The Girl In The Cabin

Chapter Eight: Theories and Revelations

Within minutes of texting Eva, she calls me. I breathe a sigh of relief when I see her name light up on my phone. If anyone can help me make sense of the madness going on around me, it's her. She knows all about Westchester's craziness, so maybe she can help with this. "Long time, blondie." Eva says, "What's going on?" Her voice feels like a comforting balm on my soul. "I'm so sorry. I know it's late, but I didn't have anyone to turn to." I sigh. I feel my hands clutching against my phone as I speak. "Nah, your good. I was just getting ready to try and resurrect a squirrel I found outside, but you're more important. What's up?" She asks. "I-I don't know." I stutter. "Is anyone with you right now?" Eva asks. "No, I'm alone. Or, at least, I think I am." I reply. "Stacey, you gotta tell me what's going on. If you wanted someone to talk to for therapy or whatever, you should have called Evelyn or something." I sigh. "I think I'm losing it, Eva." My hands wipe at the rears now streaming dowm my face. "I think Bryce is here...with me. He wants revenge. I don't know how, but I know it." I sob. When everything happened with Bryce, my friends were surprisingly more than supportive, even though I didn't tell them my reasoning for killing him. Eva especially. She said she could tell the guy had bad energy all along. Eva stays quit for a moment, gathering her thoughts. "Stacey, Bryce is dead. He can't hurt you anymore. Unless he's come back as some kind of vengeful ghost. Are you sure you just didn't have a bad dream?" She asks. "No..." I reply, "I don't think I did. I keep seeing things that aren't here, but I still feel and hear them. I don't know what's going on."
"Where are you?" Eva asks. "A town called Bayless. My new boss bought a cabin and I have to stay here too, but I don't know what's going on." I sob. "What sort of weird things are happening?" Eva asks, "Are we talking levitation? Animals? Seeing things?"
"I keep hearing things like a music box, strange laugher, even dogs!" I exclaim, "Something knocked me down while I was outside. Am I going crazy?" Eva laughs on her side of the phone. "Stace, we're all a little crazy. Maybe there is something there, maybe there isn't. Think about this: you just started a new job. It's normal to be stressed about that kinda stuff. Stress can sometimes lead to hallucinations, especially for someone like you. Are you sleeping okay?" She asks. I shake my head, "No."
"Well that's definitely not helping. Try to get some sleep tonight and remember, Bryce can't hurt you. You made sure of that." "But–" I start to say, but Eva cuts me off. "He's gone, Stace. He's not coming back. And believe me, I love the thought of people coming back from the dead as much as anyone." I sigh and wipe my eyes. "I'm sorry. I know you're right." I say. "You've been doing really good, considering everything that's happened. And if these things keep happening, call me again. I mean it. I'd die to see a ghost." I nod, "I will. I'll let you get back to that squirrel." I hear Eva laugh, than say, "Nah it's too late for that. It needed to be done exactly at midnight for the spell to work." I laugh and we say our goodbyes. After I disconnect the call, I set my phone down on the nighttable, and lie back down. I'm safe.

    I drift off to sleep thinking of possible explanations for everything that's happened. It's not until the sun streams through my window that I wake up. I got through the entire night. Twenty minutes later, I find myself walking quietly down the upstairs hallway. I can hear Alex talking on the phone to someone. I head to the bathroom and brush my teeth. When I come out and down the stairs, I no longer hear Alex on the phone. "Good morning." I say. Alex keeps his eyes trained on the photo book laid out on the coffee table. "Morning." I sit down on the loveseat across from him and begin flipping through the albums. "These belong to the Caldwells." I realize. "And?" Alex asks. "Nothing." I reply, "Did you want me to look through them, as well?" Alex glances up at me, "Do you even know what you're looking for?" I shrug, "I will once you tell me." My answer earns a smirk from Alex who sits back and pulls the album from my hands. "I'm looking for pictures of her." He points to a beautiful woman with long brown hair. "Her name is Maggie Caldwell." He says. "She was the Sheriff's wife." I realize. Alex nods, "I'm also looking for pictures of him." Alex points again. My eyes settle on a dark-haired man with light blue eyes, highlighted by strong cheekbones. I clear my throat as I look back up at Alex. "Did you have something to say?" He demands. His body looks tense as he starts flipping through another photo album. "Not really. Do you know this man?" I ask. "No." Alex replies. "Was he a friend of the family?" Alex shrugs, "Depends on who you ask." It was a vague answer, but I nod as though it made perfect sense. "So do you mind telling me why you want to find pictures of these two?" I ask. "Not just them. Sheriff Caldwell too." Alex replies. "Why?" I sigh. "Let's just way that these three each had a part to play in what happened here." He says. "That was years ago. Why do you even care so much what happened? You didn't even own it then." I add. "But it's exactly why I own it now." He says, glancing from the photobook up to me. With a sad smile, he pulls out a photo of a little girl holding a rag doll. "I want to know what really happened here." He declares. "But...why?" I ask, putting emphasis on the why. "Is it normal for employees to question their bosses this much?" Alex demands. I sigh, "I just wanted to know why you're so interested in small town gossip." Alex shakes his head. "It's not gossip. Something tragic happened here." I nod, "So, now you're after the truth? After all this time has passed?" Alex nods, "I have to. For her." He hands me the photo of the little girl. "Charlotte Caldwell? Why?" I ask for the hundredth time. Alex doesn't miss a beat, looking me in the eyes and saying, "She was my sister."