A Stormy Night: Stories to Read by Candlelight

The Haunting of Bloody Mary

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Part One of the 'Strange Magic' Trilogy

Karla stared out her father's 85 Honda Civic, at the rolling fields of green grass, and the flowing colors of purple and orange wildflowers. She and her family were on their way to Michigan, following the loss of her mother only one month before. Her 'family', consisted of her brother, who was only five, her father, and her. She was originally from Florida, but it had been her mother's dream to move out of the state, to Michigan so she could photograph the various trees and wildlife. But she was too late now. Karla's mother died of cancer, that they had known about for over a year. It had started in her kidneys, and slowly progressed its way into her brain. After that, there was nothing the doctors could do. That was two months ago. So now, Karla was in the family car, on her way to Michigan, a fresh start, a new school, and no friends. Karla was never a very social person to begin with, and the few friends she had in Florida were now distant memories. It had been three days on the road to get to Michigan, and Karla was relieved to see a sign that read,

WELCOME TO MICHIGAN! Home of the Great Lakes!

Her father was the first to speak,

"Almost there kids," he said, still concentrating on the road. Karla dared ask,

"How long?" She asked, and her father sighed heavily.

"About another two hours, maybe three," he replied. Karla groaned. She didn't think she would be able to stay cooped up much longer. She had tried making conversation, but it all ended with the same question "so, how long until we get there?" and always ended with the same answer, "We get there, when we get there," The hours passed by like molasses, and Karla noticed that the trees here had much more fall color than in Florida. In Florida, everything either stayed green, or went brown in the cold temperatures of sixty degrees, but here, the oranges, reds, yellows, and browns mixed together on a single tree. Miles upon miles of seemingly never ending color harmony. Exactly two and a half hours plus three minutes or so, Karla counted, they were in the small town of Raven. It was a noticeably gentle town, no graffiti non buildings, and not that many run down homes. The majority of the buildings in the town were brick, although some were more modern. There was a small stretch of businesses along Main Street, and as Karla's friend later that week would learn, they proved to be quite interesting. Some had triangular arches, and some simple flat roofs. Her father drove around town a few times, exploring the town, and then getting slightly lost, which hardly seemed possible in a town the size of Raven. After twenty minutes of driving around, her father found his way back into the heart of the town, and then to their new house. On the way there, they passed where Karla and her younger brother would attend school, Raven High School. Karla would be in 8th grade, being fifteen, and her brother, would attend the middle school down the road. As they slowed down and prepared to turn into the new driveway, Karla stuck her head out the window. The house was an old brick built home, that was exceptionally beautiful, with large windows, a solid oak door, and a wonderful light around it. The colors of the fall leaves were also around her, in a row of tall maples that lined the street she now lived on, Williams Street. The three of them climbed out of the car, ironically not wanting to get out even after such a long drive, and opened the door to her new home. Karla took a deep breath. The sun shone in through a small kitchen window, and fell onto a glossy hardwood floor. The air inside smelled fresh, like fall, but the counter tops and floors were lined with a small amount of dust. She expected dust. Her father had said to her on the way up,

"They say two people or more were murdered in this house," he had said, in hopes of frightening her. Karla had nodded, and continued staring back out the closed window. But now that they were there, Karla's interests were peaked. She ran around the house, inspecting every corner, and opening every door. Upstairs, in a small bedroom that faced out toward the front door, and had a perfect angle of the driveway, there was an ever so slight stain on the floor. It lead from a small bed, that sat in the center of the room against the left wall, and an over to the window where she was standing. It was so slight, and the floor had been strained recently, that Karla couldn't tell if it was blood. She wondered why she cared, or even bothered following the trail into the room. To the left of the window stood a large oval object, covered with a large cloth. Karla approached it, and ripped it off, watching the dust fly into the air, and discovered it was a mirror.