NaNo: The Hauntings of Garenger Manor

The Little Key

One would think that after such an encounter, to be physically affected by what should not exists, they would turn tail and flee such a place. But not Jonathan. He picked himself up and walked right back into the house with his mind set to get to the bottom of this.

He tried calling for Ellie and looked around to see if he could find her, but either she did not want to be found or perhaps ascended into whatever state 'sleep' was for a ghost, as that was what she said Mrs. Garenger did during the day. When he could not coax the sweetheart out he went right for the study and sat himself down with Mrs. Garenger's journal once more, moving forward to the dates that would coincide with Ellie.

He decided to try around nine months before her birth to see what was happening at that time, by his math based upon the grave dates, a whole year had passed since the death of their last child. It did not seem all that different, as droll and despondent as before, until maybe three months into the time after she learned she was pregnant again. Somehow she knew she was having a girl, and from there on the tone of the writing changed.

Jonathan buckled down for whatever was to come but it was only what one might think as normal, Mrs. Garenger was seemingly thrilled with the progression of the pregnancy, talking about the subtle little differences from this child versus the others, and the spats she was having with her husband over the fact seemed more like a game now to her.

"You have always given me a boy!" he said. "Your boys were weak, surely my girl will be stronger." I had replied. I then went one step further and asked him if he would rather like this one too to die. He didn't respond.

There was much like this, such sureness that this child would outlive all others, as if there was some way to protect her. It was odd for everything else he tortured himself with. And he still kept going. There was quite a few entries during this time compared to normal, it further told of her excitement as well as the business of that year as she was including more tidbits into Mr. Garenger's business and habits. Although still not much else to flesh out what might have become of him, there was some darker hints of the past that started to make Jonathan wonder and question about the start of the town, at that time yet unnamed, but Jonathan couldn't help feel that she was alluding to something.

She would say things such as: "They just keep taking from the land, just like how they took the land from those people," or "He speaks as if we own all of this. Ha! You forget that I know this town was not built in as little as a year." It was quite odd.

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July 24 – Oh, she came so easy compared to the boys, and I was right, I bore a little girl this time. Finally. And she's beautiful. Quentin and I have been discussing names, and it would seem we are settling on Elizabeth. He is fully convinced in his mind it is after a great aunt of his. No, you my dear, are named after MY mother, I named you, and it shall protect you. Quentin can have his doomed boys, you are my little girl, and I promise nothing ill shall happen to you.

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Jonathan had to take a pause and flip back to when her last child was born, just to compare. Did this woman hate her husband so much that it extended to her own children? Or was she simply so prejudiced against men that bearing a son was like a personal insult? If she hated men that could prove to complicate things for him.

Jonathan put in a few slips of paper to mark pages and set the journal down, it was now about 2 in the afternoon, and after leaning forward to rub his face, he realized he was being watched again.

"Ellie, there you are," he said with a smile, seeing her hiding over under the table again. "You can come in."

"I hurt you..." she replied. It was such a soft and sad voice that he almost couldn't hear it.