One Hell of a Haunting

"I have no idea what you are talking about. How the hell do you think I could get all those small pieces back up here and have it look so nice after the hack job you did at tearing it off?" he barked back at her.

"Well I know I tore it down last night," she said sounding confused now as she rubbed her forehead, staring at the backsplash in disbelief.

"Well, I guess you will just have to start all over again. I can't explain what happened here any better than you, but you have the house to yourself this morning 'cause I got to make a run to the hardware store. I will be back as soon as I can," Drew said as he walked out the back door toward his car, hiding his coy smile.

Drew jumped in his car and headed out the driveway only to realize he'd forgotten the measurements he needed for one of the projects. Turning the car around he headed back to the house, going in the front door this time to avoid another confrontation with Molly. As he closed the door behind him he saw the ghostly figures floating up the stairs. He dropped his keys on the end table and followed them.

Walking slowly as he neared the top of the stairs, he watched closely to see where they went then heard noises coming from the bedroom again. Knowing it wasn't his wife, because she was in the kitchen; he moved down the hall standing close to the wall. He peeked around the corner of the bedroom door the same as yesterday, secretly hoping to see them at it again.

To his dismay they weren't on the bed, but standing in front of the window in line with the door.

"I thought you said he was leaving?" Sadie asked as she peered out the window looking at Drew's car parked in the driveway.

"He did leave. He must have come back for something," Fred said as he too peered out the window over Sadie's shoulder.

"I'm getting tired of all this waiting around, Fred. Can't w e just start our plan now? Who cares whether he sees us or not. I just want our home back and will do anything to get it," she added as she floated toward the bed to sit.

"Oh shit, I think she saw me," Drew thought to himself then gasped as Sadie floated toward him. He wanted to back away from the room, but was too stunned by the fact of being seen.

"Who are you and what are you doing in our home?" Sadie asked, staring at Drew.

"Hello there! I'm Drew -- er—um – Andrew," he stammered the continued as he watched the ghost float above the floor in front of him. "I purchased this property last month and my wife and I just moved in yesterday." Not wanting to appear rude, but couldn't resist not knowing asked, "Um – excuse me – but who are you, if you don't mind me asking?"

"Hello Andrew, I'm Fred and this is my wife Sadie. This is our house. I built it with my own two hands and we just want it back. So, you say that woman downstairs trying to discard my hard work is your wife?"

He stood in awe, hearing every word the couple said to him clear as a bell. "Um, yes she is." Drew answered, a look of astonishment on his face.

"What's the matter son? You look as though you've seen a ghost or something."

"Will you listen to yourself, Fred? We are ghosts and yes he can see us. How did you expect him to look?"

"Drew," Molly shouted up the stairs. "What the hell are you doing up there? I thought you were going to the store for supplies? Now, thanks to you I'm going to be up all night doing the things I put on my list. You know, you can be so inconsiderate sometimes. I don't know why I st…" Molly began her nagging once again, this time going on and on about stupid things, things from the past that no one had control over anymore.

Drew grasped his hair in his fists and anger spread across his face as he tried to block out Molly's screeching voice.

"Oh dear, there she goes again. Tell me Drew, how do you take it? Better yet, why do you take it? No one should ever speak to his or her spouse that way, much less another human being," Sadie said as she hovered closer to Drew emitting a warm comforting glow.

"Well actually Sadie, you don't mind me calling you that do you? Or would you prefer Mrs. um – I'm sorry, I don't know your last name."

"That's okay Andrew, Sadie is fine."

"Well as I was saying, I have wanted to leave her for quite some time now, but if I do then she gets half of everything I've worked so hard for. She hasn't worked a day in her life and now that the children are grown I don't want her getting my home, my car, half of my business, nothing!" he said angrily, walking to the bed to sit down.

"Oh you poor dear. Living with her must be hell," Sadie whispered as she and Fred sat beside Drew on the bed.

Drew breathed deeply then continued, "I heard about this place a while ago and thought if I could get her to move here I might be lucky enough to drive her crazy and then blame it on the house being haunted. She'd never know it was me doing things to her, but then you two came along and…"

As Drew spoke, Sadie and Fred had disappeared hearing Molly draw near. Just before the door opened, Drew felt the mattress shift and he stopped talking. He just sat there waiting for her to barge in and start with her complaints again, which is exactly what she did.

