FICTION: The House, part 11 (continued)

This story is completely fictional. Any resemblances to names of people and/or places is purely coincidental.

by Peg Pellerin

Click here for the previous installment.

“I thought you wanted to get to the carriage house after our house,” commented Jake.

“I do, but sometimes a guy just has to do something different once in a while. Amy has been thinking that your garden, once cleaned up, would make a great place for wedding pictures, high school senior pictures…you get the picture,” said Dave laughing at his own pun.

Slapping his forehead at the witticism, Jake replied, “Yeah we get it and I think it a great idea. I could actually start working on some of that clearing myself. You’ve been working steady on the renovations. It’s time I do something more useful around here.”

Sunday morning started out with the four filling up on apple, blueberry and cranberry pancakes. Both men commented on how they loved the combination and that they were a definite ‘do again’. “I think I’m going to go look at the garden area and get a feel of what we can do with the place,” mentioned Jake. “Want to take a stroll, Miri?”

They both dressed for walking among the overgrown briers to see what the garden really had to offer. They started walking around the area in opposite directions, looking at what could be kept and what would need to go. The area near the arbor seemed to be clear of overgrowth of any kind. It would need replacing if they decided to have one since it was made of wood and rotting. The benches, being made of granite, were still in great shape and would definitely be utilized, but the two stone statues had to go. “I just don’t think those fit well here anymore,” said Miri with Jake agreeing with her.

As Miri started walking closer to Ian’s statue, her foot sank, nearly causing her to sprain her ankle and causing her to fall on her butt. Jake ran to her after hearing her cry out. “Are you alright? What happened?” He asked, immediately looking over her ankle after seeing her rubbing it.

“I sank into the ground,” she answered. “My ankle is sore but I don’t think any damage was done. I’m more startled than anything else.”

They looked down at the mini sinkhole and they could feel more of the ground ready to give way to any pressure on it. Stepping back, they looked at each other questioningly. Miri looked to the statue of Ian and back to the ground. “You don’t think that…”

“I’m going back to the carriage house to get a shovel. I’ll let Dave and Amy know what we may have found,” said Jake without allowing Miri to finish verbally saying what she thought was causing the earth to sink.

Within ten minutes, Jake, Dave and Amy returned with the guys armed with a scoop shovel and flat shovel, as well as a wheel barrow.

They found Miri sitting on one of the granite benches with her face in her hands. “He talked to me. Ian asked me to not leave him and to bring him to his father. I believe he is buried there,” she whimpered as she pointed to the hole.

Dave was the first to respond, “If this is an unmarked grave, maybe we need to call in the police just to make sure everything is done legally. If he was buried there, he’ll be exhumed and reburied with his parents. Jake, do you know if they were buried in the town’s cemetery?”

“I don’t know for sure, but I can find out. I’ll call the police and we’ll go from there. Miri, are you sure you heard Ian?”

“After everything we’ve all gone through for, and with him, I’m positive,” she replied.

Instead of digging any further, they all returned to the house, returning the tools to the carriage house. Jake immediately called Midia’s police department, as well as the local cemetery’s office. He found out that there was a Jebediah and Emma Hodges buried in the older sedition of the cemetery but there was no record of anyone else from the family buried there. “How could she have done that?” Miri asked, referring to Ian’s mother. From what we saw and heard of those Christmases long ago, I am thinking that she was a vengeful, not right in the head woman.”

“She did seem a bit of a wackadoodle, but to not give your son a proper burial…” commented Amy, finishing what Miri was saying by shaking her head.

“I’m not sure when the police will arrive but I believe sometime today. Since this might be involving a body, they are calling the state examiner’s office and they might show up together,” informed Jake.

The police cruiser, with a state police forensic services unit van behind them, drove up the driveway nearly three hours later. They found the four occupants of the house sitting on the porch. Jake reached over to shake the hand of Midia’s Chief of police. “I’m Chief Tom Meuller and here are Connie Maitland, the state’s head of the forensic division of the state police, and her assistant, Alan Simpson. I don’t know what I just said, but you folks look like you’ve seen a ghost,” remarked the Chief.

“In a way we have,” replied Jake. ” By any chance, did you have a distant relative that lived in this house?” he asked of the Chief who was a spitting image of Tom Meuller who was the Hodges handyman that they all saw during the ghostly Christmas events that they had experienced.

Chief Meuller replied, “As a matter of fact, I believe a great granddaddy back eight generations ago, was the handyman for the Hodges. I was named after him. Why do you ask?”

“You have no idea,” said Miri. She looked over to Jake who gave her a nod to continue. Miri decided to give Chief Meuller a summary of what they had experienced since moving in back in June. “Do you know anything about the original family of this house and property?” asked Miri of the Chief.

“Not really, only rumors that were passed down through the family, and you know how rumors go, especially generation after generation,” He replied.

“What kind of rumors?” asked Miri not to skip a beat.

“Oh, hauntings, and that the lady of the house was looney,” answered the Chief. “Like I said, the usual rumors. As a law enforcement officer, I’m supposed to keep an open mind about things but this definitely is quite a story,” said the Chief, taking off his hat and rubbing his forehead. “It’s not that I don’t believe you. I sort of believe in some paranormal things, but this is a first for me in this area. Let’s go see what we have.” All continued to walk to the garden. “The place looks great, by the way,” he commented. Looks like you guys did a lot of work. Hope the B&B works out for you. It will bring some business to the town as well.”

The four led the law enforcement team to the garden and the softened earth.that’s okay with you.” – To be continued