Out of the Frying Pan

Uncle Hayes at the Campbell Mansion, Part 6

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“I waited for a moment. There it was again, a shadow crossing in front of the window. The first thing that came to mind was That haint’s back, but I didn’t know if a haint could make a shadow. Now that I think about it, did I lock the front door after the officer left? Great, I don’t remember if I did. I don’t have a way of calling the police, what if I did leave it open and someone got in? Of course, what if it is the dang haint? I guess I’m just going to have to go over there myself and find out, dangit.

“I got dressed and grabbed my flashlight and my hammer from my toolbox. I hated doing this but if I left the door unlocked then it’s my fault, so I have to take care of it. A person’s head is a lot softer than a nail’s head, so at least the hammer could serve as a weapon if I needed one. Out I went.

“I checked the back door and it was locked. Then the side door, and it was locked too. I paused for a moment, then drew a deep breath and continued around the front of the house. I walked up the steps and silently crossed the porch. I grabbed the doorknob and turned it real nice and slow, as quietly as I could.

“It was locked. Unfortunately, someone could have let themselves in and then locked it behind them. That leaves just two things to do, unlock the door and go see.

“Still keeping my movements slow and quiet, I turned the key in the lock and stepped inside. Right away I heard movements upstairs. The lights were still on in the foyer and on the staircase, so I made my way over to the stairs and had just placed my foot on the first step when I heard the footsteps of someone coming down.

“I quickly stepped back against the closet door with my hammer raised and ready to strike if I had to. I could see feet first, and then a gown. It was the haint.

“She walked down the steps into the foyer and even looked right at me. I lowered my arm that held the hammer and she just smiled. She turned and looked into the other rooms that were dark and I noticed that her face showed sadness. Maybe she’s looking for something? Maybe she can’t find whatever she is looking for in the dark? I thought haints liked the dark.

“I decided that I would turn a light on in one of those rooms and see. Can’t turn the one room on, that’s the room with the side door and no ceiling fixture. I’ll turn on a light in the living room. She was walking back and forth there in the foyer, so I waited to time it just right, then stepped around her. I reached inside the living room and switched the light on in there. No sooner I did that, the light caught her eye and she turned toward it. I pressed myself as close to the wall as I could get, to let her by. Why, if I would have pressed any harder, I would have been standing between two-by-four studs.

“She went, smiling, right past me and into the room. I watched as she looked at everything that was there to see, and noticed that she stayed away from the kitchen area, it wasn’t lit. It’s funny, something told me not to be afraid. She looked and looked around that room for probably about fifteen minutes. I thought to myself, It must be she needs a light to see. That must be why she came to my place first, it was the only light. She started toward me and I stepped aside. It was as if she was looking right through me. She went into the foyer area so I shut the light off in the living room. She stopped and looked puzzled, like there was nowhere else to go. I thought to myself again, I can help her decide. She started to turn toward the stairs again, but I rushed right past her and opened the front door. The light on the porch was still on.

“She turned and saw that the light was on and went out the door. Quickly, I shut the door behind her and locked it from the inside. Ha! Whatever kind of haint this was, it seemed like it couldn’t pass through walls or doors. What the heck is it looking for? Who is it? Well, hopefully it can’t get back in.

“I shut the hall and staircase lights off, then turned my flashlight on and headed for the side door. I let myself out and locked the door behind me. I turned around and, dang, there she was again, looking around the carport area.”

...To be continued...