Echoes

Chapter 2

The following day, Leah started the task of going through pop's paperwork and personal effects. He didn't have that much and she felt that until she knew if it was really him, she didn't want to disturb his bedroom. The process didn't take long, but she found some old photos of his time in the army, and of her family from before mom left, which surprised her as she had no idea pops had kept them.

Looking through the images of happier times brought a strong reaction. She had long come to terms with her mom leaving and starting a new family, and despite having to deal with the rejection of her cutting contact, Leah had found that she never really thought about her that much. 

But now looking at her own young smiling face, sat on mom's lap in their military base home, pulled at something long buried. Storing all the photos and important documents in a box in the dresser, Leah felt she needed to get out for a while, so she headed out to town to pick up some supplies.

Glad of the break and change of mood, she took her time and grabbed some essentials, before walking down to the pond to sit for a while. As she watched the ducks happily gliding around the pond, Leah thought back to the situation at the cabin with her 'unexpected guest'.

She was still sceptical at the thought of having a spirit haunting the cabin, but after her thorough checks for a real, living intruder, had come up with nothing, she wasn't really sure what else to think. The only other possibility that presented itself, was that a larger critter had gotten in. But that wouldn't explain the distinctive footsteps. She would check anyway.

Back home, Leah made several circuits of the outside of the cabin, looking for any telltale signs of where a critter could get in, but found nothing. She'd already deep cleaned most of the cabin, but figured another check round wouldn't hurt. With no evidence of any animal intrusion, Leah sat at the table with a coffee and pulled out her phone and read more about dealing with spirits.

Her mind taunted her, questioning if she was losing her mind from the grief and loneliness. The feelings of sorrow and loss hit her deep. She knew that she desperately missed pops and since leaving her contracts, she hadn't really had much contact with anyone outside of the hospital and nursing home. Part of her refused to admit that she was hallucinating because of her grieving state, her mind only demanding answers to what was happening. 

Before she considered her deteriorating mental health, she needed to know if what she was hearing was real. It felt real enough for her to make a methodical clearance of the cabin, but the lingering thought of her pops haunting his old home, pushed her forward.

That night with her plan in mind, Leah settled in bed, intending to stay awake and just listen to the cabin as it settled. Once all was quiet, she patiently waited for the telltale creaks and footsteps. Struggling to stay awake, she mentally ran over her chores list and her meeting with the Captain the following day. Pondering what it would be like working at a military base on a more permanent contract, a crack of a floorboard caught her attention. Listening intently, she could make out the faint, but definite footsteps, with the accompanying sound of the floorboards moving under each step.

The feeling of doubt gripped her as she stepped out of bed and walked to the door, thinking about all the things that could go wrong and what she would actually do if there was really a ghost. Taking several deep breaths to calm her building nerves, she crept out of the door. "Pops is that you?" she called out softly. The sounds stopped.

"Don't leave. I just want to talk to you" she pleaded desperately, feeling her voice waver with the sudden emotion that was welling up. "It's okay, I'm not scared. I just want to talk" she tried, hoping to get some sort of response, but none came. Not sure if she was relieved or disappointed, Leah headed back to bed.