Page 5 of The Ghost of Ellwood
“Nope.” The unease returned to her eyes. “It’s your pretty standard historical home. There’s a decent sized shed that you can use for storage, and you even have your own pond on the property. Come. I’ll walk with you around back.”
We advanced closer to the house, and I peered up at the windows, wondering what waited on the inside. I’d seen pictures of the interior, so I had a gist of what to expect, but I was eager to walk through and see it with my own eyes.
Once in the back yard, Caroline led me over to the shed and unlocked it. The wooden door creaked as she swung it open. A few pieces of equipment left over from the previous owner had been included with the sale; a riding lawn mower, a rake, and various tools like a handsaw and a rusty hammer.
Next, she showed me the pond then we walked back to the house.
“That’s the greenhouse there,” Caroline said, motioning to a smaller building attached to the side of the manor.
The wrought iron structure was dark gray in color and stood at half the height of the manor. As I looked inside, I had trouble seeing through the clouded glass. It would have to be cleaned from the inside. I stepped back and shielded my eyes from the sun to peer up at it. Stained glass bordered the greenhouse, and the domed top allowed in natural light.
“Wow,” I said. “I’ve never had a greenhouse.”
“Now you do.” Caroline backed away from it and cleared her throat. “Although, I should tell you the previous owner had issues getting into the building.”
“Issues?”
“The door wouldn’t open. From either side. None of the keys worked.”
A chill spread down my spine.
“Speaking of the keys. Here they are.” She handed them over. “This one goes to the front and back doors, this is for the shed, and this one—” She pointed to a larger one with a fancy design on the grip “—is the skeleton key. It’ll open any door in the house.”
“Except for the greenhouse.”
“You can always try it just in case,” she suggested. “But I dread to think about what is in there. No one has stepped foot inside for years. Could be snakes.”
“Awesome. I’ll keep that in mind.” I studied the keys, finding them heavier than expected.
“If that’s all, Mr. Cross, I should be on my way.”
“Of course. Don’t let me keep you. Thank you for showing me around.”
She moved toward her car, perhaps faster than what was normal. Before she got in, she looked back at me. “Mr. Cross? If you need anything or if something happens, don’t hesitate to ask for help. People in Ivy Grove are a tight-knit bunch, and we take care of our own. That includes you now.”
“What do you expect to happen?” I asked. “Is the house haunted or something?”
The question had been a joke. I didn’t believe in ghosts.
Her mouth opened before snapping shut again, and she flashed a smile. “No! Of course it isn’t haunted. I just know how these old homes can…play tricks on the mind, is all. It’s an old house and some things are to be expected.”
Huh. Interesting.
I didn’t let myself think too much into it. Caroline had probably watched too many scary movies—or read one too many of my books. Old homes tended to unsettle a lot of people due to overactive imaginations. There were chemicals involved too, if I remembered correctly, caused from old structures that gave one an unnerving sensation.
I watched her leave, the tires throwing rocks as she sped off.
When I turned back to the house, that peaceful feeling returned. The house looked like it hadn’t been touched in months—longer than that—and as I walked up the cracked sidewalk to the front porch, my excitement built.
I slid the key into the lock, turned it with a click, and pushed the door open. The groaning as it opened sounded like the ones heard in scary movies, that ominouscreeeeeaakthat caused the pulse to race.
As I stood in the doorway, I saw cobwebs in some of the corners and got a whiff of the stale air. The house must not have been aired out since the previous owner left. With no lights on, the dark paneling on the walls made the inside even darker. Two tall windows stood on each side of the door, but not even the light shining in could brighten the place by much.
A slight chill lingered in the air, causing the hairs on my nape to stand on end.
Stepping across the threshold, the chill intensified, as did my goosebumps. I had never felt anything quite like it before. The hardwood floor groaned as I walked farther inside, and the circular foyer made me dizzy as I glanced upward. My leg bumped into something, and I spotted an antique chair against the wall. The owner had left that too?
I craned my neck to look at the staircase not far from the entryway. It curved up to the second floor, and remembering the description on the site, I knew it went to a third floor as well.
