CHAPTER THREE

Nannie's ghost

---------------------------------------Chapter Three----------------------------

 

Rachel still seemed to be in a dizzy state when she woke up only to be surrounded by five people starring down at her like she was an alien.

“What’s going on?” she asked them, straightening herself up on the bed.

Her mother smiled as she sat down next to her.

“You were out cold in the living room when I came home with your sister,”

“What happened to you?”

Rachel gasped as she spoke, ‘I must have hit my head somewhere….but where did you two go?”

“Didn’t I tell you that I was going to pick mom up from the airport…I left a note by the reception and there was a one stuck on the front door…you must have seen it?”

Rachel shook her head as she looked up the three friends who were deeply connected to their conversation and as Rachel felt like she could read their minds, she asked them to wait for her outside until she gets ready for school and following them Mrs. Ruthford and Helen too left.

Rachel gave out a big sigh as she locked the door behind them and faced the mirror again. There seemed to be no injury on her as she observed closely.

“Weird!” She scoffed.

While Rachel was still in her room Emma noticed the small package resting on top of the table and decided to observe it and curious enough she opened it but quickly snuck it into her bag the minute she heard Rachel coming.

“I’m going!” called out Rachel to her mother and she came running out of the kitchen asking her to wait.

“I’m going to drop you off myself today and you need to go to a doctor as well,” she stated as she took off the apron and grabbed the car keys.

“I-I-I don’t think that’s necessary mom,”

“Just get in the car….and you three as well…hurry up,”

They looked at each others faces as if question why but Mrs. Ruthford hurried them into the vehicle.

She dropped the three teenagers off by the school gate and took off with Rachel. As Rachel tried once more to recall about the things she had been through she happened to encounter the little boy again, crossing the road on his own.

“Did you see that little boy?” asked Rachel

“What little boy?” asked Mrs. Ruthford who was engaged in a phone call.

“That one over there,” pointed Rachel to her right but he was already gone. Mrs. Ruthford stepped on the accelerator and speeded up a bit after ending the call.

“A client is waiting for me at my office,” she said

“So you can drop me off at school now,” said Rachel a little excited

“After going to Dr. Cliff,” highlighted Mrs. Ruthford and Rachel put on a long face as they neared the hospital, the same one in which Eric was in.

Mrs. Ruthford stay put Rachel in Dr. Cliff’s room first as she went to see Eric but when she came back Rachel was gone.

“Mrs. Ruthford!” called out Dr. Cliff suddenly.

She turned around at once and saw the doctor coming towards her smiling.

“Mrs. Ruthford,’ he said once again, “I checked your daughter, she is in good shape,”

“That’s good to hear…where is she now?”

“I left her in my office,”

“But she’s not there Dr. Cliff,”

“Calm down, she’s probably gone back to school…but if you want I can check from security.”

Dana stopped him from doing so when she got another phone call from her office asking her to come over soon and with one last check on Eric she left.

Rachel walked back to where she saw the boy and stood by a lamp post hoping that he would come by again. As she waited she remembered that she hadn’t still opened the package she received yet and headed straight for home only to find that it was gone. It was evening and Helen was out as well, which gave her a chance to search the whole house but it was hopeless.

That night she had trouble sleeping as she wondered what could have been in the package. She kept starring into the emptiness of the night during which David suddenly appeared at the window and waved to her followed by Robert and Emma.

Rachel climbed out of the window and got on to the roof and was soon joined by David and the team with a packet of chips and drinks.

After a while of smooth talking and laughing David suddenly brought up the question about Rachel’s hallucination and silence grew in between them all as they waited for Rachel to come up with the truth.

“What were you doing in Mr. Reynolds’s room in the hospital?” asked Robert curiously, “how did you know he was there?”

Rachel nodded as she bit her lower lip in despair.

“Some one told me to,” she finally said.

“Who?” they all asked together but didn’t get an immediate answer from Rachel who got up suddenly and crawled down the roof,

“It’s that boy!” she screamed and tried to jump off the roof but Robert managed to grab her hand and pulled her back up but she wriggled free and got out of the roof and ran after the boy into the dark whilst her estranged friends went after her.

“Are you out of your mind?” yelled Emma but Rachel was too far away to hear her.

The clock tower struck midnight in the centre of the town as Robert, Emma and David dropped down exhausted underneath it.

“Lets head home,” suggested Emma

“And Rachel?” brought up David

“No, lets go home…..we won’t find Rachel any where in this night,” Robert backed her up and three got up to leave. Just then some called to them from a distant and they all turned around in surprise to see Rachel coming towards them.

“I lost him,” she said panting

“And we lost you,” said Robert coming towards her.

“Do you know him?” asked David

“No,” said Rachel but he keeps appearing from time to time ever since I received that package,”

“Package….what package?’ repeated Emma suddenly

“Some package but I haven’t opened it yet…well I have misplaced it somewhere.”

Emma murmured to Robert about the package as they headed back home.

The next day Rachel was up and out early before anyone could get up and sneaked into the hospital first to see her brother.

Eric was feeling a little better and was awake when she came.

“What happened to you?” asked Eric as he had not seen her since the accident.

“Was busy having weird hallucinations,” she replied with a smile, “how about you?”

Eric gave a short laugh as he tried to stretch a bit, “feeling quite alive, I think I will be out by today or tomorrow probably but will have to walk on crutches for a few days.”

Rachel glanced at the clock hung on the wall and bid goodbye to her brother before anyone came in but he stopped her halfway to the door and showed her to a small unwrapped box sitting on the table.

“It’s for you; some one must have slipped it while I was asleep”

“Strange,” said Rachel and reached for the box.

“Who is it from?”

“Anonymous,” she shrugged and put it into her bag.

Later that day during school hours Emma explained to Robert and David about what Rachel had mentioned the other night.  The box contained some pictures, small pieces of paper, a ring and black string necklace.

“Do you still have it?”

“Are you kidding me…that box nearly got me run over”

“No way,”

“I left it on Eric’s table while he was asleep.”

David slapped his forehead.

“Why did you do that?”

“What was I supposed to do; I can’t give it to Rachel”

“Why did you take it?”

“It was a mistake!”

“Hey Rachel,” called out Robert suddenly and got up to greet her without any fret and Emma and David hushed up.

“Guess what I found,” staggered out Rachel excitedly and pulled out the box in front of them.

Emma stood with her mouth open in disbelief as Robert and David observed it.

“This is what I was talking about,”

“Fascinating,” said David and pulled out the exact things mentioned by Emma.

 

Author's Note

Thanks to all those who read and review:-)

Reviews

[Thea]

Aw...I'm so curious thinking of what would happen next! The characters are just perfect...I've never thought that you write stories really well!
Keep it up, Amila!
:)))

[EMF]

Real swwet work. You just keep people wanting more, and your characters are presented like a pro. Great job

[Leslie Philibert]

Good work,I get the impression you have carefully presented the characters.And I love the use of the verb snuck,really genuine usage employed by young people.

[Coyote Poetry]

I like this chapter. Allow the reader to feel the emotions of the character. Great concern for the girl. I like the ending. Made me want to read more. A excellent chapter. Thank you.
Coyote