Carranca - Based on the legends of the Myrtles Plantation

Chapter 2

Acauã heard everything, quietly.

     It was getting dark quickly, but nurse Mary agreed to go with them. She went into her house while Acauã and Valquiria awaited outside. Quickly, she gathered her medical supplies and went with Valquiria. Acauã volunteered to accompany them.

“Can I come too?” He asked his wife.

“You don't have to, dear. It should be routine,” said nurse Mary.

“But I'd like to go.”

     Valquiria says:

“Come on, there's no problem.”

     Mary ended up agreeing and the three went on their way. When they arrived back at the house, Maria and her husband were introduced to Mr. Wagner.

“Where is the bedroom?” asked Mary.

     Valquiria leads her to it. The kids are still asleep, and nurse Mary tries everything to wake them up. Acauã was at the bedroom door, examining the house. While they were there, they heard something. TAF. A rock had fallen on the roof.

“Again,” Wagner said.

“What do you mean ‘again’? Have stones fallen on the roof before?” asked Acauã.

“Yes, several. A while ago.”

     When, suddenly, a shower of stones began. TAF TAF TAF... Very noisy. Angela, who was in the kitchen, comes near them, scared.

“Hailing?” She asked. Maria and Valquiria also heard the odd noises coming from the roof and they left the bedroom, scared. It sounded like it was raining stones. Valquiria returned to the bedroom and looked out the window, there was no rain.

“I'm going outside,” said Wagner.

“No, wait a minute,” said Acauã.

     Everyone was scared, but the stone rain was finally over. Suddenly, another sound came from the kitchen, the sink faucet was open and a lot of water was running out.

“Angela, did you let the tap open?” asked Mr. Wagner to her.

“No, it was closed, I did even open it.”

     He went into the kitchen. At the bedroom door, Maria and Valquiria were scared. The house was small, the kitchen was close to the bedroom. Mr. Wagner tried to close the tap, but failed.

“It's stuck,” he said.

     Acauã went to help. They tried to close the tap, but they couldn't. Lots of water was pouring out and the sink was overflowing onto the floor. They kept trying until the water stopped on its own, tough the tap was still open.

“What is happening here?” asked Mr. Wagner, looking at the tap, incredulously.

     Suddenly, there was a knock at the back door. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Three strong knocks.

“There’s someone here,” said Angela.

“That’s weird, why not knock at the front door?” Wagner said.

     He went to see who it was, while Acauã stayed in the kitchen, observing the tap. Wagner opened the door and... nothing. He went out, it was dark, and asked:

“Who's there?”

     No one answered. Suddenly, a chill took over the house. Angela noticed the cold:

“Close the door, dad, it's cold.”

     He closed it, but the cold continued, everyone felt it. Angela went outside through the front door, then returned.

“It’s warmer outside than in here,” she said to everyone.

“Yes, it’s getting cold,” said Valquiria.

“It must be full of rocks on the roof,” said Wagner.

     He went outside, looked at the roof and saw nothing. He was scared and went back inside.

“Nothing,” he said.

“What do you mean, dad?” said Angela.

“There's nothing on the roof. All that noise and there’s nothing there.”

     Scared, Mary returned to the bedroom, she examined the children and reached a verdict. She went into the living room, where everyone was.

“The children’s vital signs are excellent, they don’t have anything, they are just sleeping, quietly. I can't explain it.”

“But why don't they wake up?” asked Valquiria.

“I don't really know.”

     Everyone was in the kitchen talking, but Acauã walked away slowly and went into the bedroom, stopping at the door. Angela, who was in the middle of the conversation, noticed his movements towards the bedroom and backed away a bit, following him. Acauã came near the children and stood there, watching them, while Angela approached the door, just her head sticking out, while the rest of her body was hidden. Acauã had a strange amulet that Angela couldn't see very well, but when he was about to put his amulet near the sleeping girl, he noticed Angela hiding at the door, watching him. He looked back and she, scared, pulled her head back, leaving the door and going back to the others. Valquiria, then, called her up:

“Angela, what are you doing there?”

