The Haunted Homestead

Chapter Nine, Marked

Sharon woke up the following morning frozen to the bone, her teeth chattered. She wrapped her robe around her chilled body tight, and grabbed a pair of black yoga pants, a pink lacy thong, and a pink lacy bra, and sauntered to the bathroom to warm her loins up. Sharon turns on the water, as hot as can be. As she's lathering shampoo in her tangled wavy red hair, she heard the bathroom door open followed by her husband's typical whisteling.
"It's just me babe." Yawned Raymond while lifting the toilet seat to urinate. The steam overpowered the bathroom.
Raymond washed his hands, and walked over to his steamy wife, and pulled back the shower curtain to admire his beautiful wife. Her red hair was now soaked and bubbled with shampoo, her curvy body covered with stretch marks.  He admired the little red birthmark that was placed perfectly on the left side of her buttocks. Raymond noticed a dark and gruelling mark that was never on Sharon before, it was a dark bruise that looked like she was branded by the devil himself.
"Babe, where did you get that awful bruise?" Asked Raymond, putting his finger on top the spot that was placed on the back of her neck.
"What bruise?"  Asked Sharon rinsing the conditioner from her hair.
"Well when you get out, you need to look in the mirror." Replied Raymond.
Sharon shut the water off and wrapped her wet body with the big blue towel, and dried her hair with the smaller green towel, and made her way to the bathroom mirror. She couldn't believe how terrible the bruise looked.
"I have no idea Ray." Mumbled, Sharon.
She then dismissed it as a possible iron deficiency in her body, she assured her worried husband that she would keep an eye on the mark. The baby's cries break Sharon's train of thought. She walked into the nursery and scooped a happy Nicholas Charles, who waved his little chubby arms at his mother.
"Good morning my prince!" Gushed Sharon at her new little babe.
As Sharon walked out of the nursery with Nicholas in her strong arms, she noticed Jewel running to the bathroom, her hand placed onto her mouth. Sharon ran after her but stodgy outside the closed bathroom door. He sound of Jewel heaving, filled the hallway. The sound of a flushing toilet and running water made Sharon realize that her daughter caught the flu.
"Mommy I'm not feeling good." Wimpered a sick Jewel. Her daughter was pale and dark circles underlined her eyes. She looked like death itself.
"Good back to bed darling. Mommy will make you some soup in a few minutes." Spoke Sharon softly to her sickly daughter.
Sharon Bustled around in her big kitchen, she was busy between making Jewel soup, and feeding Nicholas,  she was also busy prepping her husband's lunch. Sharon wiped her son's banana covered face off with a wet, lukewarm paper towel.
"My Oh my Nicholas.. you wore your banana instead of eating it." Giggled Sharon to her smiling chunky baby. She strolled over to the playpen that was set up in their huge living room.
"Here's your Sophie giraffe, and I will be right back doodlebug." Gushed Sharon smooching her son's forehead.
Sharon ran to the kitchen to save the chicken noodle soup from burning. She quickly turned off the front burner, and poured the soup in a pink princess bowl for Jewel. She carefully carried it up to Jewel's room.
"Here you are sweetheart." Whispered Sharon to a sleeping Jewel. She carefully placed her soup and spoon on her bedside table.
Sharon returned to the kitchen to finish making her husband's ham and cheese sandwich , and a small veggie platter. She lovingly packed the food into a wicker picnic basket, with a thermos of coffee. She strolled out to the front lawn to her husband feeding the chickens.
"Ray, here's your lunch." Called Sharon holding out the thermos and basket of food.
"My God woman you spoil me." Praised Raymond with a big smile.
"Well that's because I love you." Giggled Sharon.
Sharon returned inside to tidy up the kitchen mess, and to tend to Nicholas. The house fell quiet minus the ticking wall clock, suddenly Sharon could hear a door slowly creak open. Confused she lays Nicholas back down in the playpen so she could investigate the source of sound. The sound came from Jewel's room, the closet door had opened on its own.
"What the hell?" Sharon Muttered to herself.
she crept over to her sleeping daughter, and folded the blanket back over her daughter, until she noticed a familiar small black bruise on Jewel's neck. Sharon quietly shut the closet doors once more, and walked back downstairs to find her little bundle of chub, sleeping soundly in the playpen. Sharon set up the baby monitor, so she could enjoy some fresh air while the two children were napping. She walked out to help her husband bottle feed three baby kids (goats) that were abandoned by their mother.
"I take it both kids are napping?" Asked Raymond prepping the bottles.
"Why...yes...yes they are." Winked Sharon at her sweaty husband.
Sharon picked up a goat and fed it the bottle, the goat ate like a piglet and guzzler the whole thing without taking a break.
Raymond stood in the horse barn cleaning up the tools he used for his horses earlier that day. Raymond was now a professional farrier, and would be occasionally called to a customer's farm.
Sharon was back in the farm kitchen prepping for their dinner. The menu was barbecued t bone steak with baked potatoes and steamed vegetables. Suddenly Raymond staggered through the front door, loudly yelling and  firmly holding his right hand that throbbed with pain.
"Oh my gosh Ray... what happened to your hand?" Panicked Sharon, staring at her wounded husband.
"I...I..w..was cleaning up my tools in the horse barn, when I suddenly felt a severe burning sensation stemming from the palm of my hand." Stammered Raymond with a white sweaty face.
"Let's get it cleaned up" Insisted Sharon with great concern for her husband.
Sharon led Raymond to the kitchen sink and ran his burning hand under the cold water flowing from the faucet. Sharon tenderly patted the wound dry, and what remained of the wound alarmed Sharon and Raymond. What remained was a painful black blister, that was burned into the palm of his hand. Sharon's hand raised to her mouth with alarm. To Sharon, Raymond was marked by something not of this earth.