Unfamiliar Cont.
The thunderstorm still rumbled outside but now was far off into the distance from Nicole’s house. Restless dreams troubled her as she tossed and turned. Suddenly there was another loud noise that jerked her awake. Sitting straight up, she stared wide eyed around the dark room with an unsettling feeling that she was being watched. Her lungs began to pain as she realized she had been holding her breath the whole time. She inhaled deeply and chided herself for being scared. Nicole reached over to pick up her phone to see what time it was; 2:18 a.m. Out loud she said, “This is going to be a long night.”
The radio was still on and softly playing music. She began to set her phone back down when she glanced at the window. There, for a whisper of a second, she saw a dark misty shape that resembled a shadowy face staring back at her. A loud scream escaped her throat as she jumped up and ran towards the hall, still clutching her phone in her hand. She dialed 911 as she slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it. Nicole tried to keep a calm quiet voice as she spoke to the operator. She begged the person to send help as soon as possible. The 911 operator immediately complied with her request and said that a patrol car would be there within minutes; then she asked her to stay on the line until they arrived. Nicole was all too happy to comply with the operator’s request feeling that she did not want to be left alone if there was a prowler outside. Several minutes passed by and Nicole was beginning to feel even more anxious and frightened. Her imagination was running wild with the thought that some trespasser was lurking around her house and possibly inside. To her it seemed forever for the police to show up, but eventually the operator informed her that the police were there and already looking around the property outside. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief to hear that she no longer was alone. The operator then instructed her to let the police officer inside. As soon as she saw the welcoming face of the police officer she allowed herself to relax. Once he checked on her well being, the policeman then searched the inside of the house. Nicole thanked the operator and turned the phone off. She turned the lights on inside the house while she waited anxiously for the officers to find the creep that had been staring into her window.
The officer came back to the living room, “Miss, we checked the property and it doesn’t look like anyone was out there. With all this rain the ground is muddy outside the window. If there was a prowler outside then there should have been obvious shoe prints in the mud around the windows. Which window did you see the person?”
“The back window in the living room.” Nicole pointed to the window where she saw the face.
Speaking into his police radio, “Sam, check the south window by the back door for footprints again.”
“Will do, Dan.” The other officer responded. A minute later, the other officer’s voice came over the radio, “Negative for foot prints. I think this one was a false alarm.”
Nicole could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she looked down at the ground. She felt silly about being so scared and also guilty to have wasted the officer’s time. “I am sorry. I would have sworn there was someone outside the window tonight.”
“Don’t be sorry. You did the right thing by calling us. Don’t ever hesitate to call for help. You know the saying – better to be safe than sorry; especially when it comes to your safety and your life. If there really was a bad guy and you didn’t call, then what would have happened?” The officer put his hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “We would rather respond to a false alarm than to respond to a terrible crime or death because someone didn’t call for help.”
His words helped ease her guilt. When she looked up into his kind eyes and smiled; Nicole knew that he meant every word of what he said. Officer Dan also promised to stay in the area just in case there really was a perpetrator and she needed them to come back over. She thanked them for coming out and then watched as the patrol car pulled out of the driveway. With the door locked again, she made her way back to the couch. As she looked back at the window, she realized that the place where she set the couch put her directly in front of the window. When she sat back on the couch, her own reflection was there staring back at her. The lightening off in the distance must have casted just enough light to play tricks on her eyes, making her think that there was a person standing outside her window. Nicole shook her head and chuckled, blaming herself for scaring so easily tonight. Then, just to prove to herself that there was nothing to fear, she stood up and walked over to the window to look outside. Now that she got a closer look, she realized that if someone was outside the window earlier, there would have been obvious footprints left in the mud directly in front of the window. She did see some footprints, but she knew them to belong to the officer because they stepped off to the side of the window.
Nicole turned to go back to the couch when something else caught her eye. A small drip of water slid slowly down the window pane falling directly below a faint hand print. She stopped cold with the hair standing up on the back of her neck. She looked close at it, reaching out to touch the handprint then realized that the print wasn’t on the outside of the window; it was on the inside. Her mind raced for a justifiable explanation, but found nothing to explain how this handprint could have ended up on the inside of her window. As spooky as this was, she did not want to call the police back. Nicole forced herself to not dwell on the window anymore. Making her way back to the couch, she shut off the lights again. Determined not to let her imagination run wild, she climbed back under the covers and tried to go back to sleep.
