A Haunted Marriage & The Cookie Baking Poltergeist

Chapter 10: The Old Woman in the Basement

     Michael threw the wedding picture from his lap as if a snake had landed there. The frame clattered to the floor at his feet. What the f**k is going on in this house? Before Michael could picture in his mind what other strange events were bound to occur in his home, he heard a thud from the bathroom.

     Michael jumped up from the couch and nearly stepped on their wedding photo on his run over to the bathroom door. Michael pounded on the door with both fists.

     "Honey, what's wrong? Are you all right?" Michael jiggled the door handle which was locked. He kicked at the bottom of the door. "Julia open the f*****g door."

     Still no answer.

     Michael turned the door knob once again. Still locked. He turned to his side and jammed the door three times with his shoulder before the door frame cracked and the door finally gave way. The door slammed into the wall from the forced entry. Michael found Julia in a fetal position slumped next to the toilet. Her eyes were closed and her head faced the ceiling. Both of her hand were balled into fists across her chest. Streams of blue mascara ran down the sides of her face. Julia's mane of curls disappeared on the tiles extending behind the toilet. Julia's lips appeared swollen as if someone had punched her in the mouth.

     What the f**k happened?

     Michael bent down and tapped his wife on the shoulder. "Hon, can you hear me?"

     A soft moan escaped from Julia's lips. She curled herself into a deeper fetal position, pulling her knees up into her chest. She let out another moan but didn't answer her husband.

     "Julia wake up," Michael said as he pushed his finger into his wife's shoulder.

     Julia didn't move at all. All Michael could hear was quick breaths coming in and out of her mouth.

     Michael reached into the cabinet under the sink to pull out a bottle of ammonia. He dabbed a few drops on some toilet paper before placing his makeshift smelling salts under his wife's nose. Within seconds, Julia propped herself slowly up on her elbows and sneezed. She rubbed her temples with both hands.

     "What the hell happened? Did you pass out?"

     "I think so," Julia whispered before blowing her nose into some toilet paper.

     Michael wrapped his arms around Julia's shoulders. "I can be such a d**k sometimes. I am so sorry. We can go to your mom's for Thanksgiving," Michael said sobbing into his hands.

     "That's not why I passed out. I was scared shitless. Something touched me on my shoulder. I felt five fingers on my skin and there was no one in the bathroom but me. What the hell is going on in this house? There is a presence here. It's beginning to manifest itself physically again. I take back what I said before. I want you in the bed with me tonight and not on the couch. I am so scared right now," Julia finished before wiping tears from her eyes.

     "We are now officially living in a haunted house. The wedding picture flew off the wall right after you came in here. I thought this only happened in movies."

     "I don't want to live here anymore. We have to f*****g get the hell out of here."

     "It's getting late. I think we could both use some sleep after partaking in some mortal combat earlier."

     "How the hell are we supposed to sleep here. I WANT TO GET OUT OF HERE. WE NEED TO GO TO A HOTEL OR SOMETHING."

     "Julia please calm down."

     "DON'T YOU TELL ME TO CALM DOWN. NO WONDER WHY ALL THOSE OTHER PEOPLE NEVER LASTED HERE. THIS PLACE IS CURSED. IT MUST BE BECAUSE IT'S NEAR THE BATTLEFIELD."

     "I know, I know," Michael said, wrapping his arms tighter around his wife's shoulders. But we aren't going to figure all of this out tonight. We should both take some sleeping pills and try to get some sleep and hope the other presence in this place decides to keep quiet for tonight."

     "Ok, ok. But we have to start looking for a new place and put this one on the market ASAP."

     "Done. Let's attempt to get some sleep," Michael said as he pushed himself to his feet. He reached down to help pull Julia up.

     "I am actually afraid to leave this bathroom. The hairs are still standing on the back of my neck."

     As they walked out of the bathroom, Bogey came up the Julia and rubbed himself against her legs. She reached down to pick him up. He purred continuously in her arms.

