Evergreen by Clifford Beck - HTML preview

Chapter 8

The deputy escorted them off the hill. But as they walked into the tree line, Chuck glanced back at the house with the feeling they were being watched. It was only a brief moment, but from the corner of his eye, he saw a pale gray face looking back at him.

“Wait a second,” he said.

Bobby and Katie stopped as Chuck turned back toward the house, scrutinizing the window. Police officers are trained to be expert witnesses, with heightened skills of observation. Chuck wholeheartedly believed he had seen something, but his rational mind refused to believe in such things as ghosts. He escorted the teenagers off the hill with the impression that what he’d seen was simply a product of the afternoon glare. He would return periodically. Not just to ensure the safety of the town’s young people but to convince himself that there was nothing unusual about the house. After all, it was just an old house. Perhaps it was its state of abandon that tricked his imagination into creating a ghostly image in the window. Perhaps it was its isolation. A Victorian-style house nestled in the woods of northern Maine seemed to be an odd contradiction. Perhaps it was this that left him feeling haunted.

He led to Bobby and Katie back down to the road and drove them into town. Letting them out on Main Street, he gave them a stern warning.

“I’m not going to go to your folks. This time. But, if I catch you back there again, I’m going to have a talk with them, got it?”

Like any other teenager, the last thing they wanted was for their parents to get a visit from the police. But, teenagers can be daring and seem to thrive on the risk of getting caught. Katie was fascinated by the idea of exploring the old house, while Bobby was becoming somewhat obsessed with proving himself to her. That he actually had the guts to go in with her. But, there was something else. He knew that fear can sometimes draw one person to another, purely out of a need for security and he thought that maybe Katie would be drawn to him in a similar way. But first, he had to get himself to go inside. To confront the fear his mind had generated. Fear is always with us. It acts as a warning and keeps us safe. One can become detached from it, but fear can never be eliminated. It is part of who we are. Bobby had to bring himself to a place where he could ignore his fear. If he could find his courage, the two might finally become more than high school sweethearts.

After stepping out onto the sidewalk, Chuck gave them one last warning and drove off. “Shit,” Katie said. Bobby responded with a little hesitation.

“Yeah, tough break, huh?”

Katie looked at him as a slight grin came to his face. “Oh no,” she began. “You’re not getting out of this that easily. We’re going back. Don’t you worry about that.” Eventually, he would go back. He knew that if he didn’t, he would never hear the end of it. He wanted to avoid being harassed by the rest of the seniors, but he didn’t want to go into the house - especially, after seeing the strange figure in the window. But, Katie wanted to go back and she didn’t believe his claim of seeing anything in the window. However, the event was quickly set aside, replaced with hunger pangs that were as sudden as they were intense.

“Shit,” Bobby said. “I’m starving, how about you?” Katie hesitated as she realized how hungry she was. “Yeah, now that you mention it.”

“C’mon,” Bobby continued. “Let’s go to the market.” They turned and walked down Main Street toward the market. Katie put a hand on Bobby’s shoulder and with a playful voice, said, “You know, you don’t have to be in there for any more than a few minutes.” Without pausing, Bobby asked, “You’re going to keep reminding me about this, aren’t you?”

“Yep,” Katie answered.