Hours later, the glow on the horizon signaled that morning had finally come. Tired from her long sleepless night, Nicole pulled the covers over her head to block out the morning light. Now that she was no longer afraid of the dark, within minutes she had fallen into a deep asleep. Locked away in her dreams the morning passed by and turned into afternoon.
She wandered through a shadowy forest of dreams when a loud rapid knock at the door jolted her awake again. Nicole shot up off the couch, disoriented by her surroundings. It took several seconds for her to remember where she was when another quick knock sounded at the front door. She threw her blanket over the couch and ran to the door. Taking a peek outside, she saw a young handsome man, whom she didn’t recognize, waiting outside for her to answer.
“Who is it?” Nicole asked through the door.
“Hi Nicole my name is James Wheeler…Jimmy. My family owns this house. I am a relative of Thomas Wheeler, your landlord. I have just come by to check and make sure you made it through the storm without any problems.” The man answered.
“Oh! Hang on just a sec!” Embarrassed that she had been caught still sleeping in the afternoon, Nicole ran to the bathroom to fix her hair and rub some toothpaste on her teeth. The she ran back to the front door and opened it to find that the man, Jimmy, was gone.
Stepping out onto the porch she looked around for the guy. “Hello?!” She shouted.
“Back here!” He answered from the back yard.
Nicole closed the front door and made her way through the obstacle course of boxes. She opened the back door and stood just inside. “Sorry to have kept you waiting. I appreciate your checking on me. The storm was pretty bad last night, but I think I managed to survive.” She watched the young man as he looked over the back yard for any signs of storm damage. Nicole couldn’t help but notice how striking the man’s features were, as well has his strong build. His must have been about the same age as Nicole, but he seemed to have more of a boyish demeanor about him.
“Good! Glad to see you’re still in one piece. The house seems undamaged too. Is there anything I need to look at inside? All appliances seem to be okay, no leaks in the roof?” Jimmy asked while checking around the windows and under the eaves of the roof.
“No, everything is fine so far. If there is anything that needs fixing, I can see to it. I promised Mr. Wheeler… I mean, Thomas that I would fix what needs fixing for a break on the rent. Thanks for the offer though.” Nicole was confused to why a relative was offering to help with the house when she was the one responsible for any and all repairs. She still stood in the back doorway as Jimmy walked towards her. Satisfied with state of the house, he looked back at Nicole and smiled a dazzling boyish grin that added charm to his good looks. He climbed up the stairs and onto the back porch, and then stood directly in front of her as if he were waiting to be invited inside.
“I see. Well, if you ever need anything just let me know. I hate to intrude, but would you mind if I got a glass of water?” Jimmy stood over her and still smiling.
Nicole stammered, “Uh, sure. Come in.” She stepped back into the kitchen as Jimmy followed her inside. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a glass. Once filled with water, she set the glass on the cabinet in front of him.
“Thank you! So, do you think you will stay long?” Jimmy asked.
“I will stay as long as Thomas will let me. I find that most landlords push me out the door once the repairs and fix ups are finished.” She answered honestly.
“Some say this place is haunted. Are you afraid of ghosts?” He chuckled as he asked the question.
“Haunted? I am not sure I believe in ghosts, although there were a few strange things last night.” She smiled back trying to make light of her eventful night. “I guess as long as the ghost is nice, then I don’t mind sharing the house,” She joked back.
“Oh I think he’s nice. Glad to hear you’re such a good sport.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. Nicole noticed that his touch was light as a feather but cold as ice. It sent chills up her neck and down her spine. The feel of it was so unexpected she stepped back out of reach. Jimmy had noticed her retreat and his smile turned into a frown.
“Well, it was nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy staying here. Tell Thomas I said ‘hi’.” Then he turned to walk back out the back door.
“It was nice meeting you too. Come back by in a few months and see the progress on the house. I think you will be surprised.” Nicole felt guilty for her reaction to his touch.
He turned back to her as he walked out the door. “What will you do to the house?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
“I think I will decorate it in a retro style, maybe something out of the 40’s or 50’s. I am not sure about the details yet though. I think I would like to bring it back to almost its original state but with a modern twist. What do you think?” She smiled at his curiosity and hoped that he liked her idea for the house.
“I love it. Ask Thomas for some pictures. That may help your planning and design.” Then with a wave he walked off and around the side of the house. Nicole ran to the front window to watch him leave, but oddly he never reappeared in the front yard.
