Resonance
Published by: Sherri Fulmer Moorer at Smashwords
Published by Sherri Fulmer Moorer at Smashwords
Copyright 2011 Sherri Fulmer Moorer
Cover photo by hotblack
Smashwords Edition, License Notes
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Chapter 1
Kaytlin dodged a photographer as she rummaged through porcelain figurines on a card table. She never imagined a yard sale would draw out the local media. Then again, outsiders were rarely admitted in the gates of the 50 acre estate. Mrs. Cromer took it in stride, granting a few interviews and smiling pleasantly for pictures. Kaytlin hoped she looked that good at 80.
“Excuse me; don’t you live in the guest house?” A reporter blurted.
“My parents are renting it,” she said, pushing her long, brown hair behind her ear.
“You’re awfully secluded out here. That must be hard for a young person. Would you mind telling me what life is like out here?”
“Yes she would,” Kieran said, pulling Kaytlin away from the reporter. “Mrs. Cromer is the only one granting interviews. Please speak with her.”
“You’re the only people outside her family that have been allowed regular access in over thirty years! We’d like to hear from you.”
“Too bad,” Kieran said, leading Kaytlin away.
“Thanks,” she mumbled. “I never thought it would be this much of a zoo.”
Kieran shoved his floppy hair out of his eyes. He was Kaytlin’s twin brother, and looked every bit of her mirror image in physical details, with brown hair and dark brown eyes. They were both eighteen year old freshmen at the nearby state university and commuted to campus from the house on the estate that their parents were renting. Mrs. Cromer’s only child moved out of state two years ago, so she decided to rent out the house. Kieran and Kaytlin’s parents signed the lease the previous summer, after their grandfather died. They believed it would be a situation that benefitted them all: Mrs. Cromer got the help she needed around the property as partial compensation for their rent, the move put their parents closer to work, and Kieran and Kaytlin could commute to college.
“We should have known,” Kieran said, picking up a painting. “People are nosy. Open the gates and they’re swarming like vultures.”
Kaytlin motioned to the painting. “What’s that?”
He turned it to reveal a painting of a lovely young woman in a white dress, with long, black hair flowing to her waist. She sat in an elegant red chair, with a large diamond sparkling on the third finger of her left hand. “Isn’t it amazing?”
“Who is it?” she asked.
“Who cares? I like it.”
Mrs. Cromer stopped as she was passing by. “Oh, I see you found that old painting from my attic. I’ve tried to sell it a few times. I even tried to give it away, but I never had any luck.”
“Who is she?” Kieran asked.
Mrs. Cromer pursed her lips. “That painting is over 100 years old. I believe she was a love interest of my husband’s great uncle. You know, this land has been in the family for seven generations.” She rolled her eyes. “Houses have been built, torn down, and rebuilt often enough.”
“So you don’t know who she is?” Kaytlin asked.
Mrs. Cromer pulled some papers from the clipboard she was carrying. “I have some information I gathered on some of the more interesting pieces. Let’s see what I can find.” She flipped pages. “She was Leah Woolard, a young woman that moved here with her father from Massachusetts in 1874. The painting was supposed to be a wedding gift. She was engaged to Grover Cromer and they were to be married in the spring of 1876.” She adjusted her glasses on her nose. “He died in a house fire on Halloween night in 1875.”
“Did he live here?” Kieran asked.
Mrs. Cromer shook her head. “I’m not sure. My husband would have been able to tell you. I suppose you could check the county records if you’re interested.” She tilted her head. “By the way, why are you interested?”
Kieran smiled. “I’m majoring in anthropology. I like to study history and how people lived.”
“To each his own. Would you like the painting?”
“Absolutely!” Kieran said, pulling out his wallet. “How much?”
Mrs. Cromer studied the painting. “I hate that thing. It gives me the willies. You can have it for $25.00.”
“Deal!” he said, giving her the money. He held up the painting. “She’s beautiful. I’m putting her up in my room.”
Kaytlin sighed. “Are you sure it’s authentic? I thought most women wore their hair up in that day and time.”
He shrugged. “I’ll study it more. Who knows? I might have just bought an important piece of local history.”
