Just When You Thought You Knew E-Book

Debbie Lacy

• Herausgeber: BookRix
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Sprache: Englisch

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2017

Beschreibung

A Compilation of six intriguing short stories, which entail inimical events of abuse, determination, bravery, terror, rejection, and destruction composed to entertain you.

Leseprobe

Debbie Lacy

Just When You Thought You Knew

To all of my Family, Friends, Readers and Fans, thanks for your reading support! May God Bless!BookRix GmbH & Co. KG81371 Munich

Boo!!

 Dear Mrs. Petrie

It was the eve of Halloween, I was sitting with one of my elders on a home healthcare assignment. Her name was Mrs. Petrie, a kind, sweet but an unusual old woman who had a bad heart and was confined to a wheelchair because she was paralyzed from her waist down. She was quite wealthy and was willing to trade all that she had to be healthy and to be able to walk again. “Nothing is more valuable than your health,” she would say. She lived in a beautiful aged 18-century-styled manor that had been in her family for generations. Many had lived and died there, as the souls still roamed the spectacular premises I was told, but fortunately, I wasn't spooked by her ghastly presage.

She was one of my evening patients and when the day-sitter left for the day, I would sit with her for several hours until her son arrived home around 9:00 pm. It started to rain a heavy downpour then a thunderstorm emerged and Mrs. Petrie became frightened by the lightning and refuse to get into bed. Instead, she rather sits by the cozy lit fireplace where it was warm and comforting in her beautiful bedroom of vintage Edwardian décor with the Scandinavian interior. I brought up some ginger tea with her favorite gingersnap cookies and sat the tray on the table next to her when I poured her a cup and she smiled at me. The lightning strike and the loud thunder flickered the lighting in the room when she panicked.

“It's okay Mrs. Petrie, don't be alarmed! We're just having a major thunderstorm that's all! But it should blow over soon.” I consoled.

“Oh, my! Would you stay here with me? Please don't leave this room and go downstairs! I would hate for the lights to go off and you're down there stumbling in the dark all alone! It would be quite horrendous for you! I'm just so terrified of the lightning!” She beseeches.

“Of course I will! I'll be right here by your side!” I assured her.

"Oh thank you!! You must think that I'm a panicky, delusional old woman who should be ashamed of herself being afraid of little lightning!”

“Oh believe me you're not the only one Mrs. Petrie, lightning gives me the willies also! It's very dangerous and we shouldn't take it's power lightly beside, we all fear something so don't feel ashamed! I wouldn't!” I smiled at her then walked over to the bookshelf to get the candle holder.

“Oh you're so kind and I don't know what I'd do if you weren't here with me!”

Suddenly a loud thunder popped frightening her as she spilled her tea down the front of her clothing in a panic.

“Oh my goodness!!” She quaked trembling as she held her cup.

“Here let me help you! It's okay!” I hurried to wipe away the spill from the front of her satin robe.

“Oh thank you, dear!” She approved when they both noticed the flickering of the lights.

Within a blink of an eye, there was no lighting in the room, only the dim lit fireplace could be seen.

“Oh my God! I can't see! I can't see!!” She yelled out.

“It's okay Mrs. Petrie! I'm right here!” I assured quickly lighting the candle in the candle holder I held.

“Oh thank God!! Thank you! It's a good thing you had that candle holder in your hand or it would have been too late!” She informed.

“Too late! Too late for what Mrs. Petrie?” I chuckled lighting another candle in the room.

“Oh, it isn't funny dear! In fact, I wish I can laugh about it and maybe it will go away!”

I came over to sit near her and poured her another cup tea when I asked, “Make what go away Mrs. Petrie?”

“I've told you about all the souls that roam around this place didn't I?”

“Yes, you have!”

“Well they are the good souls, there has been a lot of good memories in this house. There was once happiness and joy all around this place! The children and grandchildren filled this place with music and laughter. You could hear the frolic of little feet running down these halls and the stairs. And they all loved to be around me!” She chuckled then added, “It's not them that I fear, I do believe they are here to watch over me! Why my dear they wouldn't harm a fly! But there is this evil sinister among them and it's filled with vengeance and hatred towards me! And it wants to do me harm!”

