The Ghostly Hideaway by Doris Hale Sanders Read Free Book Online

let
me come to you now but I know that will only happen when my life is
no longer needed here on earth. I pray that will come soon.
    I buried you, Lorraine, in the little
graveyard on the hill near the big spreading oak tree beside the
baby we wanted so much. Perhaps in death you can hold him and love
him as you were precluded from doing in life.
    Rest in peace, my beloved. I shall have
no peace until I can be with you again. Our Kentucky Hideaway is so
lonely without you. CCC 15 January, 2005
    *
    Everyone had been deeply affected by the words of
anguish written by the hopeless old man. This was evidenced by the
break in his voice as Edward read the passage, the tears flowing
freely down the faces of the three girls, and even Andy’s lips
trembled as he said, “That sure was sad, wasn’t it, Daddy?”
    Suddenly, from upstairs came the sounds of someone
sobbing her heart out. They all five heard it and unconsciously
looked to be sure everyone was still in the living room and not
upstairs. The weather that had been so perfect the night before for
the fireworks display had turned nasty during the day and now they
could hear the wind rustling and complaining through the trees
outside and it looked as though the rain might fall as splashing
teardrops any minute.
    The rain came and the wind increased in velocity and
volume until the elements drowned out the heartbreaking sounds from
upstairs and when their noise finally abated, the sobbing sounds
from upstairs had ceased. No one was anxious to go up to bed that
night, but when no more sad sounds were heard for some time, they
finally went up to bed.
    The whole family seemed subdued and less than
cheerful the next morning, but they resumed their routine.
    “Chrissy, what do you think about cleaning up the
Coys’ bedroom today? We have most of the rest of the house in good
shape; dusted, vacuumed, walls wiped down, windows washed (inside
and out on the first floor) and draperies and curtains cleaned.
We’ve cleaned the upholstery the best we can, cleaned out the
refrigerator and freezer, taken everything off the shelves in the
kitchen and pantry and cleaned them. We’ve scrubbed the stove and
the oven and even scrubbed the porches. Your father has worked on
the outside of the house, repairing the front and back steps, the
swing and the shutters, and he’s even done some work to the storage
shed, the hen house and the barn. That bedroom is the only thing
that hasn’t been cleaned. I don’t see any reason to leave it any
longer, do you?”
    “No, I don’t, Mom. I say, ‘Let’s do it.’”
    Right after breakfast, they took the vacuum, dust
cloths, cleaning rags, window cleaners and went to work.
    “One thing I keep wondering about is why there are
no windows on this side of the house. I looked at it from the
outside the other day and there’re no windows at all on this entire
side.”
    “That is odd. It makes it awfully dark particularly
in your bedroom, Chrissy. You don’t have any outside view anywhere.
It’s a good thing you’re not claustrophobic.”
    They picked up all the dirty clothes in the Coy’s
bedroom and Chrissy took them down and started the washer. They
stripped the bed, made it up with fresh linens, and put the
coverlet back on it. It looked really nice. They washed the
windows, (the two at the front of the house), vacuumed, dusted; and
took the curtains down washing them carefully by hand because they
looked extremely fragile. When they got the curtains back up to the
windows, all the clothes folded and put away and all the drawers
shut properly, the room looked especially nice. There was one
corner that seemed quite dark and melancholy, but they didn’t have
an extra lamp to set there. Instead, they set an old rocker in that
corner and left it alone.
    When Ed got home, he agreed that it did look much,
much better and he thought the spirits, ghosts, or whatever would
have to agree. Penny had even gone to the fencerow out near the
storage shed and