Kaytlin shook her head and continued to rummage through tables as Kieran headed back to the house.
Chapter 2
Kieran and Kaytlin roamed through the woods that evening with flashlights. Boo Boo, their cat, managed to escape the house in the excitement of the yard sale. Their parents were searching the woods on the other side of the house, trying to find poor BooBoo before he roamed into the road or wandered into the creek at the back of the lot. Kaytlin pulled her sweater tight to block the chill of the October evening. Kieran held a flashlight in one hand and a cat carrier in the other.
“I was in the house hanging my painting and doing research on the Internet all afternoon,” Kieran said. “He must have slipped out recently. Surely the cat couldn’t have gone far.”
“I hope not,” Kaytlin mumbled. Did you find out anything about the painting?”
He nodded. “I logged into my account at the Archive Center. There was a newspaper article about Grover Cromer and Leah Woolard dated November 1, 1875. He did live in a house on the property. They were having an engagement party on Halloween night and a fire broke out. It killed both of them and all of the guests. The house was completely destroyed. The only thing to survive was the painting.”
“That’s odd,” Kaytlin mumbled.
Kieran nodded. “Here’s what’s stranger: Most of the guests were Leah’s friends. The only other Cromer in the house at the time of the fire was Grover’s sister, Isabella.”
“That is strange. I wonder why more of his family wasn’t there?”
Kieran shrugged. “Either they weren’t invited or they chose not to attend. It might be a good thing. The entire family could have died. Leah’s must have been. Her mother died before they moved here, so it was just her and her father. They weren’t able to find any other relatives, around here or in Massachusetts. I’ll have to check into it when I have more time.”
Kaytlin laughed. “So you found a real historical mystery. Good luck.”
Kieran paused. “Did you hear that?”
Kaytlin stopped. Sure enough, she heard leaves rustling behind a large oak tree. A grey cat with large green eyes crept from behind the tree.
“BooBoo!” she exclaimed, rushing to pick up the frightened cat. She could swear the cat was trembling. “BooBoo, what’s wrong?”
“He’s probably scared from being lost,” Kieran said. “Get in buddy,” he said as Kaytlin put the trembling cat in the carrier.
“Let’s go. It’s cold out here, and this cat is freaked out.” Kaytlin said, turning toward the house. She screamed when she bumped into a young woman. The woman stepped back. She looked like a ghost with her pale skin and long white dress. Kaytlin pointed her flashlight directly in the woman’s face. “Who are you?”
“I’m sorry,” the woman mumbled, shielding her face from the burst of light. “I’m lost. Can you help me?”
Kieran shoved the cat carrier in Kaytlin’s hands and put his arm around the woman. “What happened? Do you live nearby?”
She nodded and pointed toward the back of the lot. “Back there. Can you help me? I heard noises.”
“They’re building a subdivision behind this lot,” Kaytlin said. “Is that where you live?”
The woman stared at Kieran. “I live in a house near the creek. Can you help me?”
“Sure,” Kieran said. “Let’s go.”
“Shouldn’t we call somebody and let them know she’s here?” Kaytlin asked. “Somebody might be looking for her.”
Kieran looked at the woman. “She’s scared, Kaytlin. Come on. We found the cat. It won’t take long. You can call Mom and Dad on the cell phone if you want.”
Kaytlin flipped open her phone to a ‘No Service’ message. “I can’t get a signal through these trees.” She shrugged. “Alright, you win. It shouldn’t take long.”
They walked through the woods. Kaytlin was nervous and BooBoo seemed scared. He hissed at the woman from time to time, but she would glare at him and he’d cower in the back of the carrier. Kieran didn’t seem fazed. He guided the woman by the arm, chatting away.
“You have to be careful in the woods. Not only are there a lot of animals, but the ground isn’t even. Have you lived here long? You look familiar.”
“I’m not from around here.” She pointed ahead. “There’s my house.”
They saw a large wooden house next to the creek. Kieran gasped. “Is this part of the Cromer’s land?”
“I thought there were only two houses on this land,” Kaytlin said.
