By
Brynn Morgan
Copyright © 2023 by â Brynn Morgan â All Rights Reserved.
It is not legal to reproduce, duplicate, or transmit any part of this document in either electronic means or printed format. Recording of this publication is strictly prohibited.
Chapter 24
"What is it?" Emily queried.
Lainie flipped through the pages. "It's a journal that Clara kept," she responded.
Emily left Lainie with the book and continued to search for the room, moving over to the twin bed and lifting the yellow-stained pillow. She then looked under the old, tattered blanket at the foot of the bed but did not see anything.
Climbing onto the mattress, Emily peered behind the headboard and found something crumbling in a heap, but she could not reach it. She asked Davis for help, and he complied, dropping the shackles he had been investigating and walking over to where Emily knelt on the bed.
Moving over, Davis reached down and pulled out a long satin dress that was faded pink -- neat stitching and lace pearl buttons along its back, neck, and cuffs showed this had once belonged to a young lady.
Lainie got down on the floor and shone Clarrisa's cell phone light under the bed to investigate further.
Cobwebs thickly coated the underside of the mattress, no doubt spiders waiting for prey hidden among them. But they also discovered a collection of other items: stuffed animals and more dresses. Penelope had stockpiled these things from her half-sister Elizabeth, as mentioned in one of Elizabeth's journal entries.
Emily and Lainie stuffed the things from Clara's bag into an old potato sack, with Lainie tucking the book in as well. No sooner had she turned to leave the room than she was violently thrown against the wall. The others saw her shoved by something they could not see, and Lainie screamed in pain. Moaning, she dropped the bag on the dusty floor before gripping her forehead. Clarrisa noticed the red blood seeping through Lainie's fingers and shouted for someone to get towels. Claude dashed out of the room and grabbed some white towels from the bathroom, racing back to give them to Davis.
Lainie trembled as Davis took a towel and lowered her hands away from her head; he spoke soothingly as he examined the injury, finding a small hole where blood freely gushed out. He applied direct pressure while Emily looked around the area where Lainie had been thrustâand saw a long nail sticking out of the wall. It was then that Emily realized this was not just an accident; somebody meant to hurtâor even killâLainie. Penelope? Clara? Whatever the case, they needed to get out of there.
Emily gently suggested, "The nail is rusted, so you should go to the hospital."
Lainie's face conveyed her fear. Davis commanded, "We are done here, for now, everyone. Let's regroup."
They lent a hand to help Lainie off the bed, and Emily grabbed the potato sack, not wanting to leave it behind before she had read about Clara. As they slowly walked away from the room, each door slammed shut with a loud bang in succession, drenching the hallway in darkness. Clarrisa spoke calmly, "We won't cause any harm. We just want to help."
Suddenly, they heard a commotion coming from the staircase. In a panic, they rushed towards the stairs and saw the massive chandelier swinging back and forth, its many bulbs flashing rapidly as if struggling under the weight of the fixture.
"Hurry! It is going to fall!" Davis shouted.
They raced down the steps, trying to avoid stepping on family portraits that had fallen from earlier in the day. Emily suddenly felt an intense push, causing her to stumble forward and miss a step; she was hurtling downwards until Davis caught her just before her head smacked into the marble floor. Trembling, he held her securely as Maureen yelled from the doorway of the hall, "I warned you all!" Her gaze was fixed on the crown of light above them that was protesting in pain.
"She wants to kill you both! You have made her so mad!" Fear saturated her words.
Davis rushed out the front door with Emily in his embrace, while Clarrisa clung to Lainie. Claude and Maureen watched from the doorway as they scrambled to their vehicles and sped away. Maureen sighed with a heavy heart. "I warned them, Claude. We cannot stay here any longer. The room has been destroyed. She is out there." Claude nodded in agreement; it was time to go.
***
Davis raced Emily and Lainie to the hospital. The doctor checked on Lainie, stitched her wound, gave her antibiotics for infection prevention, and then released them both after an hour of observation. When they returned to the farm, Clarrisa's car was parked in the driveway. As they entered the house, Clarrisa followed right behind them. "Are y'all okay?"She asked concernedly towards Emily and Lainie, who reassured her that they would be fine. "We need to talk about today," she uttered and started pacing around the living room like a caged animal. "We are dealing with something evil inside that house - mean, angry, wanting to destroy us all. I could feel it in every corner and crevice of the hallway and room we were in. It's a vengeful spirit - hopefully, we can learn more from Clara's book to help us vanquish it."
Davis opened the sack and pulled out the book. The front door opened, and Bella and her sitter walked in casually. They looked at the serious faces and stood still with questioning looks.
"Hey, Bella," Lainie said softly. Bella walked over and saw the bandage on her forehead. Her smile turned into a frown. She lightly touched the dressing, and her light blue eyes were sad. Lainie covered her hand with her own."I'm okay, Bella. I'm okay." She assured her softly.
