The Black Door

{THE BLACK DOOR}

Chapter 1

Jessica's hand stopped, just inches from the black door on which she was about to knock.

It had been 20 years since she had been to this place, she was 11 years old and with her Mother. Time just passes to quickly she thought and so much had happened after her mother's death.

Standing before this mundane black door that had seemed so foreboding when she was eleven, now just a peculiar black door, she reached out and knocked.

She unexpectedly realized she felt so small, smaller than when she was eleven. Not being a large women only 5' 3" tall, she could not imagine feeling any smaller.

At thirty-one years of age, she could be mistaken for a teenager. Her fair skin was unblemished, no age lines except a few at the corner of her eyes.

Smile lines, her mother called them, when Jessica had pointed them out to her. That was a day when Jessica wanted her mother to see she was all grown up. At this moment she did not feel so grown up.

Jessica was not a pretty woman, mostly because she rarely smiled. But a fine figure she inherited from her mother, with beautiful big brown eyes that she was told came from her father's side, saved her from being unbecoming.

She dressed well, loving silk and satin. If she wasn't beautiful, she did have a sense of style. Only clothes from the finest stores, wither she could afford them or not. She could never get too clean or have too many silk blouses!

Of course being Jessica, pastels were avoided. Dark greens, blues and browns suited her nature. Except for a light colored silk blouse to wear with a woolen skirt or under a dark blazer, Jessica was more apt to buy black. The place in Jessica's life were she would show any boldness at all was to occasionally wear bright red.

Among Jessica's weaknesses, besides silk and satin, she is afraid of the world. Jessica would sometimes gets a nose bleed just thinking about going to the grocery store.


Growing up, her shyness was debilitating. Jessica often would abandon longstanding plans because she could not stand the thought of talking to strangers. On those rare occasions when she could not avoid social situations she found a way to conceal her terror.

When she was unsure of herself or of a person she was conversing with, Jessica would use her thick hair to almost veil her face completely by leaning her head in just the right way. That would be just as she was doing now as she stood in front of the weather worn black door, her hair veiling her face.

The sound of a deadbolt scratching metal as it slides out of it's snug resting place made Jessica's heart pick up a pace, almost beating as rapidly as she was breathing. As for her mind, voices became a choir of questions, "Why had she come here after all these years? Why on earth did she leave her perfectly safe home? Travel so far away from everything that made her feel secure, unthreatened, the safety of her home? For what? What exactly had possessed her to do this", the voices screamed!

Taking control of her senses, and breathing so she wouldn't pass out, Jessica started to reassure herself.

She knew why she had come, her mothers only request of Jessica before she died. The last correspondence she would ever get from her mother was delivered by a FedEx guy! Jessica ripped opened the big flat envelope just to find one piece of note paper.

(Letter from Jessica's Mother)


My dearest Jessica,

Go to your Aunt May's home, go to Settlens Manor. Tell your aunts what has become of me, give them my love, tell them I am sorry.

I shall always be with you,

Love Mother

And Jessica thought, "Return to this place and finish what had been started so long ago?" Yes that is what Jessica believed was what her mother had ment for her to do but finishing what was the question she needed to have answered!

That was her mothers last request, and that is why Jessica she had came to the manor, why she stood before this door now.

Jessica knew she could leave now before that door opened, run she thought, run! But her feet stayed firmly to the ground and would not move to her command.

The door opened.

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Chapter 2


"Jessica?" came from a raspy voice that spoke in a whisper, "Jessica, you have come."

There standing in the doorway was Jessica's maiden aunt, she must be in her 90's Jessica thought. A small frail women, half the size of Jessica. The women’s face was the color of muslin, worn with great age and the softness of over use. Within that face were the darkest of eyes, black as coal, a darkness there that did not come from their color.

Jessica found herself frozen to the place she was standing with words caught in her throat that refused to be spoken, locked in this women's gaze.

Without another word the old women opened the door wide and motioned for Jessica to come in. With a wave of the old women's hand Jessica was no longer motionless, as if she had been released from a spell.

Walking down a long darken hallway, being only slightly aware that the door had closed it's self behind her, Jessica could feel a coldness whisking past her and the only sound was from her aunt's long black skirt and the soft thud on the carpet that came from the old women's walking cane.

Oil lamps lit the way down this endless hallway, only slightly strange in this day and time, the manor had no electricity, in fact had no running water.

The wood frame, 100 year old, three-story manor house was in great disrepair. The smell of mold and mildew were strong. Old wood floors creaked with despair. At least from what she could barely see, and what she most defiantly could smell, if the outside of the house was in the same condition, the Manor house was dieing.

"How long had it been since anyone had cleaned this place"? Jessica guessed quite a long time. Without even talking to her aunt she knew they must have been without help for a very long time, maybe even years.

The house was once surrounded by a lovely, well kept yard and garden. It had been the perfect place for child to lose herself in daydreams, and imagined adventures. Jessica wondered now what the grounds and gardens looked like.

It was dark when she had arrived and since the grounds had no lighting of any kind, it hadn‘t crossed her mind to look for anything but the path to the front door. In fact she found it remarkable that she had not stumbled on the loose stones that were once a firm path to the door. If her beautiful gardens had been given the same care the house had been given, she could only imagine what had become of them.

Jessica pictured in her mind tangled weeds, twisted and gnarled growth, gray thorny mass of vines covering dividing fences that had once graced the grounds. A place she had seen before, it would be like a wicked witches garden. Those scary, evil, places pictured in Fairy Tale books. Sadness grew within and she had not even seen what gardens and growth that might surround the manor house yet. In Jessica’s heart she knew her wonderful childhood place had come to ruin.
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Chapter 3

Lights danced on the walls as they walked wordlessly down the passage, there at the end was a brighter light. Jessica thought with a slight laugh, light at the end of the tunnel.

Jessica's steps seemed faster than the old women's but she never seemed to catch up to her, she watched as the women disappeared and the soft thump of the old witches cane had stopped.

Jessica now raced to the end of the hallway only to see the light came from a fireplace that was fully blazing, yet no warmth to the room.