     Michael looked down the hallway in each direction as if someone would look both ways before crossing a busy street. He reached behind him and took Julia's free hand to lead her to the bedroom. Julia dropped Bogey before going to her closet and putting on her nightgown. Bogey darted out of the bedroom before Michael shut the door. Julia turned on the lamp by her bed to observe her husband kick off his jeans and throw his shirt into a ball in the bedroom's corner. Michael's bare chest and bare legs seemed to glow in the moonlight. He only wore a pair of red shorts. Julia got into bed and pulled the covers over her head. Michael turned off the lamp before joining her.

     "I am so freaked out now," Julia said as she wrapped her arms around Michael's chest. "I need some human warmth right now."

     Michael reached into the drawer in his nightstand to pull out two sleeping pills. He popped one into his mouth before giving Julia the other one.

     Julia swallowed the pill before saying, "Where are we going to go?"

     "Maybe living with a ghost is something we can get used to, like moving to a place with weather you're not used to."

     "You're not listening to me Mr. Blake. I want to get the f**k out of here. I am going to need a heavier prescription of sleeping pills before being able to sleep any longer in this house."

     "Ok, ok. We will have to move."

     "And don't forget, you're the one who really wanted to move here-"

     "In the first place. You've told me this time and time again. Let's try to get some sleep."

     Julia took her hands off of her husband and curled into a fetal position on her side of the bed. Her feet dangled off the edge of the bed. Her body was at least three feet from her husband's.

     Michael took two extra pillows and made a makeshift wall to block out his wife's head. He lay on the edge of the bed on his stomach. I am so sick of her. I think I would rather live in a haunted house than live with her. She blames me for everything. I didn't put a gun to her head to move here. These were Michael Blake's final thoughts before drifting off to sleep.

     My stupid husband actually wants to continue living in this house. He really is a close minded f**k. I can't believe I agreed to stay here tonight, Julia thought before closing her eyes.

                                                                            #

     Julia dreamed no other dream that night with the exception of feeling a cold hand caress her bare shoulder, each finger solidifying its icy grip. Julia rolled over several times in the bed to remove this mysterious hand but to no avail. She didn't wake up until the bed started shaking.

     Michael dreamed he was sitting on the couch watching Poltergeist on television. He had trouble concentrating on the movie because their wedding photo kept flying off the wall and landing on his lap. But this time, when the photo landed, there was a crack in the glass right down the middle, separating his and his wife's face. Their faces now appeared to be on each side of a glass wall. Michael rolled over in bed each time the wedding photo in his mind flew off the wall. He didn't wake up until the bed started shaking.

     The shaking caused the bed posts to slam on the wood floor creating a sound similar to a sledge hammer slamming into a two by four. The shaking lifted each corner of the bed off the floor an inch before crashing back down at intervals of five seconds. By the second slam of the bedposts into the floor, both Julia and Michael had woken up.

     Julia jumped out of the bed first and ran over to the window. She slipped on a pair of slippers before staring back at the bed. Michael was still laying still with the bed rocking back and forth. "MICHAEL GET THE f**k UP."

     Michael threw the covers over his head before leaping out of the bed. He hopped over to the window to join his wife. Michael and Julia shared an out of body experience. They both witnessed something that defied the laws of physics. Their bed, glowing in the moonlight, rocked back and forth causing its frame to screech nearly into a scream. The pounding on the wood floor thudded in five second, then ten second intervals.

     Julia placed her hand over her mouth to stifle a scream. "What the hell is happening Michael?"

     "The presence in this house is really pissed off for some reason. WHY DON'T YOU LEAVE US THE HELL ALONE? WE DIDN'T DO ANYTHING."

     The rocking of the bed stopped. The only sound that Michael and Julia now heard was their own panting breath. Michael bent down to put his jeans back on. Julia took a bathrobe off the back of the closet door and draped it over her shoulders. Michael placed his arms around Julia's shoulders. Julia put her arms around Michael's waist to touch his bare love handles. They both stood like two slow dancers in the pale moonlight. They were both afraid to move and disturb the stillness of their home.