“Oh Mrs. Petrie, do you harm! I can't believe anyone would want to do you any harm! And why?”

“My dear it's true! And I've come to realize who it could possibly be reflecting back all those years. You see next to my sisters, I was my grandfather's favorite. He would always allow me to accompany him on the horse and buggy rides down to the stables, which I enjoyed so much! He would always put me on his shoulders and bring me bags of jelly beans and fresh baked cookies from the bakery.  He bought me my first puppy, she was the cutest little thing. I named her “Muffin” because she was so soft and fluffy.  I remember times when he'd push me on the swing while we talked.  They were fun times, I loved my grandfather but he didn't have much luck with women, though.  He had married a few times, my original grandmother died when I was just five years old. When I turned age seven, he remarried but I was told within six months she ran off with another man. Then he remarried for the third time, I was about eight and a half years old. She was a mysterious woman, always quiet, never smiled hardly. She wasn't that attractive, just a basic looking woman compared to the prior beautiful women he'd married. I often wondered what my grandfather saw in her. She had a frigid spirit and when we came to visit, she kept her distance and only spoke a few words to us that was mainly “hello” and “goodbye”. She chuckled.

“We would run and play but she kept her eye on me because she envied the attention my grandfather gave me for some reason! One day I was sitting on the porch playing with my dolls and I felt a little uneasy when I noticed her evil stare at me from a window. Her eyes got bigger the more she stared at me, it was quite eerie so I went to play with my sisters out in the yard. I remember laying awake in bed in a room with my three sisters one night, I watched her shadow beneath our door as she would stand there and listen. I guess to make sure we were asleep. Oh, I'll tell you she was very strange! She wasn't a very good cook either and I swear she tried to poison me! I became sick and had to stay in bed for a day of rest and she literally starved me. I didn't get anything to eat until my grandfather fed me and that was some soup and freshly baked peanut butter cookies he bought me.  I still remember her awful stare of resentment.  My grandfather made me feel better and before long, I was back to playing outdoors then strangely, one day Muffin disappeared and we all looked for her but never found her and I was quite devastated. My first assumption was that someone had taken her because she always came when I called for her. My grandfather assured me that she was just roaming around and that she would return but she didn't. A few days later, some of the kids in the community came to join us in kickball on the lawn and the ball rolled a distance into some brush when one of the kids ran to retrieve it, suddenly she screamed as we all quickly ran to see what happened. To my surprise, there was Muffin tied around her neck hanging from a tree within the brush. I was appalled and instantly became so angry thinking, 'who would do such an evil thing' but I knew she did it. That evil woman my grandfather married. For years I kept my distance from her, we never said much to one another but she reacted differently towards my sisters even though they never cared much for her neither.  I always said her evil mischief was going to catch up with her one day and that day came when she became terminally ill with a disease that was quite contagious. No one in the house could go near her only doctors who wore the mask.  Even my grandfather slept in a separate bedroom. Odd, though, he didn't seem worried about her much, they never displayed any form of affection toward one another. We all knew she was only after his money and that failed. One night, she tried to get out of bed, she was too weak to walk and fell to the floor and died instantly in that room. That was nearly sixty years ago and that's the evil spirit that lives here. That's why I can't be alone in the dark because it comes in the night!”

“Oh, Mrs. Petrie! Well, have you seen it?” I asked feeling a little uneasy.

“My dear, I have seen several glimpses of it and immediately I flash a beam of light on it with a small flashlight I keep under my pillow! It doesn't like the light! It is a gruesome sight and I don't know what to make of it in the dark!  All I know is that it's got big, wide, glowing, evil headlight eyes! My dear, it's so ugly, the sight of it may just kill you!” She confirmed.

