Realization
written by: L.C. Ahl
@ahl_lc
I thought it was an eye flutter at first. You know what I’m talking about; glancing up at something, and your eyeball moves in quick succession. As I peered up, my heart skipped a beat.
What looked to be an apparition appeared in the upper window that faced out over the marsh. Threadbare curtains, eaten with age, hung haphazardly on a crooked rod. The shingles on the roof had disintegrated into ashy dust. Most of the shutters were missing or closed on the broken windows; the eyes of the home.
But those peepers weren’t the only thing looking down on me that afternoon.
The temperature was a humid eighty-nine degrees and the sweat dripping down my spine felt cold and clammy. I adjusted my EMF meter, pointing it toward the window with the ratty curtains. My screen lit up like a Christmas tree. Well, hello, Santa.
I grabbed my walkie-talkie.
“Hey, Seth, are you getting this?”
“Not only am I receiving something, I’m recording it.”
“Good. I’m going in.” Not waiting for his response. I put the two-way into its holder and started walking toward what had been the front door at one time.
“Ho, ho, ho, wait a sec.” Seth’s voice sounded anxious. “Quit jumping the gun. You can’t go in alone. Hold on.”
“Hustle, dude. I ain’t got all day.”
Seth appeared from around the west end of the house.
“You didn’t say ‘over.’” He said, breathless from running.
“Shh, I don’t want to scare it away.”
“It?” Seth questioned.
I ignored him.
The door, hanging by one hinge and termite eaten, creaked open.
As I walked over the threshold, Seth followed close behind me. A foul odor kicked my gag reflex into full mode, causing me to almost lose my lunch.
The sun had gone down below the trees, dancing shadow monsters on the walls. The cobwebs were thick. I could hear my heart beating in my ears.
“At least the air is cooler in here,” Seth uttered under his breath.
His face was flush with perspiration. “Hydrate, my friend,” I whispered. He rolled his eyes.
I flipped open the flap to my leather tote and pulled out my infrared camera.
Seth turned on the EVP and placed the headphones over his ears while I pointed the lens up the flight of stairs, taking pictures as I started up the staircase.
“Should I ask questions?” Seth asked.
“Wait until we get upstairs. I think it may be in the first room.” I advised.
The stairwell was as rotten as the roof tiles. With each step we took, I pictured Seth and me falling through to the basement.
Once we got to the top of the landing, we carefully made our way over to the front area, where I had seen the apparition.
As we peeked into the space, Seth’s laughter cut through the silence. And there it was; the realization of something imagined.
Dangling from a thin piece of fishing line, a blow-up doll swayed back and forth from the breeze coming in through the broken window.
And the smell, well, I chalked that up to Seth.
- Realization - November 12, 2024
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