The Conjuring (The Warren daughter)

Chapter 16 (She Made Me Do It...)

The next few minutes were spent by Diana carrying Cindy out and handing her over to her father who placed a blanket over the shivering girl before handing her to her father. Diana climbed out wiping dust and grime off her clothes. Roger carried Cindy out of the room where the other girls and Carolyn were waiting. As they followed, April stayed behind and whispered to Lorraine. "That's where Rory hides when he's afraid," April said, clutching the circus music box.

After that, Lorraine took action, climbing into the hole in the wall and resting on her heels as she kneeled, looking around at the small space, torch in hand. She shone her torch to the left, which only had dusty cobwebs everywhere, then to the right where she found planks that acted as shelves where there were multiple dusty grey toys. She stood to her feet and shone her torch at the shelves to get a clearer look.

Wood bricks, a small blue toy train on the top shelves and a round tin with a pointy top and a spinny top and beside it, an empty space beside it. A hexagonal shape resided on the shelf. Like something had been there collecting dust before it was moved, leaving a shape there.

Lorraine already knew what it was. "Hon? Could I have April's music box, please?" she called out. Ed, who had been shining a torch into the hole for more light decided to have Diana take her place, going over to April who was sitting on Andrea's bed and gently plucking the music box from April's hands. Roger came in at that moment and Ed passed the music box to Diana who gave it to Lorraine. "Here ya go, Mum," Diana said, holding the box out to her mother.

"How's Cindy?" Ed asked, turning to Roger, his hands now free. "Doesn't remember a thing," Roger informed.

Lorraine took the music box, muttering a small thank you before going back to the shelf and placing the music box in the empty area. She was right. The music box had been the toy that was missing from that shelf. She looked over the shelf, seeing a hole that was meant to go right down to the bottom. She crouched down, only to find the end of a rope at the edge of the hole. Could it be the one Bathsheba used to commit her suicide?

Placing her torch between her shoulder and jaw, she gently took the rope, pulling it up. For a moment, it didn't seem like there was an end to the rope. Until it got stuck in the corner. Lorraine gave it a small tug, pulling up the end of the rope. A noose. Shining her torch on it, she stood up quickly, about to turn to her daughter. But the planks she had been standing on could not hold her weight. And it snapped beneath her, sending her screaming as she tumbled down. Diana screamed for her mum and Ed, who heard the commotion, screamed for his wife.

"MOM!" "LORRAINE!"

Lorraine's screams stopped and so did the multiple planks she had snapped on the way down. "No," Ed said, his voice trembling as he scrambled to the door, flinging it open and running down the stairs. Diana was quick to follow, pulling herself out of the hole in the wall and running after her father. "MOM!" she yelled. "MOM!"

Ed had run past the confused girls and Carolyn in the living room as he slammed his palm on the walls, trying to find Lorraine. Diana had resorted to screaming for her, hoping Lorraine would yell out her location. But they didn't know Lorraine wasn't just anywhere in the house. She was back in the basement.

Lorraine stirred from her position on the floor. She had tumbled down hard and crashed through the wall and into the basement and apparently, under a table. With a small groan, she pushed herself into a sitting position, brushing her now bushy hair from her face. She had a look around and realised she had fallen into the basement which was dimly lit by the moonlight that shone through a small window in the corner. Feeling around, she grasped hold of her torch, shining it around the area to have a look around the basement.

Why had she fallen into the basement of all places? Nothing seemed out of place in the basement, nor did anything seem off about it. But Lorraine wasn't taking any chances. She shone her torch around the room a second time, only to hear a faint sound of a woman weeping. She turned to look behind her where she had heard it. Nothing. Suddenly, April's music box made a small 'tink' near her lap. It had fallen with her. Maybe she had accidentally knocked over the shelf she had placed it on? It didn't seem likely. But the music box being there was no coincidence.

Lorraine picked it up, the lid already opened and placed the torch on her lap, holding the music box in one hand and turning the key in it in another. As time passed, the eerie song began to play from the box. Now that it was playing, Lorraine hoped she would be able to see the spirit as she had with Rory. She continued to hold the music box in her right hand while her left took the torch from her lap, shining it behind her, lighting up the shadows, trying to see the spirits.

As she did that, she also moved the music box around, peering into the mirror that was rotating on the bottom of the lid. Lorraine continued to look around. Nothing. Out of the blue, a woman began to weep, at first, it was soft, then began to get louder, like it was close. Too close. Lorraine stopped moving when she saw a reflection in the mirror. A big sized woman in a yellow frilly dress was sitting on the ground, holding a blood-stained knife, and it seemed that Rory was laying on her lap. Dead.

"She made me do it," the woman wept over and over. The music box stopped its tune abruptly, and so did the ugly cries of the woman. The big sized woman, now silent, turned her head slowly to look at Lorraine, as though she knew she was there. Lorraine widened her eyes and turned her head to face behind her. No one was there, only an empty area where the woman was supposed to be.

Lorraine looked back to the mirror, but the woman wasn't there anymore. An uneasy feeling settled in her gut. She dropped the music box only to come face to face with the woman. Lorraine let out a gasp of surprise. Mrs Walker. Mascara ran down her cheeks. She was pale, and her eyes were empty, yet filled with sorrow and guilt. She had killed her only son. She was forced to. She had to.

"She made me do it..." Mrs Walker croaked. Immediately after that, a squeaking of a rope could be heard, and Mrs Walker made a scared whimper, slowly turning her head to look out from under the table. Lorraine followed, her hands shaking as she shone her torch around. She looked back to where Mrs Walker had been, only she had disappeared from her side. She was afraid of that noise. Lorraine decided to try and crawl out from the table she had been under, only to be scared by a sudden body nearly dropping on top of her head.