My heart skipped a beat and I grasp, as if I couldn't catch my breath from fear when she said that! Then strangely, a brisk wind rushed into that room and blew out all the candles, even the fire in the fireplace went out! It was completely dark! I called out to Mrs. Petrie and heard a slight grasp but she didn't say a word as I felt her slumped body. Promptly, she had a heart attack and I panicked stumbling over her feet falling to the floor in the darkness. I remembered the large bookshelf when I crawled over reaching for the base of it to pull myself up. I could not see anything in the gloomy midst, not even my hand in front of my face. I was so scared, once upon my feet, I immediately turned facing this egregious, hideous looking thing in the darkness. I was petrified by the sight of it as every hair on my body stood, my heart escalated as I trembled in fear when it bellowed a loud, piercing, “BOO!!! Leave this place!!” I couldn't move, my eyes began to water and as I shivered my hands felt a lighter that was in my pocket and on an impulse, I quickly grabbed it and flicked it exposing a quick flash of light and an awful cry echoed as the sinister dashed out of the room. I took a quick glance at Mrs. Petrie checking her pulse and she was dead. I panicked using that lighter to rush down the stairs grabbing my handbag and I rushed out the door down the winding sidewalk in the drizzling rain when I ran into her son. He had just arrived home.

“Hey there now!  Hold on! Are you alright Miss?” He asked trying to calm me.

I was speechless, I shook with fear and he could see it in my eyes.

“You've seen it haven't you?” He asked.

I was stunned by his question when I avidly nodded.

“Is she dead?”

“Yes!” I whimpered.

“Good!  Everything will be fine now!” He replied.

I looked at him thinking, 'he is crazy to talk that way about his mother'. He had no sympathy!

“You go on home Miss. I'll handle it from here.”

Instantly, the lights came back on as we could see through the windows of the manor.

“Oh, I guess we won't be needing your services any longer. I'll call the agency in the morning. Have a good night!” He smiled then whistled as he ambled along the sidewalk towards the entrance.

I quickly hopped into my vehicle and sped away! Along the way, I tried to shake off the daunting but I couldn't help but think about Mrs. Petrie. She was such a nice lady and it was so sad the way she died! Who knows how long she had been haunted by that gruesome thing!  Well, she's at peace now and nothing can harm her ever again.

It was about a week later, I had taken some much needed time off and while reading the morning newspaper, there was a shocking new article that Arthur Petrie, son of millionaire Agnes Petrie found dead hanging from a rope with a disturbing grimace as his eyes were wide-opened in his bedroom suite at the Worcester Manor on Worcester Drive two days ago. They think he committed suicide but I know differently.

Commodtion

I Need a Break!

He paced up and down the busy pavement of 88th Street in uptown Brooklyn, New York seeking employment. He’d gotten another refusal on his twelfth interview and he felt quite distressed and desperately needed to find work. He grabbed a newspaper then counted the remaining change that jingled in his pocket for a cup of coffee stopping at a nearby café to view the want ads. There wasn’t much to choose from except for a couple ads that caught his interest when making a notation of which he was overqualified but was willing to make an effort. Besides, what more did he have to loose? He had already lost his car, his cable, and his cell phone; he made payment arrangements on his utility bills and had only thirty more days before an eviction notice. He thought about applying for food stamps but what good would that do if he had no place to live or store his food. He and his ex-girl broke up 4-months ago in an ugly dispute over finances shortly after he lost his job as a Sales Manager and he surely didn’t want to ask his family for anything. The depressed economy had everyone feeling the pinch and furthermore, he would have to tell his entire life story before they’d offer a helping hand, a course he’d rather not take. “No, this is my problem and I’ll handle it.” He thought to finish up his coffee. Before calling it a day, he stopped at the two circled ads in the newspaper, one being a Customer Service Representative at a print and copy store, the other was a Concession Stand Attendant at the local theater, which unfortunately both positions had been filled.