Breathless, Jessica stopped there staring into the room where she found no sign of the old woman
.

Crackling of the fire touched the silence, flickering candles in sconces on either side of the mantle added light above the fireplace where a portrait hung.

Her eyes searching the shadowy room for her aunt only mystified her more for except for a over stuffed chair that sat next to the hearth, the room was sparsely furnished.

As she was drawn to the fireplace, for warmth if for no other reason, she gazed up at the old oil painting. Expecting that she would see some old portrait of the old women in her youth she drew in her breath as she stared at a picture of herself. But how could it be? No she thought it could not be her, this women was dressed in black with her hair drawn back tightly, her hands placed in her lap were those of a much older women.

Jessica dared to breath now thinking she knew who was staring back at her from the portrait. Of course she thought, this is a picture of her other aunt that had passed 10 years gone. But still Jessica had this unease feeling, a tightness in her throat, her legs seemed to go weak.

"Jessica" the old woman’s voice startled her and she almost fell as she turned about to look at her aunt. Where had she been? Where had that old women been all this time that Jessica could have missed her? In the shadows, hiding from her, but why?

"Sit Jessica," commanding a voice as Jessica had ever heard yet she knew the old woman was still talking in a near whisper, "Jessica you must be tired from your long journey, please sit down."

Of course she found herself sitting in the overstuffed chair, she nearly fell over it's arm trying to sit. Graceful she was not tonight, had ran through her mind, as she plopped into the chair. Grateful as the chair seemed to welcome her with it's warmth, warmth she had not felt since walking into this house, the chair molded to her body, sweet scent came from it's cloth covering. What scent was that?

There was another chair, to her surprise, the twin of the one she sat in, just opposite of where she now sat. Her aunt , so small, more frail than she had looked in the doorway, was seated across from her. Light from the fire made the women have a soft glow.

How could Jessica have missed that chair? Her eyes searching about the room found it was full of furniture. An expansive place, but no other light in the room would allow her to see what this room really looked like. It had looked so sparse, ah, Jessica thought, "I must be tired to have missed all this," speaking softly to herself.

Had she spoken yet except to herself? Had Jessica uttered a word to her aunt? No, how strange she had not even spoken to her aunt, not even a small greeting.

"Aunt May?" her voice echoed in her ears as if she had spoke loudly but no it was that the room had been so quiet, she spoke her aunts name like a question.

Aunt May gazed at her, as if taking her all in, she tilted her head a bit to the left then touching her nose with a crooked index finger, "Ah, ya don't look like your mother much, but you have her nose," a soft laugh came from the women which startled Jessica a bit.

"No I look like my father I think, or so my mother has always told me." Jessica looked at her Aunt May as closely as she could in this light and wondered if her mother had ever taken after her aunt in looks. No she did not think so, maybe but her mother was even taller than herself and had blonde hair unlike her own dark hair. She could not tell what color her aunts hair had been, for it was white now.

"May, ah Aunt May," squirming a bit in her chair like a child that was not wanting to tell you something because it would mean they might be in trouble, she cleared her throat that had seemed to have gone dry.

"Mother asked me to come, her last request was that I come back here." Watching her aunt closely she saw maybe a bit of a spark in her eyes, or was that just from being so close to the fire? No her eyes had a shine all their own and Jessica could not tell if she was smiling at her but it was a tight lip smile that could mean she was not happy.


Jessica remained silent waiting for her aunt to respond, but the old dried up lady just stared at her with those probing eyes.

After some very uncomfortable moments for Jessica, May closed her eyes, took in a breath then she reached out a worn, fragile hand to Jessica. Aunt May opened her eyes, stood up, stepping forward she touched Jessica's head, patted her softly.

"All will come in time my little moon child," May's eyes softened for a moment, pulling back her hand, "you have come home again and that is enough for now."

For no reason that Jessica could fathom she became sleepy, thinking "What did she mean home?" "this was not my home ever". The sleepy feeling became stronger, she could hear someone speaking but it was not May.

Trying to focus to see who was in the room with them she realized she could not keep her eyes opened or from falling into sleep. Yes she thought falling into sleep because she felt like she could not reach up enough to be awake, just kept falling.

Just as Jessica could not hold on one moment longer as the arms of sleep took hold she heard "her time is near, she is the answer, and the question."

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Chapter 4


Jessica thought she must be dreaming because she was flying in a wind...warm and soft against her face as if touched by velvet.

Ah, the moon was so close she just knew if she would only reach out she could touch it, a huge orange moon, oh if only she was not dreaming this was the most wondrous thing she had ever felt in her life.

Flying dreams she had had before but always knew she was dreaming. This was so different, was it real or a dream? Jessica did not care if it was a dream, she felt released, freedom she had never known before, as if all the heaviness of life was lifted from her shoulders.


Looking down she did not get that falling feeling at all. Jessica had full movement and control.

Down below her was an old house that looked like a castle. It was the manor house she realized! Her great aunt's home, not some imaginary castle as in a dream.

How could she look down on this place and know that it was the manor house? Jessica had never seen pictures of the place from above. Jessica knew though that this was the manor and she was some how floating above it. "Well, no, not floating", she thought, but above it none the less.

Her heart started to beat much faster, and the calm was leaving her for she knew this could not be possible, even witches can not really fly or can they?

All these thoughts rushing through her brain and then came the panic, of course that was due to the fact she was very aware now she was falling!

Spinning out of control she knew she must believe, she had to convince herself that indeed she was flying and must find a way to gain that control back.

She remembered something she found amusing, that she was amused even took her aback a moment. She remembered in Peter Pan, just think happy thoughts.
"Oh God", she wondered, "how can I think happy thoughts when the ground is coming soooo fast"!

"Absurd", her mind screamed!

" It might work", a calmer voice spoke up.

"Jimmy, my cat, that crazy cat", her fall started to slow.

" Oh I loved that old cat", her mother had given Jimmy to her.

" Oh No"! Her mother, sad thoughts crept in and her fall quickened again. "Oh please", she said out loud!

"Ok! Ok! Happy thoughts" she shouted then a smile touched her lips as it came to her!

