5
“It’s not fair. I really did see a ghost,” Poppy insisted, her face scrunched up with petulance. It was Monday afternoon, and Poppy had come home from school upset because she hadn’t been allowed to go to her friend’s house for the afternoon.
Noel sat on the edge of her daughter’s bed and brushed her curls back gently. “I’m not questioning that you did, sweetie. But Daisy saw you kick the grass seed bag over and then lift it so it poured all over Daddy’s head.”
Poppy stared down at her hands that were clutched in her lap and said nothing.
It was a sure sign that Daisy had been telling the truth about what she’d seen. Poppy was a fighter, but only when she was wrongly accused of something. Lying wasn’t one of her strong suits. But that didn’t explain why Poppy decided to dump the seed out. It had probably just been a precocious impulse like kids were prone to have every now and then. But she’d still have to pay the price for misbehaving.
“Okay, show me where you saw the ghost,” Noel said and held her hand out to Poppy.
But her daughter shook her head. “I’m not going back into the barn. It’s too scary.”
“Too scary?” Noel frowned. “Honey, what aren’t you telling me?”
“I don’t want to see the ghost.”
Noel’s heart started to beat faster as her pulse sped up. “She scared you?”
Poppy nodded and then flung herself at her mother, grabbing onto her neck with such force that Noel had to gently pull back just so she could breathe.
“You’re okay,” Noel whispered as she ran her hand up and down her daughter’s back. “I promise.”
Poppy pressed her head against Noel’s shoulder and just nodded.
“Hey.” Noel repositioned herself so that she was leaning against the headboard and then pulled her daughter so that she was sitting sideways in her lap. “Why don’t we go feed the chicks and clean up their area? Then we can have a cookie snack as a reward.”
When Poppy just tightened her grip, Noel knew she had to do something about the ghost, or her daughter was going to be paralyzed in her own home.
“Come on,” Noel said softly and gently guided her daughter to get up. “Layer Swift is probably missing you.”
Poppy clung to Noel’s hand, but at the mention of her favorite chick, she appeared to be motivated to go see her.
When they got to the utility room, Noel couldn’t help pausing and taking a long look just to make sure there wasn’t any ghost hanging around. When she was satisfied their only company was a flock of chicks, the tension in her shoulders faded.
“Don’t forget to change the water,” Noel told Poppy as she headed for the yellow chick with a white cap on its head that was standing in the corner making noises, while five other chicks gathered around to watch her. “You certainly named that one correctly, Poppy. Layer Swift always seems to be in the spotlight.”
Poppy ignored her and went to watch the show just like the other chicks were.
By the time Noel was done cleaning up the mess and making sure the chicks had what they needed to eat, Poppy had Layer Swift in her arms and was cooing at the chick. It might have been the most adorable thing she’d witnessed in ages.
Finally, Poppy put Layer Swift back down with her fellow chicks, looked at Noel with a cheeky smile, and asked, “Do we have any cookies?”
Noel was so relieved that her daughter seemed to have bounced back that she grinned and said, “Absolutely. What kind do you want? Chocolate chip?”
Poppy nodded, and before Noel could even answer, Poppy made a beeline to the cookie jar, took out four cookies, and then offered one to Noel.
“Thanks,” Noel said. “Who are the others for?” As soon as the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to stuff them back in. The only other person in the house was Daisy. Surely the extra cookie wasn’t for the ghost, was it?”
“Me and Daisy,” she said, clutching the cookies with a death grip as if someone was going to take them away from her.
“Just you and your sister?” Noel asked, eyeing her with suspicion.
Poppy suddenly broke and confessed. “I was going to eat one with you and then one with Daisy. But I’ll share it with her.”
Noel tossed her head back and laughed. Yep, her daughter was definitely feeling better.
“Okay, that’s fair.” Noel walked with Poppy to Daisy’s room. She knocked a few times until Daisy finally came to the door as she yanked out her earbuds.
“What’s wrong?” Daisy asked, looking between her mother and her little sister. “Did something happen?”
“We brought cookies,” Noel said brightly.
Daisy looked down at her little sister. “That was sweet.”
“This one’s for you.” Poppy held out the one in her left hand. Then she quickly added, “We have to share the extra one.”
“Sweet.” Daisy sat on her floor in front of her computer and patted the carpet. “Sit next to me and let’s watch something. Your choice.”
Noel gave her oldest daughter a grateful smile. Somehow she’d known that Noel wanted her to keep an eye on Poppy.
“I’m going to go take care of some gardening. I shouldn’t be too long,” Noel said and then whispered to Daisy to keep Poppy inside so she wasn’t subjected to any spells that might be cast.
Daisy gave her a questioning look, no doubt wondering what spells her mother might be casting if her daughters had to stay inside, but when Noel shook her head, Daisy shrugged and said, “Okay.”
“Thanks, love.” Noel kissed them both on the top of their heads before walking out and disappearing down the stairs. On her way out, she grabbed her pentacle, the sage, and a small book of curses she’d collected over the years. If anything went wrong while expelling the ghost in her barn, she’d be ready.
