The Unexpected Turnaround

This is my very first short story.

She opened the curtains very gently, just letting the bright sunlight trickle in a little at a time, as she was feeling oh so delicate this morning.  Gingerly Jane leant over to open the window and let some air waft through the musty room, careful not to move her fragile head too fast.  What can she remember from last night – oh it is coming back to her now in too much dramatic detail!  There is nothing like a muzzy head to create the illusion that all is well when really she should be embarrassed beyond belief.  She moved over to the crumpled bed and lay back down on the creamy peach duvet.  Some things needed to be clear in her head before she dare open the bedroom door and venture across the landing to the bathroom, just in case she met any of them on the way.

Yesterday things had seemed so simple when she had first arrived.  Just a meeting up of some old friends in a small village where they all grew up.  Pop along to the local bar for a few drinks and a nice quiet meal to catch up.  Then stay the night before the long trek home again the next day.  What really did happen was never on the cards.  She would never have seen it coming or she would not have left home yesterday morning.  This whole weekend had turned into a nightmare!

They all had a bit of a shock when they met as they had all changed so much since their last get-together several years ago.  Of course they had chatted on the phone and online but none of them were keen to post photos of themselves, so the changes in their appearance now they were more mature had highlighted their age.  Going bald had never been on the cards for the dynamic Daniel, Mick’s paunch was probably to be expected but not to that extent, Roxanne had two children now which probably accounted for the drastic change in her appearance and Jane, well Jane had even started to go grey but with her stubborn reluctance to ever be anything but natural, she probably showed her age more than any of the others.

Mick and Roxanne had invited them to stay at their old cottage where they lived with their two little girls aged four and six.  They had arranged a babysitter for the evening so that the group could all go out to chat in peace.  The cottage was rather dark and crumbly looking from the outside with a little path winding round from the gate to the main door, through a slightly wild and neglected garden.  But it was surprisingly spacious inside, although rather odd and spooky Jane decided, especially in some of the old parts of the house.  The back part of the cottage had been extended and the new kitchen was ultra modern and very distinctly different from the other rooms in the house.  But everyone to their own Jane thought.  The kitchen was extremely light and bright with huge windows overlooking the lawn.  She could see kiddies toys littered around and the usual climbing frame with swings and a slide plus a trampoline further down.  In the kitchen the granite tops and shiny doors of the units glistened in the bright light. Personally Jane would have chosen something more in keeping with the rest of the cottage but Roxanne obviously loved both modern and old, so had used both styles.  The front of the cottage was more or less the original with small damp rooms that seemed to have hidden depths to every corner.  There seemed to be very little light coming in the small low windows which seemed very deeply set in the walls. The ceilings were beamed and so low that Jane almost felt she should duck her head, just as she had when she came in the main door.  The beams made the rooms appear to be even smaller and darker which made Jane feel very uneasy and uncomfortable in there. 

That was part of the problem.  That and the news Jane had just found out.  She never did see signs or realise what was going on unless anyone pointed them out to her.  She should have realised a long time ago but it is always easier in hindsight.  When they were at the bar she should have picked up on the small gestures and looks that Daniel was giving her.  They had always been close, this small group, more so since Mick and Roxanne started dating in the last year of university.  It was no surprise when they announced they were going to move in together, even Jane knew that one was coming.  But she just hadn’t reckoned on what was going to happen over the weekend.

They were half way through their main course when Daniel brought up the subject of his parents chalet by the beautiful lake being available next month and if Mick and Roxanne could get a babysitter for the night then they could all go there, as it was place they had all loved to visit all those years ago when they were away at University.  Not to the chalet of course, as his parents had only bought it recently, but to the lake where they had all spent many blissful days sitting laughing on the shore or swimming in the cool clear water on warm balmy days.  Sometimes they used to just take a picnic and a game to play if they took Daniels younger brother with them.  He sometimes had to look after his brother when his mum was away for work.  It never interfered with the groups fun though as they were all easy-going and adaptable.  In fact they used to love the chance to indulge in a game.