"Chocolate cake, yes, that was it"! Happy thoughts of chocolate danced in her head!

"I love chocolate!" A giggle escaped her lips as she thought of chocolate covered cherries, hot fudge, brownies, M&Ms.

Then it happened! As she was distracted by chocolate, she was in control again. Jessica was not falling out of control but floating once more. With that she decided, it was time to end this trip, time to wake herself up!

"That would have been fine", she thought, "but was this a dream to wake from"?

Not quite sure this was or was not a dream she had to decide.

"Alright, not a dream. Now what"? Jessica was now fully talking out loud to prove to herself it was not a dream.

"I know," came from her lips. "I know"! she shouted.

As quickly as that, she was in a strange bed, deep under the softest of covers. Warm and safe, just as she knew she would be, it all became clear.

If she commanded herself to be in a safe place, she would be there. Jessica had commanded herself to be in a soft warm bed! The question, how did she know?

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Chapter 5

Jessica mashed her head into the pillow beneath her head, comfort surrounded her, for an instant, just a pause, the flight into the moonlit night was forgotten. All that she wanted right now was to bundle herself up as if in mothers arms again as a babe, to think of nothing more than this womb of serenity. No worries, no cares, cocooned in the blankets perhaps to wake at home again.

It was not to be, there was a soft thud noise coming towards the bed, thump, thump, and a slight dragging noise and the swoosh of fabric on the floor. As Jessica forced her eyes open there standing over her with an oil lamp burning, the shadow behind the flame, then the face appeared, the lady from the painting.

"Your dead"! Jessica heard herself, in a panicked whisper "you are dead"! Pulling herself up and leaning back on the pillows, no throwing herself back as if by doing this she could get as far away from this phantom, this ghost, oh God whatever, it , she was.

"Aren't you"? "Ah, dead I mean"? Oh damn she thought now I just sound stupid.

To her surprise a very soft voice, soothing voice came from the ghost, "I believe I would know if I was dead, don't you think"? This was followed by a wisp of a laugh.

Jessica could not move as the woman moved closer to her. She knew she must look like a child to her cowering so but this whole place was becoming to much for her, now a visit from a ghost that needed a lamp to see her way around. "Oh my God", Jessica blurted out, " if you are not a ghost, who are you"?

"Jessica, please now you are sounding like a child", the voice sounded irritated. "surely your mother told you about your decrypted old aunts"? As she said this the woman took the chimney off the oil lamp sitting on the night table next to the bed and lit it, for the life of Jessica she did not see her use a match, she seemed to just touch the wick, well not touch it really, oh hell she thought, she had no idea how she lit that lamp but the woman replaced the glass atop the lamp and it was lit.

Dark shadows shown beneath the woman’s eyes, she appeared to be even older than Aunt May. Jessica thought, geeze this woman was from a different time zone, heck, perhaps another planet!


The woman’s dress looked as it did in the picture, black, a high collar, and from the looks of it, Jessica would have guessed this was a fashion statement from the 1800's. If this woman was not a ghost, Jessica thought she had to be near 100 years old at least. Her mother once told her that the aunts were born in this house just after it was built, perhaps 100 years ago.

At this moment Jessica could not remember when the manor was built and it did not matter. Jessica just knew these women were archaic, and the one she was looking at was none to happy with her. In fact the ancient crone's displeasure shone very clearly from furrowed brow, to her tight lip smile.


Alright enough, crept into Jessica's very confused mind, "Enough"! she said out loud to her own surprise. "Now I am going to close my eyes and you will be gone, I will get on to another weird dream and be done with this one".

Closing her eyes tightly and throwing herself back on the pillows she commanded herself to change this dream or wake up in her own bed. Oh, she put so much will power into this she made herself dizzy. As Jessica laid there with her eyes squeezed so tightly shut they were beginning to hurt, she took a deep breath. Trying to calm herself she did a mental exercise telling her body to calm, relax from her head, to her neck, shoulders, just as her mother taught her. She managed to relax her face so her eyes were closed only ever so lightly, then she began to hum, yes hum, that always helped.

Feeling herself calming, almost lifting from the bed she felt so light, opening her eyes so she could just see through her lashes her heart sank, the old crone was still there and had begun to laugh.

At first the woman was laughing softly, then reared back and let out a hearty laugh. Jessica, whose eyes were fully open now, could see her almost falling over laughing.

"Damn", Jessica muttered and just let herself go limp against the pillows. "Ok I'll play, what the hell is this all about"?


"Dam it"! "I do not believe this*&^&*"! Jessica stammered.

The woman was gone, as Jessica was looking right at her she vanished, well not quite vanished, she just was not there anymore.

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Chapter 6

Silence enqulfed the room around Jessica causing her once again to break the silence with her own voice. If no was to stay and talk to her she would at the very least be heard.

"Hello people"! "Hello out there"! Jessica was shouting as she climbed out of the 4 poster bed, almost falling out because it was a raised bed, luckily she found the little steps to the floor. Looking back she smiled, "Wow nice bed".

"Alright,"! still raising her voice, if for no other reason to break the freaky silence of this house, this room!

The floor was cold to her bare feet, there beside the little steps were a pair of old fashion silk slippers. Suddenly she thought, "where the heck are my clothes". There too on the bed was a black robe with gold embroidery about the sleeves and collar, this she grabbed and put on over an full length cotton night gown. "Ah, cotton and silk, well we do know how to dress don't we".

"Now what"? she thought. "Where do I go from here"?

Grabbing the oil lamp she headed towards the door, "God this room is massive", the door seemed so far away.

Reaching the door she took hold of the handle and turned, half expecting it to be locked, almost hoping it would be locked, but oh no, no such luck. The knob turned very easily. Taking a deep breath as if she were going to dive into water, Jessica opened the heavy door very slowly, not knowing what, or who she would find standing there to scare the heck out of her. As she opened the door the hair on the back of her started to tingle, God she hated that. She didn't even watch scary movies because she hated that feeling.

""WOOHHH"", she said to herself, "We're afraid of ghosts now are we"? "Damn right I am" was her answer, as she nodded her head in a yes.

