Harold was digging around in the attic, mainly sorting through all the stuff that had been there for so long. He was looking for things to give to Sallie to fix up her room with. He was building a fairy-sized room for her in the corner of the living room.
Sallie thought it was cute that he had insisted on making her a room to live in. “Well, you’ve been here long enough and you’re not leaving, so I might as well,” was his response.
He had lived in the cabin for all of his adult life. The previous owner had left many things in the attic and cellar. There were pieces of furniture, old bits of machinery that didn’t work, a couple of trunks full of books, papers and other things, scraps of material and the odd tool for various things here and there. Years ago, Harold had cleaned out the cellar and used that to store meats in the winter and various other foodstuffs. He had kept telling himself that one day he’d clean out the attic, but that was over twenty five ago. With Sallie making the choice to stay, it was as a good excuse as any to see what was in the attic.
Harold had been poking around in the attic, making a pile of things to keep and a pile of things to trash. He heard a sneeze and saw Sallie flitter up into the attic. She made a face. “Ugh, you need to dust up here! Finding anything?” She flew about the room for a bit before settling down on her usual spot on Harold’s shoulder.
“I found this camera thing, and a box of pictures. Probably from the previous owner.” Harold opened the box. The box was full of polaroids. Mainly of shots around the cabin and the clearing. It was interesting to see what the property used to look like and compare it to the changes that Harold had made. But almost every picture had a white or grey smudge in it somewhere. Some smudges were clearer and sharper than others. In those the smudges almost took a humanlike form. Sallie jumped off Harold’s shoulder and suddenly shot across the room.
“Holy shit, it’s true! All the rumors about this place are true. I kept meaning to ask you and kept forgetting….”
“I’ve lived here for years. What rumors?”
“You’re all but a hermit. People talk in the village. This place is supposed to be haunted.” By now, Sallie was flying nervously all over the room. “I wish you’d known about this. No wonder my dad and the Elders were freaking out over me living here.”
Harold sighed and then glared annoyingly at Sallie. “Oh, calm down. You’re being dramatic. Your family was worried, that’s all, and….”
Sallie landed on a beam overhead and stomped her feet, (which, for a 4-inch fairy, was loud. When her temper flared up, practically the entire woods surrounding the cabin knew it). “Don’t you ‘oh calm down’ me, Mister! I AM NOT LIVING IN A HAUNTED HOUSE.”
Harold gave Sallie an epic eye roll. “What do you want to leave? I’ve never seen a ghost or heard anything since I’ve been here. And that, missy, has been for a very long time.” From the ceiling beam she was still sitting on, Sallie glared back at Harold and let out an exasperated sigh. “I’m older than you think.”
“So, are you going to fill me in on these rumors or I am going to have to people and go ask around in the village? I’m NOT that much of a hermit. I can talk to people when I have to. And what’s wrong with a few ghosts? Maybe you’re keeping them away. Come on down, there’s fresh ginger ale on ice.” Ever since Harold learned Sallie was a sucker for his homemade ginger ale, he always kept some on hand in a special small container that she could easily drink from.
“Oh man, you don’t play fair.” Sallie was prepared for a good argument, but Harold knew her weaknesses. She could not pass up fresh ginger ale or peanut butter and banana sandwiches. She flew down and hovered over the box of pictures. “Ok, make me a sandwich and let’s go through the box, and I’ll fill you in. Dude, and yes, you really are that much of a hermit. Like I said, people talk.”
As Harold and Sallie made their way down the ladder, talking about the pictures in the box and the camera, the white smudges crept from behind a chest under the window.
Lots of rustling and whispers filled the room.
“What was that?”
“How long has she been here?”
“He actually puts up with her?”
“Do we need to worry about her so-called Elders?”
I got goosebumps all up my arm reading that ending. It doesn't help being night and all. Is there a part 2? It was an excellent ending but I'm already hooked and wonder if there's more. Nonetheless, thank you for sharing :)