The Elm House Read online

  Jesse shrugged, frowning as she looked down.

  “Well… she is… she slept with Dan several times inside a closet,” she said, leaning over slightly and whispered, “she even put his pee-pee inside her mouth.”

  Jennifer swallowed, and her eyes widened. She looked pale like a ghost.

  “That’s not… something people do.” She nodded. “I believe… you’re clearly mistaken.” She nervously chuckled.

  Jesse shook her head.

  “There’s a birth mark near your tummy. You’ve felt insure about it for a long time.”

  Jennifer swallowed back her built-up saliva.

  “Internet photos… you probably saw that when I was on a cruise ship.” Jennifer nodded. It was apparent that Jesse was sinking her fangs deeper into Jennifer’s soul, Brad assumed.

  My sister, the medium…

  “Dan didn’t tell you… did he?” Jesse asked. Her corners of her lips raised. It almost appeared that her eyes glowed red with fire. Then—her voice changed. Jesse’s voice sounded deep and gruff like Brad heard her before. Jesse’s going for the kill, Brad thought.

  “He doesn’t eat your pussy because it smells like a rotten corpse.” She chuckled. Her eyes ignited with much delight to the final blow to Jennifer. It was apparent, Jennifer was scared stupid.

  “Young lady,” mother said. “I’ll have to put you to bed. This is inappropriate.”

  Jennifer’s eyes glared at Dan, the cameraman, and waved Mrs. Herrick off.

  “We’re done here,” she said. Almost sounding like she’d choked on her own words. Jesse possibly did end up stabbing Jennifer in the heart, Brad guessed. Jennifer’s eyes spoke of rage and hurt at the same time as she looked at Dan’s pitiful looking eyes.

  “Dan, get the microphones from them. We’re done with this freak house.” She shook her head and briskly walked out of the house as the front door slammed shut. Dan, the camera man, unhooked the wireless microphones from them and headed out.

  Should I be glad that Jesse even said something like that? Brad questioned himself. I’m very doubtful that she’ll even put it on the air. If it is true that they did anything, she won’t even dare jeopardize her job. How did Jesse even know this? Isn’t the boy’s ghost supposed to be in a better place? If not, why is the boy’s ghost still here?

  “Jesse, up to your room and not another word. Go upstairs, now!” John declared, pointing his finger towards the living room archway.

  Jesse glared at father.

  “The truth hurts… doesn’t it, daddy?” she asked. After that, her voice seemed to come back to normal. Cute and innocent as a button, Jesse’s voice returned back to.

  “You don’t say things like that,” Mary said, shaking her head.

  Is it me or am I relieved that this happened? Brad thought. Boy, did Jennifer make a beeline out of this house. Freak house, Jennifer called it. Woman, you have no idea… no idea at all. But one thing for sure, my parents knows about Jesse extensive vocabulary. Hell, my own damn sister called me a cocksucker—a really charming nickname, apparently—and a pussy. If my parents heard her say that to me, they’ll have a field day with her. Maybe they’ll even force her to drink Holy Water. But it’s still bugging me… how the world did she know about Jennifer and Dan? Shit! I didn’t even know his name. I’m overthinking this… I am overthinking way too much about this. Maybe he said it earlier? Nope, he didn’t say it at all. I have to stop thinking about this before I go crazy.

  Brad’s hamster wheel in his head turned, alright.

  Before Brad retired to bed for the night, he checked up on his sister. She was covered up—all cozy like—and appeared to be a sleeping princess. Her eyelids opened as she heard Brad start to close her door.

  “Brad?” she asked.

  “Yeah?” Brad replied, opening her bedroom door and letting some of the hallway light into her bedroom.

  “Matt… says thank you.”

  Brad entered her room, turned on her bedroom light from the switch next to her door frame. He plopped on her twin bed mattress as the bed springs squeaked.

  “Thank you for what?” he asked.

  “For finding him,” she said.

  “How do you know this stuff?”

  Jesse shrugged.

  “I don’t know… I just do. He tells me things… sometimes… he shows me things. Things, I shouldn’t think about—because it’s bad. Bad… like Jennifer and Dan having S-E-X. Now, mommy and daddy are mad at me because—I spoke the truth. She wasn’t a good woman, Brad. She wasn’t.”

