The Haunt

Chapter 4

FOUR

“Once Jenifer realised that I had relented, as she knew that I would, I was dragged by my sleeve to the door of the wagon. Naturally it was left to me to knock, which I dutifully did by climbing up the short wooden steps which led to the arched door. We did not have to wait long before we were ‘invited’ to enter the inner sanctum when the occupant yelled back at us with an unceremonious, ‘Yes’.

“Leading the way, I tentatively pushed open the door and peered inside. The interior was very badly lit, which I believe was done on purpose to help create a suitable atmosphere. The tiny space was cluttered with all manner of different sized chests and boxes, brimming over, in most cases, with what appeared to be bolts of different coloured cloth. The containers had been arranged in such a way as to allow anyone entering a clear path to the other end of the wagon.

“The lighting, such as it was, was subdued to say the least, and my nostrils were immediately assailed by the scent of incense sticks permeating the air. In the far corner there was a small area which had been curtained off but the fabric used was so thin that it barely concealed anything behind it, and squinting through the darkened haze I could just about make out the figure of a small woman sitting on a wicker chair, behind a small, oval table.

“I remember turning back as Jenifer gently squeezed my hand, as I was not initially sure if her signal meant that she still wanted to venture in or for us to beat a hasty retreat. As it was she gestured with her head, instructing me to go forward, so I turned back around and called out to ask if it was alright for us to come in. I could just about make out through the misty atmosphere the woman signalling with her hand for us to join her. I gently pulled Jenifer towards me so that she was clear of the door as it slowly closed behind us.

“It might sound a little odd, but as we carefully manoeuvred through the gauntlet of trunks and boxes I remember thinking that the wagon seemed to be emanating a strange aura which immediately made me feel slightly uncomfortable. At the time I put it down to whatever we were inhaling from the incense, but when I spoke to Jenifer about it later that evening, she confessed to having had the same impression upon entering.

“We made our way steadily towards the flimsy fabric which acted as the partition, and once we were close enough to be able to see the woman behind the curtain properly I felt obliged to ask again if it was ok for us to be there. Once more the gypsy gestured without speaking for us to move forward, and once we were both through the curtain she signalled towards the two chairs which were placed opposite her for us to sit down.

“As we took our seats, Jenifer and I quickly shot each other a nervous glance. It was very easy within the confines of that wooden sarcophagus to forget that we were actually at the beach on a bright and sunny day, and that just outside there were throngs of happy revellers enjoying the lovely weather. For the fact of the matter was, once the door had closed behind us, all sound from outside was completely eradicated.

“The woman who by now, as we were so close, we could tell looked extremely old and wrinkly, one might almost say wizened, closed her eyes and began muttering to herself as she gently rocked back and forth in her chair. We both sat there in the brooding atmosphere for what seemed like an eternity, neither of us feeling confident enough to dare disturb the old woman’s incantations. Eventually she stopped speaking and looked up at us both before holding her hand out.

“I took the hint, and retrieving my wallet from my back pocket I took out a pound note and placed it squarely in the centre of her palm. There were no prices advertised anywhere inside or out, so I presumed that a pound should cover our session. But when the old gypsy kept her hand out without even acknowledging the money I had given her, I realised that I had been mistaken.

“I considered placing a ten-shilling note over the pound in her palm but decided instead that another pound should seal the deal and if it did not, then I would speak up and ask outright how much she demanded for her services. Although I knew how excited Jenifer was about having her fortune told, I also knew that if the cost was too exorbitant that she would not insist that we stay.

“Luckily, the old woman closed her hand around the notes and placed them securely in a pocket in her skirt. I must admit, I did breathe a silent sigh of relief that we were not about to enter a bartering contest with the old woman.

“The old woman reached back over the small table and held both her hands out, palms up. Jenifer and I both took the initiative and placed our right hands, palms-up, in one of hers, respectively. She studied our palms for a couple of minutes without speaking. We just sat there, trying our best to keep still, even though to me especially the situation was starting to resemble something from a television comedy sketch.

“Finally, the old woman started to speak, although she kept her gaze firmly locked on our hands which I must admit felt a little odd, but I played along for Jenifer’s sake more than anything.”

“You are both share good health,” she announced, in her broken English, “and there is happiness in your hearts.”

