Fallen Stones (24 page)

Jason thought about some of his fellow students during his school days that he considered well off, whose parents were doctors and lawyers and other such professionals. He remembered how these kids tended to look down on those students whose parents were not in their same economic strata. Although Jason and Stephanie didn't know each other in school and were several years apart, they had discussed how they each came from lower-middle working-class backgrounds and as such were not even considered for acceptance by the elite upper class cliques.

He made a mental note to be sure to speak to Stephanie about the subject and to try to do their best not only to keep themselves grounded, but also to not let their newfound prosperity affect their children negatively. He didn't want his sweet innocent and sensitive little Sammy to become some snobby obnoxious heartless teenager someday. Jason had no idea if they could be successful at handling such a responsibility, but he was determined to do his best.

Stephanie interrupted Jason's train of thought as he heard her ask the lawyer, "What is that strange shaped building over there". She pointed to the hexagonal outbuilding, which she had originally spotted from the master bedroom window. Again, she felt strangely drawn to the structure.

"Oh. That building is the spa," the lawyer said nonchalantly.

"The spa?" Stephanie questioned, looking over at Jason quizzically.

Jason said, "Why would this place need a spa? It has an atrium, several decks, a pool, a hot tub and a bar. It has plenty of places to chill and wind down. I would think the last thing it would need was a spa."

"You are probably right, Jason," Armstrong replied, "but Mr. Washburn liked his privacy and even though he lived here alone, and could find plenty of places to unwind, he still wanted to have a place far from the house, almost at the edge of the woods where he could go and be totally isolated. As it turned out, that building, in its original hexagonal shape, suited his needs perfectly. In case you are thinking of asking, no I have absolutely no idea why a building built one hundred years ago would have been constructed of such an unusual and impractical shape. It remains a mystery. And even more unusual, as far as we could determine from its structure and from historical records, the original purpose for the building may have been very similar to its current purpose."

Stephanie asked, "Do you mean to say it was originally built as a spa...by my great-grandparents?"

"Well, yes...sort of," the lawyer tried to explain. "I'm not sure, but I don't believe they referred to such places as spas back in the early 1900's. It was, however, not all that uncommon for people of great financial means to have places where they could go during the cold months to relax in large tubs of hot water, basking in the steam next to a hot fireplace. They believed it not only served to help their physical health and well-being, but their mental health as well, which, when you come to think of it, is why we use such facilities today. Also keep in mind: back when these outbuildings were originally constructed, there was only a farmhouse. There was no atrium or swimming pool, deck or outdoor hot tub. That building would have been the only place the master of the house had to get away to relax in private."

"Wow," Jason said. "I hadn't thought about that."

The lawyer replied, "Well then, let's head over to the spa. As it turns out, that was the other outbuilding I wanted to make sure you had the opportunity to see during our short visit today."

Then Armstrong suddenly recalled how the little boy, Sammy, had reacted to the mirror in Washburn's bedroom. What if he were truly as sensitive as Stephanie had suggested? Taking the young child into the building where such unspeakable horror had occurred and one completely surrounded with mirrors, would likely have severely negative results for the boy and in turn for Washburn's plans. Even Armstrong with all of his oratory skills might not be able to talk his way out of such a situation as he had done earlier at the house. The last thing he needed was for the little brat to get all weird on him again and starting bawling and carrying on. He suspected whatever so-called sensitivity the boy possessed, which caused him to wig-out in the master bedroom earlier, would likely be off the charts in the place where Washburn had committed suicide. And he definitely couldn't allow that to happen.

So, he offered an alternative suggestion instead. "Why don't you let the kids run around outside for a while? You know, let them get some fresh air. Children need to run around and play and work off built up energy. Maybe they could go over there in the field near the woods for a bit, while I show you and Jason the spa. I am sure it will be quite boring for them, and this way they can roam around and get used to the property. I assure you there is nothing that can hurt them out there."