     She was scared and replied:

“Nothing.”

     Meanwhile, Acauã left the bedroom. He called his wife, Mary. She got close to him and he said to her:

“We have to go now. The medicine won't do any good here. Is something else.”

     Mary, understanding the situation, went to Mr. Wagner and Valquiria and told them:

“We have to go, now.”

“Already?” said Valquiria. “And the children, how can we help them?”

“They will be fine, don't worry.”

“And these strange phenomena?” Wagner said. “The stones falling. Is something haunting us?” He said with a mocking voice.

     Acauã and Mary were serious and did not answer him. Acauã raised his hand, as if saying goodbye and left, Mary followed him. Mr. Wagner and Valquiria also left the house and Maria said:

“Call a priest, or a psychic.”

Wagner was skeptical. After they left, he said to Valquiria:

“I'm calling the Police. It must be some kind of a joke.”

“Do you think it’ll help?” Valquiria told him. “With the children, asleep like that?”

“They are going to be fine, didn’t the nurse just say that?” Wagner replied. “I’ll call, is the best thing to do. I have a friend from the Police Department.”

     Mr. Wagner called the Police. Officer Dagoberto came to the house. Wagner had called him, not the station. He told him the whole story. All the strange phenomena. Dagoberto became immediately interested in the situation. Approaching the house, he clapped and was received by the family.

“That’s the story I told you on the phone. What do you think?”

“I have a plan, I’ll be hiding out there. I'm going to take my car out of here, is a plain car and not a Police car, and I’ll be watching your house from afar. If it is a prankster, he will show up tonight.”

     Officer Dagoberto went outside and found it strange that inside the house was colder than outside, but he didn't care much about it. He took his car and backed away from the house, pulled over the car on the highway and got back on foot. It was 11 P.M. already. He was under a big tree, watching the house from afar. The tree was in the back of the house. He stayed there for a while, then he heard noises, it seemed to be something falling on the ground. He looked around. He was armed, but didn't reach for the g*n.

“Is it going to start raining?” He asked.

     He looked to the sky, it was partially cloudy, but he could still see stars. Suddenly he felt something fall between the leaves, making a lot of noise as it passed through. He notices something falling from the sky. Then, a stone struck his head.

“What is this?”

     He looked up, thinking that someone was up in the trees. He grabbed a small flashlight that was in his pocket, backed away from the tree and tried to see anything, but he couldn’t. As he searched higher up the trees, another rock fell, hitting his face, but not too hard.

“Someone’s up there,” He said.

     The officer took out his g*n, freaked out, and said:

“Who's up there? I'm going to shoot.”

     With his right hand, he picked up the g*n and with the left hand, the flashlight. He tried to see better, backed away even more, and now, he decided to go closer. He examined the entire tree, but nothing, he saw nothing.

“I'm gonna have to go up.”

     He kept the flashlight on the left pocket of his pants and put the g*n back in the holster. As he climbed, he tried to see further up. He shook the branches to see if anyone was there, but realized that there was no one. Suddenly he looks to the right and a stone hit his forehead. He loses his balance and falls, hurting his right leg.

“Damn, what was that?”

     After the fall, he feels pain in the leg and, this time, more stones begin to fall, but from above him.

“It's raining stones.”

     Limping, he runs into the Mr. Wagner’s house, while grabbing his g*n and trying to shoot at the trees.

The family, inside their home, heard the shot.

“A shot,” says Mr. Wagner.

     Angela and Valquiria are scared while Mr. Wagner goes outside. He opens the back door and sees Officer Dagoberto coming, limping.

“What happened,” asked Mr. Wagner.

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.”

     They went into the house. Dagoberto sat on the table and put his hand on his leg.

“Do you want me to call nurse Mary?” Wagner said.