Placing a toe into the hallway first with her body slowly catching up, she reached out her arm with the lamp, leaning forward a bit half expecting someone to grab her, she started to laugh. The hallway was fully lit, not brightly but lit up with sconces by every other door.

Still just because she could see down the hall to the stair case did not settle her nerves completely, each door was inset a bit, just far enough for someone to step back and just wait for her to pass by to pounce like a cat on a mouse. At this moment she felt like a little mouse, wondering where that old cat was right now. Again with the hair on the back of her neck, no one would have to scare her, she was doing a pretty good job of that all by herself.

And then it happened.

Her scream echoed in her own ears, she dropped the oil lamp to the floor, but did not even look back to see if it caught fire to the carpet, she was too busy running towards the stairs.

All she knew was something had touched her, went through her, past her and she was out of this place now!

As she made her way down the stair case she slipped and took the last two on her butt as if she had intentionally decided to bump, bump down those steps. Landing flat on her rump at the bottom she sat there stunned for a moment, then it came to her. Well rather the pain brought her back to her senses. She had managed to twist her ankle on the way down, and of course her rump hurt. Slumped there sobbing all fear had left her, now pain was the only thing on her mind until.....!!


Thump, thump, thump....swish..swish..the noise came slowly towards her. Jessica's heart nearly stopped.

Thump, thump, thump

"Oh God", she choked out in a whisper.

Hiding her face in hands as if this would protect her she waited, not wanting to see what or who was making that sound. Somewhere in her mind she knew it must be her Aunt. But which one?

Thump, thump, thump was so very close now.

She must look up she thought, she could not get up so she must look up. Sniffling a whimper of pain Jessica found the inner strength to look up...now if she could only open her eyes. Wiping the tears away and mustering some demeanor of out rage at being scared out of her wits to the point of almost killing herself Jessica faced her would be attracter or care giver, then she thought she was going to pass out.


The big orange Tabby cat stared at her as she stared at him, he sat there on his hunches, looking perplexed really. Perhaps it was because she had broke out into hysterical laughter that caused him to look at her so.

Jessica gained control of herself once again although the tears flowed freely now, she was no longer laughing, no she must find some rational here. Maybe some logical explanation for all of this. What was foremost on her mind was the fact that even if she could get to her car she would not be able to drive. She was reasonably sure her ankle was only twisted and not broke but she drove a standard, and knew she was not going to able to use the clutch tonight.

And really what had happened to her here tonight. She had fallen asleep and some how a fragile little old lady had managed to get her up a flight of stairs to a room, got her undressed and redressed all without her knowing it. She had a weird ass dream, which could be explained too, she had not eaten since, oh heck she couldn't remember when she had eaten last. Ok so she was starving, so everything was just a dream. All of it, the lady in her room, the wind chilling her in the hallway. Yes that was it, that explained it all.

Working her way up the wall she had fallen by she managed to stand up, at least on one foot. Grabbing the had rail she started to make her way up the stairs one by one. Her mind made up that she was going to get some rest and everything would be better in the morning. Wasn't that what people always say, "Get some rest and everything will seem different in the morning".

The cat must have taken a liking to her because he climbed the stairs with her, a step ahead, almost showing her the way. Though the stairs seemed endless she came to the top and turned to the hallway. "That's just great", she said as she saw so many doorways down the hall. Jessica was not sure which room she had come out of, but the cat was.

He darted ahead of her three doors down on the left and stood in there waiting for her.

Again just amazed at the strangeness of it all, Jessica stood there holding on to the top part of the stair rail that curved into the wall. Letting out a sigh, she let go of the rail, making her way half limping and hopping to the door where the cat stood waiting.

Was that purring from the cat? Yes he was purring, sitting there almost smiling at her at his cleverness. "Well cat maybe you are clever, and maybe your not, lets see if this is the right room and I will let you know, Ok"?

Shaking her head a bit as she pushed the door opened, "Well I'll be damned cat, you are pretty clever", as she could plainly see she was in the same room she had left a few minutes ago.

Just from the light coming from the oil light on the night stand next to the bed she could see the four poster bed with rumbled covers, and what she had not noticed before was her clothes laying on a chair with her purse sitting on top of them. Yes this must be the right room.

Too tired, and in to much pain to care she hobbled over to her purse where she knew she had some pain pills. She half sat on the chair, opening her purse by the light of the lamp, she found her bottle of pills. There on the night stand was a glass of water, of course there was she would have expected nothing else. Placing the pills in mouth she drank the water, replacing the glass back on the night stand by the lamp.

Making her way towards the bed and starting to climb the little steps she wondered if she should put out the lamp or leave it burning for the comfort of it's light?


She looked at the lamp, then down at the cat who was standing by the night stand, and it dawned on her, like almost knocked her over it dawned on her with that much impact The lamp should not be there at all. Jessica watched the flame of the lamp flicker as if hit by a breeze then it snuffed out just as if she had reached over and put it out herself.

"Now that's just not right"! she exclaimed as she took the last step plopping onto the bed.

Scrambling to get herself under the blankets she refused to think on the lamp any more, nor the house, her aunts, nothing! Everything will be explained in the daylight. Had she seen a window in this room, no matter, she would sleep for a while, the pain pills would help this happen, sleep and in the morning she'd get to the bottom of all this.
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Chapter 7

Waking up to a cat staring down her nose from the top of her pillow started her to full wakefulness in an instant. "Jimmy good gosh, get off the damn bed" ! she shouted and reached above her head to grab hold of the cat.

"Hello! " she exclaimed while pulling the cat down with his butt and bobbed tail facing her Jessica could see plainly that this was not her cat. No this was the big orange tabby from the night before she had hold of.

"Cat I must have locked you in last night", turning the cat around so she could look at him better in the day light.

Daylight she thought, "Yes!" the light streamed in from some heavy curtains partly opened.

"Time to get on the road", she remarked as she let go of the cat.

Lifting the night covers off her she slid around throwing her legs over the side of the bed where the steps were. Almost forgetting about her twisted ankle she started to step down, then there it was.


