend that night.

Not being over the experience from the previous evening, I sat at the kitchen table still trying to make sense of what had happened while not conversing with my grandparents & eating my breakfast that Nan had prepared.

After I washed the dished I left the kitchen but wasn’t out of range when I overheard Nan say to Pops, “something’s not right with Mary Ann Jim.” “ Yah, she does seem distant & not her happy self for sure, maybe you should have a chat with her.”

“Jim, I’m afraid she may have had contact with our attic friend.” “Oh I don’t know darling, the soul usually keeps to itself,” Pops casually grunted as he made his way out to feed the farm animals.

I hastily marched back into the kitchen. “ Nan, “ATTIC FRIEND! What does that even mean?” “Mary Ann, why don’t you first tell me what happened while your Pops & I were at bingo.” After I explained my horrifying experience & that of Spooks the cat, Nan sat down while staring out the window & kept shaking her head back & forth.

“What Nan, what is it?” “Well, I’m wondering if what you were listening to maybe stirred the pot.” “Stirred the pot, meaning what?”

“Hun, you’re probably old enough to understand what I’m about to tell you.” “Yah, I would think so, I am seventeen, what have you & Pops been keeping from me?”

“You have to promise not to tell a soul Mary Ann!” “There we go again with the word soul that Pops grunted out under his breath.” “It’s been a secret between him & I for many, many years.” “Nan, are you saying that you two have known for years that this old victorian house is haunted?”

“I wouldn’t exactly use the word haunted, it’s really quite friendly not scary to us at all.” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. “Are you kidding? Please tell me that you’re joking. My entire childhood has been watched over by ghosts?” “I don’t like to refer to it as a ghost Dear, I like to call it the friendly spirit.”

“It was your spirit friend that sent my popcorn bag flying; scaring the bajesus out of me, you call that friendly Nan?” At that I left the house.

After a walk in the cool fall breeze, I felt that I was ready to hear the rest of the story, which to me felt more like a nightmare. But regardless, I needed to know.

“Okay Nan, please fill me in on the haunted house that I’ve been living in since I was born.” “Are you sure you’re ready Mary Ann?” “As ready as I’ll ever be.”

“When your Pops & I first inherited this home from your great grandfather, we felt it was indeed a blessing, as Jim & I had began our life together on very meagre means; living in a shack in the shanty side of town constantly listening to the deafening sounds of the trains, where your mother was born. We could barely scrape together enough money for food to last more than a couple days at a time. So when we were informed of our good fortune of this property of course we were over the moon.

After we had lived here for eighteen years, your mother gave birth to you. Evy, had plans of marrying your father & living happily ever after, but then as you’ve been told, he ran off with another woman - leaving both your depressed mother & yourself in our care.

I’m sorry Hun, but your sweet mother didnt pass away from a fever as you were told when you were a little girl. Rather, she overdosed on the medication that she had been prescribed for the depression.” After a tearful pause Nan continued. “Where we found her wasn’t in her bedroom where you have slept for the last seventeen years, it was the attic where her lifeless body was discovered.

The day she was removed from the attic was the very same day your Pops sealed that room off & hasn’t been entered since.

Every now again we have heard tapping coming from within that room. We’ve even got glimpses of shadows lurking about.” “Even to this day Nan?” “ Yes, even to this day child.” “And you’ve never thought to ask me if I’d seen them?” “I guess we assumed that if you did you would tell us, and we never wanted to scare you by bringing it to your attention. You must understand that can’t you Mary Ann?”

“Yah, I guess that makes sense, by why not just move away, why remain in this haunted house Nan?” “We love this house, it’s our home & most importantly, we feel that it’s your mother’s spirit that roams about here & let’s us know that she with us & moving away could sever those ties.”

“Nan, from what I learned from the psychic medium that I listened to last night is that it’s possible that mom’s spirit is stuck here & that she wants to move on to the afterlife but can’t. If we want her to be happy we should help her.”

“I’ve never thought of that, it could be that there was a reason why you listened to that program sweet girl, maybe Evy led you to it. Your Pops has always said that there is a reason for everything.”

“Nan, it’s time for Pops to unseal the attic & for your daughter, my mother, to be released from the confines of these walls.”

That afternoon my Pops was happy to open the attic for us, but not before we found a mystic shop carrying sage & a feather.

Once inside the attic we opened the windows as wide as they would go; we lit the sage & dusted away the smoke with the feather & told my dear mother that her soul was now free from the forgotten room.

Since that wonderful, yet strange day - our home has been one of peace & calm. No more lurking shadows, no more bags of popcorn being thrown about. The only time my mother’s presence is felt by any of us is on our birthdays, and at Christmas, which was her favourite holiday.

The End