"I don't know..." Stephanie said uncertainly. "What about the swimming pool? I don't want them going near the pool." Luckily, the group was far from the pool, practically near the back of the property, but as a mother, Stephanie still was nonetheless concerned.

Jason believed Stephanie was always a bit overprotective of the kids, and especially of Sammy, perhaps because he was the baby or perhaps because he was likely the last baby she would ever have. He also thought the lawyer was right and it might be good for the three kids to walk around a bit and have a little freedom. He asked the kids, "Jeremy? Cindy? If we let you take Sammy and play over there in the field for a while, will you promise to stay over there and not go back near the house? We really need you to stay far away from the pool? Do you understand?"

He had already determined that before they moved into the house he would have a fence installed around the pool and grotto area to make sure Sammy couldn't accidentally wander close, fall in and drown. So today was likely the only time they would have to be concerned about it.

Stephanie looked at Jason uncertainly. He winked at her again, and she reluctantly set Sammy down and told him. "Sammy. You take Jeremy's hand, do not let go of it and do whatever he tells you to do, alright?"

"Germie hand," Sammy said, incorrectly pronouncing Jeremy's name as he always did.

"And Jeremy. You are the big brother, so you are in charge. We'll keep the door to that building over there open so we can here you all playing outside," Stephanie instructed. "If Sammy gets away from you, or if you see something that bothers you, even for a second, just yell to us and we will come right out. Ok?"

"Ok, Mom," Jeremy replied. He was visibly proud of his being given some big brother responsibility. "Don't you worry, we'll be fine."

Cindy said, "Yeah, Mom. Don't worry. I'll help watch the little stinker too."

"Alright then," Stephanie said as the three headed off into the meadow a short distance from the spa, each holding one of Sammy's hands. Whether she liked it or not, she had to admit her kids were growing up, and there was little she could do about it. Stephanie was still a bit concerned about leaving them, but figured since the spa and barn were both between the pool and the meadow where the kids were playing, she was quite confident they were far enough from any danger. And she would be listening extra closely for any trouble.

"Well then, let's go inside," the lawyer suggested as he took them in to show them the very place where Emerson Washburn had butchered himself. However, he would never tell the couple of the horrible event, and he was quite confident no specters would appear in the spa or any other building on this day or for that matter any day in the near future until the time was right.

The unholy creatures wanted the couple to move in and to do so quickly. Armstrong was quite certain the beings had no desire to frighten the family away, since doing so was not in the spirits' best interests. The horrid creatures had a definite and specific future in store for the Wright family. And Armstrong was unhappily certain things were not likely to end well for the unsuspecting young family.

 

Chapter 13

 

"I know I must sound like a broken record," Jason insisted as he looked about the interior of the spa, "But this place is simply amazing. Just when I think I've seen everything, we walk through another door and discover something even more incredible."

"Yes, it truly is amazing," Armstrong replied. "As I mentioned earlier, Mr. Washburn put a phenomenal amount of money into the restoration of this property. Far more than he should have, in my opinion." The lawyer made sure to give Jason and Stephanie the impression that on more than one occasion he had tried to warn Washburn about how much money he was spending. And despite his best efforts, he had found his attempts to control the man utterly futile. Jason was uncertain if he completely believed Armstrong's story but thought he actually could sense the frustration the lawyer was feeling. If the man was not being honest with Jason, he was at least feigning sincerity and doing so very convincingly.  

In reality, the lawyer was simply playing the role he was supposed to play, that of concerned solicitor. The fact was, he had truly loved the way Washburn had spent his money like there was no end to it, and Armstrong had even encouraged the spending at every opportunity. Whenever Armstrong hired another designer, architect, carpenter, plumber, electrician or other such contractor, it was more money in the bank for the lawyer; both in his role as attorney and project manager for Washburn, as well as lawyer for all of the subcontractors he hired and coerced to become his clients.