Hours later, after a shower some lunch and more unpacking, Nicole heard another knock at the front door. Oddly, she hoped it was Jim again. He had been on her mind ever since he left. Stopping with her task, she quickly made her way to the front door again. Her shoulders dropped when she saw Thomas standing on the front porch.
She put her sweetest smile on her face as she swung the door open, “Hi Thomas!”
“Hello miss. Weather the storm last night okay?” His wrinkled leathery hand held out to greet her as she returned his hand shake. His skin felt almost as cold as Jimmy’s but Thomas’ had a heavy grip. Nicole stepped aside allowing Thomas to come inside. His eyes glanced around the box cluttered room. “Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Anything I can do to help?”
“No thank you Thomas. It will take a few days, but I will manage. What brings you by this evening?”
“I came to check on you after the storm last night.” He answered.
“Like I told Jimmy earlier, the house and I are fine. We made it through the storm without any problems. Thank you for your concern.” She was beginning to feel smothered by all the worried attention after last night’s storm.
“Who?” Thomas’ face fell, drained of what little color it normally had.
“Jimmy came by earlier to make sure everything was okay too. I’m sorry; he said he was a relative, so I thought it was okay to have him look around.” Nicole began to feel uneasy about the possibly Jimmy had mislead her into thinking it was okay for him to be there looking around the house. “He didn’t seem like he was any threat. He only looked around the back yard for any signs of damage. Oh, and I guess I did let him in to get a drink of water.” The thought of last night’s possible prowler came instantly to mind and she began to experience a strong sense of insecurity. The more she tried to explain the sicklier Thomas looked. “I’m sorry Thomas! I promise not to let anyone else in if it distresses you. I just thought…”
Thomas pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it to a set of pictures. “Did he look like this?” His trembling fingers fished out a cracked black and white photo. The picture was terribly faded but the face was unmistakably Jimmy’s.
“Yes, that’s him. So he is a relative? Was it okay to have him looking around?” She was confused by Thomas’ sudden reaction. Tears filled his eyes as he reached out, holding onto the door handle steadying himself. For a moment Nicole thought that Thomas may faint as she watched the emotions play across his face; his eyes overflowing with sadness while a smile hinted at the corner of his mouth. “Thomas, are you okay?” She quietly asked.
“Yes. That was my older brother who died during the first world war when I was still in school.” The old man then laughed at her reaction.
The radio was still on and softly playing music. She began to set her phone back down when she glanced at the window. There, for a whisper of a second, she saw a dark misty shape that resembled a shadowy face staring back at her. A loud scream escaped her throat as she jumped up and ran towards the hall, still clutching her phone in her hand. She dialed 911 as she slammed the bathroom door shut and locked it. Nicole tried to keep a calm quiet voice as she spoke to the operator. She begged the person to send help as soon as possible. The 911 operator immediately complied with her request and said that a patrol car would be there within minutes; then she asked her to stay on the line until they arrived. Nicole was all too happy to comply with the operator’s request feeling that she did not want to be left alone if there was a prowler outside. Several minutes passed by and Nicole was beginning to feel even more anxious and frightened. Her imagination was running wild with the thought that some trespasser was lurking around her house and possibly inside. To her it seemed forever for the police to show up, but eventually the operator informed her that the police were there and already looking around the property outside. Nicole heaved a sigh of relief to hear that she no longer was alone. The operator then instructed her to let the police officer inside. As soon as she saw the welcoming face of the police officer she allowed herself to relax. Once he checked on her well being, the policeman then searched the inside of the house. Nicole thanked the operator and turned the phone off. She turned the lights on inside the house while she waited anxiously for the officers to find the creep that had been staring into her window.
The officer came back to the living room, “Miss, we checked the property and it doesn’t look like anyone was out there. With all this rain the ground is muddy outside the window. If there was a prowler outside then there should have been obvious shoe prints in the mud around the windows. Which window did you see the person?”
“The back window in the living room.” Nicole pointed to the window where she saw the face.
Speaking into his police radio, “Sam, check the south window by the back door for footprints again.”
“Will do, Dan.” The other officer responded. A minute later, the other officer’s voice came over the radio, “Negative for foot prints. I think this one was a false alarm.”
Nicole could feel the heat rise in her cheeks as she looked down at the ground. She felt silly about being so scared and also guilty to have wasted the officer’s time. “I am sorry. I would have sworn there was someone outside the window tonight.”