“No,” said Dagoberto. “No need, I’m hurt but I didn't break anything. I couldn't believe it, but it rained stones upon me, out there. It was so strange.”

     The family looks at each other.

“I don't want to scare you, but this house, I met the previous resident.”

“Seriously?” asked Mr. Wagner. “We moved here recently. We bought it cheap from a man who lived here alone.”

“Yes,” said Dagoberto. “This man, once called me over, months ago, and reported that strange things happened here.”

“What kind of strange things?” asked Mr. Wagner.

“The same thing that you reported. That's why I came over, at night. I didn't believe his story, I thought it was someone pranking him, but now I don't think it was. I told him to leave the house if he couldn’t take it anymore. I watched the house, put security cameras, but when the rocks fell, or strange things happened, the cameras didn’t show anyone, there was nothing. And then he left. Now you called me and told me the same thing. This time I wanted to see it for myself, not just try to film it and it happened to me out there, I can't explain it.”

“My brother and sister won't wake up. They're asleep and they won’t wake up,” said Angela to the Officer.

Mr. Wagner looked down at Angela as if he didn’t want her to say anything about that.

“I don’t really have an explanation for it. Try religion, call someone. A priest, a psychic, try it. Who knows,” says Dagoberto. “I have to go now.”

“You're hurt, stay here at least until tomorrow,” says Valquiria.

“No, there’s no need, it's no a big deal, I’ll just go.”

     Still limping a little, the Officer goes outside through the front door. Mr. Wagner accompanies him, but Dagoberto says:

“Stay with your family, it's better.”

     Mr. Wagner then goes back inside. Officer Dagoberto, limping, manages to get to his car and drives away.

     As he got back into the house, Mr. Wagner feels the cold. He estranges it. But as the door was open, he believes that the cold came from the outside. He closes the door but the cold remains inside.

“It’s cold in here.”

     Valquiria and Angela agree. They sit on the table. Mr. Wagner says:

“Angela, go check on the children, see how they’re doing.”

     Angela goes to the bedroom. The room is dark, she turns on the light and the kids are not in their beds. She gets scared, but doesn’t says anything. She searches the blankets, but cannot find them.

“Did they wake up? Where did they go?”

     The window was the same way as she left it, half open. She opens the window, looks out there and nothing. She closes the window again, same way as before and leaves the room, slowly. She approaches her parents at the table, Mr. Wagner says:

“So? Are they just the same?”

     Angela, scared, says:

“I don't even know what to say.”

“What happened?” asks Valquiria getting scared.

“They're not in bed, they're both gone.”

“What?” says Mr. Wagner, scared.

     Both he and Valquiria rushed into the bedroom. Angela, scared, stood close to the table. The two left the bedroom, quickly. They searched for the children around the house, when suddenly they heard a knock at the back door. KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK. Everyone in the house is in alert. The knock is strong. Mr. Wagner goes to the back, opens the door and nothing. He goes outside, it's dark, but sees nothing. He comes back in and closes the door.

“No, there's no one.”

     Now the knocks come from the front door. Three times. Angela, who is closer, hurries up, opens the door and... nothing. No one either. Another knock, this time in the children's window. Once again, three times. They thought it could be the children and went running to the bedroom. They opened the window. Nothing. They’re all scared. Angela thinks that they might be in the closet, goes ahead and opens it, but there's no one.

There's something wrong with this place,” said Mr. Wagner.

“But what?” says Valquiria. “The Police came here and didn't see anything.”

“Did you listen to his story? The former tenant left because of strange things in the house.”

“Who are we gonna call?” says Valquiria. “The Police again? It won't solve anything.”

“Where are these kids, my Lord?!” said Mr. Wagner. “I'm going to look out there, they could be walking around. You two stay here, I won't be long.”

     Mr. Wagner goes to his bedroom, takes a big flashlight and goes out the back door. Valquiria and Angela are at home. When, suddenly, they hear noises on the roof.

“Raining stones again?” asks Angela to her mother.