Blue, purple, maybe some pink in there and very swollen, her ankle was twice the size it should be. "Lovely", she said as sat there admiring her ankle, "just *&*&^ lovely"! as she threw herself back. Laying there gazing up at the ceiling she wondered what the heck she was going to do now.


The pain should of told her that the ankle was really injured but in her excitement she had not taken that in, but now she was. Jessica could not imagine how she had slept with an ankle like that, even with pain pills.

"Damn it hurts now", she whimpered, and she had not even tried to stand on it yet. In fact the throbbing started because she still had her legs hanging over the side of the bed. Having twisted her ankle at least once before in her life she knew she needed to elevate it. At this very moment she just wanted out of this place so badly she could not imagine anything else to do but try to hobble out of here.

Not noticing the cat was still there until he was directly over her face, she gave a start as he licked her cheek the lone tear was streaming down.

"Oh, cat what am I to do"? she whined and he continued to lick her face. The cat's purring started calm her again. Nothing so threatening about him this morning. He curled up by her shoulder now just staring at her as if he had no answers to give her.

Could she hear thunder?

"God oh God"! She pulled herself over to her left side almost on the cat and was looking at the window where the light had been coming from. Yes coming from because now from what she could see it was getting dark again. Ok maybe it was a storm coming and it was just a dark day. Yes maybe the clouds were crossing over the sun and blocking it.

The cat purred away as the room slowly became darker, he was not afraid of the dark but Jessica was!
Alright then she thought...."Alright then", she said out loud as she pulled herself around to be back up in the bed propped up against the pillows.

With every move the cat made sure to move out of her way but never left the bed nor her side. He laid stretched out on his belly, paws in front of him just looking at Jessica as if waiting for her to explain what they would do next.

"Well cat, whatcha think"?

The cat continued to purr, tilting his head to the right then to the left, never taking his eyes off of her.

Taking a deep breath, blowing it out slowly, Jessica tried to calm herself into


action. If she could just keep her wits together long enough she could either figure this whole place out or get the heck out of there without to much more damage to her body.

Then came the knocking on the door, at first it was kind of a slight tapping then it turned into a quick knock.

Jessica's calm, that she had been trying so hard to maintain, was once again draining from her.

The knock came louder now and Jessica must respond.

"Oh hell a ghost wouldn't knock now would they cat?"
"Come in", Jessica said without really meaning it.

Just in case it was someone or something Jessica did not want to see she squeezed her eyes shut only to open the right one just a little.

Jessica opened her eyes. A short stout woman who appeared to be in her late 50's stood in the doorway looking over at her through old fashioned wire rimmed glasses and amazingly for this place other than her hair, she looked quite normal.

"Good morning to ya", the woman said.

Great it is just morning Jessica thought, that is good news.

" Yer Aunt May sent me up to check on ya, since ya did not come down for breakfast". The woman’s smile showed some missing teeth, and perhaps not the warmest of smiles but a smile. She was tanned and a bit rugged looking and a little unkempt. Her salt and pepper colored hair seemed to go in every direction as if she had stuck her finger in an electrical socket. Apron worn , a bit tattered and stained, her clothes were not new. She was strange but Jessica started to calm once again because, though not ordinary defiantly not threatening.

"Ya see I had to carry ya up here last night...yer a wee bit of nothin", the woman laughed at that. Well that explained that little bit of mystery for Jessica.

"Yer from the city aren't ya"? there the smile was again. While the woman spoke she went to the curtains and opened them wider so Jessica could see the dark cloudy sky outside.

Turning back to Jessica, "Will ya be wanting to come down for breakfast"?

"Ah, I can't", Jessica replied. Of course she couldn't how was she going to walk on that foot.

"No, ya don't want something to warm yer tummy"? the woman looked at her curiously. Now she was fussing with Jessica's clothes and had her back to her. Picking up Jessica's pants and shirt, leaning down to pick up her shoes she said
" Well now ya will be getting hungry, would ya like to get dressed"? She had turned back to Jessica once again.

Fumbling to remove the blankets from her legs she turned and hung them over the bed again.

"Oh my goodness", the woman gasped, "How in the world did ya do that in the middle of the night"? Taking Jessica's clothes over to a closet, she opened the door walked in where Jessica could not see her. Jessica assumed she was hanging up her clothes when the woman spoke, "Well now we be will having to do something with that ankle, yes and soon. "I'd be thinking that hurts mightily, eh little miss"?

She came towards the bed and at that moment the cat hissed and growled, arching his back as if he were being attacked. Jessica looked wide eyed at the woman not understanding the cat's reaction to her. The heavily endowed woman jumped back so fast she almost toppled over and her bosoms bounced.

"Damn cat ya are Tommis", she said angrily, "if I had my way..ah to hell with ya"!

"He has been with me most of the night, and very sweet", shaking her head, Jessica felt a need to take up for the cat, "I don't understand he has watched over me all this time, he is such a good cat, I am sure you just spooked him"?

"Ya don't have to understand really, but ya see his stubby tail"? she snorted, "Well he was not born that way", She laughed heartily like it was a joke.

Heading for the door the woman looked back a Jessica, "Well now ya should be putting those legs back in that bed, yel be going no where this day", giving Jessica a bit of a smirk, "I'll be fetching ya some food, and drink", pausing for a moment as if thinking, "be getting somethon for that ankle, "how in the world", she mumbled under her breath.

"Jessica, is it"? she questioned.

"Yes, yes, Jessie if you like", Jessica was now doing as the woman had told her to do, placing her legs and now throbbing ankle back under the covers.

The woman turned back to the door, spoke to Jessica with her back turned, "I'll be back Jessie", the woman hissed her name Jessica was sure of it, "I would be called Tilda, and that would be just Tilda if ya like". Tilda opened the door and out she went quick stepping.


"Wasn't that special Tommis", she said while petting him, he was by her side staring at the door that Tilda had left by.

Jessica too was staring at the door not knowing what to think of the woman except for sure the cat did not like her. At this point the cat was the only one she could trust in this house and one thing she had learned over the years from her own cat, if he (Jimmy) did not like someone, well then, neither would she.

