CHAPTER ONE

Nannie's Ghost

----------------------------------------CHAPTER ONE---------------------------------------------

When Rachel opened her eyes she realized that she was back in her room, still shivering and numbness was felt in her body with a stiff neck. Rachel ran a hand over her face and head and felt something wet and slimy on her. She looked again and this time noticed blood on her hands. Rachel raced to the mirror only to discover that she was drenched in blood without a single wound in her body. She gasped and tried to wipe clean herself but not a minute passed when someone knocked at the door and called out her name. Knowing not what to do she quickly tossed her self on to the bed and covered up with the blanket. Her sister, Helen, walked in and pulled out the blanket and screamed.

This aroused Rachel and she started screaming too and Helen burst out into laughter.

“What’s so funny?” asked a quivered Rachel finally calming down but her heart still pounding loud.

“Either you are out of your mind or you need serious medication on that insomnia soon or you will really be tagged as ‘crazy,’ Helen smirked.       

“What do you mean?” asked Rachel like she had done a crime.

Helen starred at Rachel for a second with raised eyebrows and then ran a finger over her forehead and showed it to her.

“That’s not mine…..” Rachel gasped “I didn’t do anything a-n-d I- I- I don’t know how it got on me….I " I swear.”

Helen watched her sister’s reaction obnoxiously as she watched her back against the corner of the room and waited until she finished.

 “E r- r you just spattered yourself with sauce, the whole bottle I mean and the kitchen is an utter mess. I saw you walking out of the kitchen …I called you several times but you didn’t look so I followed you here to see if you were alright.”

Rachel stopped short of breath and stood with her mouth open.

“What were you wailing about?” Helen questioned her.

Rachel rubbed her eyes and stopped acting weird.

“A nightmare I guess,” she said to an astounded Helen, trying not to fret, who was starring at her like she was an alien.

There was a trail of blood leading to the kitchen…Frasier was feeding on a mouse, it must have been him who made the mess.” Muttered Rachel to herself,

“You were saying?”

“Like I said,” Rachel slapped her forehead with an uneasy laugh; I must have been sleepwalking during a bad nightmare or probably my insomnia is doing me no good.

Rachel held on to the smile face until Helen left the room. By the look on her face she could tell that Helen only pretended to believe what she had just said.

Rachel walked up to the mirror again and observed herself one more time in disbelief wondering what had really happened to her a few minutes ago as she still had the stiff neck.

Just then the clock on her table beeped eleven pm.  Earlier she had made a note to finish her homework and studying for tomorrow’s lessons by that time and jump off to bed for a goodnights sleep before things got out of hand, casually.

Rachel took a deep breath and rubbed her medium sized thick brunette hair which was all messed up and sticky and headed straight for a shower.

Two hours passed after Rachel settled back into bed with her night lamp on and a book on her lap still trying to figure out the facts, when a car roared up front opposite their house. She took a peek outside. There were new comers to the neighborhood.

 

    

The next morning she was awoken to the wailing sound of an ambulance a block away from her house.

Half past six, she checked the time and switched off the night lamp which was barely visible in the morning light and pulled the drapers aside.

She spotted Helen talking to a police officer and ran downstairs to observe.

“What’s all the rush?” asked Rachel when she saw Helen walking in with her head down.

“Don’t get alarmed but Eric’s met with an accident,” she said calmly, closing the door behind her.

 “Is he hurt?”

“Just a few injuries, but he’ll be alright.”

Helen reached out for her bag and gulped down a glass of milk.

“I am going to the hospital and you, she strictly underlined her words with her sharp eyebrows, will go to school and then come to see Eric,” Helen read Rachel’s mind and blocked her from saying anything further and left.

Rachel had enough time to get ready for school as it was close by and she usually takes a bike ride.

Moments later, Rachel was in the kitchen, which was left as it was since last night, and started investigating the empty sauce bottle and found left over parts of the dead mouse with Frasier seated on the table and licking his paws.

Frasier was a mischievous cat and the kitchen was his kingdom, he ruled the place and the Ruthford’s didn’t seem bother about his indecent behavior.

Rachel was still observing when the doorbell rang. She raced to the door thinking it was her friends but was surprised to find a package at her doorstep.

“What’s this?” she asked herself picking up the small package and closed the door.

No sooner had she done that, the door bell rang a second time with a little boy of seven.

“Hello!” She said, “Can I help you?”

The boy starred at her without a blink and suddenly burst into tears. Rachel got scared and shut the door that very instant and seconds later he was gone.

“Weird,” Sighed Rachel and got ready for school leaving Frasier in head now but behind every one’s back that cat sneaks out and returns before midday.

Rachel had only traveled a twenty minute distance as something punched a hole in the front tyre and made her run for the next ten minutes.

An exhausted Rachel lost control of her friction and slipped in front the school gate though she was spot on time. Her friends, who were waiting for her by the gate, caught her up and she dusted herself off, still breathing heavily.

“Where’s your bike?” asked Robert holding her bag.

“It punched a hole halfway through so I made it on foot and thank you people!” Rachel said catching up with her breath.

“Why us?” asked a curious Emma.

“I waited all morning for you two to come…..if anyone can remember about talking over about having a discussion on the project!” Rachel snatched her bag from Robert and took off to get refreshed as a couple of minutes were still available and the duo looked at each others faces in dismay and then went after her.

 

Author's Note

Thank you to all those who review:)

Reviews

[Coyote Poetry]

A very strong opening chapter. You open the door to many mysteries and questions. Now I need to know the who, why, when, what and how? I look forward to reading more to see where you are taking the story. A excellent chapter.
Coyote

[Leslie Philibert]

Had a look at the text,unfortunatly I don`t have the time to read it all through.What I saw was a correct and well-thought start to a good story.Well done.

[Eric Cox]

Excellent dialogue and story, I like the cat part much, I like the way you penned the story with spooky bits and a touch of humor alot.

[kdpgrahi]

A very good description indeed.

[Thea]

Yay...This chapter is good...It really sounds terrifying...