  “You’re too young to understand, ladybug. Sex isn’t bad. If they love each other, it’s a good thing.”

  Jesse shook her head.

  “No, it’s not. Matt showed me that she wore a ring. A ring that sparkled. She wore that ring on her left hand.”

  She pointed to her left hand’s ring finger.

  Oh… so, Jennifer was married. Now, I could see why Jesse would consider Jennifer as a bad woman.

  “Sometimes… people that love each other… they have problems.”

  She shook her head, again.

  “No,” she said. There was a subtle change to her facial expression and in her eyes. One would have to observe, Jesse closely to see. Her eyes glowed like fire, and she smiled widely—almost into a sinister grin.

  “Her soul was tainted and damned,” she said. Her voice sounded raspy like an older woman would. An older woman that smoked a million of cigarettes in her life time. “She was a slut, Brad. She didn’t love her husband. She pitied the fucker. That fucker was filthy rich, and she wanted that gold for herself. One time, she tried to hire a hired gun to take that fucker out to the trash. So… you can see, Brad… she was a horrible filthy whore. She was just a spitting image of Tiffany.”

  “Who’s talking now?” Brad asked.

  Jesse’s smile widened to ear to ear.

  “Your heart is good. But it will soon spoil and rot away.”

  “Who’s talking right now through my sister?”

  “So innocent… so naïve, Brad, you are. You’ll see soon. He’ll taint your heart of gold—just like mine.”

  “Stop avoiding the question… are you?” Brad asked, grabbing Jesse by her shoulders. “Eveline?” he blurted out. Brad didn’t know why he felt compelled to say Eveline’s name. Her name just seemed to leap out from his tongue and out of his mouth.

  Jesse tilted her head, her smile faded away. And her face appeared to become filled with panic.

  “Your family must get out!” she rasped. “He already lost one soul… he needs more.”

  “What is going on here?” John asked, standing at Jesse’s doorframe.

  “I was telling her goodnight,” Brad said, knowing damn well that he too was a horrible liar. Jesse seemed to be back to her usual self. She had that princess glow that Brad knew it was her. Seconds ago, Jesse’s essence had a darker glow like the wicked witch of the west. And an odd aroma, Brad smelled on her. A smell that Brad never smelled before, but he had heard about it. The smell of Sulfur; a sign that a demon in near. It’s pungent, sometimes—at most, and it smells like rotten eggs or someone farted—really bad. Hydrogen Sulfide—the rotten eggs smell—is the chemical reaction of ammonium sulfide—reacting with air and moisture—in stink bombs. Stink Bombs, a student’s favor prank device to toss in school hallways, would resemble to the fragrant smell of a demon’s stenchful presence.

  John didn’t look enthused, Brad realized. His eyes glared towards Jesse.

  And rightfully so, he shouldn’t be pleased by her behavior. Soon enough, he’ll understand—eventually, Brad hoped. He’s wired like a black and white old television, Brad knew. It’s one way or the other way, his father’s mentality is. His faulty logic—Heaven or Hell, never in between—acts like a safety switch, Brad interpreted. His poor feeble mind would overload, at the notion of ghosts, and collapse upon itself like a house of cards, Brad foreseen—possibly.

  “Well, tell her goodnight. She needs to learn that she can’t
speak that way to people. It was wrong, and she knows it.” John headed back into the hallway.

  Brad looked at Jesse, hoping the same ghost would speak through her.

  He has lost one soul, and he needs more.

  You have a good heart, but it’ll soon spoil and rot away.

  He’ll taint your heart of gold—just like mine.

  They’re clues… hints, at most, of what would happen if I don’t act now. But my father won’t believe a damn word, so I have to think of another way. My brain is tired, but I’m onto something—here.

  Jesse yawned.

  “Good night, Ladybug.” Brad kissed her forehead and ruffed up her hair before he got up to head to his bedroom.

  He has lost one soul, and he needs more.

  CHAPTER 14

  Brad, his friends, and Jesse gathered in the living room for a Halloween photo before they went trick-n-treating.

  Jesse dressed up as a little princess, wearing a plastic tiara crown. Her hair pulled back into a pony tail. Her princess gown was light pink. In her hand, she held a small pumpkin plastic basket that invited various of candy sweets. Brad thought she would dress up as a ladybug, but the Halloween store didn’t fashion such costume. She didn’t want to wear a ghost costume, nor a ghoul, or even a witch costume. Jesse was dead-set on being a princess.