Roxanne said she would see if they could manage to get away for the weekend, but while she was talking Jane went suddenly quiet as she realised there were only 2 bedrooms at his parent’s chalet.  That was probably the first inkling she had of how she thought Daniel felt about her.  That and remembering the times he had touched her as he gently guided her in the door and to her seat.  The meaningful glances, the touches, the gestures were all gradually falling into place.  He had kissed her on the cheek before but she hadn’t thought of it as more than a friendly gesture.  Until now, that is!  She really liked Daniel as a friend, a great friend, but she had never really thought of him as anything but a friend.

She had looked at him then in that sudden illuminating moment and wondered if she could think of him as anything other than a friend.  Did she fancy him at all?  He had this great rugged appearance and was definitely good looking although in a more mature way now that his face had filled out and he was losing his hair at the temples.  But then she herself had probably aged more than him – at least his hair was still dark.  Neither of them had been married or in a really serious relationship, or not that he had let on during their conversations over the years.  She became increasingly concerned about what would happen at the chalet if they did go.  Should she make a lame excuse as to why she couldn’t go?

When the dessert came the subject was put on hold as they all loved their sticky desserts and they had their priorities after all!  No more was said about it, as nothing could even possibly be confirmed until Mick and Roxanne checked with their parents or Mick’s sister to see if anyone could have the girls overnight.  Jane forgot about it as well while they were telling each other all about their current ups and downs, hilarious episodes, disappointing ones, and trying to fill in all the gaps between them about their other friends.

They all had plenty to drink as they had booked a taxi to take them back afterwards and they were all rather surprised that they had just finished their fourth bottle of wine.  They thought maybe that was enough and ordered coffee to round off a really great meal.  After paying the larger than expected bill for the evening, they waited in the bar for their taxi which was due any minute.  Daniel sidled up to Jane and whispered in her ear that he had something to tell her later.  This made her both excited but also very wary as she still didn’t know how she felt about changing their relationship to a romantic one.  It was fine how it was really – why does he have to change all that.  But on the other hand she knew him so well that it may lead to a very pleasant relationship, instead of all the falseness of dating anyone new and having to try and be someone she wasn’t, which is what happened on any other dates she ever tried. 

As they meandered up the dark path to the cottage Jane could have sworn she saw someone watching in the dark corner of the garden but when she mentioned it to the others they just looked over there casually and then laughed saying it was the last glass of wine talking and not to be silly.  Once the babysitter’s father had picked her up they all sat down in the easy chairs in the dark lounge.  It seemed that however many lights were on in there it still seemed creepy to Jane.  So when they dimmed the lights for easier chatting she was rather uneasy and kept seeing things in the shadows.  A few times she mentioned it to the others but they just said there was nothing there.

Jane really felt it was creepy in there and her eyes kept darting round the room whenever she could during the conversation.  No-one else seemed to take any notice of the flickering shadows and all sat totally relaxed, the men with their legs resting on the coffee table and Roxanne with her legs curled up under her on the leather sofa.  Jane felt too jittery to relax and sat on the edge of her seat.  Why did the others not feel anything strange?  Admittedly she had felt like this a few times before when she had visited older places and even in quite a new flat that a friend had moved into recently.  Was she becoming paranoid about ghostly encounters?

After a while she began to relax and after her third Baileys she had crossed her legs, leant back in the chair and had forgotten her fears, well almost.  They all chatted on for a good couple of hours until they all finally started yawning, one after the other as always happens.  Laughing about it being so catching, they gave in and decided it was time for bed.  They all put their glasses in the kitchen and climbed the rickety stairs to the bedrooms. Jane noticed that the stairs creaked on nearly every step.  The children had been put to sleep in their parents room so that Daniel could have their room and Jane had the guest bedroom in the front of the house.

When Jane left the bathroom, which was part of the new extension in the back of the cottage, she had to go down the corridor past the room Daniel was using and then the main bedroom, across the landing into the original part of the house.  She had put her bag in there earlier when she had arrived but as she entered her room again now in the dark she was becoming unreasonably nervous.  She tried to pull herself together but she felt like she was being watched as she got undressed.  She checked the curtains again as she knew there was a tree not far from the window but it was totally stupid to think that anyone would be up the tree and watching her.  They were too far from the road to be seen from there.  So why did she have this unrational fear, she thought.

