Photograph entitled Haunted © by John D. Stanton 2006    www.3AMBlue.com

 

The fixer-upper
by P.S.Gifford © 2006

Greg Patterson brought his red Jaguar convertible to a smooth stop at the end of the graveled driveway. He then admired the large house now directly positioned in front of them.

“This is the place Sally…Our new home. Do you believe that I managed to buy this old house for half of its value? I absolutely love being a real estate agent!”

A broad smile washed over his face and he rubbed his perfectly manicured hands together with obvious excitement… ‘At fifty years old I finally have it all; a brand new sports car, a gorgeous young wife and now my dream house.’

He glanced over smugly at the buxom young blonde dressed in a skimpy yellow dress, pouting as she studied the property.

“Looks pretty darn creepy if you ask me Greg, particularly that window there in the attic, I half expect to see an old lady brandishing a bloodied weapon staring back at me to suddenly appear,” she said wryly. She teasingly winked at her husband as she continued, “I don’t suppose there used to be a motel around here had there?” She paused before continuing, and her usual bubbly smiling face transformed into a look of uneasiness- as if a macabre notion had planted itself in her imagination… “Remind me again how you got this place so cheap?”

“Sheesh, like I told you last night there is a bit of a mystery attached to the place, but nothing sinister…Apparently the last owner the Coopers-a young couple with two small children simply disappeared one day without a trace…The police are clueless as to what happened to them. None of their belongings were gone, and their mini van still sat in the garage…Rumor has it that they had some money problems and simply decided to vanish and start life somewhere else under new names. Anyhow bankers being bankers this beauty fell into foreclosure six months later, and with my lovely contacts, and a healthy back hander, I managed to pick this old place up for what was owed on their mortgage…Less than half of what its present market place value is. I had a look over it yesterday before signing the paperwork, and apart from being a little dirty, and the air conditioner not working too well it is actually in great shape. Mark my words a few coats of paint and some new furniture and this will be the house you always told me you dreamed of living in. And that attic you mentioned could be turned into a great studio…You always said that you wanted to paint, and the view of up there is astounding, and what is more there isn’t a neighbor within half a mile of us. Think of how much peace and quiet we are going to have?”

“I am not so sure Greg, this place looks so darn eerie, and there is something about it that I cannot quite put my finger on. So I suppose you have brought me here to help you fix her up? I still don’t believe that you brought us a house before I had a chance to even see it…Still you knew I always wanted to live in the middle of nowhere, and this place is as nowhere as you can get.”

“I knew you would love it, or will do when we have her all fixed up, and I needed to ask fast. Yes, I reckon you can do some light cleaning, and have a good nose about and decide on how you want this place decorated while I climb down and repair the air conditioner. It is bound to be just some blocked filters and some duct’s being torn. Nothing I can’t fix with a little elbow grease and duct tape…and save me a small fortune from having to hire a professional.”

Sally looked as if she was about to say something else…But bit her lower lip instead.

With that Greg put the car into gear and continued up the driveway…

Moments later they were standing on the elaborate old porch and Greg was fumbling for the oversized brass key in his tweed jacket pocket.

“I know it is in here somewhere dear…”

It was then he saw it, out of the very corner of his eye, spiraling down a strand of silk, a small brown colored spider.

“Sally!” he suddenly screamed... “It is a spider….You know how afraid of spiders I am…Please do something.”

Sally simply shrugged, and pulled a white tissue from her purse. She examined her trembling, white faced husband who appeared as if he was glued to the spot, and then the tiny innocent looking spider dangling just a couple of feet in front of him.

She sighed and without hesitation reached over and smashed the spider in the tissue.

“All gone dear you are safe again,” Sally whispered in a mocking tone.

Ten minutes later Sally and Greg were exploring the house.

“It is damn hot in here Greg, how about you climb down and have a look what the trouble is while I will get the cooler from the car and fix us some sandwiches and a glass of champagne?”

Sally looked about the kitchen with surprise and satisfaction.

“I have to say, that despite its outward appearance this place actually does have a lot of charm, check out these fixtures these have to be the original 1920’s ones!”

Rejuvenated by his wife’s unexpected change of mood, Gregory exited the house and made his way back to the car. Standing behind his vehicle he once more gazed up affectionately at the property.

‘Yes, this house is going to be the start of a whole new chapter in my life, I just know that Sally and I am going to find happiness here, what a perfect place to have a family.’

He found himself whistling as he opened the trunk and pulled out a brand new bright blue jump suit, a pair of boots, a flashlight and a roll of duct tape and quickly changed clothing. Then he marched proudly back into the house, just as sally was emerging from the kitchen carrying two glasses of champagne...

“Oh my goodness don’t you look the part!” Sally said pointing at him and attempting unsuccessfully not to chuckle.

“Hey, I used to be quite handy once upon a time,” Greg replied. “You will see -I will have the air conditioner fixed within the hour…mark my words.”

He took one of the glasses from Sally.

“Here is to our new home,” he said as he gently clanged his glass against hers.

Then he swallowed the contents in one gulp, as sally looked on still giggling. He handed the glass back to Sally and walked over to a closet situated under the dark wooden dusty staircase.

“Now, according to the old blueprints, there should be an entrance to the crawlspace at the bottom of this,’ he said as he gestured to the small door. He bent down and attempted to open it. “That is funny, it seems to be stuck solid.”

He tried for a second time, and finally, after a tremendous effort, the door gave way and swung open. Greg examined the door a little closer through squinting inquisitive eyes.

