Rose carried her teacup and plate into the kitchen and set them on the counter by the sink. She was just too tired to clean them up this time. She turned off the light in the kitchen and walked into the living room. She switched off the lamp that sat on the small wood desk by the living room entryway. Then she hit the switch for the overhead light.
She didn’t leave any light on upstairs so now it was as dark as coal in the house. She reached her arm out as she walked carefully towards the stairs. She didn’t think of looking for a hallway light switch. She stretched her arm out as far as it would go and found the newel post. Her eyes finally adjusted to the darkness so she could see a little better. But she was still careful as she made her way up the stairs.
Because her bedroom window was open, she could hear the crickets chirping as she walked into her room. There is nothing better than the quiet sounds of nature in the country, she thought. Carefully she walked over to the side of her bed and turned on the lamp. She was going to go to the bathroom first and do her nightly routine.
While Rose was in the bathroom, she heard a couple of creaking sounds. She opened the bathroom door and looked into the sitting area. She didn’t see anything moving but listened for it again. She didn’t hear it again so she closed the door and continued what she was doing.
When she was done and walked towards her room, she heard the sounds again. She looked up at the ceiling. It must be something in the attic, she thought. It was a creaking sound like boards rubbing together. She continued to listen, and it stopped.
“I’ll investigate that tomorrow,” she said as she walked into her room.
Rose knew that older houses made noises from time to time, so she wasn’t too worried about it. She climbed into her bed and shut off the lamp. As she got comfortable, she listened to the crickets and an occasional croak of a frog. It wasn’t long though before Rose drifted off to sleep. Other than the occasional creaking sounds, the night was quiet and restful for her.
The next morning Rose woke up to the sun shining bright and the birds chirping happy songs. She looked at her clock and noticed that it was almost nine. Josh told her he would be there at nine-thirty. She did her morning routine in the bathroom and threw on some tan shorts and a sunflower print t-shirt. When she went to the linen closet for a clean towel, she noticed the attic door was slightly ajar.
“Hmm, that’s strange,” she said.
Rose closed the door and hurried down the stairs. As she turned the corner by the newel post she tripped over the box of knickknacks. That’s right, this goes upstairs, she thought. Rose picked up the box and set it on the bottom step. She went into the kitchen, hung the clean towel on the back of a kitchen chair, and got the coffee pot brewing. While she waited for her coffee, she cleaned up her few dirty dishes.
Rose unlocked the back door and opened it. A nice warm breeze was blowing in, and she could hear the birds chirping. When the coffee was ready, she poured herself a cup and added her special creamer and sweetener. Just as she was going to sit down at the table, the doorbell rang. She hurried through the living room to the front door and unlocked it.
As she opened the door, she expected to see Josh but it was the cable guy.
“Good morning ma’am, I was in the neighborhood and I knew that the lady that used to live here didn’t have cable. So I thought I would stop and offer our most recent special price to you,” The man quickly said.
“Well, good morning… As a matter of fact, I was going to call you guys today. Please come in,” Rose opened the door wider.
The cable man walked in and before Rose could close the door she saw Josh pull in the driveway.
“You can go into the living room there and I will be with you in a minute,” Rose directed him with her hand.
Rose walked out onto the porch and welcomed Josh. She asked what he was going to start with first and he said the painting. It was still early enough in the day so it won’t be too hot for the paint. He happened to have white paint leftover from another job so Rose didn’t have to buy any. She told him that she would be in the house with the cable guy if he needed anything. With a cute smile and a nod of his head, Josh turned and walked back to his truck.
Rose went back inside and closed the door. The cable guy was standing and looking at the television in the living room, when Rose walked in. She offered him some coffee but he politely refused her offer. He went on to tell her about the special deal and what it included.
Please join me again for more of: Rose’s Ghost.