“Then she paused for a moment as she continued to study our palms.”

“One of you work not good, dull, no excitement.”

“At this point she looked up at me, and pointed with her index finger.”

‘You do not enjoy occupation as much as you hoped, but you work hard.”

“She then glanced over to Jenifer.”

“Your work artistic, good for you, but you also have talent to expand your success into other work you have not discovered yet”.

“We both exchanged glances. The gypsy woman was spot on as far as I was concerned. My position at the bank had grown increasingly tedious over the past year, but just as she had stated I could not afford to leave and wait for something else to come along, and by that same token I had no idea what else I might want to do instead anyway.

“As for Jenifer, again the old lady was right on the money. She loved her job working with her father, and she had already demonstrated her aptitude for turning her hand towards most things artistic. Therefore, it was perfectly plausible that in time she might discover other strings to her bow, which in time could prove to be even more lucrative that her photography.

“I confess that by this point I was beginning to grow a little more intrigued by what the gypsy had to say. I was impressed by the fact that she had not asked us any questions about our circumstances before launching into her incredibly accurate description of our domestic lives. It was possible, of course, that she was exceptionally observant, and having noticed the wedding ring on Jenifer’s finger and seeing the two of us together she managed to hazard a guess that we were both very ‘happy’ and ‘healthy’. But her reflections concerning our employment could hardly have been gleaned from our appearance or demeanour, so she deserved at least a modicum of kudos for that alone.

“The old woman continued in much the same vein for a little while longer. She picked up on the fact that my parents had both passed on and that I had a sibling, whereas Jenifer was an only child. She even manged to describe with some accuracy the place where we first met, right down to the fact that we first spoke to each other about ‘something sugary’, which I took to mean Jenifer’s candy floss and the incident at the concert.

“After a few more minutes the old woman released our hands and we both retracted them, simultaneously. It was odd, but for a couple of seconds I could feel a strange tingling sensation running through my fingers so I instinctively started to shake my hand and make a fist to try to relieve the feeling. Jenifer too, I noticed, commenced a similar action with hers, although she was far more discreet about it than me.

“The gypsy turned in her chair and, with a slight strain, lifted a cloth-covered object from a nearby stand and placed it in the middle of the table. She muttered a few incomprehensible words under her breath, and then she whipped off the cloth to reveal a large spherical glass ball lodged in what appeared to be a metallic claw-like holder.

“Jenifer and I both exchanged a furtive glance. As impressed as we both were with the old lady’s predictions thus far, the sudden introduction of a crystal ball into the mix seemed to give the proceedings an air of pantomime. Jenifer managed to keep a straight face; nonetheless I received a sharp kick under the table as I struggled to supress a laugh.

“The old gypsy either did not notice or just chose to ignore my schoolboy antics, as she kept her gaze focused on the glass sphere. Once I had managed to subdue my juvenile behaviour we both sat in silence once more, awaiting the next instalment from our host.

“I watched intently as the old woman squinted into her crystal ball, the expression on her face etched with a combination of curiosity and profound wisdom. She cupped her hands around the sides of the glass orb, but kept them just far away enough so as not to actually make contact with the surface. She stayed like that for several minutes, her focus completely transfixed by whatever she could see in the crystal.

“Suddenly her hands sprang away from the glass orb as if some immense heat was emanating from it, and she threw herself back into her chair. She moaned out loud, almost to the point of screaming, and clamped her palms against her ears as if to try to block out some unearthly sound.

“Jenifer and I looked at each other in bewilderment. I must confess that still being somewhat sceptical about the entire episode I began to wonder if this was some well-rehearsed kind of confidence trickery, designed to make us leave without receiving our money’s worth. But my cynicism was soon erased when the old gypsy thrust her hand into her pocket and retrieved the two pounds which I had paid her earlier, before flinging them across the table towards me.”

“There’s nothing today! You go, please, no more today, go, go!”

“As she spoke, she indicated with her hands so that we were in no two minds that she wanted us gone. For a moment Jenifer and I just sat there in stunned silence. The thought crossed my mind that perhaps the old gypsy was annoyed because I had seemed amused earlier when she first produced her crystal ball, but then I reasoned that if she was truly annoyed with me she would not have wasted so much time studying the ball before insisting that we leave. Furthermore, the fact that she had returned our money seemed an odd thing for her to do if her reason for wanting us out was because I had not shown her the necessary respect.