The woman ignored her. “Thank you for your kindness. Would you like to come in? I have a potion I would love to share with you.”
Kieran smiled. “Sure!”
“Kieran!” Kaytlin exclaimed. “We have to get the cat home, remember?”
“Come on, it can’t hurt. Besides, shouldn’t we get to know our neighbors?”
Kaytlin shook her head. “I’m not going in. I’m taking the cat back.”
“Fine, be on your way little sister,” he said sharply, following the woman in the door. It slammed shut behind them.
Kaytlin turned on her heel. She hated it when he called her that. Six minutes didn’t make him a big brother. A chill ran up her spine. Looking around, she realized it was fully dark. Getting through the woods would be an adventure. The days sure ended fast – she didn’t think they had been out for more than half an hour. Perhaps it was later than she realized. She hoisted the cat carrier to a more comfortable position and pointed her flashlight toward the makeshift path home. “Come on BooBoo, let’s go home.”
She could have sworn the cat meowed in relief.
Chapter 3
Kaytlin quietly descended the steps. It was 3:00 A.M. and she couldn’t sleep. Kieran hadn’t come back before she went to bed, and he wasn’t answering his cell phone. She decided to go downstairs and try calling him one more time before waking her parents with her concerns.
Putting her foot on the hardwood floor at the bottom of the stairs, she jumped when she saw a figure sitting on the couch in the living room. “So, you finally decided to come home?”
Kieran stared at her blankly. “What?”
She crossed her arms. “You’ve been out all night. When did you get in?”
He shook his head. “I don’t know. What time is it?”
“It’s three in the morning and you’re lucky I covered for you. Mom and Dad weren’t here when I got back with BooBoo, so I told them you went out with friends.”
“Why?”
“Because I figured they wouldn’t be happy about you spending the evening with a strange woman.”
He shook his head. “Is it really three in the morning?”
She sighed. “I’m not covering for you again, so I hope you enjoyed your night with the mysterious stranger.” She headed to the kitchen and drank some water. When she came back, he was staring out the window. “Kieran!” she said sternly, trying to get his attention without waking their parents.
“Hmm?”
“Go to bed.”
“Alright,” he mumbled, but didn’t move. She threw up her hands. Let him sleep on the couch if he wanted.
Passing his room, she stopped when she caught a glimpse of the painting he bought earlier in the day, now hanging over his desk. The woman in the painting bore a remarkable resemblance to the woman they saw in the woods. She shook her head. It was a coincidence. Besides, it was dark and she didn’t get a good look at the woman. She kept her back to Kaytlin on the walk to her home, and she hadn’t noticed any details from few glances she got of the woman.
“Superstitious nonsense,” she mumbled, returning to her room and pulling the covers over her head.
Chapter 4
Kaytlin closed the front door three nights later, trying not to wake her family. She had returned from a Halloween Party, and was eager to get out of her costume. The southern belle dress and corkscrew curls pinned up on her head looked good, but she was extremely uncomfortable. She decided to check on Kieran before going to bed. He had been sick since Sunday morning, when their parents found him on the living room couch with a high fever. The doctors found an infection in his blood and gave him antibiotics, but it had been three days and he wasn’t getting better. His fever must have been spiking at night, because they found his window open every morning, and he never remembered opening it. She knocked on the door, but there was no response. She pushed the door open and was hit with a blast of cold air from the window.
“Why did you open the window?” she asked, rushing across the room to close it. Turning to the bed, she jumped. Kieran was gone. A glance around the room revealed that the painting was gone as well.
Kaytlin walked to Kieran’s desk and gathered up the papers that were blowing across it. Pulling the chain on his lamp, she glanced over them. She couldn’t sit comfortably in the hoop skirt, so she leaned against the wall. Kieran must have continued his research on the painting; most of it was family trees and histories of the Cromers. She was about to drop them back on the desk when a sheet on top of the stack caught her eye.
Family History: Grover Cromer (as gathered from family Bibles)
Born: July 31, 1856
Parents:Edgar and Clara Cromer
Siblings: Isabella Cromer, twin sister
Occupation:Unknown
Marital Status:Engaged to Leah Woolard at time of death. (No information available on Leah Woolard at this office).
