Sarah's Inheritance

Something Sinister

Sarah awoke from her nap with a shudder. It was as if something cold had draped itself around her. The streetlights had come alive outside, signaling the start of this evening's shenanigans. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a book slide across her kitchen countertop, landing on the floor with a loud "thonk." She didn't have any interest in playing these games, but she knew that if she didn't do as they said, she wouldn't have even a minute's peace.

She tried to roll over and pretend that she was not yet awake, but her meddlesome friends made each door of her cupboards creak open slowly, one by one, until she exclaimed, "Alright already! I'll read your stupid book!"

The eery sound of ghostly laughter made her shudder again. She hadn't a clue how many children had died here, but judging by the giggles reaching her ears, it was not a small few.

She'd only moved to this house a few months back. When her great-grandmother died, she had been just as surprised as everyone else when her lawyer revealed the house's existence and that Sarah would be it's owner. They had always been close, and Sarah appreciated that she was still trying to take care of her. Even now. Still, she wished her Gran had warned her about the house's....inhabitants.

No one had known that Gran had this place. It was something she'd inherited from her own Grandmother, and she never so much as mentioned it. When Sarah moved in, she found childhood photos of her Gran. She looked to be such a sad and lonely little girl. It was a loneliness that she never really shook, always holding on dearly to the people around her. She'd pieced together that her Gran had lived here with her Grandparents. Pictures of her with her parents stopped when she was around 5 years old. Sarah knew they were dead, as she had found their gravestones after a bit of online research.

After her first week in the house, things started getting weird. She would hear doors slammimg, water running, stairs creaking. Even her cat Pheonix seemed to notice something lingering,his watchful eye always looking towards the sounds right before they started. The children who possessed this home wanted her to know they were there. They were mischievous and demanding. They would leave books lying around, and if she didn't read them aloud, they would start playing tricks on her. They would turn the TV on and make all the lights in the house go haywire if Sarah tried to change it or shut it off.

At first she had been scared, but it didn't take her long to realize that it was children. A lot of children. She didn't understand how they all came to be here, and they didn't seem to have any interest in leaving, so she just accepted it. This was her home now. Gran left it to her, and she was going to take care of it. She planned to rid the house of them some day, but wasn't even sure how to do something like that. Before moving here, she honestly didn't even believe that spirits were real. Anytime she tried to research it at home, the internet would go down, or the power would go out, or her cat would simply lie on her laptop and look at her. She didn't know what to make of it all, but she was damn sure not going to be run off from this beautiful home by some restless children. So, for now, she played their games.

After reading aloud a few chapters from tonight's book, she placed it down and stood up to head towards the kitchen. It was a beautiful kitchen. The dark green cabinets had glass pane doors on some, no doors on others, and intricately carved wooden doors on the rest. There was a light teal and pink floral pinstriped wallpaper running along the walls as well as the backs of cabinets. The countertops were a creamy marble, with an oversized farmhouse sink sunken into its top. The vintage appliances functioned perfectly, and her Gran had kept all of the cookware that she'd inherited in impeccable shape, which Sarah proudly displayed. It was like stepping back in time, and she loved everything about it.

She clicked on her gas cooktop and sat a kettle on the flame. As the water was coming to a boil, she pulled out a cup of premade miso style ramen and removed its paper top. She added in a few seasonings before pouring over the boiling water and letting it all cook. She liked having a simple life, a simple routine, a simple dinner. Nothing about being a babysitter to a house full of ghostly children was simple. What if they weren't even real? What if she was just making it up as a way to cope with the loss of her Gran? She knew that wasn't likely, as she was pretty confident she wasn't crazy. Either way, she had to figure out how to get rid of them.

She was deep in thought when she heard her alarm go off. It was time for her to start getting ready for work. She quickly finished off her noodles and tossed the container into the almost overflowing trash can, making a mental note to take it out when she got home. She dragged herself upstairs, where she allowed herself an extra 20 minutes to soak in the tub. It was a full moon tonight, which meant work was going to be extra fun. The residents at the nursing home always get riled up when there's a full moon. She'd caught Mrs.Caligari trying to sleepover in Mr.Hunt's room just last month! And Mr and Mrs Hamilton had been bickering for hours about nothing before Mrs Hamilton lopped her husband over the head with the tennis ball end of her walking stick. The extra 20 minutes were much needed. And probably would be again when she got home.

She was getting ready to walk out the door when she heard Pheonix let out a long angry snarl just as a crystal vase on the mantle came crashing to the floor. Shards went everywhere, and Sarah knew she couldn't leave this mess for later. She was frustrated beyond belief. It's one thing to mess with some lights. This was too much. She yelled loudly, "See if I read anymore books for you!". She grabbed a broom and dustpan to clean up the mess but was startled when she walked over to where the vase had fallen and saw her cat standing with his back arched, hissing towards the direction of the mantle. She wasn't sure what she was feeling, but suddenly it was like all the breath was sucked out of her body and she was frozen in fear. She couldn't see what Pheonix was so upset by, but she knew it wasn't good. A dark cloud felt like it was weighing her down, when she heard the ghostly giggles of children cutting through the feeling of dread. Whatever had been there a second before was gone and Sarah could breathe again. She cleaned up the mess, finally, before walking out the door and heading to work. Maybe she shouldn't get rid of those children after all?