“The old woman rose from her seat in such a hurry that the movement sent her chair falling backwards behind her. This sudden feat spurred Jenifer and I into action, and we both stood up together and turned to leave. I wanted to stay long enough to apologise formally just in case I had actually said, or done, something to upset the gypsy, but Jenifer grabbed hold of my hand in such a way that I knew instinctively that she wanted to leave at once.

“After we took a few steps towards the door we heard the old woman calling back after us. I ushered Jenifer in front of me, almost as if to protect her from the shouting woman as I turned back to face her. To my astonishment the old gypsy had crept right up behind me without me even realising it, and there she stood, thrusting my money back into my face.

“I held a hand up as if to convey that she could keep the money, but she virtually forced it into my jacket pocket before she turned and shuffled back towards her upturned seat.

“Once outside Jenifer and I both looked at each other, neither quite sure what to say on the subject. It had certainly been an experience, but one that neither of us was in any great hurry to repeat. The atmosphere inside the wagon, possibly due to the cramped surroundings, had been very claustrophobic, and I believe that Jenifer was even more glad than I was to be back out in the fresh air with the rest of the crowds.

“We decided to put the experience behind us and not let it spoil the rest of our day. We ate fish and chips for lunch on the beach while we watched the various families in attendance enjoying the beach. After lunch we walked along the coast in the opposite direction to that which we had taken earlier, and finally made our way onto the pier. I waited until Jenifer had to use the toilet before I changed up a bag of pennies for her to use in the amusement arcades. This was an activity that she had enjoyed since she was old enough to see the bright lights and magical designs on the machines. Jenifer had often told me how when she was a child and her parents would take her anywhere that housed such contraptions, she would beg and plead with them to allow her to play until they finally gave in.

“Fortunately, even at a young age, Jenifer knew from the outset that she was never going to win anything, and whatever she did win always went straight back into the machine. Personally, I had never shared my wife’s unvarnished rapture at giving away hard-earned money to a metallic bandit, but when I witnessed her squealing like a kindergartener at the sight of the bag of pennies I was holding up it sort of made it all worthwhile.

“I spent the next half hour or so following Jenifer around as she decided which machines to play on, and even joined in her excitement whenever she hit a jackpot. Once the money was gone, we moved onto the fun fair at the end of the pier. This was yet another of Jenifer’s favourite pastimes, so whenever we visited one of the many seaside venues within driving distance we had to make sure first that it had a fair. Fortunately, Brighton was one of the destinations which we knew kept its fair all year round.

“Apart from all the usual rides we had experienced on previous visits, it appeared that there was a new addition in the form of something called the ‘Sky Rocket’. It was an awful-looking contraption which appeared to consist of an extremely rickety track which climbed even higher than the ‘Big Dipper’ and moved faster than the cars on the ‘Waltzer’. What made it even worse was that the organisers had elected to plant this monstrosity at the very end of the pier, so that when the cars reached their apex it appeared as if the riders were about to be launched straight out to sea.

“This, naturally, made the ride far too enticing for Jenifer to miss out on, and ignoring my pleas and protestations she dragged me excitedly towards the queue. As we waited in line I watched the cars going up and down with my heart in my mouth. The closer we grew to the front of the line, the faster I could feel my reserve ebbing away. I knew full well that there was no way that I could ever talk Jenifer out of riding on the confounded contraption, but by the time we were close enough to be part of the next group allowed on my nerve snapped and I informed Jenifer that, all joking aside, I could not face the ride.

“I could tell right away that she was disappointed by my reluctance, but realising that I was not cut from the same cloth as her she reluctantly agreed to ride alone.

“That was, until she saw the sign at the front which stated that each car had to have two riders, so no one could ride alone. Jenifer’s face dropped a full mile, and a subtle whine of despair escaped her lips before she had a chance to prevent it. She looked back at me with her bottom lip protruding, her eyes conveying a plea of longing which she had never hit me with before, as she assured me as best as she knew how that she would look after me and that we would both be back on solid ground before I knew it.

