The melting man

The mirror showed a reflection that wasn't my own. The horrific face in the freakishly freakin' mirror scared me half to death. Imagine your chocolate-brown, smooth and slightly aging, yet kinda still attractive face, being replaced by a creepy white guy with his face half melting and drooping so low, that his jawline practically meandered down to his chest. Whew! I know that is a really long sentence, but the guy was salivating and drooling and seriously scaring the crap out of me.

I backed up from the unsightly apparition and fell flat on my bum on the uncovered toilet. This place was not big enough for the both of us! Hastily clawing for the door, I grabbed the handle and hightailed it out of the tiny room, dragging the door shut behind me.

"HelfmeHelfmephleze"! Came from the bathroom. What was that sound, I wondered. I know the thing was shouting something, but it was garbled.

Get it together Dinah! I said to myself.

Okay, so I had just dragged my Monday morning lethargic self out of bed and headed to the bathroom to prepare for work. Before I could even make a pee pee, this is what confronted me.

As I made my hasty retreat from the room, I bumped into my son about to get ready for school and heading down to the kitchen for food. You know how teenagers are, food first then everything else after.

"Hey mom, you ok"? He enquired, his jaded and sleepy mind only half acknowledging my sudden appearance.

"Um, yes. But, Kris, can you do me a favor and see if the mirror in the bathroom is looking weird or something. Be careful though, there might be something not right in there".

"Is it broken or something, you could just get a new one". Yep, everybody's solution to everything, just get a new one. Just wait until you start using your own money buster.

"No, It's not. Just take a quick look please, just for my sake".

"Oh ok". He said, a bit of annoyance in his voice. I understand, it is Monday morning after all.

I waited impatiently, tapping my slippered foot on the floor.

"Everything seems fine mom, what did you see in there? He asked puzzled.

"Did you look into the mirror"?

"Yes, I saw a face that doesn't want to go to school today". He said hopefully.

"Thanks. Good try, go get ready for school".

Plucking up my courage and thinking that I must have just had a dream hangover, if there was such a thing, I gingerly walked to the bathroom door, I now needed to go very badly. I changed my mind and ran quickly to the downstairs bathroom, did my business and ran back upstairs. Now I can go check without the danger of embarrassing myself.

Carefully, I opened the door a crack and peeked in. Nothing. Moving closer to the mirror, hoping that I would see only my crumpled appearance, I yelped in horror. The face was back. Still staring in ghastly, mournful and woeful sadness. Even though I was repulsed by it's appearance, I thought it warranted some attention. I also wondered if at any time it would melt all the way out of the mirror. It spoke again, I motioned that I did not understand, To my consternation, the thing procured a scarf, wrapped it from head to jawline and around again, tying it on top of it's head. Very handy, I must say.

This time I stood my ground. My curiosity had been awakened. The fantastic head started to speak, I must admit that the scarf trick worked wonders, I could now understand clearly what it had to say.

A secret room

"Forgive me for the sight which I must present to you madam. I have been dead these past many years. My name is Reginald Bellamy, many years ago I had a partner in business. We ran a small but successful venture fixing and renovating stately old houses. One day while going about our business, we found a rather large sum of money hidden inside the walls of this house".

I gasped, and he paused in his soliloquy, for he spoke in a distant tone, as if speaking only to himself. Pulling himself back to the present, he continued his lament.

"There had been a secret room which the new owners at that time knew nothing about. I wanted to turn the money in, I believed it was from a recent bank robbery where people had been killed. It was blood money and would bring bad luck. But Vincent would not hear of it, he would not listen. When I tried to leave to report it, he murdered me right there on the spot. Knocked me over the head with the heavy sledgehammer and got rid of my body along with all evidence of the crime".

"Mom, are you ok. Who are you talking to in there". My son called loudly.

I excused myself, opened the door, assured him I was fine (at least I hoped I would be) and bid him have a wonderful day. He smiled, waved and went to catch the bus to school. God, I hoped that I had done the right thing, who knows where this was all leading. I decided to call in sick to work before resuming listening to this incredible narrative. I did so and returned to the bathroom. I had seen this story on TV, but it was happening to me, in my own house. Sad, but exciting at the same time. This would certainly make the newspaper and evening news. Was this really happening?

"I have lived beyond these walls for a long time. I remember the last day that I was alive, it was July 1, 1972, I was twenty years old. Vincent was five years older. We were very mature for our age, and had learned much from my father who had been a builder".