"Oh Fred, we have to help that poor boy. I don't want that creature living in my home and I feel Andrew deserves much better," Sadie voiced as she and Fred floated out of the bedroom.

+++++

"Okay, you can stop your bitching now Molly. I have the things you asked me to get from the hardware store," Drew said, slightly annoyed with the whole thing now as he set the bag on the table and walked outside.

"Where are you going? Hey, Don't you dare walk away from me when I am speaking to you," Molly shouted as Drew continued to walk, never turning to look at her.

The property behind the house was somewhat wooded and Drew walked back in the trees a bit, stopping when he heard Molly scream. He turned slightly, debating if he should go check on her or not. He didn't, he needed time to calm down from her noise and continued to walk.

"Hehehe! That was a good one Sadie!" Fred said as he watched Molly run up the staircase and into the bedroom.

"Yes it was, wasn't it? I'm going to let her think about it for a while and go check on Andrew to let him know his plan is in action now."

Molly was in the kitchen trying desperately to get the tile off the backsplash again. She was bound and determined that it wasn't going to stay up any longer. She picked up the blow torch, turned it on and when she aimed it at the tile, a gust of wind blew the flame back at her; burning her hair. She dropped the torch and ran upstairs to the bathroom screaming. Looking at her scorched hair in the mirror, the hideous sight caused her knees to become weak and she suddenly fell to the floor, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Helllloo? Andrew? Are you out here? Andrew, it's Sadie and Fred. Can we talk to you?" Sadie called out as she and Fred flew around the property trying to find him.

"Look down there, Sadie. There he is." Fred had spotted Andrew leaning against a tall birch tree, his arms folded above his head with a broad smile on his face.

"I should've gone to check on her. I feel kind of bad for not checking on her after she screamed," Drew told Sadie as she appeared in front of him.

Sadie and Fred told Drew what happened and all he could do was laugh. "It's about time she did something with that hairdo anyway," he said with a chuckle. "So what's in store for her next, Sadie? I think I'm gonna like this."

After Drew learned of Sadie's plans he said good night and headed back inside to check on his wife and grab a shower before bed. He was going to make it an early night since he had so much planned for the morning.

"G'night Sadie. G'night Fred and thanks. Hey feel free to stay in the house and make yourself at home," he said and then headed inside.

"Molly? Hun? Where are you? He called out as he entered the kitchen from the back yard. Drew headed upstairs to look for her and when he reached the top of the stairs he heard sobbing coming from the bathroom. "Molly! Oh Molly, what happened?" he said sounding surprised to see her in the condition she was in. "C'mon, lets get you off the floor and into bed," he said as he helped her up.

Drew couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he walked her to the bedroom, smelling the scent of burnt hair and seeing the frizzed ends of her hair sticking out in all directions. "I told you to be careful with that, it can be a dangerous tool if you don't know what you are doing," he added as she sat on the bed.

Molly didn't have anything to say to him. She was angry that he didn't come to her rescue, but more angry that he didn't try to help her earlier. She just rolled to her side, curled into a ball and went to sleep.

"Finally! A peaceful night," Drew said as he undressed and crawled into bed beside his wife.

++++

Morning came too quickly for Drew as he lay in bed trying to wake up. His mind recalled the events of last night and Molly's experience as that same smile crept to his lips once again. Wanting to speak with Sadie and Fred before his morning got going he got out of bed and slipped into his robe then whispered their names.

"Sadie? Fred? Hey guys it's me, Drew. I was just wondering hat you had in store for Molly today."

"Good morning Andrew. Did you sleep well?" Sadie replied in her soothing voice and then continued to inform Drew of her plans for the coming weeks.

Drew liked what he had heard and agreed to Sadie's conditions that he be in the same room with her most of the time when things occurred, but sometimes she wanted him out of the house; saying she would explain later.

