Dead Girl Pictures

Destinations

The DM came to my Insta account a few weeks ago. It was from a woman who told me all about the house her family had in Utah. They used it as a B&B with a twist. She told me it was haunted by the spirit of the man who use to own it years ago. A painting of him still hung in the house to this day. It has been taken down before but always finds it's way back to the wall it originally hung from by the next morning. No one had ever seen anything odd, more like a feeling some people got while they stayed in the house.
Not threatened but watched.
The place boasted 6 bedrooms each with attached baths, stunning views, large windows all over and decks off the front and back of the house. It was in a word: breathtaking. Even with the "haunting" it was a popular rental in the area and they had held several weddings on the back deck.
She had come across my pictures and story on Insta so she offered up this house to my friends and I for one week free. All they wanted were some new pictures of the house for social media. She liked the style I shot in and knew the house would show it's true colors for me.
It was a deal I couldn't pass up.
Before we left Mississippi I had looked up the house online. The pictures on the booking website were okay but not shot in the best light. I could see why they wanted new ones. In a few of the pictures looking up to the top deck the corner was blurred. Almost like the photographer moved to fast while taking the picture but the rest of the photo was in focus. I found it again when the person was on the top deck shooting down and across the lower deck. Maybe just some bad editing of the photos?
I was eager to get to our destination later that day. The previous night we had stayed in Provo. The town was a mix of all different kinds of people. We spent the evening downtown exploring and me shooting pictures. The light, the people, the town itself was perfect. I was extremely happy with how everything had come out.
Today was an easy drive to the house where we would stay for the next week.
"Natalie said to grab snack foods we wanted before coming to the house. And stuff for lunch. The family will handle breakfast and dinner for us." I say this to Jake who is driving. I'm in the backseat with Kate who is playing on her phone. Brian is looking over the map in the passenger seat beside Jake.
"Looks like we drive right by a super center on the way to the house." Brian says. "Be a good chance to get out and walk a bit before we head out for the last leg."
He looks back at me. "How are you doing? And don't bullshit me when you answer. I can read you like a book."
I take a breath before I answer him.
"I'm okay honestly. Some pain and stiffness. Some nausea but mostly at night. I'm watching what I eat and take all the meds when I need to. I'm not ready to kick off just yet." I wink at him to show him I'm kidding. He gives me his soft yet sad smile and doesn't say anything else about it.
Kate jumps into the conversation asking what snacks everyone wants. She pulls up the notes app on her phone to make a list. Always the organizer of our merry band of misfits.
After the store we only have an hour left to get to the house. I do a quick check of the clock and find we will get there about time the sun is getting right for some pictures. Natalie had told me the back of the house faced west and the second and first floors each had huge decks that side of the house. She had also sent me the code for the door while we were staying there. I made sure everyone else had it before we arrived at the house.
The driveway up was steep with rocks as big and bigger than the Jeep on either side. When we finally get to the flat parking area on top the view is worth it. The house is all glass and wood. It's location was incredible. The house set up on an exposed point and the land dropped away around it. You were left looking over valleys and on to the next peaks.
It took my breath away with its stunning location and views.
I started pulling out my camera equipment to shoot the amazing light that poured through the house from the west. I shot everything I could while the light was here. Brian at some point opened the door for us to explore the houses insides. I continued onto the back deck that overlooked more spectacular views. As I looked to my right I could just catch a glimpse of the roof of the next house. We had passed the entrance to the neighbors driveway on our way here. It had looked much like this drive with the exception on a huge iron gate at the base of the drive with an embellished B in the middle. I continued shooting till the light faded then I just watched the last of the sunset in silence. Kate stuck her head out the door as the last of the light faded. "Hey, Natalie and her crew just pulled up. Looks like an amazing dinner for our first night." She smiled at me.
"I will be right there. Let me pack these lenses away and make sure the pictures transfer." I gesture to the laptop setting open behind me. I can see the blue light on my camera working so I know it is transferring the pictures but I would not clear my camera until they are all there.
"Okay, see you in a bit. Oh and we put our stuff in rooms. We gave you the one in the back that has a door to the upper deck." She points above us where the second floor deck makes an overhang for part of the first floor deck.
" Jake took one that connects to the front deck. You know how he gets up with the sun." She rolls her eyes with a smile.
"Brian and I took one down from you. Ours has access to the back deck also."
"Thank y'all for getting our stuff out. I got so lost in pictures I totally forgot about bags." I give a small laugh at this. I had brought two bags on this trip. One was a backpack with my cloths in it. It was filled with T-shirts, shorts and leggings. One hoodie for the chilly night air and a pair of sweatpants. When I was diagnosed I donated all my "professional" cloths. I refused to ware stuff that wasn't 100 percent comfortable anymore. My mom agreed with me and helped me sort all my stuff. The plus side of it was that I was able to help some women dress for new jobs and I was left with everything I liked to put on anyway. Win/win.
My second bag was another backpack but smaller. It served as my purse, second camera bag and medicine hauler. There was definitely a bunch of meds to haul around these days.
Kate gives me a smile and goes back inside. I sit down in front of my laptop and watch the pictures fill the screen. I am really excited about how most of them turned out. As I am putting away my lenses I can't help but feel watched. It's not a bad feeling for some reason. Almost as if someone is just keeping an eye on me. Like they are ready to jump up and help if I need it. "Weird", I think to myself. "Where did that thought come from?" I shake it off and put up my equipment.
As I walk into the house I am greeted with light and amazing smells. A dark haired woman is talking to Jake over in the kitchen. She smiles when she sees me walk in and I smile back then head over to introduce myself.