She kept looking round and was so concerned that she even did a whole tour round the room, checking in the wardrobe and under the bed.  That didn’t do her any good though, as standing up again made her feel really giddy and she nearly fell over.  She steadied herself against the old dresser, noting that this room was at least in keeping with the old cottage feel as there was nothing modern in it.  She did wonder where the furniture would have come from as it almost felt like it had been here all the time.  Did it come with the house perhaps?  Unlikely she thought but also couldn’t actually see her friends going out to buy things this old.

She started getting undressed but when she came to taking off her underclothes she again felt like someone was watching her intently, and although she felt silly doing it she tried her best to get into her pyjamas without showing her naked body.  She even wrapped the towel round herself so that she could drop her panties and pull on her pyjama trousers before unwrapping the towel.  This was incredibly stupid she kept telling herself, but just couldn’t help it.  She felt she needed to protect herself from view.

She finally pulled back the duvet and slipped into the bed.  It was only then that she realised she would need to put the light out before getting into bed.  The drink was really having an effect now and she staggered slightly to the door and turned out the light, after making sure she would know the way back into bed without crashing into the dresser or stubbing her toe, in case she woke up the children.  The bed was very cool as she slid under the duvet and she was glad she had brought her warmer pyjamas with her.  The whole room felt really chilly to Jane, creepy, damp and cold.

Jane would normally have gone straight to sleep after having that much to drink but she lay there listening to the noise of the others coming out of the bathroom and going into their bedrooms.  It was once it had gone quiet that she noticed the shadow in the corner.  It seemed just like the shape of an old lady hunched over, a frail looking old lady with her hair swept back into a tight bun.  Jane froze and closed her eyes.  She didn’t think she could open them to look again but she opened first one and then the other as she could not see the willowy shape any more.  Yet again she told herself she was just being silly and she curled up under the duvet with it pulled right up under her chin.

She lay there for what seemed like an hour but was probably only ten minutes, and was finally just feeling relaxed enough to start dropping off to sleep when, thump, there was a noise very close to the bed.  The adrenalin kicked in and she was suddenly wide awake again.  What did she hear, where did the noise come from?  She kept totally quiet, frozen in fear, listening for the slightest movement.  Nothing!  Just as she was finally giving in to sleep again there was a swishing noise at the bottom of the bed as if someone had pulled off an item of clothing.  This was getting too much to bear and she was really wishing she had just left the light on.  It would have been easier to sleep in the light than worry herself silly like this.  There was no chance of that now though as the light switch was over by the door and that meant getting out of the safety of the duvet.

This time Jane took a long time to relax and she heard every creak of the joints in the cottage, every whisper of wind outside the window and could even hear the slight rumblings of someone snoring which she presumed must be Mick as their bedroom was the nearest to hers.  She kept her eyes tightly closed so as to not see any shadows and tried to take her mind off the noises by thinking of the topics they had been discussing during the evening.  What was Daniel going to say to her?  It had been forgotten about later so he would probably tell her in the morning.  The worrying thing was that she was almost certain that he would want to take their relationship to another level and she didn’t want to risk this great friendship they all had, if things didn’t work out.  If she hadn’t fancied him before, would she be able to see that side of him now.

She was so pleased that he hadn’t ruined the evening by saying anything yet.  What if he had tried to kiss her properly or touched her intimately?  She certainly wasn’t ready for anything like that yet to change their relationship.  Just then there was a gentle knock at her bedroom door.  She nearly jumped out of her skin.  Oh no, it must be Daniel!  She really didn’t want him to come in so she thought she would pretend to be asleep.  There was another knock, louder this time.  No I am not coming to the door she thought.  Just go away Daniel and let me think about this.  It went quiet for a little while and Jane was relieved as she realised her nerves were jangled and she felt totally on edge. 

Suddenly there was a couple of really loud thuds on the door.  She almost leapt out of bed, not to open the door, but in fright.  She could hardly feign sleep through those loud knocks.  How could he do that, surely he would know that the others may well wake up as well.  Two more loud bangs and she was beginning to get really annoyed now that he could be so rude as to keep on banging when she obviously wasn’t going to answer.  When the next two bangs came even louder, so loud the others would definitely have heard, she called out for Daniel to go away and she would see him in the morning.