“I almost caved in, such was the passion with which she entreated me, but just then a group of young girls in front of us all turned in unison and one of them asked if Jenifer, very politely, if she would mind riding with her, as she too was without a companion to share her cart. The idea seemed to solve all our problems, and I must admit to feeling a tremendous rush of relief once I realised that my presence was no longer required.

“I moved out of the queue and stood back several paces so that I could watch Jenifer and her newfound friend from a safe distance.

“Once everyone, including Jenifer, had piled on the ride and been strapped in by the operator, I waved them off as the gigantic piece of apparatus whirred into life.

“The late afternoon sun was on its decline, and a chill wind shot through me causing me to shiver involuntarily. Just at that moment, I felt a hand tug at my jacket sleeve. I looked down, and standing there, right next to me, was the old gypsy woman from the beach. I was so taken aback by her sudden appearance that for a moment I fancied that she had sought me out to demand her fee back.

“The situation appeared quite comical to me at that moment, because within the confines of the wagon I had not realised just how short the woman was. She barely reached above my waist, and from a distance it must have looked as if a child was pestering their parent for something.

“All the same, the chill I had just experienced from the wind picking up was nothing compared to the sharp, icy-cold feeling of dread which overtook me as I stared down into her malevolent eyes. She wore a black scarf which covered her head and most of the lower portion of her face, and in the encroaching darkness the balls of her eyes appeared to be quite black.

“I had to make a distinct effort not to yank my arm away from her; such was the immediacy of the terror the old woman caused in me. Instead I took a deep breath and attempted a smile of sorts, before asking her how I could help her.

“Her tiny fist had a tight grip on my sleeve, and as small as she may have been in stature I felt that it would have been nigh on impossible to prise her away from me, even if I had been desperate to do so. As it was I leaned down so that she could hear me over the noise from the fair, but before I had a chance to speak she wagged her index finger at me.”

“Don’t go…Don’t go…You, no go!”

“She made it sound more like a command than a request, her voice rising in volume in competition with the fun fair. The entire situation seemed so surreal to me at the time that I found myself unable to stifle a smile as I tried to reply. The old gypsy obviously took my expression as an indication that I was not taking her warning seriously because the next thing I knew she began to shake me with all her might, to the extent that I was convinced that she was about to tear my jacket.

“I could see others around us starting to take notice of what was going on, and for one terrible minute I was afraid that someone would think that I was trying to mug the old woman, such was the ferocity with which she was struggling with me. I tried my best to calm her down, but my efforts were in vain. As her voice rose in volume she was almost on the verge of screaming at me, and I could not help but notice the look of sheer terror in her eyes.

“At that moment, from out of nowhere, a young girl appeared and gently pried the old gypsy away from me. She spoke to the old lady in a language I did not recognise, and I could tell by her gesticulations that the old woman was not at all happy with the girl’s interference.

“I waited until there was a lull in their conversation before I spoke up. I asked the girl what the problem was, and tried to explain what had happened at the wagon, and that I would be more than happy to reimburse the old lady for our reading if that was what was bothering her. At first, I was not altogether convinced that the girl understood what I was saying, or in fact that I was even addressing her, as she kept her focus on the gypsy.

“The young girl finally managed to calm the old woman down, and once she had, she turned to me with a half-smile.

“Sorry,” she said, apologetically. “It’s alright, I’m sorry for my grandmother’s outburst, she has not been well”.

“I smiled back my acknowledgement and once more offered to pay the gypsy for her time, but the young girl assured me that the money was not the issue and wished me a pleasant evening as she tried to veer the old woman back in the direction she had just come from.

“Although the old woman still appeared adamant in her refusal to move away without a fuss, the young girl had definitely taken charge of the situation and eventually the old woman allowed herself to be led away.

“I stood there for a while, watching their receding figures as they began to dissolve into the crowd. My concentration was such that I did not notice Jenifer sidle up beside me until she linked her arm through mine. ‘What was all that about?’ she asked, curiously. I shrugged my shoulders and told her how the old gypsy just turned up and started chastising me for leaving the wagon, presumably because we had not paid. ‘But she insisted we take back our money,’ Jenifer reminded me, ‘did you try and give it back again?’

“I assured my wife that I had, but that the young girl had assured me that it was not necessary. ‘Odd,’ was all that Jenifer had to offer, and I concurred, absolutely.”