***

Later that night, he was filled with hopelessness and despair, overwhelmed as the pressures of the day consumed him. He laid in complete isolation when it wasn’t long before he slumbered. It was around 11:30 pm when he heard a bothersome noise as if someone had turned on a faucet. It was quite annoying, as he tossed and turned trying to shake the irritant nuisance by placing his pillow over his head. After a while, he could still hear the constant trickle and had to get up to make an adjustment. He stumbled in a haze into his kitchen but there was nothing running so he went into his bathroom to find that it wasn’t his faucet at all. However, just when he turned off the light, he became aware that the trickling sound was his commode as he flicked the light back on.

“Okay now what’s the problem here,” he questioned as he lifted the lid from the toilet tank checking to see that the nozzle wasn’t hung that fills the toilet bowl with water?

He then gave a slight jiggle to the handle to make sure it wasn’t hung up from the last flush when suddenly the annoying trickle faded away. Once again there was peace and quiet as he snuggled back into his bed.

Surrounded by tranquility, his semi-firm mattress embraced him as he gazed at ceiling groggy-eyed until he drifted off to sleep.

Around 1:15 am, an unusual sound surfaced, it seemed as if a storm was brewing in the pipes that could be heard through the walls. The disturbing rumble got louder until he heard an annoying glutting sound that irked him when frantically, he jumped out of bed for an immediate assessment. Quickly turning on the light in the bathroom, he took off the toilet tank cover to notice the tedious bubbling water pressure and the irritating garble within the toilet bowl.

“Aw come on! Not again,” he fumed desperately jiggling the handle.

“Shut up,” he yelled.

Then surprisingly the irritating noise began to slowly ease into a gradual calmness and finally, there was silence once again.

Miraculously when he attempted to crawl back into bed, the aggravating disturbance aroused for the third time when he became infuriated storming back to the bathroom. This time he jiggled the handle so hard it came out of the socket.

“Dammit,” he thundered rummaging through the cabinet beneath the sink to grab a screwdriver.

Eagerly, he fumbled trying to get the broken handle connected but was too exhausted to tackle with such a nuisance in the primal hours of the morning. Cleverly, he found a way to affix the screwdriver in the broken handle socket and instantly the irritating noise started settled once again. Mr. Pinkerton was apprehensive in making an effort to return to bed, so he waited patiently to see if the bizarre annoyance would reoccur. Barely holding himself together as he waited to try to shake his weariness but surrendered and returned to bed ten minutes later.

It was 3 am when the badgering toilet erupted, yet again and this time severe gulping surged. The constant gulping sounded like the pipes were clogged when he heard the water in toilet bowl start to ascend. Mr. Pinkerton became totally riled and realized that he hasn’t gotten much sleep throughout the night. Concluding all that had gone wrong in his life recently this was going to be an addition to his misery, as he anxiously jumped out of bed slipping on his jeans and tee shirt. Quite reluctant in taking on such an agonizing task, he lacked options; one being that he couldn’t notify his landlord because he was already 2-months behind in his rent, nor did he have the money to hire a Plumber. So the only option was to handle the matter himself. He went to his closet in the hallway to grab his toolbox and his big flashlight then rush over to his bathroom. While turning on the light, he noticed the foul slushy muck had risen to the toilet bowl rim when he hurried to try to control the disgusting spillage. Swiftly, he reached behind the toilet bowl for the nozzle to turn off the water pressure but was too late, the polluted substance overflowed causing a deplorable mess.

“Aw damn,” he shouted watching the stinky outpour, as it saturated the bathroom rugs.

Promptly, he ran off to the kitchen to get the mop and bucket along with the old newspaper that was lying on the kitchen table upon his return to the appalling sewerage disaster.

“Ugh! Why me,” he mumbled collecting the soiled rugs from the floor tossing them into the tub.

Mr. Pinkerton took the plunger and consistently tried to free whatever had caused such a backup. As he struggled to try to stop the outpour, the more of the disgusting spill flowed out when suddenly, he felt outdone and took a recess from the unbearable turmoil. While sitting on his bed, he pondered how he was going to resolve such devastation when he became quite exhausted falling back in his bed as he drifted off to sleep.