Armstrong also understood his current instructions and knew he had to keep the ruse going in order to win the trust of the new homeowners, especially Jason, who he sensed was not a big fan of lawyers. He had gotten that impression from Jason the very first time they met and understood he would have to be careful around the man in order not only to win his trust but to maintain it as well.

Jason, Stephanie and Armstrong were walking around the interior of the gorgeous hexagonal-shaped building admiring the craftsmanship of the unique structure. At the center of the space, the large expertly restored cast iron claw-foot bathtub stood like a porcelain-encased sentry, its lustrous white finish glimmering in the sunlight streaming through the small windows up high near the ceiling.

"You might be interested to know, that tub is actually the original bathtub which was installed in this very room by your great-grandparents almost one hundred years ago," the lawyer said. "In its day it was considered the latest thing in bathing comfort. However, back then it was just a solid piece of molded cast iron with no faucet or handles. During the renovation, I sent it out to a company that specializes in tub restorations, and not only had it refinished, but also had them add the appropriate modern plumbing fixtures. This is because back in the time when your ancestors originally used it, there was no plumbing in this building so I assume there was no need for faucets and such. In fact, I don't really know if such features even existed in typical tubs back then. I'm no historian by any means, so I can't say for sure. But I do know there were no fixtures in this one. Any water which was to be used for bathing during that time had to be carried in buckets from a nearby well and then heated in that fireplace over there."

Stephanie was once again taken aback by the mention of a well. 'The well," she thought to herself. "What is it about a well that has me so off balance?" She didn't know why the mere mention of a well on the property should make her feel so uncomfortable, but it obviously did. She asked the lawyer, "You mentioned a well, Mason. Do you know, is there still a well somewhere on the property?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact there is," Armstrong replied, "but not the type of well I was talking about. You see, the farmhouse is supplied with water via an underground well and a pump typically found in almost all rural homes. Farms like this one are much too far from town to take advantage of the local water utilities and therefore homeowners must dig wells to supply their water."

Stephanie understood this concept without Armstrong's needing to explain it, since she knew of many, many single homes on large sprawling lots in rural Berks County, which had their water supplied in this manner. She had naturally assumed the same thing would be true on their farm. She was also familiar with how septic systems and sand mounds functioned as well as all the other things that rural properties required.

"Yes, Mason. I'm very much aware of that type of well." She explained, "What I was referring to was the old style wells, you know, the open top wells like you often see in books where you have to put in a bucket on a rope and pull up your water."

"Oh, I see." The lawyer said, "When I mentioned water being carried to this building from a well, it was that exact type of well I was talking about. Such a well did exist on this property at one time."

Stephanie suddenly had a mental image of the well Armstrong described, but it was not some generic representation of what a well might look like. What she envisioned was precise, as if to suggest she had mysteriously been made aware of every detail of what the original well on the property had looked like. It was all so strange, yet for some reason she accepted it as one accepts the convoluted logic and images one encounters while having a dream.

What she saw in her mind's eye was a circular stone structure, perhaps four feet tall made of random sized fieldstones, held roughly together with a type of cement or mortar. The appearance of the wall was very rough and almost primitive in nature, as if to suggest its builder had given absolutely no thought to aesthetics, only functionality. There was no tall wooden structure or roof constructed over top of the well like those she had seen depicted in pictures or on television. Therefore, there was no cylindrical cross member with a rope, crank handle or bucket to function as a pulley for retrieving water either. This was simply a stone wall, which surrounded a cylindrical hole in the ground. And at the bottom of the black shaft with its slick, wet vertical walls was cold water.

She was suddenly filled with the realization that the well had existed on the property long before her grandparents had ever purchased it and built their home. She had rapid visions of many other homes over many other centuries being built then falling to ruin, or being destroyed by fire or other natural calamity, only to be replaced by yet another building. And all during that time, since the beginning, whenever that happened to be, the well had been here.