Bella accepted her answer and then looked at Emily. Emily gave her a reassuring smile. Bella took it that they were okay and walked into the kitchen with Tilly, her sitter, who picked her up from school when Davis or Lainie could not.
Davis handed the book to Clarrisa, and she took it.
"I guess I'll just start reading then." She said and flipped to the first page. She cleared her throat.
"Nothing appears to have dates. Just a lot of writing." She spoke.
***
"James, my master, gave me this book last night and told me to write in it. I have been scared to write in it because I do not want to mess up the pretty pages. I have never had anything this nice.
I miss my home. I miss Ireland and my family, but I had to leave because they could not afford another mouth to feed, and they wanted me to get married so they would not have to take care of me anymore. I wanted to come to America and have a new life. I did not want to marry Tommy O'Hara, so I escaped. The master seems kind, and he is kind to me in his bed if I do what he asks of me. I want to stay in his good graces. He said he would buy me pretty ribbons for my hair and nice cloth for me to make myself dresses. I do not like the Mistress, though. She is mean and slaps us when we do not do as she wishes. She called me his whore the other night. She cannot hurt me, though. James will keep me safe.
***
I can hear her screams. The Mistress is having another baby, and the door to the room is shut. I sneaked up the stairs and peeked in. She is all sweaty and does not look so pretty anymore. I wish that I were Mistress of this great house. I would give the master as many sons as he wants. Ma gave Da six sons and two daughters. The Mistress only pushes out daughters, and the master does not like it.
***
I do not know how to care for a baby. The Mistress called for me this morning. She looked so tired in her big grand bed with dark hair around her shoulders. She told me to get down on my knees and that I will never be higher than her. She told me she is putting me in charge of the girl because I was her husband's whore. She said that the girl would be my child from now on and to take care of her. I am fourteen years old, I think, or fifteen years old. I do not know which, but I cannot care for a baby alone.
***
I have been moved into the nursery with the baby. I sleep beside her cradle and hold her when she cries. She cries a lot. She is so pretty with all that dark hair and those black eyes. She is so tiny and so innocent. The Mistress will not feed her from her breast, so I went to the master and told him that the baby was so hungry. He told me to get milk from the cow and feed her. She has been quiet tonight because her hunger has been satisfied. This room is much better than the cold flagstone floor in the kitchen. I have a nice warm blanket and a pillow to rest on. It is more generous here with the fire going in the fireplace. I must go. The door just opened, and the master peeked in and looked at me. He wants me to come to him. He takes me down to his study, locks the door, and does things to me that I have gotten used to now, and when he is done, he tells me to go back upstairs with the baby.
***
After my ma, I wanted to name the baby Penelope, but the Mistress got angry. Someone in the house told her about it, and she hit me. She told me that I was not to give the girl a name. She said that she did not deserve a name. I asked her why not? And she smacked me down and cut my lip with her sparkly ring. She told me that if I questioned her again, she would get rid of me. I cannot return to Ireland because I will have to marry Tommy if I do. I must be reasonable and do as I am told. I will not let her hear me call her Penelope, but in private, that is what she will be to me."
***
Penelope is bright, and she is so pretty. My baby is prettier than Georgia and Paris. She is clever, and she watches me from her cradle. I am not the nanny to her sisters. They have their own, and they spoil their charges. The two sisters got toys from their mother and new clothes. She will walk in, pick them up, and kiss them, but she has nothing to do with Penelope. It is so mean the way that she treats her. She is her flesh and blood, but she will not even look at her.
I made a doll for Penelope. I got some spare material from one of the girls' new dresses, some yarn, borrowed a needle and thread from the sewist, and made her a doll. She loves it. She took it and has not let go since. I love her.
***
I am with a child. I have been sick as I rise from my pallet in the mornings, and it passes as the sun moves in the sky. I do not know what to do. I will speak to the master tonight.
***
I cannot take care of Penelope right now; she screams and cries. I am big with the child now, and I sit in the corner of the room and try to keep her company. I am miserable.
She is learning to walk and is not content in the nursery sitting in her cradle anymore. The child needs to run and be free. She sees her sisters with no limitations. They can run utterly free in the house, and Pen is treated horribly. James still expects me to come to him at night. I told him it was uncomfortable for me, and he whipped me hard. The welts on my back and legs sting badly. He does not care. He said he loves to love me and that I am so beautiful carrying his child.
***
"What a bastard!" Lainie exclaimed angrily.
Davis spoke up."He is a real piece of work and that wife of his. Wow."
Emily felt terrible for Clara and Penelope, and she ached physically in her gut from what they had endured at James and Elizabeth's hands.
Clarrisa sighed. "Listen to this. It is just getting worse."