It was 4:50 am when he had awakened from a much-needed nap; he took a general synopsis of where he left off with his commode issue then went back to try to stabilize the repulsive dilemma. Surprisingly, when he arrived in the bathroom, he found that the severe spillage had subsided and he was quite overjoyed. There was no trickling, no gulping, just peace, and quiet.

He grabbed a couple of tools from his toolbox and was able to repair the broken handle on the toilet and after several flushing tests, he noticed that the attached mechanism from the inside of the tank worked fine. An hour later, the main test was to see if the toilet clog had been resolved, so he slowly turns on the nozzle behind the toilet seat to allow the water pressure to build filling the toilet bowl. Mr. Pinkerton smiled as he watched the toilet bowl fill, pleased that there was no gutting, gulping or trickling and was about to make his first flush when he suddenly thought to take precaution. He just happens to have a half filled box with Rid-X he stumbled upon in his cabinet and poured it into the toilet to see if it would help filter out any access clogging down within the pipeline. The instructions said to let it sit in the pipes for 20 minutes, so while waiting, he pursued the clean up of the sewer debris on the floor.

It was well over 45 minutes when Mr. Pinkerton decided to try his first flush test and amazingly it was quite successful. He waited a second time, as the toilet bowl began to fill then flushed again. Anxiously, he watched as the water rapidly whirled and descended down the pipe. Quite overwhelmed, he had to be certain and attempted the third flush and was pleased of his conquest.

“Yes! Now that’s what I am talking about! Problem solved,” he chuckled.

He hurried to finish the clean up of the disgusting mess on the floor until the ending result was clean and sterile. He glanced at the clock on the wall and it was 9:15 am when he remembered he had a 10:30 interview as a Sales Person with Sherman Williams Paint Company.

On the way down 88th street, Mr. Pinkerton felt amazingly happy and quite self-assured that he’d land this job.

“Well, this interview will be number thirteen! I’ve got this one! I’ve got thirteen years experience as a Sales Manager and besides thirteen is my lucky number,” he thought with a positive smile and quite intellectual as he entered the store.

An hour and a half later, he ended up back at café sitting with a cup of coffee diligently looking through the want ads.

“We want to interview the other applicants before we make a decision. But we’ll call you,” he angrily reiterated before taking a couple sips of his coffee.

A man sitting across from him heard his grumble and recognized him from inside the Sherman Williams store. He was a Painter on his way to a painting project he was working on but stopped off for a cup of coffee at the café.

“Sounds like you’re having a bad morning,” he noticed.

“Yea you got that right! I just can’t seem to find a job anywhere! I just left an interview just a few minutes ago and all I’ve been getting from these employers is “We’ll call you!” or the Position is filled!” Man, I just can’t get a break,” Mr. Pinkerton expressed.

“Yea I was purchasing some paint when I saw you come into the store. I know someone that could use a good man. In fact, he just told me about it yesterday. Here, I’ll give you his name and address. Go by and check out man! It might be something you can do!”

“Okay, I will! At this rate, I don't care what it is, I need a job!  Thanks, man,” Mr. Pinkerton exclaimed.

“Not a problem! I know how you feel; it took me awhile before I found this painting project, which is not my particular line of work. I'm a Drafter! I just kind of stumbled upon it several weeks ago, but it's a job and it pays the bills. Well, I’ve got to run but good luck man!”

Mr. Pinkerton arrived at the small business and asked for the owner. It turned out to be an on the spot interview with a Subcontractor and unbelievably, when the owner asked if he’d had any kind of faucet, water sewer or drain pipe plumbing experience, Mr. Pinkerton proudly responded, “Yes!” and informed him of his most recent dilemma. Surprised by his response, immediately he was hired.

He was quite overjoyed as he completed his application and W-2 form for his new employer. It turns out he’ll be earning a pretty competitive salary, much similar to the salary he earned as a Sales Manager.

He was quite thankful to God that day. He learned that sometimes life circumstances could often steer you down avenues of uncertainties, altering paths you normally wouldn’t consider. Later on, while sitting on his bed that night, he glanced at his bathroom commode, which was quite a challenge for him and chuckled thinking, “Damn!  Thanks for all the commodtion!”