Deceased:October 31, 1875
Cause of Death:According to newspaper articles, Grover Cromer died in a housefire on Halloween night in 1875. Mr. Cromer was hosting a masquerade ball that was also an engagement party. A fire broke out in the home around midnight, killing all of theguests. Isabella Cromer also perished in the fire.
Notes:Entries from the journal of Isabella Cromer indicate there was opposition over the upcoming marriage. Several entries speculate that Leah Woolard and her family were practicing witchcraft, and moved to the area after the death of her mother to escape powerful enemies in their hometown of Salem, Massachusetts. While there is no documentation to this effect, it is speculated that the Woolard’s hosted a masquerade ball every Halloween. Grover Cromer took advantage of the opportunity to host this event as an engagement celebration. Isabella’s journal entry of October 29, 1875 indicates she was told by a friend that Grover and Leah were going to have a surprise wedding at the party, and she planned to sneak in to ensure the marriage didn’t take place. Isabella died in the house fire on the evening of October 31, 1875. It is not clear how the house fire started, but there was speculation in several newspaper articles and other family journals that it was the result of a confrontation between Leah and Isabella.
PLEASE VISIT OUR OFFICE TO VIEW NEWSPAPER ARTICLES AND FAMILY JOURNALS THAT CONTAIN ADDITIONAL INFORMATION REGARDING THE CROMER FAMILY.
The blood drained from Kaytlin’s face. She recalled seeing something on television at the party earlier in the evening about hauntings. One segment that caught her attention was residual spirits, where the same event played itself over and over.
This is nonsense. I don’t believe in ghosts.
Neither did Kieran, but he was gone. What happened? There was no denying that he hadn’t been the same since he bought that painting. Then there was the strange woman in the woods and his illness. The whole situation defied logic, and when the logical had been counted out, it was time to consider the impossible.
Kaytlin dropped the papers. She had another party to attend if she wanted to save her brother. Rushing down the stairs, she stopped by the pantry and grabbed a bottle of red wine. Her mother always kept a few bottles around. She left the house and headed for the woods, hoping she was wrong.
Chapter 5
The full moon was bright enough that she didn’t need a flashlight. Pushing through the trail, she made her way to the clearing she and Kieran found Saturday night. She wasn’t wrong. The house was right here, and a party was in full swing. A tall, skinny woman in a pink feathered mask blocked her entry.
“Madam, this party is by invitation only.”
Kaytlin smiled. “I brought a present for the happy couple. Surely, you wouldn’t want it to go to waste?” she asked, waving the bottle in front of the woman.
The woman smirked. “I’ll be glad to deliver it.”
Kaytlin shrugged. “Have it your way,” she said, swinging the bottle at the woman’s head and knocking her out. She drug the woman into the woods, took the mask, and strapped it to her face. She picked up the bottle and tried to will her heart to stop pounding as she boldly stepped through the front door.
The house was much more elegant inside than outside. Winding her way through the dancing crowd, she spotted Kieran and a masked woman in a white dress in the dining room, standing in front of a blazing fireplace at the head of a large table. The painting of Leah Woolard hung over the fireplace. Straightening herself, she approached them.
“I believe all of the guests have arrived,” she said, giving them a curtsey.
“Good,” the woman said, removing the mask from her eyes. Kaytlin tried to suppress a shudder as she glanced from the woman to the painting. There was no doubt about it; this woman was Leah Woolard. She presented the wine to Leah. “For the toast to celebrate your engagement.”
“Thank you,” Leah said, taking the bottle and motioning to servants setting the table. “Bring wine glasses and gather the crowd. It’s time.”
The servants hurried away. Mr. Woolard, a heavyset, balding man in his late forties, chimed a fork against his wine glass to quiet the guests.
“Esteemed guests, thank you for attending. Every year our family hosts a masquerade ball on the high festival of Samhaim and we are happy to continue that tradition in this lovely home. This year’s celebration will be special in many ways. Tonight we not only celebrate a high holy festival in our new hometown, but the engagement of my daughter as well.”
The guests applauded.
