Page 59 of Eldritch

She searched out the source as her breath caught.

The chandelier light fixture in the middle of the room swayed the slightest increment.

No. No. Please, not again. Don’t do this to me again.

She closed her eyes.

Oh, Sybil.

“Fuck you. Fuck you.”

Who was she cursing at? Her mother? Her father? Herself?

She waited for tears to come, but found no more. Good. Maybe that was a sign of healing. No grief for the final realization that her mother didn’t grasp it. May never get it.

“It only matters that I do.”

She drew in one deep breath after the other until the tension and rage eased.

The chandelier came to a halt.

It took a long time before Sybil could calm her mind.

Eventually, she leaned her head back on the chair, and even the thought that the chandelier had swayed above her head didn’t keep her from falling asleep.

Chapter Ten

At a few minutes to eight the next morning, Sybil went outside and stood near the circular driveway. Dressed in full winter gear of a sweater, flannel-lined jeans, boots, gloves, and with the hood pulled up on her winter coat, she enjoyed the first proper day that resembled winter. Dawn had broken at thirty-five degrees and no clouds. The sun had a painful brightness common at this altitude. Even the thick forest didn’t have the haunting, creepy mood it usually did. She could almost forget the strange figure outside the ballroom, or the shadow sitting on her bed last night. She could almost disregard her mother’s call. Almost.

She hadn’t told Letisha or anyone else about the phone call from her mother. What difference would it make? She’d tell Letisha when she got the chance.

Being outside lightened her mood. Yes, she’d always loved gloomy old houses, but this house did something to her she didn’t understand. Something that made her edgy. Uncertain.

That, and the idea of meeting Doug outside, somehow appealed to her. So what if it made her look eager to see him? She was.

Eight o’clock on the dot, his truck made its way down the long driveway. After he parked, she went to meet him. He’d also dressed for the winter temperatures and wore a navy sock hat with a Denver Broncos logo on it.

“Hey,” she said. “Right on time.”

“Always. At least I try. How’s it going?”

“It’s been a weird day or two.”

He lifted one eyebrow. “Oh yeah? Can’t wait to hear.”

She winced. “You might think we’re crazy.”

“I doubt it. Let me get my stuff out of the truck.”

She helped him carry things into the house. Maria, Pauline and Letisha met them in the Great Hall. He placed boxes on the big table in front of the massive fireplace.

“So tell me,” he said. “What’s happened since I was last here?”

Letisha outlined things for him, and the others peppered in opinions and observations. After Pauline mentioned the figure they’d seen through the ballroom window, Sybil knew she had to mention what she’d seen last night.

“Well, this is going to seem completely illogical,” Sybil said.

She told him about the shadow figure on her bed.

---