“No. It sounds like footsteps. Someone walking on the roof.”

“Could it be them?” asks Angela.

     They run out the front door, trying to see above the house, but they can't, they aren’t tall enough and the roof is relatively high. They go around to the back of the house, trying to see anything, moving even further away from the house, when...

“Hi”

     The two get scared. Is Mr. Wagner.

“What are you doing here?” He asks.

“We heard footsteps on the roof,” said Valquiria. “We thought it could be the children.”

     Mr. Wagner runs towards the house, with Valquiria and Angela following behind. He, being much taller, tries to look over the house, but he can't see anybody. They go around the house once more, to the front door. Mr. Wagner, again, tries to look at the top of the roof, but still can’t see anything, even with the help of his flashlight.

“I'm going up there. Fetch me a chair.”

     Valquiria goes in and takes a wooden chair. Angela was startled when the chair reminded her of her dream in that afternoon. The chair is placed on the ground, Mr. Wagner climbs up the chair and, with his arms, lifts his body up to the roof. He is desperate, looking for his children up there, but nothing. All of a sudden, the roof breaks down and he falls, inside the house, directly on the floor. Valquiria and Angela hear the noise of the roof breaking and right after, the fall. They run into the house.

“What happened?” asks Valquiria.

“I fell, but it was nothing. The house is not so high.”

     They help him up and he feels a pain in his right leg. They lead him to the master bedroom to laid him down.

“There’s no need to worry, I'm fine,” says Wagner.

     The lights go out, everything goes dark.

“What happened?” asks Angela.

“It's probably nothing,” says Wagner. “My fall must have damaged some wirings.”

“Mom, stay with him, I'm going to the other bedroom,” says Angela.

     Valquiria agrees. Angela takes the large flashlight, which was her father’s. Valquiria gets another flashlight, that was in the closet, a smaller one. Angela goes into her bedroom, using the flashlight to look around, when she hears steps outside, like someone running. She runs to the window and sees a figure, running across the path and going to a vacant lot in front of the house.

“Is it the children?” She asks. “I'm going to call my parents.”

     She heads to their bedroom, but remembers that her father is injured and her mother is taking care of him.

“No, I have to do this alone.”

     In order to leave without her parents knowing about it, instead of using the front or the back doors, she jumps out the window, and then closes it. With the flashlight at hand, she walks away from the house, across the path and into the vacant lot. The lighting is terrible. She’s wearing black snickers.

“Fagner, Walquiria, are you there?”

“They're not here,” says a strong male voice.

Angela, scared, turns several times with the flashlight to see who it is, and...

“Acauã, is that you?”

“Sorry, did I scare you?”

“As a matter of fact, Yes.”

“Your brother and sister are not here.”

“They are not in the bedroom either, they are gone.”

“I walked into their bedroom and I felt something that I’ve never felt before. Something I can't explain. I’ve always had a fascination with the occult, maybe because of my origins.”

“I’ve always found the name Apache so strange, but I didn't know it was indigenous.”

“That’s… different,” says Angela laughing a little.

“I'm glad that I’ve made you laugh a little, because from now on things will be very bad for all of you.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Because of the evil that lives in that house. It is just beginning. The house is cursed. Who built it was a former resident, I’ve met him. And he had to sell the house to pay some debts, but died soon after selling it and threatened anyone who were to buy it.”

“Let me guess, the guy who sold it to my father.”

“No, he was not the cursed one, the house is. Anyone who lives in it will be tormented.”

“Oh, no. My father has to know about this.”

“He's not going to believe this, nor your mother, or anyone else. Nothing you do will fix anything.”

“I overheard that my dad might call a priest or psychic.”

“None of their Christian symbols, crosses, none of this will work, but maybe this does.”

     Acauã pulls an image out of his pocket, it was a totem, and hands it to Angela.

“That’s ugly. What is it?”

“It's called The Totem. That's his image: Name: Carranca.”

(The image of the totem is on the cover of the book)