Out of the Frying Pan

Uncle Hayes at the Campbell Mansion, Part 4

“I thought to myself, I know, I bet it’s the water pipes to the bathroom. I had turned the water back on before coming into the house, so the noise I heard was probably just air in the pipes. I went into the bathroom there in the attic and turned on the faucet to the sink. Only a little air came through as muddy-looking water flowed from the tap. The same for the tub and toilet, I had to flush it about six times to get the water to run clear.

“Something wasn’t right. The attic bath was at the opposite end from where I’d been standing in the second floor bedroom when I’d heard the noise. I thought, I hope there aren’t any rats in between the attic floor boards and the ceiling below. They had said something about having an exterminator here at the house. Just then I saw something out of the corner of my eye.

“I only caught a glimpse, but I swear I saw someone or something heading down the steps. I hurried over to the staircase and looked down just in time to see it going around the corner. I took off down the steps and just as I turned the corner at the bottom, again I caught sight of it turning to go down the second set of steps. This time I knew I had it, I could catch up because the stairs were longer before they reached the landing just above the front door. I took off down the narrow hallway and lunged around the corner to look down the staircase. Nothing. Taking two steps at a time and using my arms to swing by on the banister, I looked down at the other set of steps that went down to the foyer. Again, nothing. No person, no critter, no one.

“Now I was thinking, Folks might just be wrong about haints. This one seemed to be able to come and go as she pleases, at any time she pleases. I ain’t gonna keep chasing this thing around. Let her do whatever she wants to, I’ve got better things to do. So I went back upstairs from room to room, writing my list of things that needed to be done.

“I stopped long enough to eat lunch and then went back. I figured I might as well run the muck out of all the bathroom water lines, and the kitchen too. Luckily, they had drained the hot water boiler and shut the supply off to it, because that would have taken me most of the day by itself. Still, I had to check it and all the gas lines for leaks, too.

“By late afternoon, I’d already compiled a partial list of supplies I’d need, so I got in my truck and headed for the hardware store. When I got there, I told the clerk who I was and he just smiled and asked me for my list. He started retrieving the items, most of which he had in stock. There were a few things he had to order for me, but he had plenty of what I needed to get started. I asked him where I could get replacement glass for the cracked window in the attic and he made a note and wrote down my name and the address of the house.

“He said the rest of the items I needed would take three or four days to arrive and asked if I’d like them delivered. “Sure,” I said, thinking to myself, Why not, I don’t have to pay for it. By then I should have another list for him, too.

“The young fellow that worked there with him helped me to carry everything out to my truck. He told me that the clerk inside was Charlie Jenkins, Sr., the store owner and he was his son, also named Charlie. He also told me that his mom works there too, helping out his dad while he was in school. I offered him a tip but he refused, so I thanked him and left. I like a family-owned store, they’re always so much more friendly than the employees of big company-owned ones. They do things with more pride, more personal-like.

“I drove back to the house and it was plenty dark there. After unloading the supplies from the truck into the garage, I looked over at the main house and realized how dark it looked. It’s hard to keep an eye on something you can’t see. So I decided to go over and turn on some of the outside lights.

“I got the keys and a flashlight and went over to the back door. Just inside the kitchen by the door frame were two light switches, one for the kitchen and one for the light just beside the door on the outside. I flipped both switches on and both lights came on, then chose one switch to flip back off and got it right the first try. I looked up at the bulb that now lit the back entrance and thought, I should have checked the lights during the day instead of waiting until dark, not a good time to find out if a new bulb is needed. I had found a whole case of bulbs in the garage, so at least I knew where to find them if I needed one.

“I locked the back door, then went around the side to that door, the one under the master bedroom addition. Again there were two switches just inside the door so I flipped them both on. The outside light came on but nothing came on in the room. I turned my flashlight on and pointed it toward the ceiling. Oh, no light fixture. I didn’t notice that before, but then I had been busy with the water pipes and hadn’t thought to check such things. I figured the switch by the door probably controlled one of the wall plugs for lamps.

“I locked the door and headed around toward the front. I know, I could have just walked through the house, but why take a chance on falling over something in the dark in a place that’s unfamiliar?

“Who am I kiddin’, I just didn’t want to run across that dang haint.“

...To be continued...