What happened next was the most embarrassing part.  The banging on the door started again but didn’t stop at two bangs this time, in fact it didn’t stop at all.  The bangs were louder and continuous and she felt like the door would be moving with the weight of the fists hitting the other side of the door.  That was it, she flipped and screamed out for Daniel to go away and leave her alone as she didn’t want to sleep with him yet.  She stormed over to the door, ready to give him a piece of her mind.  She flung open the door only to find Mick and Roxanne coming out of their room to see what all the commotion was about.  One of the girls started crying and Roxanne turned back into their room to comfort her and a sleepy Daniel came along the corridor from his room to see what was going on and why his name was being shouted.

Jane could have curled up into a ball she felt so embarrassed.  So if it wasn’t Daniel then who had been banging on her bedroom door.  Mick put his arms round her and asked if she had been having a nightmare but she knew she hadn’t.  She knew she had really heard it.  She couldn’t stop crying and told Mick what had happened, although she knew he would still say that it was only a nightmare.  At that moment Roxanne came back out of their room and overheard.  They looked at each other with a knowing look and said maybe it would be best if Jane slept in the main bedroom with Roxanne and the two girls. 

Jane hated to feel like she was kicking Mick out of his own bedroom but she knew there was no way she wanted to go back to that room.  What she didn’t realise was that Mick went down and slept on the sofa instead of sleeping in the room she had just vacated.  She settled down in the big king size bed next to Roxanne and nothing was discussed further because of fear of waking the girls in the camp beds on the floor.  With the comfort of three other people in the room and the lateness of the hour after the long journey here, together with all the alcohol in her system, Jane finally fell asleep. 

She didn’t know how but when she finally woke up in the morning she was alone.  She couldn’t believe that Roxanne and the two girls had left without her even waking up.  She must have been in a very deep sleep and they must have crept out so quietly.  But that made it all the worse somehow because here she was on her own and at some point she was going to have to brave it and go downstairs to see everyone.  She knew they would be laughing about her screaming in the night that she thought Daniel wanted to get into her room.  How awful, how utterly embarrassing this was!  Oh she really didn’t want to leave the room yet!  What is more, her clothes were in the room that frightened her so much.  Could she perhaps dive along there, grab her bag and stuff as quickly as she could and get dressed in here or the bathroom.  She certainly couldn’t face getting dressed in that awful room.  She knew it would be a lot less frightening in the daytime, the same as when she saw it yesterday, but that was before!  Before the shadows and before she heard the noises.

The chattering and laughing downstairs was keeping her back but in the end the lure of the smell of bacon and sausages cooking tempted her to hurry up and get dressed.  She must face them sometime so best to get it over with and it would be a lot worse if she didn’t get down in time for breakfast.  Reluctantly she opened the door a crack and was engulfed in the scintillating smell of the bacon even more.  She could really eat some of that now to calm her churning stomach.  Along the corridor and across the landing she scurried, eager to get it over with as quickly as possible and she almost made it into the dreaded bedroom but faltered at the door, hardly daring to open it.  She took a deep breath and pushed the door open hard.  There was nothing unusual in there, nothing out of place and she could see the bed just as she had left it, which surprised her because she thought that Mick would have either made it or left it all crumpled and slept in.  As it was, the duvet was just pulled back as if someone had got out of bed but hadn’t slept in it as the sheet looked too smooth.  Oh well, perhaps Mick was just a light sleeper who hardly moved about in his sleep.  The curtains were still closed but she felt a reluctance to walk all the way round the bed to open them so she just grabbed her overnight bag, snatched her clothes from the chair and dived back out to the safety of the landing, quickly closing the door behind her.

Scurrying along back to her room she heard more laughter from downstairs and was sure they must be laughing about her night time antics.  Back in Mick and Roxanne’s bedroom she pulled on her jeans and t-shirt, quickly brushed her hair and headed off to the bathroom for a quick freshen up before heading downstairs.  She knew she should just get on with it because the more she lingered the worse it felt.  Three minutes later she was creaking her way down the old stairs.  She could see the girls playing in the lounge and she waved and smiled at them as she hurried towards the kitchen. 