The old woman returned and her Aunt May was with her, and Jessica was sure they had did something for her ankle but as she drank deeply of the tea they brought her with some warm herb bread she must have dozed off to sleep again.

Her dreams carried her again to strange places as she could hear in her mind a rime of sorts...."healing is what we need and what should be" and in her dream she could smell this wonderful scent she could remember thinking of Sandalwood and Rosemary and what was the other scent...she knew this scent.


"Oh my God"! she started awake. Sitting up in bed the scent was still in the room, now she could remember. Now it all came to her in such a torrid of emotion. This was the scent of her mother's room, when she was dieing.

Two candles were still burning near her bed side creating a soft glow to the room, making it feel more safe than before.

Mother had made her tea when she was unhappy, or sick, a special tea unlike they had for dinner or morning tea. It always made her sleepy and warm inside. Mother would then tuck in bed and tell her "Sleep little one for night is here, sleep little one with no fears, Sleep little one for I am near, Sleep little one Sleep".


Chapter 8


"I know why I am here now", she whispered then shouted, "I know why I am here and you all had better come to this room now"!

Mother always was making up rimes and she loved candles and yes so many scents. Yes this scent in the room was so familiar to her, once mother used it when she had, when she had...."twisted her ankle roller-skating" Jessica said under breath.


She touched the oil lamp that was near and of course it lit, she knew it would. Getting out of the bed covers she threw her legs over the side of the bed, climb down the steps without thinking though her ankle was still a bit tender the swelling was down and the women had wrapped in some soft cloth.

Snuffing out the candles as her mother had taught her to because she did not want to displace the spell, she waited for the sounds she knew were coming, and her guess was that these ladies were moving faster than they had in a very long time.

Oh yes she was sure she knew why she had come here, why her mother had insisted. What she had decided so long ago was never going to happen to her, why she had stayed away so long, why her mother had not brought her back after that visit when she was 11 years old.

Her heart raced now, thumping so hard, her breath came in almost snorts she was so angry. Not scared anymore, to angry to be scared.

Why had they just not told her when she had arrived? Why must everything be like out of an old scary movie. Yes she had lit the lamp because the wick was low and there was still a flame, she just tapped the knob and the wick raised a bit and let there be light.

The thumping sound of the old woman’s cane could be heard as well as they women chatter outside the door.

Jessica was not scared now, she welcomed them to come. Oh please come in she thought because I shall be happy to hear all you have to say.

The door swung open.

And there they stood all three of them. Aunt May came in first. Jessica thought now she is not so scary in fact she really looked quite comical, like a child caught with the hand in the cookie jar, in fact the jar was broken.

Tilda entered next carrying a tray with a pot of tea and sandwiches from the looks of them. Tilda walked over to the side table where she laid down the tray then stood there with her hands held in front of her apron, eyes looking down at her hands, she was twitching nervously. As Jessica look at her she noticed that her hair was even more of a disarray than before if that was possible and was that a tear coming down her cheek?

Walking very slowly behind them was Aunt Clare, yes it was her. Of course it was Aunt Clare, Aunt Nia's twin who had passed away. Nia had been ill most of her life and Jessica had not met her when she was 11 that is why she had forgotten that there were three Aunts not two.

She stood before Jessica, with her head held high and a look that was neither childish nor ashamed, in fact she still seem to be rather displeased with Jessica.

There they all were and now Jessica was almost at a lose for words until her ankle started to throb a bit, as she was still standing there.

Now was the time for her answers.

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Chapter 9


Clara did not turn her gaze from Jessica, she merely spoke to Tilda, "serve the tea to Jessica", she commanded her.

Jessica then without thinking climbed back up into bed, pulling the bed clothes back about her and laid back against the pillows. With just a passing thought she wondered where the cat had gotten too.

Tilda placed a bed table in front of Jessica very shakily, Jessica was afraid it would over turn Tilda was shaking so hard but it did not and there she sat with tea and sandwiches on the little table and many questions on her mind.

Then she heard it a, low growl, and the table exploded off the bed as the cat made a leap at Tilda. Thank goodness Jessica thought the cat missed as she saw him flying with all four paws in the air jumping at Tilda. The woman almost seemed to expect it and had moved well out of the cats way, but Jessica had not expected it and was very confused by it all as she did not think the cat was still on the bed. Where had that cat come from?

Table, tea, broken glass and sandwich all lay on the floor at the foot of the steps. No one in the room moved for what seemed like minutes to Jessica, Clara was
the first to speak again.

"Now Tommis was that necessary"? she questioned the cat.

Tommis made his way back up the steps to once again lay by Jessica's side, though he did not take his eyes off Tilda, he seemed to watch her every move. As Tilda came close to the bed to clean up the mess the cat had made, he once again made a low growl but did not pounce on her. She did make great time cleaning the broken glass, and food debris up, with that she scurried to the door and was gone.

Only the aunts and Jessica were left in the room, oh and the cat, Tommis now turned his attention to Clara.


"Tommis", she said speaking to the cat as if he could understand, Jessica thought this to be strange, "Tommis if you wish to stay with us in here you had better behave, the tea was just to calm Jessica, not to harm her. I know you want to protect her but please remember we are not the one's that are trying to harm her, and you scared the livening hell out of poor Tilda", then she laughed softly and turned to Jessica.

Jessica realized he mouth was opened and she closed it with a snap when Aunt Clara turned her gaze to her and not the cat. What had Clara meant they were not the ones that were trying to harm her, and why would a cat know that she was in harms way?

Aunt May had not made a sound since she first entered the room and now the only sound she made was to clear her throat and the thump of her cane as she went to the chair that sat near the bed table, there she sat down, placing her cane against the wall near the chair, placed her hands in her lap, then she too turned her gaze to Jessica.

With both of the women looking at her, Jessica suddenly forgot all she had wanted to say, every thought was mere fragments of all that had happened before and just now. For some reason she could not collect her thoughts enough to speak and knew she would have to just wait until one of them spoke.

Aunt Clare had also found a chair, from where Jessica did not know but by this time she did not even question the fact that first the was no chair and now one conveniently appeared.