“Strange, I cannot see any reason why it would have stuck like that; there is not a lock of any sort…”

Sally and Greg nervously peered inside…They discover it to be about four feet high and five foot deep and, apart from a whole lot of dust, was completely empty.

“By golly that is a relief, my imagination was beginning to play tricks again. I half expected to find something horrible in there, it is almost disappointing to find it is just a very ordinary cupboard…Still you wouldn’t catch me ever going in there,” Sally said, “you know how I am about enclosed small places; I get all queasy just thinking about them...”

“Aye, but you don’t have to…I will!”

Greg went down on his knees and allowed his fingers to run over the floor of the cupboard.

“That opening should be here somewhere love,” he said -just as he found it. “A-ha…Told you so.”

He pulled open the trap door, and shone in his flashlight. Then as Sally looked on he began to gradually ease his body down through the door.

“Be back in a short while, keep the champagne on ice, and try not to drink it all before I come back,” he said with a final wink as his head vanished into the crawlspace.

‘Maybe I should have hired someone for this job, it is incredibly hot and smelly down here, and there are bound to be rats,’ he lamented. ‘Still I don’t want to look an idiot in front of Sally; she will never let me live it down if I come straight back up again.’

Flashing his light about he quickly caught sight of what he was searching for- the main air duct underneath the air conditioner unit.

‘I knew it, the whole thing has fallen off and it will be a simple repair job. It is going to be a tight squeeze; there is only about three feet clearance.’

Holding his breath he began to slowly drag his way over the hard grimy ground…As he traversed awkwardly along he somehow managed to catch his arm on a rusty nail in the process and ripped his brand new jump suit.

“Damn it,’ he cried out loud as he examined the tear… “This suit cost me almost eighty bucks.”
A few minutes later he had made it to the duct. Nodding with satisfaction he reached into the jumpsuit pocket for his roll of tape and began attaching them in place.

‘Yep, this is going to be an easy fix,’ he considered as he worked.

He was half way through the task when he felt it- a small, yet painful, bite on the upper calf of his right leg.

‘Something has crawled up my damn pant leg,’ he suddenly realized in total horror.

Instinctively he sat upright and smashed his head into a support beam…As he began to wiggle helplessly he felt his scalp moisten, and blood began to drip from the back of his head.

“Damn, damn damn, I cannot believe this is happening to me.”

Beginning to panic, and abandoning the torn duct, Greg endeavoured to slide himself back to the door, and back to freedom, As he anxiously wiggled along he desperately tried to squat what ever had bitten his leg which he could feel against his flesh of his thigh.

But that only seemed to agitate the critter as that first bite was followed by a quick succession of others… his leg began to ache and throb intensely. He shone his flashlight directly in front of him… And he watched on in total shock as several dozen spiders, each the size of his hand, scurried purposefully toward him.

Once more he began to clamber frantically towards his exit as he felt his leg beginning to get numb…Fear had fully instilled itself in Greg…He could not keep himself from shaking, his body was caked in an ice cold sweat, despite the intense heat of the crawlspace.

He made it two-thirds back to the trapdoor and he could see sunlight.

‘I am going to make it…Thank God I am, actually going to make it.’

Yet that thought was abandoned as he felt something sticky fall against his face. The more he shook and wiggled in a harried attempt of escape- the more entangled and trapped he became.

‘A spider web,’ Greg realized, ‘God damn it I am trapped in a giant spider web.

After a couple of minute’s struggle his strength waned and the paralysing venom from the many spider bites had taken a hold of him he could no longer move anything - with the exception of his eyes. All he could do was watch on helplessly, wide eyed afraid to blink as the army of eight legged creatures descended on him, there furry legs clambering all over and under his suit. One spider climbed onto his cheek and began to make its way agonisingly slowly towards his right eye.

It was then when the floor boards beneath him gave way, and Gregory’s body was instantaneously propelled downward…He landed with his right arm under his back, and it made a crack as it instantly snapped. His flashlight landed next to him and illuminated the old hidden cellar. Greg felt his bladder empty uncontrollably as his eyes comprehended the unimaginable vision that now met them.
The decayed remains of four bodies cocooned in silk.

.As he lay there, unable to move, he managed with the very last of his strength to open his mouth wide and let forth a horrific scream. As the scream faded his eyes managed to focus on an even more disturbing vision… hundreds upon hundreds of spiders descended upon him from above.

***

Sally looked out of the attic window.

‘Greg was right; this is going to be the perfect place. Sometimes I swear he understands me even better than I do!’

It was then that she noticed the time.

‘That is odd he has been down that creepy crawlspace for well over an hour. I expected he would be up after fifteen minutes even if he didn’t manage to repair it.”

She turned off her portable compact disc player and removed the speakers from her head and returned it to her purse. Sally gazed once more out of the window and then made her way back down the old staircase. This time it seemed to creak ominously under her weight. The cupboard beneath the stairs door was still wide open, kneeling at its entrance she cried out.

“Gregory, Gregory, are you okay? I am beginning to worry about you…Gregory…If you can’t fix it I promise I won’t tease you!”

She listened intently. Nothing.

She crept a little into the cupboard and yelled again, even louder than before.

“Gregory, please come out of there, I am beginning to get frightened…”

She listened again. Still nothing.

Taking a deep breath she reluctantly eased her whole body inside the cupboard, and lowered her head directly into the crawlspace.

‘I can’t believe I am doing this,’ she thought as she manoeuvred hers body into the uncomfortable and claustrophobic position.

She was just about to cry for her husband again when it happened. The cupboard door inexplicably slammed shut with a thud.

The end.






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