There was a chill in the air when Noel stepped out the back door of the farmhouse. Clouds had formed, and it looked like they might get an evening rain shower. Normally she’d welcome the weather. The fresh scent of the redwoods right after the rain always comforted her. It reminded her of stormy nights spent in front of the fireplace when she was a child. Her dad would let them make s’mores in the living room, and they’d camp out as if they really were sleeping in the woods. But this evening all she felt was eerie dread.
There was something unsettling in the air, and in that moment, Noel knew without a doubt that her baby girl had experienced something she never should have been subjected to.
Noel squared her shoulders and went straight into the barn.
I wondered when you’d come for me.
The voice came from the loft, and pure adrenaline coursed through Noel’s veins as she looked up and spotted a silvery figure staring down at her. “Who are you and what do you want from us?”
I’m Clara , the ghost said, her voice high like a tinkling bell. She darted from the edge of the loft, moving out of sight.
“You’re not welcome here anymore, Clara.” Noel’s voice was strong and full of conviction. “It’s time to leave.”
It definitely is , the ghost said from right behind Noel.
An ice-cold chill ran up Noel’s spine, causing a full-body shudder. But Noel stood her ground, knowing the spirit was trying to weaken her defenses. Most ghosts in Keating Hollow were harmless, but every now and then one would show up with an agenda and they weren’t afraid to use anyone they could to complete their unfinished business. Those were the ones who could be dangerous.
“Go then,” Noel said.
I’ll be happy to , Clara said, her voice a whisper in the fading light.
Unease crawled through Noel, and suddenly she wished she’d called Harlow Thane, the town’s most well-known medium, to help her banish Clara. Harlow was a professional who had more experience than anyone at exorcising ghosts. She slid her book of curses into her front pocket and reached for her phone. Just as she pulled it out of her pocket, an invisible force grabbed it, and the phone went flying across the barn, crashing into the wall. It fell with a loud thunk on the concrete floor. She prayed her phone case had kept it from cracking.
“Hey!” Noel cried. “That was uncalled for.”
I don’t think so , Clara said, appearing right in front of Noel in solid form. You see, electronics zap my energy. No phones allowed. At least not yet.
Noel took a step back, fear triggering her fight-or-flight mode. Her head was telling her to get the hell out of there, but with her daughters in the house, she could not take the risk that Clara would follow her. She had to do something about her now.
Where are you going, Noel? The spirit asked, moving back into Noel’s personal space.
“Away from the creepy spirit who looks like she wants to eat my soul,” Noel said, running her thumb over the pentacle in her hand and concentrating on the book of curses tucked into her jeans pocket. She knew the incantation she wanted; she just didn’t know the exact wording.
You think that’s cute? Clara asked, her lips morphing into a snarl. Wait until you’re trapped in this plane of hell, then we’ll see how you really feel about things.
“Is that a threat?” Noel demanded.
Clara stared her down. Yes.
Then the spirit shot forward, her hands outstretched as if she were going for Noel’s neck.
Noel swung the pentacle she was holding from the chain, slicing through the spirit and creating an open wound that spilled silver.
Clara stared down at it with her mouth ajar, clearly shocked that Noel was able to slow her down.
It was just the opening Noel needed. Using her air magic, she pictured the curse book in her mind’s eye and imagined it open right in front of her to the page she needed. The book flew out of her pocket and flipped open to page 29. The curse was titled Binding a Spirit , but it was written in Latin.
She scanned the curse and started to call out, “Dimitiss spir?—”
Before Noel was able to finish the chant, Clara’s hand wrapped around Noel’s neck, forcing her into silence. She tried to claw for the spirit’s grip, but her arms wouldn’t move. Nor would her mouth. There was no fighting for her life or her voice. The spirit had complete control of Noel. She was powerless to do anything, even when every cell in her body begged her to fight.
She just couldn’t. Her power was neutralized and so were her limbs. She felt as if she’d been given a full-body anesthetic, and the only part of her that functioned was her mind. But if she didn’t break free immediately, she was going to lose that, too.
Poppy’s and Daisy’s faces popped into her mind, and as hot tears stung her eyes, she quickly pushed the images away. Thinking about her daughters now would only make everything worse. She didn’t know if Clara would come for them next or?—
I don’t want your kids, Clara scoffed. I want you. The spirit stared straight into Noel’s eyes as if she were trying to find her very soul, and then suddenly, a self-satisfied smile claimed Clara’s lips and the spirit walked right into Noel’s body.
A fire ignited deep inside of Noel, and the pain was so intense she thought that she’d burn to ash from the inside out. But as quickly as the fire appeared, it vanished, and Noel’s insides turned to ice. She fell to her knees, unable to hold herself up as she gasped for air. “What are you doing to me?”
Taking what I need.
Noel’s world faded into blackness as she felt herself slipping away into nothing.
When she woke, after what felt like only seconds later, she was parking her car behind Woodlines in downtown Keating Hollow.
What’s happening? she tried to say, but the words wouldn’t come out.
“Oh, you’re back,” Clara said, only the high-pitched, tinkling voice came out of Noel’s lips.
And in that one horrifying moment, Noel knew Clara had managed to possess her.