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GHOST OF A MADMAN
By Donald H Sullivan
Ginger was puzzled, not sure what had awakened her from a sound sleep. A noise, perhaps? She waited in the darkness and listened for a few minutes, and upon hearing no noises, decided that it was nothing. Perhaps she was not sleeping soundly because this was her first night in this house.
As she closed her eyes and prepared to go back to sleep, her eyes snapped open as she felt her covers being pulled away. Was she imagining things? She was astonished, and then terrified as her blanket kept sliding slowly toward the foot of the bed. Too horrified to move, she lay there, not daring to breathe as the covers slid from the bed.
After lying there for several long minutes, she eased out of bed. She rushed to the light switch and turned it on. She turned to see the sheet and blanket lying on the floor at the foot of the bed. Ginger had always prided herself on being a practical, no-nonsense person. She was sure that there had to be some explanation for this.
She sat down on the side of the bed. "I probably got my foot tangled in the covers somehow, and pulled them down. That, coupled with what the real estate agent told us about the house being haunted just got to me." She smiled to herself. "I can't believe that I, 'Ginger Connors the Fearless,' let myself get that frightened."
She glanced at the clock; it was 12:30. She rose up, and resolutely marched to the foot of the bed and picked up the covers. As she began to remake the bed, a sudden chill came over her, and the hair on the nape of her neck stood up. She had a strong feeling that she was not alone.
The room turned icy cold and a musty smell filled the air. The lights dimmed and blinked momentarily and then went out. A muffled cry escaped her throat as she hurried through the dark toward the door.
She found the door and rushed outside into the hallway. She ran to Patty's room and hurried inside. Patty, her four-year-old, lay sleeping peacefully on her bed, while Sparky, the little Pomeranian lay at the foot of the bed. Sparky looked up inquisitively as Ginger entered.
Again, Ginger wondered if the events in her room had been all in her mind. This was an old house, and it could have faulty wiring, causing the light to go out. She went to Patty's bedside and checked to make sure all was OK.
She gazed down lovingly at her daughter. Patty's honey-blonde hair, turned up nose, and slightly-too-large mouth was a younger version of her own features. She leaned over and kissed her daughter on the forehead.
She reached down and patted Sparky on the forehead. "You take care of Patty, OK?" Sparky wagged his tail lazily.
Even though Ginger had convinced herself that all the weird events had probably been in her mind, she decided not to go back into her bedroom. Not tonight, anyway. She was too unsettled to go back to sleep now. She decided to go down into the living room and find a good novel to read until Greg came home from work.
This was Greg's first day on the job since being transferred here. He had been promised a promotion if he accepted the transfer, so he eagerly accepted. The plant manager had assigned him to supervise the graveyard shift until he became more familiar with the workplace. He wouldn't be home until after 8:00 AM.
She and Greg had agreed to buy this house because it was dirt cheap, selling at a price they could easily afford. The real estate agent had told them the house was so low priced because the locals considered it haunted, and nobody wanted to buy it. The former owner, the agent said, had shot his wife and child and then turned the gun on himself.
The two-story house was old, but solid, and surrounded by giant oaks. It was nearly a mile out of town and a thirty minute drive to Greg's new workplace, but Ginger and Greg just couldn't pass up the price.
She was looking through the bookshelf for a good book to read when she heard Patty scream, followed by Sparky's high-pitched barking. She ran up the stairs and rushed into Patty's room. Patty was sitting up in bed, shaking, and her blue eyes wide with fear. Ginger sat on the bed and held Patty close to her. "What is it, Sweet? What's the matter?"
Patty finally found her voice. "Mommy, a man was in my room. I woke up and saw him leaning over my bed, looking down at me. Mommy, I'm scared."
"Don't be afraid, Sweetie. You just had a bad dream."
Patty clung tightly to Ginger. "Mommy, I don't want to stay here. I want to go sleep with you."
Ginger felt that she should put an end to this nonsense. She should stay here with Patty until she fell asleep, and then she should go back to her own room and stay there for the rest of the night. She had never believed in ghosts and such, and she wasn't going to start now.
But instead, she said, "Mommy's reading downstairs in the living room. I'll fix the couch for you to stay down there with me, okay?"
As much as she was loathe to admit it, Ginger knew that this thing was getting to her.
***
"I can't accept that you're actually believing these things you're telling me," said Greg. "I think you listened too much to that real estate woman, and last night your imagination got a little overactive."
"I didn't imagine the covers being pulled off."
"You said yourself that you thought it might have been your foot tangled in the covers. I know you can be a restless sleeper sometimes."
"What about the man in Patty's room?"
"We both know that she sometimes imagines things. She was probably dreaming." He held Ginger close to him. "You know I wouldn't do anything to cause harm to you and Patty. I promise that if you continue to be frightened, I'll consider your suggestion to look for a new house, even though we can ill afford it. We were very, very lucky to find this one."
Ginger couldn't deny that. Greg was still waiting for his promotion, and until he got it, they couldn't afford to move. And anyway, they probably couldn't find a buyer for this house.
She kissed him on the cheek. "Okay. I promise to wait until you're promoted before thinking about a move. Actually I like this house, and I'm willing to stay here." She smiled. "That is, unless something drastic happens."
They both had a light meal of bacon, eggs, and toast before Greg went to sleep for the day. After Greg went to bed, Ginger dressed, and she and Patty went into town. She drove straight to the real estate office.
The agent, Minnie Smith, perked up when Ginger asked about the ghost. Minnie, Ginger learned, loved discussing supernatural things. She admitted to being an amateur mystic and paranormal investigator.