“I have another treat for you. The happy couple has decided to have a surprise wedding tonight.” He raised the glass. “To my beautiful daughter! May tonight bring her happiness and wealth beyond her dreams!”
Kaytlin applauded politely with the guests, holding her breath as Mr. Woolard, Kieran, and Leah raised their glasses. Mr. Woolard and Leah grasped their throats choking.
“This taste like communion wine,” Kieran said, making a face.
Kaytlin pulled off her mask. “What a terrible mistake. That’s the problem with having a mother that’s a Lutheran pastor. The sacred and secular are mixed up all over the house.”
“Kaytlin?” Kieran asked, puzzled. “Where am I?” He glanced at Leah, then at the painting over the fireplace. His face paled. “No, that’s impossible.”
Kaytlin hugged Kieran. “Welcome back!”
Leah pulled Kaytlin away from Kieran. “How did you get in here? There was a guard!”
“Your guard is taking a nap in the woods,” Kaytlin said, stomping on Leah’s foot as hard as she could. Leah’s grip broke as she stumbled into the dining room table, but she regained her composure quickly. She looked at her father. “Father, help!”
Mr. Woolard crumpled to the floor. He drained the entire glass at once. Smoke poured from his mouth as he tried to answer. “I’m sorry …” he said before he burst into flames.
“No!” She screamed, turning on Kaytlin. “Your trick might have worked on my father, but I’m a powerful sorceress. I have spells you can’t break!” She raised her arms over her head and started chanting. Kaytlin fell to the floor; her insides cramping. Blood trickled from her mouth.
“Stop!” Kieran yelled.
“I’m sorry darling. I must if we are to share our destiny.” She began chanting again. Kaytlin started convulsing. The crowd joined in the chant.
Kieran looked around the room in shock. His gaze fell on the painting. A man now stood behind the chair with his hand on Leah’s shoulder.
The man in the painting was him.
“No!” Kieran shouted, grabbing a knife from the table and throwing it at the painting. It landed directly in the woman’s heart. The chanting stopped. Leah’s hands flew to her chest, trying to stop the blood from pouring out of the wound that just opened at the same spot where the knife hit her in the painting.
Kieran pushed her aside and stooped over Kaytlin. Blood flowed from her mouth. Grabbing the bottle of communion wine from the table, he poured some in her mouth and held her head back.
“Swallow it!”
She stiffened as the liquid slid down her throat, then coughed. As Kieran helped her up, their gaze fell on the crowd gathered around Leah, who had collapsed in a chair.
“Why?” Leah gasped.
Kieran shook his head. “Some things were never meant to be.”
Kaytlin looked at the knife sticking in the painting, then at Leah. “Of course!” She said. “That’s what’s binding her here.” She stood on a chair and removed the painting from the wall. The crowd turned toward her as Leah screamed.
“No! Put it back!”
“He’s right,” she said, throwing the painting in the fire. It ignited.
“No!” Leah screamed as she burst into flames. The crowd backed away as the fire continued to grow, their own forms disintegrating into smoke.
“I think it’s time to leave,” Kieran said.
They rushed out of the house and pushed through the woods as the painting continued to pop and snap, along with the spirits of the other guests. A rush of hot air caused them to look behind them, where the flames were advancing through the woods. They jumped in a ditch under a felled tree right before a flame passed over them, followed by silence.
“Is it over?” Kaytlin asked.
Kieran climbed out of the ditch and looked around, seeing nothing but quiet woods and bright moonlight. “It’s over,” he said, offering her a hand to pull her out of the ditch. “Thanks little sister.”
She smiled as she rose to her feet. “Any time.”
Chapter 6
Kieran’s fever broke during the night. Mrs. Cromer stopped by with homemade chicken soup the next daywhile their parents were at work.
“It’s good to see you up and about, but don’t push yourself,” she admonished.
“Thanks,” he said, finishing his second bowl of soup.
“Mrs. Cromer, how much do you know about the history of this land?” Kaytlin asked as she finished her first bowl of soup. She had been slightly feverish overnight as well, but she felt better after some rest. She slept until Mrs. Cromer came by at noon. In fact, she was still in her flowered pajamas.