“Don’t be sorry. You did the right thing by calling us. Don’t ever hesitate to call for help. You know the saying – better to be safe than sorry; especially when it comes to your safety and your life. If there really was a bad guy and you didn’t call, then what would have happened?” The officer put his hand on Nicole’s shoulder. “We would rather respond to a false alarm than to respond to a terrible crime or death because someone didn’t call for help.”
His words helped ease her guilt. When she looked up into his kind eyes and smiled; Nicole knew that he meant every word of what he said. Officer Dan also promised to stay in the area just in case there really was a perpetrator and she needed them to come back over. She thanked them for coming out and then watched as the patrol car pulled out of the driveway. With the door locked again, she made her way back to the couch. As she looked back at the window, she realized that the place where she set the couch put her directly in front of the window. When she sat back on the couch, her own reflection was there staring back at her. The lightening off in the distance must have casted just enough light to play tricks on her eyes, making her think that there was a person standing outside her window. Nicole shook her head and chuckled, blaming herself for scaring so easily tonight. Then, just to prove to herself that there was nothing to fear, she stood up and walked over to the window to look outside. Now that she got a closer look, she realized that if someone was outside the window earlier, there would have been obvious footprints left in the mud directly in front of the window. She did see some footprints, but she knew them to belong to the officer because they stepped off to the side of the window.
Nicole turned to go back to the couch when something else caught her eye. A small drip of water slid slowly down the window pane falling directly below a faint hand print. She stopped cold with the hair standing up on the back of her neck. She looked close at it, reaching out to touch the handprint then realized that the print wasn’t on the outside of the window; it was on the inside. Her mind raced for a justifiable explanation, but found nothing to explain how this handprint could have ended up on the inside of her window. As spooky as this was, she did not want to call the police back. Nicole forced herself to not dwell on the window anymore. Making her way back to the couch, she shut off the lights again. Determined not to let her imagination run wild, she climbed back under the covers and tried to go back to sleep.
Hours later, the glow on the horizon signaled that morning had finally come. Tired from her long sleepless night, Nicole pulled the covers over her head to block out the morning light. Now that she was no longer afraid of the dark, within minutes she had fallen into a deep asleep. Locked away in her dreams the morning passed by and turned into afternoon.
She wandered through a shadowy forest of dreams when a loud rapid knock at the door jolted her awake again. Nicole shot up off the couch, disoriented by her surroundings. It took several seconds for her to remember where she was when another quick knock sounded at the front door. She threw her blanket over the couch and ran to the door. Taking a peek outside, she saw a young handsome man, whom she didn’t recognize, waiting outside for her to answer.
“Who is it?” Nicole asked through the door.
“Hi Nicole my name is James Wheeler…Jimmy. My family owns this house. I am a relative of Thomas Wheeler, your landlord. I have just come by to check and make sure you made it through the storm without any problems.” The man answered.
“Oh! Hang on just a sec!” Embarrassed that she had been caught still sleeping in the afternoon, Nicole ran to the bathroom to fix her hair and rub some toothpaste on her teeth. The she ran back to the front door and opened it to find that the man, Jimmy, was gone.
Stepping out onto the porch she looked around for the guy. “Hello?!” She shouted.
“Back here!” He answered from the back yard.
Nicole closed the front door and made her way through the obstacle course of boxes. She opened the back door and stood just inside. “Sorry to have kept you waiting. I appreciate your checking on me. The storm was pretty bad last night, but I think I managed to survive.” She watched the young man as he looked over the back yard for any signs of storm damage. Nicole couldn’t help but notice how striking the man’s features were, as well has his strong build. His must have been about the same age as Nicole, but he seemed to have more of a boyish demeanor about him.
“Good! Glad to see you’re still in one piece. The house seems undamaged too. Is there anything I need to look at inside? All appliances seem to be okay, no leaks in the roof?” Jimmy asked while checking around the windows and under the eaves of the roof.
“No, everything is fine so far. If there is anything that needs fixing, I can see to it. I promised Mr. Wheeler… I mean, Thomas that I would fix what needs fixing for a break on the rent. Thanks for the offer though.” Nicole was confused to why a relative was offering to help with the house when she was the one responsible for any and all repairs. She still stood in the back doorway as Jimmy walked towards her. Satisfied with state of the house, he looked back at Nicole and smiled a dazzling boyish grin that added charm to his good looks. He climbed up the stairs and onto the back porch, and then stood directly in front of her as if he were waiting to be invited inside.