Clare too had a cane that she laid against the arm of the chair sticking out a bit.
Jessica could tell that the cane was very ornate in it's cravings but could not tell what the cravings in the dark wood were, though the handle was silver.

Jessica had to turn her body a bit to be able to look at her aunts, shifting about on the pillows she was able to turn to both of them.

The words came slow, but none the less they finally came to Jessica and she was about to speak when her Aunt May spoke first.

"Dearest Jessica, we know you have questions? May spoke not so much in a whisper now but softly and it seemed she was very tired. Jessica noticed May and even Clare had grown even older than they had first seemed to her. Almost before her eyes the two women were ageing.

Now Clare took up the conversation from there, May sat back as if too tired to sit forward any longer.

"Jessica", now Clare also sounded tired but spoke with more strength than May, "you must trust me when I say that there is nothing in this place that can harm you, well not as long as you are aware of your place here".

"My place"? Jessica found her voice, but it cracked a bit when she asked that question.

"Ah, that is not exactly what I meant", Clare also leaned back in her chair and started to rub her chin, in that contemplating way a person does when they are thinking of what they want to say or do next.

Well that about floored Jessica, except for the fact she was still laying in bed. She knew she should respond to this but what was there to say really, like "Oh yeah", or maybe, "and I am the Easter Bunny too, maybe the tooth fairy"?

Looking at Clare and May she knew that this was not a joke, nor just two old women having a good time with her, hell by the look on their faces they were having anything but a good time.

"Well gee that explains everything", she found herself saying, "do you think I might get the heck outa here now, hmmmm"?

Both women merely blinked at her as if amazed by her disbelief, then Clare stood up slowly using the arms of the chair. Leaning on her cane some what more than she did when she stood before, Clare now glared at Jessica.

Turning to May, Clare spoke in a harsh whisper that made the other woman react by looking from Clare to Jessica then back. May rose from her chair, taking her cane in hand she started walking towards the door.

Clare turned to Jessica and spoke these words to her before turning to leave also, "Your time has come, your time is near, the shadows are dark, but thoughts are clear. The moon light touches but one in this darkest night, when clouds move from east to west, you will know what needs to be told and all the rest".

Both women headed towards the door and May had the knob in hand when Jessica found her voice.

"Look you two, fun is fun, and I know that my mother believed in all this to a point, but I am not her", May was out the door as Jessica was speaking, "Do you hear me May"? Clare was almost ready to walk out when Jessica finished what she had to say, "Clare I am not here to become a witch, or be a witch or what have you, I know why I have come and you will listen, I swear you will"! Jessica's raised her voice because Clare was closing the door behind herself so Jessica now shouted, "My mother did not want me to end up like you two old hags"!

Clare did not close the door.

Clare turned back into the room and the door closed behind her. The only sound was that of Aunt May's cane thumping down the hall that could be barely heard after the door closed.

The thump stopped just for a moment as if May had stopped to look back but then it continued into nothing.

Jessica took a deep breath as Clare slowly approached the bed and their eyes met.

Jessica started to speak again with "Aunt Clare you see...." but she did not finish her sentence as Clare raised her cane in the air, for a moment Jessica thought she would start hitting her with the cane but this did not happen instead Clare stood there with cane raised and for all her age and the woman that has just before seemed to be bent over with a curve to her back, Clare stood straight and tall.

"That would be crone, not hag"! she spoke with a deep dark voice, her eyes sparkled even in the dimness of the room. "We would be crones, now you should know that but of course you don't", her voice raised a bit but it was deeper that it had been even moments ago.

"You come to our home telling us you were sent, you speak to us with no respect and cower as if still a child. You are right you are not a witch, not as you would have been had you stayed so many years ago", Clare lowered her cane, "you are still just a child of the world that has no concept of what power you have or could have to save yourself from the obscurity we have".

Lowering her gaze from Jessica's she breathed from her nose making a small whistle sound that kind of echoed in the silence of the moment. Her lips were puckered into a frown and all the lines on her face were deep and shadowed.

Jessica only watched the old woman and knew that she needed to listen though everything in her knew this was insane. Oh yes she knew that the aunts were witches, well she remembered something about that. Her mother had told her stories, she had thought they were just stories. But when she was 11 her mother had brought her to this house because she said it was time that she knew of her heritage, that she knew where her mother had found her own ways. Yes that is what Jessica remembered her saying to her "Find your own way little one, but do not forget where I came from and where you will need to be someday, you have the calling and the wings to fly". Those were her mothers words but when I had she said them, when did Jessica know?

"Nothing is stopping you from leaving", Clare spoke again softly as if the anger she was feeling had some how disappeared, "you may have nothing here for you anymore. You may have your whole life waiting for you here, but that is your choice not ours".

Clare came closer to the bed where Jessica could see her face much better and could see the what had seemed like sparks in her eyes before were tears building up in the old women’s eyes.

Clare touched the edge of the bed near Jessica's foot but not touching her. "We have so much to give you Jessie", the woman breathed, "so much that you already have", taking a deep breath, " so much your Mother left for you, please do not throw that aside because you", she was turning to walk away again her words almost fading, "you do not want to believe".

Jessica watched the woman walk to the door, Clare was humped over again with age, and her cane made that thump sound, ever so slowly she made her way to the door.

Jessica's mind twisted and turned again, she wanted to scream out, even a
hoarse whisper would have worked but instead she just watched the old woman leave. Again she felt trapped here, knowing she could not leave until she knew everything.

"Damn that witch!" Jessica said turning to the cat.

Chapter 10


Darkness fell over the room and the candles that were burning were flickering. When had the candles gotten lit again, and they were new candles? The lamp was a low flame now and a breeze was blowing through the room.

Jessica felt so cold now even though she was deep in the blankets. Yes that was a breeze blowing over the bed as if someone had opened a window but looking over at the half opened curtains Jessica could see there was no window that could be opened and even if there could have been no one had opened any windows.

"Ah, the hell with it", Jessica said as she threw the blankets off her.

The coldness seemed to be all around her without touching her, if that was at all possible. That was the only way she could have described it to someone else, if she were to ever tell this story.