  Timmy looked fashionable as a mummy. He wore light gray sweat pants and a long-sleeved shirt. His gauss wrappings were wrapped around his arms, torso, legs and partially his neck. Timmy’s face was pale white with ghoul make up, and he had dark circles around his eyes. Of course, he topped the mummy look with gauss wrapped around his head. Very mummified indeed, Timmy.

  Colin decided to dress up like a 50s Greaser. His long hair slicked backward, and he fashioned a biker’s jacket with a white t-shirt underneath and black denim jeans. He wore black biker’s steel-toed boots. Impressively, Colin pulled it off.

  Brad, on the other hand, he tossed around some ideas about his costume. Since, he was helping Jesse going trick-n-treating. Then he may as well get into the Halloween spirit, after all. A ghost costume would’ve seemed fitting, but he decided to go a different route. He was a vampire.

  John stood in the living room’s archway that communicated between the hallway and living room, leaning against the archway’s wooden frame. Mary adjusted the settings on her newly purchased Sony camera. The camera appeared to be every photographers dream. It had an attachable flash and lens. The camera was one of those fancy professional cameras with high resolution.

  Now, all she needs is a photographer’s photo lamp and a green screen, and she’ll be set, Brad amusingly thought. She smiled, looking over the buttons on the camera. It appeared to Brad that Mary was taking mental notes on how the camera worked.

  “Alright, I’ve got it!” she exclaimed as if she finally broken the code—how to operate the camera. “Is everyone ready?”

  Brad, his two friends, and Jesse chimed that they were ready.

  Mary aimed the camera. “Say, cheese!”

  The group said in unison, “Cheese!”

  A bright flash emitted from the camera. Nearly, blinding poor Brad in the process. He didn’t expect the camera’s (attached) flash to be so damn bright. It was so blinding, similar to staring at the snow on a winter’s sunny afternoon. His irises absorbed the intense glare. Then Brad saw tiny multi-colored orbs floating about. Try staring directly at the sun, it’s quite fun—really.

  Brad rubbed his eyeballs with his hands and squinted a bit. Yup, he could see alright. He still could see the multi-colored orbs floating about, but he still had his good hindsight.

  “Alright… let’s take one last photo,” Mary said.

  Oh, God! My eyes will now go blind. I’ll be blind as a bat, thanks mom!

  “Cheese,” Mary said, aiming the camera. The camera made a click sound as the camera’s bright flash emitted from the device’s flashtube. She held the camera down to her stomach and smiled. “You guys have a good night,” she said.

  “Don’t be out too late,” John said as the group prepared to go trick-n-treating.

  “We won’t,” Brad said, kissing his mother on the cheek. “It’s a full moon out, and the crazies are out.”

  “The crazies are out in full force, so Jesse better be protected.” John laughed.

  “I don’t want the crazies to get me,” Jesse whined.

  “But they will… they’ll eat you up like a candy bar,” Brad teased her.

  “No!” she wailed.

  “Okay, you two… enough is enough. Just enjoy the night,” Mary said.

  The group headed out of the house and into the sidewalk. Kids that were trick-n-treating with their parents, pointed at the Elm house.

  “Mommy and daddy, look! It’s the house from the news,” one kid said.

  “We’re not going to that house,” the parent said to their child.

  That’s a bit harsh, Brad thought. It’s not, like the house has cooties. Sure, maybe some skeletons in the backyard. One skeleton was found, but more skeletons could be found.

  “The house is haunted,” Timmy blurted out to the kid. The kid’s eyes widened and jaw dropped to the floor.

  “So, it’s true?” the kid asked.

  “Oh, yeah!” Timmy nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “It’s true, alright. Several kids went missing after not trick-n-treating at the house.”

  “I don’t want to go missing. Dad, can I please get some candy from that house. Please!”

  The father sighed and agreed to take him to the front door to get some candy.

  Way to go, Timmy boy, scare the shit out of a kid to make them trick-n-treat at our house.

  Brad chuckled.

  “Timmy, you’re something,” he said.

  “I know.”

  “So… which block should we start at first?” Brad asked the group.