"What do you mean lived beyond these walls, you mean in the land of the dead, another dimension". I interrupted, hoping that he was not speaking literally but figuratively. A dead body beyond the walls was not sounding like a thing that I wanted to see or hear about by myself.

"The house has changed a bit, but I am almost certain that there is or was a study beyond the bathroom wall there". He lifted a melting and dripping finger and pointed to the opposite wall of the small bathroom. As he did so he yelped in horror and jumped back.

"He is behind you". He yelled.

"Who is"?

"Vincent"! He said, fear in his voice.

I spun around in terror as he spoke, taking a quick look around. But I saw no one. Still he pointed, the flesh from his hand melting and dripping onto an unseen floor. Whomever was standing there was visible only to him. At this point I decided, against my better judgement, to call the authorities. I just told them that there was a dead body in the walls of my house and could they please bring a sledgehammer. Worst case scenario, they found none. Best case, a crime would be uncovered at last. I though, would be labeled a loony tune if the former happened to be the case. I made the call and after the invisible ghost had apparently gone elsewhere, Reginald continued the story.

The wall of the bathroom where he pointed had been bricked up. I always thought it a strange thing. A large bookcase was certainly on the other side, with really thick walls, I figured it was supposed to prevent moisture from the bathroom from seeping through the walls.

"After I died, my spirit watched Vincent place my body behind the secret door and brick both sides up really carefully. He had been really good at brickwork. I remember when he got married, he brought his wife and child here, just to visit, he told the owners, he had lived here and just wanted to show the old house. They were kind and allowed it. He also did so after the kids were grown up. You were not home, he climbed in a window and showed them the room. The entire family knew where the money came from. They lived well, still after his death, they kept passing by, making sure that no one found out about the false walls and the rooms".

"I don't understand why he would tell his children about all that". I mused.

"Because there is still money buried in here somewhere. He never did figure out where. We only found half of the stash. I now know where it is, we both found it today". Both? I was confused.

"May I ask why your face is melting, Reginald. The house is not hot, and what do you mean by both"?

Saying those words somehow reminded me that I was sitting in my little bathroom conversing with a ghost as if I had known him all my life. I truly believe that he had been a good person with the wrong friend. Life is unfair that way sometimes. I will help him get the revenge he has been waiting for so he can finally rest in peace.

"Vincent died a year ago and he has been sent here to dwell with me until I am free to move on. He has brought the fires of hell with him, he burns in torment day and night, sitting by my bones and lamenting himself, even in death he thinks only of himself".

An urgent knock as well as the ringing of the bell sounded at the door. I hurried down to see who it was. A young man and woman stood there. They pushed their way in quite roughly and rushed past me with two great hammer looking things in their hands. I turned and ran back upstairs.

"Vincent warned them, hide"! Reginald shouted from the bathroom. I had no idea that ghosts communed with the living in that way. I guess where there is a will, there is always a way.

Before I could do anything, the young girl grabbed my hand and marched me into the bathroom. I heard the police sirens before they did. Quickly I locked the door and jammed the highbacked antique chair under it. The two had begun knocking down the wall behind the door in the bookcase that I had no idea was even there.

The two police cars pulled up in front of the house. I stuck my head out and yelled for help. I gestured that two people were in the house, yelled that I was locked in this bathroom. I sure hope they understood. Reginald and I waited, while Vincent was going crazy, disappearing back and forth between his family, the police and us.

Damn, I heard my front door shatter. What is it with the cops and front doors.

The house was surrounded when they tried to jump out the window and escape out the back. They had been caught, thankfully.

Poor Reginald's bones were indeed found between the bookshelf and the bricked up bathroom wall. It took some explaining on how I came to know all of these carryings on. I told them that his ghost told me. They looked at me in a 'she's a little loony' kind of way, but if they had a better explanation, they were welcome to share it. I told them where the money was hidden.

There was a reward which had grown interest over the years. Only half though. Darned Vincent.

They fetched my son from school, to his great joy, he told them he was rocking in the same boat as they were, he had no idea what was going on. It was all very exciting and he now a great topic for his newly assigned essay on the belief in the supernatural, thank you mom, he said.

I opened up the tiny room and enlarged the space into a larger study. I sure hoped Reginald would come visit when he stopped melting.

I swear that I hear him singing happily on some quiet nights, when the world was at midnight rest.

The end - leading to the beginning>