"The murderer, Jess Horton, was said to be a little unstable--some thought he was a complete nutcase," said Minnie. "He worked at the plant, and wasn't very popular there. He was a big man, and something of a bully. He delighted in terrorizing other workers, and especially delighted in threatening women. Everyone was afraid of him. But a few of the workers claimed that if anyone had the guts to call Jess's bluff he would back off.
"One of the workers, a small man at that, claims to have actually cowed Jess by threatening to bash his head with a metal pipe."
"Why did he kill his wife and child?"
"It was well known that they were having marital problems. She was threatening divorce."
Her face showed pride. "I've studied up on ghosts quite a bit, and it's said that the restless spirits of the insane and unstable are the most likely to remain earthbound and cause trouble. They are at their full power during the hours from midnight, until about 2:00 AM. After that they weaken. They're still around, but can't do much damage."
"Then you believe that the ghost of Jesse is still there in the house?" Ginger asked.
"Oh yes. My paranormal team even investigated, and we were certain that he was there. But that doesn't necessarily mean he'll stay there. Sometimes they find other places they like."
Ginger started to ask why Minnie hadn't warned her and Greg, but it dawned on her that the agent had indeed told them the house was haunted. Of course, Ginger and Greg laughed it off.
Greg left the house at 11:00 PM to go to work.
He tucked Patty in earlier, with assurances that all was okay. At 11:30, Ginger went to the bathroom and took a hot shower. The alarm clock said just past midnight when she went to her room.
She had pushed the events of the night before from her mind, but the words of Minnie still nagged her. Ghosts are strongest from midnight to 2:00 AM, she had said. Ginger looked at her clock; it was already 12:30. She chuckled aloud. "I can't believe I'm even thinking like this. I should never have visited that woman."
She was lying in bed reading a magazine when she felt a presence in the room. As the night before, the lights flickered and then went out, leaving the room dimly illuminated by the moonlight filtering in through the window. The room grew icy cold.
She felt a tug on her covers, but this time they were yanked violently from her bed. She gasped in horror as a dark figure materialized at the foot of her bed. She whimpered as she gazed at the apparition. "No...please go away."
Raspy laughter came from the figure, and then in whispered tones, "All right then. I will leave you." It vanished as the light flickered on again.
Seconds later, she heard Sparky's barking and Patty's screams. Forgetting her own fear, she ran to Patty's room.
"Mommy...Mommy, it came back!" Patty was sobbing and shivering. She clung tightly to Ginger. "This time it talked to me," she said between sobs, "It said it was going to get me. Mommy, I'm afraid."
Get up, Sweet, and don't worry about dressing. We're leaving this house...now. She took Patty's hand and started for the door, Sparky following.
But when she tried to open the door, it jammed. She pulled with all her might, but the door was stuck tight. Sparky started growling, and Ginger felt the presence again.
"I will not let you leave," the ghost whispered in its raspy voice.
Patty started crying. "Shhh. Don't worry Sweet, we will be all right." She led Patty back to the bed and tucked her under the covers. Abruptly, the lights began to flicker on and off, and continued for several minutes before going out.
It grew quiet for a while, and Ginger hoped the ghost had left them. Then Sparky started barking again. There was a thudding sound. Sparky yelped loudly and then was silent. The lights came on again, and Ginger spotted Sparky lying in the corner. Ginger rushed to the little dog, picked him up, and carried him to the bed. A few specks of blood were on the dog's muzzle, but he was breathing.
Ginger tried the door again; it was still jammed. Escaping through the window was out of the question. It was at least a twenty foot drop to the ground. She spun around as Patty screamed. Patty was suspended in midair, about a foot above the bed.
Ginger ran to her child, but before she could reach her, a violent force pushed her back and held her against the wall. She could only watch as the window opened and Patty started floating toward the opening.
Ginger was frantic. "No, no! Please! Why are you doing this? What do you want of us?"
Abruptly she was released from the hold and Patty dropped to the floor. She rushed to Patty. The child was crying, but was able walk after Ginger helped her up. She appeared to be unhurt. Sparky, too, appeared to be OK, as he jumped to the floor and came to join them.
Ginger glanced at the clock. It was 2:05 AM. Apparently Jess's ghost had weakened. Ginger's fear changed to anger, and she began to think of a way to deal with Jess. She thought of the way the small man at the plant had made Jess back down. Why couldn't she bluff Jess's ghost? She could lose nothing by trying.
"Jess, I know that you're still here. I can feel your presence. Now I want you to know something. I have consulted a mystic, and I've studied spirits in the library. I know how to deal with you.
"Did you know that a vampire can be killed with a stake through the heart? The same thing will work against you, Jess. I want you to leave this house. I don't care where you go--just leave. If you don't, tomorrow I will find a way to have your body exhumed. I will personally drive a stake through your heart, and you will cease to exist. If you don't believe it, just try me!"
Every word of her threat was a bluff, but she was just angry enough to sound convincing. It was deathly quiet for a moment, then, in a high pitched, wavering voice, Jess answered.
"Nooo! Please don't! Please let my body be. I will go, and I promise you that you will never hear from me again. I swear it."
"Then go now." In that moment, Ginger no longer felt the presence--nor did she ever again.
She never told Greg. She knew that Greg would never believe her story. He wouldn't laugh at her or deride her, but would simply dismiss it as a hallucination or some such. Nor did she tell anyone else, with but one exception. She did tell Minnie.
**THE END**
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