As she walked in the door the chattering and laughter stopped immediately which hit her like a stone wall.  They were talking and laughing about her!  A second passed and then Roxanne said she was just in time for breakfast and the men carried on chatting again.  She went over to help with the dishes and Mick asked if she was alright now and had managed to get some sleep.  They were all looking at her now.  What could she say, she felt so stupid.  Jane tried to dodge the remark by saying that Mick must be a light sleeper as the bed hardly looked slept in.  It was at this point that Mick admitted he had slept on the sofa.  Now Jane felt really bad but asked him why he hadn’t slept in her room.  Mick looked at Roxanne and she gulped hard before saying that they think the house must be haunted.  They have never seen or heard anything since they had lived there but the girls had been allocated that room when they had first moved in and there had been so many problems with them having nightmares and not sleeping that they had moved them to the other room where Daniel had slept last night.

Another friend had been to stay who had seen and heard things in that room too but was too petrified to come out until it got light.  She had told them she never ever wanted to go in that room again but also found the rest of the old part of the cottage spooky too.  In actual fact that friend had never set foot in the cottage since.  Micks mate from work had come round one night and had a bit too much to drink so they offered him the room for the night.  He had gone up to bed first and had only been in there ten minutes before he came rushing out and said that he thought it would be better to get home and had promptly called for a taxi.  Mick did quiz him about it the next day and after a while he reluctantly admitted that he had found the room weirdly uncomfortable and just felt he had to leave.

They asked Jane to describe everything she had seen and felt in the room.  Then they told her that they had investigated what they could about the past of the house.  Apparently an elderly couple lived there once and the man often used to get drunk which made him violent.  The lady used to sleep in that front bedroom and he slept in what is now the main bedroom.  When the man came home drunk he often used to bang on his wife’s door to let him in. According to the information they found, one night he must have forced his way into the room and he killed her.  By this time Jane had her hand to her mouth, realising that the little hunched over old lady in the corner that she had seen was probably the spirit of the old lady who had been murdered, and the banging on the door was the old man trying to get in.  Jane sat down quickly while trying to take all this in.  Mick said that obviously some people were more sensitive and could pick up on these things, whereas they hadn’t noticed a thing and the girls had seemed quite happy again now they were in the other bedroom.

By now Roxanne had finished dishing up the big English breakfast and they started tucking in.  Jane was having a job to swallow the first few bites even though she felt ravenous.  The others started chatting about whether they could get away for the weekend by the lake and suddenly Jane remembered her other problem.  No-one had mentioned what she had yelled out last night when she thought it was Daniel outside her door and she just hoped they had forgotten all about her words in the commotion.  While they were discussing details Jane was quiet and then suddenly she could hold it no longer and she interjected by almost shouting that there are only two bedrooms in the chalet!  They all looked at her knowingly she thought, but then realised their expression was something else that she couldn’t quite put her finger on.  Daniel broke the tension by saying there was a sofa bed in the lounge and he would be sleeping there.  The tension fell off her like melted wax.  She could not be more relieved, although she still thought there might be more to this weekend at the lake than she was prepared to accept.  She liked things the way they were in the group and didn’t want that to change.

Then Daniel said that he had never got round to having his quiet word with her last night, so he may as well tell her now.  She was really surprised that he was going to say anything in front of the others and thought he must be rather sure of himself if he was going to ask her out with the others present.  Then he totally shocked her by saying that the others had already guessed but he had realised that she didn’t know.  Didn’t know what, she thought!  He said he had no idea how to tell her because he didn’t want their relationship to change.  She gasped because she thought this is the moment.  He is going to say he wants more from her, a loving relationship maybe.  He was trying to get it out but with her nervous reaction he was taken aback.  The silence was like a long dark tunnel, waiting to see the light at the other end.  At last he finally came out with it and told her he really hoped it wouldn’t change anything about them all being friends but he needed her to know that he was gay.  Jane didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, but in the end she almost choked.  Daniel sat back tentatively in his chair to wait for the reaction.  Then Jane spluttered and laughed and told him that she thought he had been coming on to her so she couldn’t be more relieved at the news because it wouldn’t change a thing!  He was just the lovely caring thoughtful Daniel that she had always known.  

©Suzy Jenkins July 2012