The morning flew by as Drew worked steadily on the house, mainly repairing broken windows and the roof. He'd talked to Fred earlier about the things he planned on fixing. "I know this is your house and I love it here, but I don't want to get a face full of rain or snow with all the leaks in the roof, so I'm gonna tackle that project first. I also noticed my socks getting snagged on the rough wood and I would hate to cover it with a carpet. I can only imagine how beautiful it was when waxed and buffed. That will be my second task, along with the things that are broken. I think Molly is gonna try to remove that tile one more time but after that she will probably just cover it with something. I promise not to let her destroy it."

"I won't bother you while you are working Andrew. I know your wish is to preserve the natural beauty of this old house and I thank you from the bottom of my heart, um – I don't have that anymore, but I think you know what I meant," Fred said as he patted Drew on the back and followed Sadie from the room.

The morning passed without incident from Sadie or Fred and Drew was on pins and needles waiting for them to strike. At lunch, Drew asked Molly to fix them something to eat. She cleaned up her mess from the counter and started to fix them both soup and a sandwich. She opened two cans of tomato soup and then made some tuna salad for the sandwiches. As she poured Drew's bowl of soup she called him to the table.

"Oh boy, that sure smells great!" he said as he sat across from where Molly usually sat. As drew ate his soup, he'd look up occasionally for a sign of Fred and Sadie, still nothing. "What the hell are they waiting for?" he questioned to himself. He started a conversation with Molly to pass the time as she sat to eat her food.

A sudden scream shocked Drew and he dropped his spoon on the floor. "What's the matter hun?" he asked knowing Sadie was up to something.

"There's something in my soup!" Molly squealed as she stirred her spoon around in the bowl.

"I don't see anything. It was probably just a hunk of tomato or something," Drew replied as she sat there staring at her bowl.

"No! It wasn't a tomato. Tomatoes don't wiggle in your mouth or scratch your throat when you swallow. What did you put I my bowl when I wasn't looking Drew?"

"Damn it, how could I have put something in your bowl without you seeing me? C'mon now think about it? Maybe you are working too hard. Perhaps you should go lay down for a while."

Molly finished her sandwich and tossed her soup in the garbage disposal before taking Drew up on his offer. The steps squeaked as she made her way to the bedroom. About half way up, a breeze startled her. She froze in her tracks hen she felt someone or something pushing her and then heard a woman's voice, "Enjoy your sleep my sweet." She glanced behind her thinking it was Drew playing tricks on her but she could still see him sitting at the table. Feeling faint, she began to walk again, ignoring the voice.

Three hours passed with no sign of Molly. Drew enjoyed the peace and quiet; that is until he heard the sound of glass breaking; it was coming from his bedroom. He rushed up the stairs, taking then two at a time. He ran down the hall and into the room.

"What the hell are you doing Molly?" he shouted, running to her as she stood by the open window.

"Oh Drew, did you see the spiders? They were all over the wall and the window. I couldn't get them to stop crawling toward me," she said trembling and holding a shredded blanket.

"No, I didn't see anything and I don't see anything now," he said as he took the blanket from her and dropped it in the corner. "I think someone has been sniffing too many fumes or something."

"There's nothing wrong with me, damn it! I feel fine and I know what I saw. Why don't you believe me?"

"Well Molly, if there were spiders here, as many as you said there were, don't you think you would have been able to get at least one with that blanket? I don't see one dead spider anywhere."

"Are you calling me a liar?

"Um, well, no not exactly. I just think you probably imagined it or it was a dream or something. Perhaps we should call the doctor to make an appointment."

"Fuck you Drew! I'm not going to see any doctor. I'm not crazy. They were here; I know it. I'm going back down stairs to work now, you go do whatever it was you were doing before and just leave me the hell alone!" she shouted as she stormed out of the room.

Sadie appeared, as Drew was about to close the bedroom door and head downstairs. "Well, well, I see the little miss is afraid of spiders! How wonderful!" she said in a wicked voice.

"Good call with the spiders, Sadie," Drew said as Sadie gave him a high-five and then floated over to repair the broken window with a simple wave of her hand. "Oh man! How cool, thanks Sadie! Now that's one less thing for me to worry about today!"

++++

Sadie and Fred continued with their plan to drive Molly from their home and Drew's life. Their tricks and schemes alternated from horrifying, like with the spiders, to things that would simply make Molly question her own sanity. They would do things for several days in a row then stop suddenly. This lasted for months.