     "I am not getting back into that bed. We need to leave here now," Julia said.

     "Wait a minute. It stopped."

     "You mean you want to stay here the night? This place isn't habitable anymore. You can count me out. I am going to go to a hotel," Julia said.

     "I didn't say that. We just have to get used to it."

     "Used to a bed that has its own little earthquakes occasionally. I can't get that hand touching me out of my head Mike."

     An orange glow appeared under the bedroom door accompanied by the sweet baking smell. Julia and Michael stared at this light and both simultaneously thought, I didn't leave any lights on.

     Michael bent over to put his t-shirt back on. "You know that light is coming from the basement don't you."

     Julia nodded before swallowing twice.

     "Half of me is scared shitless, but the other half wants to find out what the hell is really going on down there. I want you to come with me."

     "I am staying right here. Please stay with me," Julia whispered.

     "I will be braver with you at my side," Michael said leaving Julia's grasp and taking her right hand.

     Julia followed Michael over to the bedroom door. When Michael opened the door, a stream of orange light flooded the entire bedroom. This new light source entirely drowned out the white moonlight.

     As Michael led Julia down the hall, the sweet, burning smell became stronger. With each step towards their kitchen, the orange light grew brighter and brighter. When they reached the kitchen, the basement door was entirely open. Bogey stood in the orange light by the doorway, his back arched and his fur standing on end.

     "I have to see what the hell is living in our basement," Michael said.

     "I am scared, but that smell is so sweet, it's like I want to go down there. It's so inviting," Julia said.

     "Let's go."

     Bogey moved to the side to let Michael and Julia begin their descent into the basement. There was no need to flip the light switch. The orange glow illuminated the entire basement, similar to a miniature sun. Julia and Michael's paced quickened with each step. When they reached the bottom step, the orange glow appeared to emanate from a crack in the concrete wall next to the sink.

     "What the hell?" Michael whispered.

     "It's creepy, yet beautiful at the same time."

     From the crack in the wall, a gray orb shot out and extended itself into a humanoid form. This form had the appearance of a woman in her seventies with her gray hair in a bun behind her head and wrinkles running down each of her cheeks. The woman wore an apron and held a rolling pin in her right hand. The woman was translucent. Michael and Julia could see the wall right through the woman's body. The woman bent over before extending her hand to point her rolling pin at the Blakes.

     Michael and Julia took a step back toward the first basement step.

     "How come no one comes to try my baking? I have been making these cookies all day. These are my grandson's favorite," the apparition whispered as she stared at Michael and Julia.

     Michael looked right through the specter's eyes to the shelves adjoining the opposite wall.

     The woman dropped the rolling pin on the basement floor without any noise. She then grabbed her chest with her right hand. She moaned before falling onto the floor on her back, her mouth and eyes remaining open.

     Julia and Michael walked over to the fallen woman's side. They could see the basement floor right through her head. The woman's eyes began to fall into her skull and worms began to come out of her mouth. Her skin turned a dark shade of purple.

     Julia dry heaved into her hands before running up the stairs.

     Michael remained standing near the woman's body, watching her fingernails peel away to reveal black, rotting fingertips. That was the last image that Michael could see because the orange glow soon faded into darkness. Michael ran for the banister and bolted up the steps so fast he panted when he reached the kitchen.

     Julia was already dressed, standing next to the kitchen table with her car keys in her hand.

     "I am done with this place," Julia said jogging out the front door.

     Michael slipped on a pair of sneakers before taking his car keys from the hook by the front door and following his wife to her car. By the time Michael jumped into the passenger's seat, Julia had already started the car. Julia skidded in reverse out of the driveway as Michael, stared in disbelief back at his home thinking, I thought this would be a fresh start, instead it's become a fresh nightmare.