Anthony Morrison has found his dream house and is eager to introduce his wife, Jeannette, and children, Taylor and Michael, to his discovery. It's as if the house is drawing him in, like a wind that pushes you a little faster along your walk in the woods. Little does Anthony know that realtor Richard LeBrock is desperate to sell the house. The previous owners lived there just two short weeks, leaving in a mysterious rush without explanation. Harriet Cray, the only other homeowner on Mercy Street, is eager to have the house occupied as well. For Harriet, having children nearby will continue to feed her obsession. After settling in, each family member begins to experience disturbing events. Laughing children, a weeping mother, and unspeakable apparitions of abuse. Jeannette and the children vacate quickly, but Anthony cannot make himself leave. He is driven to discover what happened in the house and how the odd Harriett Cray is involved. Piecing together the mystery becomes Anthony's ultimate nightmare. As each bit of information falls into place, Anthony finds he's become the very man he swore he never would. At what point did all that he love become second to finding answers?

The Wind

By Eric Carasella

iUniverse, Inc.

Copyright © 2009 Eric Carasella
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-4401-2929-2

Chapter One

The house on Mercy Street had been empty for only two months. The previous owners had moved out after just two short weeks and had left the place empty and deserted. A large white For Sale sign hung in the front lawn as a reminder for the only other house on the block that its counterpart needed new ownership. A company called Research Land and Development took the property from the previous owners and used their down payment to fund a new sale. Richard LeBrock, the man responsible for selling the house and also the CEO of Research Land and Development, took extra special care in cleaning up and making new a property that was in much need of a facelift. The only other house on Mercy, a twelve room Tudor situated on eight acres of green land, had the same occupants in it for the last seven decades. The family that lived there, the Cray's, was weary of why their neighbors might be abandoning their new home after only two weeks.

Richard Lebrock took the time to visit the Crays one sunny afternoon, not long after the occupants of the only other house on Mercy bailed. He knocked on the large oak door and was greeted by the pleasant face of one Mrs. Harriet Cray. She smiled at Richard when she opened the door. The Crays were nothing if not cordial.

"I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Richard LeBrock and I am in charge of the property next door." Richard smiled at this. To say that the only other house on Mercy was next door seemed almost comical. From one front door to the other was a space of about 150 yards. The length of one and a half football fields. Richard's favorite team was the Bears.

"It's no trouble at all, Mr. LeBrock. Won't you come in," said Harriet.

Richard entered the living room of the beautiful Tudor and sat when offered a place on the couch. "I would just like to ask a few questions about the folks who were living next door for the past two weeks," Richard said.

"Have they done something wrong?" Harriet asked, sounding genuinely shocked at the very idea.

"Well, no. They simply moved out. They called me very early this morning and said that they had packed up all of their things and were loading up a van. I asked what on earth could have happened to make them want to move so suddenly. The only response I got was a click and a dead line."

"That's very strange, indeed," Harriet said.

"That is strange, no doubt. But if you could see the house now, just a few short hours after the former tenants moved out, you would be simply amazed."

"And why is that?"

"It's spotless. Not a single bit of debris left over. Not a scrap of paper, not a crumb on the kitchen counters. Nothing. It's like they were never there."

At this, Harriet Cray stood up and started pacing. She wrung her hands together like a woman who could not be more nervous. Something had rattled her cage and Richard LeBrock took note of it.

"Is something wrong, Mrs. Cray?" Richard asked.

"Well, frankly, yes. Something is very wrong."

She continued her pacing and hand wringing and only occasionally looked up at Richard LeBrock.

"Well, what is it?" Richard asked.

Chapter Two

Anthony Morrison slid back into bed. It was only four-thirty in the morning and the house was still quiet. But he had to pee real badly. So he did his business and then slid back into bed where his wife was curled up sleeping. Anthony kissed his wife's back and snuggled up against her. He knew the kids would not be waking up for at least another three hours. He also knew that if he didn't go back to sleep he would not be in shape to handle the coming day's events. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, knowing that going back to sleep was going to be next to impossible. He had way too much on his mind.

The biggest thing was the new house. He knew his family would support any decision he made, but he also wanted them to like it as much as he did. He wanted them to fall in love at the very sight of it just like he had. But he wouldn't force the issue, either. If they decided against it, then he would bite his tongue and keep looking. After all, they were a family. He never ran his home like some horrible dictatorship. He always respected what his kids had to say, and most especially what his wife, Jeanette, had to say. She was his world. His everything. And without his family he was nothing. So he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and hoping that his family would indeed love the house on Mercy Street as much as he did.

Jeanette stirred next to him and threw her arm around his waist. Anthony grabbed it and pulled it towards his mouth. He slid his hand into hers and kissed the back of it. A low moan escaped Jeanette's lips and she smiled sweetly. Anthony leaned over and put his mouth over hers. She accepted his tongue and they made love well into the morning. Outside, a gentle wind stirred the trees. There was another wind waiting to blow somewhere not too far. But that wind would blow through the souls of all that it touched. It would blow until every secret was revealed.

"Good morning," Jeanette said as Anthony opened his eyes.

"Good morning."

Jeanette kissed her husband on the chest and rolled out of bed. Anthony watched her get up, marveling at how well her ass had held up after having two kids. He smiled and Jeanette turned around.

"What are you staring at?" she asked.

Anthony continued smiling and staring at her ass. "I'm just staring at the most beautiful thing in the world," he said.

Jeanette gave her ass a little shake and then went into the bathroom. Anthony rolled over in bed and inhaled deeply. He had to get up. He had to get the kids fed and then maybe, just maybe, all of the stars would be aligned and the whole family would be the proud owners of a new home by the late afternoon. He flung the sheets off and jumped out of bed. He was suddenly invigorated. He pulled on some shorts that had been discarded during the night and headed towards the kids' rooms.

Taylor was already awake when he knocked on her door.

"Come in," Taylor said.

Anthony opened the door and saw his daughter sitting upright on the bed listening to her iPod. "How could you hear me with that thing on?" Anthony asked.

Taylor just smiled and pulled one of her ear buds out. "I hear everything, Daddy. It's a gift."

Anthony smiled back at her. "Well, good. Get dressed. I'm gonna wake up your brother and then make you guys the most magnificent breakfast in all the land."

Taylor giggled and then rolled her eyes. She slid the ear bud back into her ear. Anthony left her door open and then went down the hall to his son's room. The door was already open and his son, Michael, was not in his bed. He leaned his head in and peeked around. "Michael?"

It was quiet. And then a slurping sound came from somewhere near the back of the room. And then a voice spoke. "Daddy!" slurp "Daddy!" slurp.

Anthony acted like he could not be more scared. "Oh no! What horrors await me in this most dirty of rooms?" Anthony said.

Michael jumped out of the closet and roared. Anthony jumped in mock surprise and laughed. "You scared me, son. You're gonna give your old man a heart attack."

Michael came towards his father and gave him a huge hug. "Good morning, Dad."

"Good morning. Get dressed and then head downstairs for breakfast. Got it?"

"Got it," Michael said.

The breakfast was indeed magnificent....