Encounter

Chapter Twenty Three

Nathan waved the officers off as they pulled out of the driveway. He turned and walked back into the house. Sarah was not in bed like she said, she was standing in the kitchen, her eyes glaring over at him in anger.

"Sometimes I just don't understand you, Nathan," she hissed.

"What have I done, you leave the house without a word in the middle of the night and think that is ok," Nathan fired back, knowing he was not in the wrong. "Why did you go into the village?"

"As the officer told you, I was found sleepwalking," Sarah said, her cheeks glowing pink. Nathan did not believe her.

"I don't believe you, Sarah. In the whole time, we have been together, I have never known you to sleep walk. What was the real reason you were in that house?" Nathan asked angrily.

"You don't believe me, so first you belittle me in front of those two officers, and now you're calling me a liar," Sarah returned, slamming her hands down on the kitchen table. The table shook violently.

"Sarah, I'm not calling you a liar. I just don't understand; I feel like you are slipping away from me more and more these days, talk to me."

"Why, you seem to have figured it all out. Haven't you been telling everyone I'm suffering from PTSD? That all the things I have been seeing are delusions in my head, well guess what they are not. I saw a big black wolf and saw a skeleton sat next to that officer the other day," Sarah screamed at the top of her lungs, her face shifting from pink to dark crimson. "At least someone believes me." Sarah instantly wished she had not said anything.

"What do you mean? Who believes you?" Nathan said.

"Oh Nathan, just leave it. I've had a long night, and I'm going to sleep." Sarah thundered up the stairs into the bedroom. Nathan stood at the bottom of the stairs, his mind was racing with questions, but he dared not continue this conversation with Sarah, it would affect her mental state even more.

Then the officer's voice popped into his mind. She is well known in the village; she is the local medium. It clicked. She is the one that believes her, been filling her head with all this rubbish. Nathan suddenly felt even angrier than he already was. He picked up his car keys and walked out of the house.

He was soon speeding along the lanes toward the village. Nathan whizzed past the deserted school and saw the house the officer had described. He parked the car outside, the booming exhausts stirring the birds from their trees above.

As he stepped out, he looked at the house before him. It was creepy looking, the main windows in the middle reminding him of a house he saw in a horror movie once. He walked down the gravel courtyard and banged on the door.

For some time, there was no response. Nathan slammed the door again this time, the door slowly opened. It was an old woman standing before him in a fluffy dressing gown, plain looking white slippers and what seemed like a pair of cotton pajama bottoms underneath.

She looked disgruntled as if she had been woken up from falling asleep recently.

"I don't like cold callers, are you aware of what time it is," she grumbled she was clearly annoyed by the interruption. Nathan didn't care.

"I'm not here to sell you anything," Nathan replied, his tone cold.

"Well good, it is five-thirty in the morning, and you are stopping me from sleeping." Her tone was more of anger now, rather than disgruntled.

"You found my wife earlier, supposedly sleepwalking in the village," Nathan said. The woman's face changed as if she wasn't expecting that reply.

"You are Nathan," she said.

"Yes, that's me. Why was my wife in your house and tell me the truth?"

The lady moved aside in the doorway. "You best come in."

Nathan walked into the house, the smell of old uncleaned furniture filled his nostrils. She showed him into a living room filled with armchairs.

"Please sit," she said pointing to one of the chairs. Nathan sat and looked around the room.

"What is it you want to know Mr. Willows?"

"You told the police that you found Sarah sleep walking in the village, I do not believe this," Nathan said, straight to the point.

The lady chuckled at him. "You don't believe what Mr. Willows?"

"That she was sleep walking, of course, she has never done it before ever."

"I see, and because she has not done it before means that she has not done it this morning," The lady replied smugly. Nathan felt himself getting angry.

"I find it hard to believe that my wife who has been suffering from PTSD, and has been seeing a black wolf and other nonsense, is then found in the house of a medium, is it you that is filling her head with this rubbish," Nathan spat.

"Have you ever stopped to think that your wife may be seeing what she says she is seeing," The lady asked, resting back in her chair.

"Well no, because wolfs don't exist in these parts and skeletons walking around my house is clearly some form of mental breakdown," Nathan said, his voice becoming much like when he defended a client in a courtroom.

"Mr. Willows, your wife is screaming for you to believe her and help her through these tough times she is going through, you are right she was not sleepwalking this morning."

"I knew it!" Nathan said, jumping to his feet. "I knew you were lying."

"That must be fun for you," she said not moving an inch. The lady stared up at Nathan with a look. "Your wife has been plagued with a dangerous curse that summons an ancient demon from the underworld of hell to torment and torture its victims."

Nathan laughed now. "Oh my god, so it is you that has been filling her head with this tripe. Do you know what happened to my wife a couple of weeks ago? She was involved in a crash which ended up killing someone," Nathan shouted towering over the old woman. She did not reply as if waiting for him to continue. "My wife is vulnerable, and you are filling her head with some sick story you have conjured to hurt people."

"Your wife is in grave danger Mr. Willows; you need to support her," The lady went on. Nathan smirked at her.

"Oh, I am supporting her that is why I have come to see you. I forbid you to come near my wife again if I so much as hear that you have spoken to my wife I will be calling the police, do we understand each other." He boomed.

The lady smiled back. "You may be her husband Mr. Willows, but you can't stop her from seeing people she wishes to, forbid me from coming near her it will make no difference. When she wants someone to talk to she will come to me."

Nathan stared at the woman with disbelief. Who is this woman? He asked himself. She smiled again.

"Now if you don't mind Mr. Willows I would much like to get back to bed, which you rudely interrupted me from." She stood to her feet and walked out of the living room stopping at the door. She looked back at Nathan. "Goodbye Nathan, you can show yourself out."

She was gone, leaving Nathan alone in the room. He stormed out of the house, slamming the door behind him. Walking to the car, his mind was bouncing around image after image playing around like a fast paced movie. Nathan looked up at the house. In the window, he saw the old lady staring out at him. She smiled one last time, and then slowly closed the curtain.