the metal pan as she runs a finger across part of the door jamb.
“I never noticed that before,” she mutters with a frown.
“Mom, there's a woman outside,” I reply, turning to look back out the window. “Do you -”
Stopping, I realize that the woman has disappeared. I look around, but there's no sign of her anywhere, not even when I crane my neck to look down at the yard immediately outside the back door. I swear I was only looking away for a few seconds, and it's hard to believe the woman could have got away unless she ran like hell. Oh God, I guess it's true: people in the countryside really are weird.
“I guess Scott must have done this,” Mom continues, before bringing the pan over to the bed. “Funny, I -”
“There was a woman out there,” I tell her, still looking out the window. “Did you see her?”
“A woman out where?” She looks out at the garden for a moment. “I don't see anyone.”
“She was right there,” I reply, pointing to the spot about a hundred meters away from the back door where the woman was standing. “She was wearing a white dress and she had black hair. Come on, you must have seen her.”
“I was just in the kitchen,” she tells me. “I even went out into the yard to find a hose, so I'm pretty sure I'd have spotted someone. Besides, no-one's knocked on the door.”
“I'm not making it up!”
“Okay, whatever, just -”
“Mom, I'm not!”
She sighs, and I can tell she doesn't entirely believe me. Then again, I probably sound nuts, so I don't really blame her. “Annie,” she continues, “I get that your imagination is probably running overtime right now, but please don't come up with stuff like this. I would absolutely know if there had been a woman out there in the garden just now, and I'm sure she would have knocked. I mean, it's not impossible that one of the neighbors might make a trek out here to welcome us, but I don't think they'd just stand around in the garden and then leave without saying hello.”
“There was someone out there,” I reply, still watching the garden, convinced that the woman has to show up again. “Scott must have seen her. Ask him when he gets back.”
“Annie...”
“I want my camera,” I continue, turning to her. “Can you please find the boxes with my stuff in and bring them up? I want to get my digital camera out and have it ready. If that woman comes back, I'm gonna get a picture of her and then you'll have to believe me.”
“I'm working through the boxes methodically.”
“My boxes have my name on them.”
“And I told you, I haven't found them yet.”
“So they're lost?”
“They're down there somewhere,” she continues, lifting the duvet and sliding the metal pan into the bed. “I'll be up in a few minutes to collect this, okay? Don't be embarrassed, just do your business.” She heads to the door. “And I swear, I'll find something for you to read, even if it's just something from one of my boxes. I figured you might go stir crazy in this room, Annie, but I didn't think it'd happen on the first morning.”
“I'm not crazy,” I mutter, slipping the pan under myself. “There was a woman out there and she was -”
I let out a gasp as soon as I feel the cold metal against my skin.
“Where the hell did you keep this thing?” I hiss. “The fridge?”
As I do what I need to do in the pan, I turn and look back out the window. I know Mom thinks I'm going crazy up here in my room, like I'm some kind of wannabe Rear Window freak, but I know what I saw and I'm not quite at the stage yet where I'm going to start doubting my sanity. There was a woman in the garden, and something about her didn't seem right. Suddenly, being out here in this remote house feels even more unsafe than before. Good job I don't believe in ghosts.
At least, I think I don't believe in them.
Four
Seventy-one years ago
“There are a lot more worms here,” I tell Father as I scoop up some dirt in my right hand and watch
“I never noticed that before,” she mutters with a frown.
“Mom, there's a woman outside,” I reply, turning to look back out the window. “Do you -”
Stopping, I realize that the woman has disappeared. I look around, but there's no sign of her anywhere, not even when I crane my neck to look down at the yard immediately outside the back door. I swear I was only looking away for a few seconds, and it's hard to believe the woman could have got away unless she ran like hell. Oh God, I guess it's true: people in the countryside really are weird.
“I guess Scott must have done this,” Mom continues, before bringing the pan over to the bed. “Funny, I -”
“There was a woman out there,” I tell her, still looking out the window. “Did you see her?”
“A woman out where?” She looks out at the garden for a moment. “I don't see anyone.”
“She was right there,” I reply, pointing to the spot about a hundred meters away from the back door where the woman was standing. “She was wearing a white dress and she had black hair. Come on, you must have seen her.”
“I was just in the kitchen,” she tells me. “I even went out into the yard to find a hose, so I'm pretty sure I'd have spotted someone. Besides, no-one's knocked on the door.”
“I'm not making it up!”
“Okay, whatever, just -”
“Mom, I'm not!”
She sighs, and I can tell she doesn't entirely believe me. Then again, I probably sound nuts, so I don't really blame her. “Annie,” she continues, “I get that your imagination is probably running overtime right now, but please don't come up with stuff like this. I would absolutely know if there had been a woman out there in the garden just now, and I'm sure she would have knocked. I mean, it's not impossible that one of the neighbors might make a trek out here to welcome us, but I don't think they'd just stand around in the garden and then leave without saying hello.”
“There was someone out there,” I reply, still watching the garden, convinced that the woman has to show up again. “Scott must have seen her. Ask him when he gets back.”
“Annie...”
“I want my camera,” I continue, turning to her. “Can you please find the boxes with my stuff in and bring them up? I want to get my digital camera out and have it ready. If that woman comes back, I'm gonna get a picture of her and then you'll have to believe me.”
“I'm working through the boxes methodically.”
“My boxes have my name on them.”
“And I told you, I haven't found them yet.”
“So they're lost?”
“They're down there somewhere,” she continues, lifting the duvet and sliding the metal pan into the bed. “I'll be up in a few minutes to collect this, okay? Don't be embarrassed, just do your business.” She heads to the door. “And I swear, I'll find something for you to read, even if it's just something from one of my boxes. I figured you might go stir crazy in this room, Annie, but I didn't think it'd happen on the first morning.”
“I'm not crazy,” I mutter, slipping the pan under myself. “There was a woman out there and she was -”
I let out a gasp as soon as I feel the cold metal against my skin.
“Where the hell did you keep this thing?” I hiss. “The fridge?”
As I do what I need to do in the pan, I turn and look back out the window. I know Mom thinks I'm going crazy up here in my room, like I'm some kind of wannabe Rear Window freak, but I know what I saw and I'm not quite at the stage yet where I'm going to start doubting my sanity. There was a woman in the garden, and something about her didn't seem right. Suddenly, being out here in this remote house feels even more unsafe than before. Good job I don't believe in ghosts.
At least, I think I don't believe in them.
Four
Seventy-one years ago
“There are a lot more worms here,” I tell Father as I scoop up some dirt in my right hand and watch
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