  Jesse pointed her finger down the sidewalk, heading right from the house. The direction that normally Timmy and Colin headed down to after school. Also, the direction John would take towards the town’s main busy street. The main busy street that The Wright Brother’s hardware store was located on.

  “Alright,” Brad said, taking a right on the sidewalk outside from their house.

  Candy City, here we come! A City that guarantees a diabetic coma in a jiffy.

  Their bags were stocked with candy and filled to the brim of their plastic orange pumpkins. They returned back to Brad’s house and plopped down on the living room sofa.

  “How was trick-n-treating, guys?” Mary asked them.

  “Good,” they said in unison.

  Jesse’s pumpkin basket was filled with a lot of chocolate bars. Enough chocolate bars to cause her to bounce off the walls then pass out in a coma. She was so delighted at the amount of candy that she showed off her bucket of candy to her mother.

  “See, what I got!” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

  “Oh, my!” Mary said, digging around inside the bucket. She pulled out a bite size Snickers bar. “Can I have this?” she asked Jesse.

  Jesse nodded with a smile.

  “Yes,” she said.

  “Make sure you don’t eat it all in one sitting,” Mary said.

  Jesse shook her head side to side. Her pony tail whipping to the left then right behind her upper back.

  “I won’t,” she said.

  Timmy already started eating some of his candy. In fact, he was pigging out on his candy. Timmy’s lips made a “smack” sound each time he’d chewed.

  “Jesus, Tim, why don’t you eat more?” Colin said, jokingly.

  “Don’t mind if I do,” Timmy responded. He shook his head. “Don’t mind if I do, at all.” He seemed delighted like a fat kid devouring an entire birthday cake by himself. Only thing missing from Timmy’s head was a birthday cone hat.

  He stopped devouring his candy, placed the pumpkin bucket on the coffee table and headed into the hallway. He came back seconds later with a box. A box that read in fancy lettering: Ouija
Board.

  “We’re going to do this, right?” Timmy asked.

  “What’s that?” Jesse asked, looking at the box. Her eyes squinted as she tried to read the words.

  “It’s a board game… a board game to communicate with spirits,” Timmy said, trying to spook her out.

  “Ghosts?” she asked.

  Timmy nodded, grinning from ear to ear. “Ghosts,” he said. “Ghosts that haunt this house.”

  Brad playfully punched Timmy’s arm.

  “Don’t be telling her that,” he said.

  “Ghosts are real,” Jesse said. “Matt’s a ghost.”

  Well, apparently, the child’s bones that were found was—Matt Gardner. What Brad could remember from the news, last night, was DNA forensics were performed and identified as—Matt Gardner who gone missing since the 1920s. Those are some old bones, for sure, Brad found that afternoon. As Brad guessed, Jennifer wouldn’t air what Jesse said about her. So, the news segment of the Herrick family was professionally edited. Professional edited in a way, where John was only seen talking to Jennifer that night. Just after John finished a sentence, Channel 9 News switched to the female news anchor. It was a quick switch, too, over to the news anchor as she spoke about the winning lottery tickets. Apparently, some lucky fellow struck himself filthy rich two towns away from Old Willows Brooke. Good for him, spend it wisely buck-o.

  “Okay, guys, enough with the ghost talk,” Mary said, turning away and heading out of the living room. “I made some pumpkin pie if anyone’s hungry. It’ll be in the fridge.”

  “Okay, mom,” Brad said.

  He looked at the Ouija board box then at Timmy’s delighted face. A face that could be only described as—the “dying for adventure” face. Dying for an adventure, Brad thought. More like dying to get possessed, but I’m not cleaning up Timmy’s pea soup all over the place. And… there isn’t a 1-800-Possess hotline that I could call to get an exorcism done—right away. Brad humorously could already picture a 1-800-Possess hotline commercial in his mind’s eye.

  “Feeling kinda… not yourself lately?” A priest speaks on the 1-800-POSSESS hotline commercial. “Have you found yourself speaking in foreign languages that you shouldn’t know?” “Maybe possibly… finding yourself with scratch marks that can’t be readily explained? And possibly throwing tantrums at the sight of a crucifix? Like little Timmy over here? Well… you’re not alone. With a simple phone call, you can get the help you need. We have the most trained exorcists around the world—willing to help you and your loved ones. We will strive to help you in your dark times. We will help you come… closer to Jesus than ever before. So, don’t wait and call us now.”