She proceeded to make her way down the steps and over to the closet to retrieve her clothes. She had to turn back to get the lamp so that she could see inside the closet. As she looked in the closet it was a large walk in closet with racks and shelves on either side of the walking. Her clothes were hung very close to the door but she was now not so interested in the clothes she had went in to get as all the other things in the closet.

There were many boxes on the shelves, all sizes. One trunk at the very back of the closet grabbed her interest as she knew she had seen one like it before, but where? It was not a large trunk, with a flat top and wood slats going across the top. As she got closer to the trunk she could see there was metal under the slats, small gold flowers were showing and a dark maroon paint about them. Just an ordinary old trunk she thought, been here for awhile, dust lay on the lid. The leather handles looked in good shape though worn, and the clasp to the lock was sticking out as if someone had opened it and left it up. Now this meant the trunk was not locked so Jessica of course was going to have to look in.

Deciding she needed more light she grabbed one handle of the trunk and started to drag it to the opening of the door. It did cross her mind that she should just worry about getting dressed and finding her aunts before she left but for some reason she just had to know what was in this trunk.

As she was tugging on the handles of the trunk she bumped her toe which smarted a bit but she realized her ankle was not aching anymore. In fact she had not even noticed her ankle when she had gotten out of bed. Well that was good she thought, as soon as she explored this trunk she would get dressed and would be able to drive away from here with no problems.

Finally she got the trunk to the chair by the night table and push a bit in front of the chair so that she might sit down.

The breeze flowed around her, though it did not seem so cold now, candles flickered but the lamp was fully up now and there would be enough light to see inside the trunk.

It did dawn on her that she could open the curtains further and that might help but with a glance to the window, darkness was all that was coming in, she wondered what time of day it was. It was not quite night but Jessie knew, or thought she knew, that it was now getting to be late afternoon and it seemed a storm was brewing big time outside.

She turned back to the trunk and like a child who was looking for a great treasure she opened the lid.

Not being able to move for a moment and really very surprised. Atop all else in the trunk there was a picture of a very handsome man dressed in a suit that was like those she had seen in history books.

Tommis chose just then to jump into her lap and all else stopped as she tried to catch her breath. "Tommis damn where do you keep coming from"?

The cat purred and reached down placing a paw on the picture inside the trunk. The cool breeze stopped.

Gingerly moving the cat out of the way, Jessica picked up the picture that was in a dark old frame made of wood without a glass covering the photo. Bringing it closer to her she thought what a handsome young man. With a giggle she thought and said to herself, " Maybe the old crones had, had more of a life than I thought".

Touching the face of the man in the picture other guesses came to mind, like maybe it was her Grandfather Anson, or more likely it was just another relative she did not know.

As she went to place the picture back in the trunk all her answers came swiftly as there was a picture of the same man in the same suit with a young woman in a white dress. The picture must have been just under this framed one.

Placing the man's picture on the bed table she pick up the smaller picture that was also framed in dark wood. A beautiful couple, they looked so happy and serious at the same time.

The young women pictured smiled so softly at Jessica that tingles went all over her body, her mother seemed almost alive. This was a picture of her Mother she was sure of it and if this was her mother then the handsome, serious young man- Jessica's breath caught in her throat- was the father she had yearned for most of her life.

Turning the picture over there was a note taped to the back. Just two names.

Anise and Thomas

No date, no last names, just theses two names.

Jessica cried.

Tommis jumped back into her lap and started to lick her tears away, she held him close while still looking at the picture.

She had not seen a picture of her father, or if she had she did not remember. Mother never spoke of him nor did she have pictures up of him. She was only ever told that he had left them but that he could not help it. Her mother never married again.

Now she had even more questions for the aunts, "Geeze she thought", while wiping the tears away, "I will never get home again", with a sigh she placed the small picture with the larger one and reached down into the trunk so she could see what other secrets lay within.

Within this trunk lay so many wondrous things that Jessica had no concept of time. When she drew out the last item that lay under clothes and items Jessica was not even sure what they were.

A small gold box wrapped in red silk when opened revealed 3 dark quartz crystals points and 5 small stones each a different color and size but none bigger than 1/8 of an inch. Next to where the box had layed was a rectangular wooden box, about 2 inchs wide and 12 inches in lenghth. Lifting the box up she opened the lid. Black silk with gold fibers with sewen edges lay with corners overlaping at the middle.

Jessica lifted the item from it's box with one hand and layed the box to the side. At first she did know what she was looking at but a childhood memory told her this was a witches wand. From a book maybe or-Jessica somehow knew she had seen and was told about such a wand when she was younger but could not place the when, where or why of it-a movie?

As she held the wand in her hand gazing down at it then pointing it as she had seen the tooth fairy do in her nursery rhyme books, she felt an energy like the tingling of electricty, she drop the wand to the floor startled by the sensation.

Looking down at it perched in her lap, without picking up again she examined it. The wand was about 11 inches long to the end of the tan colored leather covered handle. Gold and silver wire twisted together with small stones strung with no pattern, wrapped just above the handle. The wooden wand-it was twisted piece of wood that was not like something that was man worked from his carpenter tools but more like a small branch from a tree- there on the tip was a crystal point, a dark crystal quartz point like that found in the gold box-a wand made from a tree branch. Stones were placed at different places along the length of the wand.

As she again lifted this magical tool up to replace it into it's box she could see each stone was imbedded into the wood and as she started to fold the silk cloth about it she caught bits of reflected light in her eyes. like a flicking star, from the the crystal tip, or she thought she had seen this, but quickly closed the box.

She laid both small packages back in the trunk, but to the side. There, where she had removed the wooden box that held the wand laid a book. Removing the book from the trunk she again felt the energy charge she had from the wand but this time she did not drop the item. Holding the book close to the light hoping to some markings she was aware the energy seemed stronger but not unpleasent. It was like all the she had seen so far strange, a strange little black book, no markings except for a tiny 5 cornered star that was placed in the very middle, carved into the dark leather, she could feel it more than see it.






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Chapter 11/c}