Mrs. Cromer smiled, but the smile looked forced. “That painting has you both interested in the history of this place! Honestly, not much. I moved here when I married Eli in 1947. He loved history and kept many journals. In fact, a love of history ran in his family. Our attic was full of journals and old newspapers. I donated them to the Archives Center after he died five years ago. You should go check them out.”
“No thanks,” Kieran said, dipping another bowl of soup. “I’m thinking about changing my major to Accounting.”
“Really?” Mrs. Cromer said. “I thought you liked history. By the way, how do you like that painting?”
Kaytlin and Kieran glanced at one another. “It’s broken. It fell off the wall.” Kaytlin said. “He opened his window during the night, and the wind blew it down.”
“I didn’t put it up right,” Kieran mumbled. “I’m sorry.”
Mrs. Cromer waved her hand. “Don’t fret over it. I just wondered. By the way, did you hear something last night? I could have sworn I heard an explosion.”
Kieran looked up from his soup. “No. After the painting fell I slept through the rest of the night.”
“Me too,” Kaytlin said. “There’s a housing development under construction on the other side of the woods. Maybe something happened over there.”
“Perhaps,” Mrs. Cromer said, standing. “I’m glad you’re both feeling better. I have a lot to do, so I better be off. Enjoy your soup!”
“Thanks Mrs. Cromer!” Kaytlin said, closing the door behind her. Turning the deadbolt, she looked at Kieran. “Do you think she knows?”
Kieran shook his head. “I doubt it. Mom and Dad didn’t hear anything. I went out and checked the area after they left for work, and it’s nothing but lonely woods by the creek. It’s fine.”
Kaytlin nodded. “I hope so.”
Chapter 7
Mrs. Cromer walked in the attic, praying she was wrong.
Not again, please not again, she prayed.
She glanced at the painting in the corner and shuddered. Kieran and Kaytlin lied to her. They said it was destroyed, but she knew that wasn’t possible.
It was the painting of Leah Woolard.
Mrs. Cromer threw a cover over the painting and rubbed her head, trying to press out the headache forming behind her eyes. She should have known better than to sell that painting, especially to somebody that lived right here on the estate. How foolish could she be? She and Eli tried to sell it twice. Both times, they sold it to a young man and found his charred remains next to the creek on November 1. The authorities thought the gentlemen were participating in some sort of Halloween ritual and got burned, but she and Eli knew better. Eventually, he figured out how to keep the dark magic at bay.
Keep it covered in the attic. If it stays hidden; it can’t enchant any more young men.
Mrs. Cromer tied the cover over the painting tightly. They heard the explosion from the ghastly Halloween party playing itself out every year, but as long as the painting remained covered in the attic nobody living was drawn in. It was merely an unpleasant echo of the past.
She silently offered a prayer of thanks that Kaytlin must have saved Kieran from his fate, and cursed Eli’s great uncle Grover for bringing this horror on the family. The man was a no good drunk and falling for that witch had been the end of him. Leah’s curse had resonated on their estate for over a century. She wondered if she didn’t get enchanted herself this time by giving in to her own fear of the painting and selling it to Kieran; just like Leah would have wanted. All she knew was that she was sick of it. There were several nice retirement communities in town and she was alone, after all.
Perhaps it was time to sell this place – painting and all.
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Chapter 8 – About the Author
Sherri Fulmer Moorer is a freelance writer and is also the author of three other books: an inspirational book titled Battleground Earth – Living by Faith in a Pagan World (PublishAmerica 2004) a young adult mystery novel titled Blurry (Wings ePress 2011), and a suspense novella titled Quarantine (Smashwords). Her next novel, a supernatural mystery titled Anywhere But Here (Whiskey Creek Press), will be released in April 2012. She has a Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of South Carolina and works as a Program Assistant for the State of South Carolina. Sherri is a lifelong member of Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church in West Columbia, SC, where she serves on the Evangelism Committee and is a greeter. She lives in Columbia, SC with her husband, Rick; and their birds, Zack, Chloe, and Oliver. For more on Sherri, please visit her website at http://www.sherrithewriter.com/