Mid September approached quickly and Sadie wondered what she was doing wrong. Why was Molly still here, why was she still sane? She picked up the pace on her scheme and just about every time Molly turned around, something strange was happening. The lights would flicker whenever she walked into a room. She saw things move right before her eyes, but when she confronted Drew about it the items were always back in their original location.

"Damn, thank God it's Friday!" Drew said exhausted, after a long, busy week between his day job and the tasks that awaited him in the evenings.

Molly decided to surprise him with a special dinner, something she didn't do very often. She prepared a late dinner for the two of them, starting the dessert just as she heard him pull up in the driveway.

Walking to the cupboard, she reached to open it, but it wouldn't budge. Thinking it was probably the humidity because of all the rain lately, she tried it again. When she had no luck the second time, she grabbed a knife from the drawer in an attempt to pry it open. She pushed the knife in gently and twisted it, still no movement of the door. Molly then she used all her strength and twisted the knife again, only to have the blade of the knife snap off at the handle, she cursed under her breath, "Oh that's just great," she said with a heavy sigh.

"Oh wow, something sure smells good in here," Drew said as he walked in the front door. Setting his things down in the usual spot, he headed for the kitchen. "What's all this for?" he asked taking a big whiff.

Molly didn't answer him right away and Drew didn't want to ask again. He knew how she could respond if he tried to get her to talk to him when she didn't want to, so he turned and headed to the upstairs bathroom. "I hope I have time for a shower before dinner," he said as he disappeared up the stairs.

"Hey Drew?"

"I'm taking a shower, can it wait?"

"Well no it can't. I need help with this cupboard door first so I can finish dinner then you can go take your shower."

"Okay, I'll be down in a minute," he said as he tossed his work clothes in the hamper and wrapped a towel around his waist. "Now, what seems to be the problem here?" he asked as he reached for the handle on the door and pulled it open with ease.

"Well shit, I figured that would happen," Molly said with a giggle as Drew headed back up stairs. Just as he passed through the doorway Molly turned to reach into the cupboard to get what she needed and it slammed shut, barely missing her fingers. "Oh c'mon, what the hell is going on in here?"

Molly couldn't get the door to open for her so she just gave up on dessert. As she and Drew ate, she kept glancing at that door. After dinner, Drew stayed and helped her clean up. Several times he'd gone to that same door to put something away and each time it opened with ease. Molly couldn't get over it. When everything was cleaned they both headed out of the kitchen, but on her way out Molly tried the door one last time and this time it opened for her. "Well fuck you," she said looking at the open door and walked out of the room.

"I think a fire would be nice tonight, don't you?" Drew asked as he walked over to get the wood from the pot to the right of the fireplace.

"Yes. That does sound nice, it's been chilly in here all day, probably because of all the rain we've had this past week," Molly answered as she took her usual seat on the couch and curled her legs beneath her.

"So, have you seen or heard anything strange today, Molly?" Drew asked as he lit the match and tossed it onto the logs.

"Well, except for the cupboard sticking it's been a nice day," Molly said as Drew excused himself to get a beer.

"You want one?"

"That does sound good, thanks."

Drew returned with two bottles of beer, handing one to Molly before he sat down and kicked up his feet to relax. Molly reached for the remote and switched on the television searching through the TV guide for something funny to watch. As Molly flipped through the channels, Drew saw Sadie and Fred enter the room and sit directly across from them in the two chairs that faced the sofa. Drew smiled as Sadie gave him the two-thumbs up signal that something was about to happen.

"Hey, I was hoping we could watch a scary movie tonight hun. It's almost Halloween, there should be tons of scary movies on tonight."

"Um – eh – well actually I think I've had my fill of strange happenings for a while, if you don't mind," she replied as she clicked on a sappy, romantic movie and settled back with a smile.

"Well if this is what you're choosing for us to watch then I'm going to bed," Drew said in a huff as he scooted to the edge of his seat.

Not wanting to be alone, Molly decided to change the channel and make Drew happy; at least she wouldn't be left all alone at night in that big dark room with only the glow of the fire to keep her company.