***
They took my baby from me. I delivered it, and they took it. I heard its pitiful cries. I do not even know if it was a boy or a girl, and no one will say. I could not even hold it and was at once told to return to the nursery and take care of Pen. I could hardly walk, and it was hard to climb the steps. I am bleeding.
***
I am not as happy as I once was. I cry a lot, wondering where my baby is. I want to think that it is a boy. My breast fills with milk to feed him, but I cannot, and I hurt. I have a fever. I am so hot. It has been some time since the master has asked for me. I saw a blond girl that arrived a few weeks ago, and I saw her go to his study. He is doing to her what he does to me. I know that he is. I heard it.
***
Penelope is now walking around the room, and she keeps me busy. She falls a lot and then gets back up and tries again. She is determined. Pen is so quiet. She is like an old soul. She looks at me as if she understands me, and her eyes are full of knowledge. She knows things. I know that she is small, but she knows things.
***
Pen is touching things that belong to her sisters, and they do not like it. I told her that she needed to stop, or she would get into bad trouble with the Mistress. She grabbed Paris's doll the other day and broke it by mistake. The Mistress struck her, dragged her up the stairs by the arm, with Penelope crying, and put her in a room at the end of the hallway. I hope that she does not put me in there, too.
***
The Mistress locked her in there, and I knelt and saw her little fingers peeking out from under the door. I held onto them. She is scared. I need to be with her. I asked the Mistress if I could take her some food, and she said no. She said this would teach her a lesson to leave things that do not belong to her.
***
Georgia caught Penelope touching her dress and pushed her hard. Pen fell, and Paris ran to her mother and told her everything. Now, I am being moved into the room at the end of the hall with Penelope. We cannot stay in the lovely nursery anymore. This room is so cold and empty. Pen has her cradle, but it is too small for her, and I have nothing to sleep on. My bones ache. I need to speak to the master.
***
I had to go to the master and do unspeakable things to get a bed for Pen and myself. She has a nice bed, at least now, with a blanket and pillow, and I have a mattress that is hard and lumpy, but at least I am not on the hard floor. We do not have a fireplace, but Jed brought us a large cauldron, and we can have a fire in that. He also carried up some bricks, and I can warm them on a chilly night in the fire and place them at the foot of our beds for warmth. He likes me. I should run away with him and forget this place, but I cannot leave her.
***
I have not been able to be with Penelope for a week now. She made the Mistress angry again and locked her in the room. She told me that I could not go to her. Pen's cries have stopped for the moment.
***
The Mistress finally let her out of the room, and Pen is different. She has a blank stare, her cheeks are hollow, and she has dark circles under her eyes. I told Penelope tonight that the Mistress is her mother, the master is her father, and Georgia and Paris are her sisters. She deserves to know.
It is so cold. I am sleeping in Pen's bed with her now to stay warm. I hate to feel the rats come out of the walls, crawl on my mattress, and squeak. I am going insane in this room. Anything would be better than this, even Tommy. I would hate to leave Pen behind, but I cannot do this much longer. It is too much.
***
"Jesus!" Davis exclaimed. His voice was husky and full of emotion. Emily reached out and took his hand. She looked at Clarrisa.
"Are there more entries because I don't know if I can listen to anymore?" Emily asked.
Clarrisa nodded and sighed."Yeah. There is more," she said sadly. She continued.
***
"The Mistress is pregnant again, and all she does is whine and complain. She sits stretched out on her chaise and issues orders like a queen.
She is aiming her anger and discomfort at Pen. Pen cannot escape her wrath, and neither can I. I am staying here for Penelope, but the beatings are becoming more severe, and she hurt Pen's wrist. She holds it and cries.
***
Georgia is picking on Penelope, and I cannot do anything to stop it. She will hit her and lie to her mother to make her whip her.
***
I hear the screams. The Mistress is having the baby. She is screaming. It sounds like she is being torn apart. I hope that she is. I hope that she is being ripped to pieces. If there is a God, I hope that she dies tonight. Penelope is hurting and hiding under her bed. She received a severe beating this afternoon because the Mistress was having discomfort, and she wanted something to pour out her anger and pain on. She made Pen kneel on her knees until she could not any longer, and then she beat her with the master's belt. That is her favorite way to torture Pen and me now. Die Elizabeth. Please die. I want you to die."
***
"I can't blame Clara for feeling that way. I would have felt the same way, too." Lainie said.
Clarrisa closed the book. She could not read anymore now.
"What is our next step?" Emily asked.
Clarrisa grabbed her moonstone and held it."It may be time to make a phone call and ask for some help," she said softly.
Lainie looked at her. "From whom?" she asked curiously.
Clarrisa looked at them, and she grinned slowly. "My sisters," she said confidently.
I hope that you enjoyed this chapter! Please let me know in the commentsâ¤ï¸â¤ï¸â¤ï¸