It Came With The House

•Chapter Seven• Shocking Development

"Hey, sweet cheeks!" Marie chirps as soon as I climb into the passenger seat.

I couldn't help but smile at her greeting. She has such a sunny disposition that can cheer up even the gloomiest of people. "Hi Marie," I greet her as I buckle my seatbelt.

Marie puts the car in drive and turned the car around so that we were rolling down the long driveway to the road. "Are you ready for Arthur's to-die-for, food?" She asked with a twinkle in her eye as she cast me a quick look before focusing on the road once more.

"Have you ever known me not to be ready for Arthur's?" I ask with a big grin. Right on cue, my stomach grumbled to show how eager I was to fill my belly. Marie and I both burst into laughter simultaneously. We engaged in small talk until we reached the restaurant and were seated at a beautifully decorated table for two.

"Welcome to Arthur's," The waitress greeted us with a welcoming smile. "What can I get you two ladies today?"

"I'll have the cheeseburger, onion ring combo with a pickle on the side and a cherry coke," Marie recited before looking at me. "Shall I order for you since I already know what you're going to order, or would you rather do it yourself?" She smirks at me and I giggle with a shake of my head.

"I'll have the Lasagna plater, with the chef salad, a slice of garlic bread, and a lemonade, please." I place my order with a happy grin. With a quick nod, the waitress excuses herself to submit our orders to the cook and get our drinks.

"You always order the same thing every time we come here," Marie states. "You should try something different once in a while."

"I have tried everything on the menu," I inform her just as our waitress returns with our drinks. "But I have to say the lasagna plater is like heaven on a dish!"

Marie pulled her drink closer for a sip as she chuckled. "I get it," She said. "I feel the same about the cheeseburger and onion ring combo. It's the reason why I come here regularly."

The one thing about being pregnant I hate the most is the need to urinate so frequently and at that moment I had to urinate so I quickly excused myself and hurried to the bathroom. Seven minutes later I was back in my seat and ready to eat even though our food hadn't arrived. My stomach grumbling and a kick from the baby inside my tummy echoed the need to eat.

I nearly clapped like a gleeful child when the food finally arrived, causing Marie to laugh at the look on my face. Taking my first bite of the lasagna, I moaned in pure bliss at its heavenly taste. In my opinion, the food at Arthur's was truly to-dir-for. Never before, or even after tasting their food, had I tasted food this good. The moment you partake of their food, you're hooked.

"Care to tell me why you think you're losing your mind?" Marie asked point blank. "What exactly makes you think that?"

Between delicious bites of my meal, I explained to her all the strange occurrences I'd experienced since moving in. "Not to mention the strange feeling of being watched no matter where I go. There are also times when I begin to feel apprehensive for no apparent reason but I just attribute it to nerves, and, or, stress, brought on by starting a business while pregnant."

Marie's facial expression went from interest to concern, and finally to discomfort. "What's even more disturbing, is what happened to me last night..." I trailed off as the memory invaded my mind and I couldn't hold back the shiver that came then. I vividly remembered a cold, clammy hand briefly touching my upper arm.

"What happened?" Marie asked with what sounded like trepidation.

Her voice quickly brought me back to reality and sighed with relief. "When I turned out my office light, I saw what looked like a writhing body crawling toward me but it disappeared when I turned on the light. The next thing I know, something cold touched my arm but when I turned around, nothing was there!"

Marie looked down at her food for a long, silent minute before she looked up at my face with a determined look. "There's something I need to tell you, Amy,"

By the look on her face, I knew she wasn't happy admitting whatever it was she was going to say but was resolved to do so. "Alright, go ahead," I encourage, my eyes glued to her face.

"Do you remember the day I came to see your house?" She asked me.

"Of course," I reply as I take my last bite of the Lasagna. "You ran out as if the hounds of hell were after you!"

"Yeah," Marie admitted wryly. "Well, to be honest, seconds after entering your house I began to feel uncomfortable. The longer I stayed, the worst it got." I nodded because I did understand what she meant. I can't remember a single moment that I've felt comfortable in the house since we moved in.

"But when I was about to climb the stairs to the second floor, I could have sworn I saw a skeletal face in the shadows, at the top of the stairs and I was besieged by a wave of fear that just intensified the longer I stood there," She confided.

Reaching across the small table, Marie grasped my hand firmly. "I didn't want to say anything because I thought I'd imagined the whole thing. But now I'm inclined to think your house may be haunted," I was shocked beyond words and could only stare at her silently, her words playing over and over in my mind.

Her words were still running through my mind repeatedly like a broken record on the drive back to my house. Images of everything that had transpired in the house since we moved in, flitted through my thoughts like a projector and I started to consider the possibility of a haunting. It could explain the strange occurrences but I was a skeptic and wanted hard proof before I could say with certainty that my house was haunted.

We were driving up the long, winding road that was my driveway when loud barking caught my attention. Whipping my head in its direction, I saw something that completely defied logic and had my blood running cold. A whisky, shadowy figure of a hag with dark holes for eyes, was flying toward the car at an alarming rate.

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Sry, it's been a while. I've developed a case of severe dry eye that makes it hard for be on my phone for the period it takes to type an update. I'm trying hard to finish this story and I'm thinking of ending it at chapter 10. Plz vote and comment. Thanx!