“I see. Well, if you ever need anything just let me know. I hate to intrude, but would you mind if I got a glass of water?” Jimmy stood over her and still smiling.
Nicole stammered, “Uh, sure. Come in.” She stepped back into the kitchen as Jimmy followed her inside. She reached into the cabinet and pulled out a glass. Once filled with water, she set the glass on the cabinet in front of him.
“Thank you! So, do you think you will stay long?” Jimmy asked.
“I will stay as long as Thomas will let me. I find that most landlords push me out the door once the repairs and fix ups are finished.” She answered honestly.
“Some say this place is haunted. Are you afraid of ghosts?” He chuckled as he asked the question.
“Haunted? I am not sure I believe in ghosts, although there were a few strange things last night.” She smiled back trying to make light of her eventful night. “I guess as long as the ghost is nice, then I don’t mind sharing the house,” She joked back.
“Oh I think he’s nice. Glad to hear you’re such a good sport.” He reached out and touched her shoulder. Nicole noticed that his touch was light as a feather but cold as ice. It sent chills up her neck and down her spine. The feel of it was so unexpected she stepped back out of reach. Jimmy had noticed her retreat and his smile turned into a frown.
“Well, it was nice meeting you. Hope you enjoy staying here. Tell Thomas I said ‘hi’.” Then he turned to walk back out the back door.
“It was nice meeting you too. Come back by in a few months and see the progress on the house. I think you will be surprised.” Nicole felt guilty for her reaction to his touch.
He turned back to her as he walked out the door. “What will you do to the house?” He asked with a tilt of his head.
“I think I will decorate it in a retro style, maybe something out of the 40’s or 50’s. I am not sure about the details yet though. I think I would like to bring it back to almost its original state but with a modern twist. What do you think?” She smiled at his curiosity and hoped that he liked her idea for the house.
“I love it. Ask Thomas for some pictures. That may help your planning and design.” Then with a wave he walked off and around the side of the house. Nicole ran to the front window to watch him leave, but oddly he never reappeared in the front yard.
Hours later, after a shower some lunch and more unpacking, Nicole heard another knock at the front door. Oddly, she hoped it was Jim again. He had been on her mind ever since he left. Stopping with her task, she quickly made her way to the front door again. Her shoulders dropped when she saw Thomas standing on the front porch.
She put her sweetest smile on her face as she swung the door open, “Hi Thomas!”
“Hello miss. Weather the storm last night okay?” His wrinkled leathery hand held out to greet her as she returned his hand shake. His skin felt almost as cold as Jimmy’s but Thomas’ had a heavy grip. Nicole stepped aside allowing Thomas to come inside. His eyes glanced around the box cluttered room. “Looks like you have your work cut out for you. Anything I can do to help?”
“No thank you Thomas. It will take a few days, but I will manage. What brings you by this evening?”
“I came to check on you after the storm last night.” He answered.
“Like I told Jimmy earlier, the house and I are fine. We made it through the storm without any problems. Thank you for your concern.” She was beginning to feel smothered by all the worried attention after last night’s storm.
“Who?” Thomas’ face fell, drained of what little color it normally had.
“Jimmy came by earlier to make sure everything was okay too. I’m sorry; he said he was a relative, so I thought it was okay to have him look around.” Nicole began to feel uneasy about the possibly Jimmy had mislead her into thinking it was okay for him to be there looking around the house. “He didn’t seem like he was any threat. He only looked around the back yard for any signs of damage. Oh, and I guess I did let him in to get a drink of water.” The thought of last night’s possible prowler came instantly to mind and she began to experience a strong sense of insecurity. The more she tried to explain the sicklier Thomas looked. “I’m sorry Thomas! I promise not to let anyone else in if it distresses you. I just thought…”
Thomas pulled his wallet out of his pocket and opened it to a set of pictures. “Did he look like this?” His trembling fingers fished out a cracked black and white photo. The picture was terribly faded but the face was unmistakably Jimmy’s.
“Yes, that’s him. So he is a relative? Was it okay to have him looking around?” She was confused by Thomas’ sudden reaction. Tears filled his eyes as he reached out, holding onto the door handle steadying himself. For a moment Nicole thought that Thomas may faint as she watched the emotions play across his face; his eyes overflowing with sadness while a smile hinted at the corner of his mouth. “Thomas, are you okay?” She quietly asked.
“Yes. That was my older brother who died during the first world war when I was still in school.” The old man then laughed at her reaction.
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