The Great Thunderstorm

Bedtime

“Goodnight sweetheart,” her parents parted.

“Goodnight mom & dad,” she replied watching them close the door to her room.

***

As Megan lay in the darkness, not a sound could be heard. She snuggled under the covers glancing around the room with only a small glare from the nightlight shining near her room door. Suddenly, there was a bright light that beamed in through her sheer Polka Dot curtains. As her eyes followed the beam of light that seems to glide from one wall to the other, it sounded like an old truck passing the home.  She was she quite relieved that it wasn't a ghost.

“It’s just an old truck going down the street. There is nothing to be afraid of,” she thought.

Megan had to get used to sleeping alone since her older sister Lela went off to college a few days ago. Now that she had acquired the bedroom, she was excited about it except at night, which took some getting used to. She thought about the times when Lela and her best friend Angie would giggle and carry on all through the night on the phone; breaking her rest that use to make her so angry. Consequently, she would give anything to be able to listen to the sounds of Lela's banter on the phone again.

Taking a quick peek from underneath the covers, she focused on the soft ticking streaming from the angel clock on the wall. She tried counting the ticktock for while hoping to fall asleep but that did not work. The heat from the heavy comforter caused her to feel very warm, so she kicked it away using only the softer blanket and the sheet as coverings. Once in a comfortable position, she could feel herself dozing off when suddenly, the satin made comforter slowly slid off the bed. Immediately she thought something in the darkness was pulling it off of her when she became very frightened. All snuggled underneath the covering she quaked, “Oh no! Someone is in my room and they are pulling the covers off me!”

Rather terrified, the little 5-year-old girl nestled beneath the covers where it was safe when suddenly, strong winds rushed through the rafters that echoed like a howling wolf. The big oak tree outside her window started to sway from side to side, as the branches briskly brushed against the windowpane. She slowly peeked out from underneath the covers to notice the flickering of her nightlight until it finally went out. Shockingly, she heard a loud thump throughout the house, as every light on the block went out. The room was totally dark, she couldn’t see her hand in front of her face.  The mighty winds outside began to whoop louder, which frightened her, as the loud thunder shook the room.  Swiftly, lightning strikes emerged, slicing each wall like a matchstick ready to engulf into flames. She freaked fearing that the electric waves were going to consume her as if she were a piece of meat sizzling in a skillet. Quickly she hopped back under the covers wishing her sister Lela could be with her at that very moment. She trembled. Perspiration from the sultry heat of the covering clung to her tiny body. Suddenly something fell from the rooftop.

“What was that,” she thought as the sound of the object tumbled down the roof dropping to the sidewalk below?

A loud thunder roared again and the room vibrated, as the lightning bolts seemed to be striking out at her while taking quick peeks. She glanced at the window and could no longer see the tall oak tree outside. The rain poured against the windowpane as if someone had a water sprayer giving it a severe window wash. Each time the lightning struck, it lit up the room allowing her quick glances of her surroundings. Alarmingly, she swore she saw an awful looking man standing in the shadows of her room.

“Oh no! Who is that standing in the corner? Oh, I wish he would go away and leave me alone,” she panicked snuggling back under the covers.

Another loud thunder quaked, as the room shook and the wind blew harder. She took another quick glance and as the lightning struck, she saw a horrible face looking in at her through the window. She shrieked at the sight of it, quickly throwing the covers back over her head.

“I want my mommy,” she cried out.

When the thought came to her, “Where are they? And how can they be sleeping through all of this?”

Her first thought was maybe she should run out to see if they were all right. As she peeked from under the covers refusing to look towards the window, she tried to focus on the door that she could not see in the dark. So she waited until the next lightning strike that would reveal how far away she was from reaching it, hoping to try to make a run for it. She crawled beneath the covers to the foot of the bed refusing to glance at the man standing in the corner, neither the ugly face looking in at her through the window.