bare flesh, while?s Jake?s hand crept it?s way to the lamp beside the bed. ?I love you.? he
whispered into her ear as he climbed in-between the covers.
Vivian sat in dreamily in the bath tub, letting the steaming water ripple around her
body, coaxing her to sleep. She looked down at her stomach and patted it gently,
everything is so perfect now, she thought to herself. A small splash caught her attention, a
small, white worm riggled for life in the peaceful water, Vivian?s stomach sank as more
and more of the worms splashed sickeningly into the tub. Leaping out of the water she
wrapped herself in a deep red towel slinking away from the crawling bath. She backed up
against the door, trying to turn the handle but found that it would not budge, tears welled
up inside her eyes as she sank helplessly down to the floor.
?Stop, please stop.? she whispered as she banged on the door. Why is this
happening to me? She thought. ?Please, just go away.? she pleaded over and over again.
The tub was now overflowing with the small ,white worms, they poured onto the floor the
pile wriggling over one another. The dark figure she had seen before passed through the
door. Vivian drew in a deep, staggered breath, the figure took no notice of her, it walked
right past her crumpled form into the middle of the bathroom. He turned, his feet sliding
over the masses of maggots and stared right at her. His face was different this time, his
eyes
were visible and his mouth didn?t drip with the black liquid, it drawn and pale, his eyes
communicated a deep sorrow, he tilted his head precariously as he raised a finger to
Vivian. He extended his hand, a snake slowly started to coil around it, he looked down
his eyes filling with hate then looked back up at Vivian. A shrieking noise assaulted her
ears
as he viciously whipped the snake against the large, crystal mirror.
Vivian?s eyes shot open. She lay in the comfort of Jake?s arms, she was safe. She
breathed a sigh of relief as she carefully slipped out from under Jake trying not to
wake him. Out of the bed she reached for her snow white, terry cloth robe and wrapped it
around her shivering body. She made her way down to the kitchen, the clock read eight
o?clock, she and Jake must have slept through the entire evening. She made her way
sleepily to the bench seat by the window, outside all that could be seen was the vast array
of trees that made up the Osgood forest. Vivian curled up onto the blue checkered cushion
tilting her head, resting it against the frame of the window. She stared out the window
watching intently as a cardinal landed in the square soft light from the window, and started
to peck the damp ground in search of worms. ?I?m coming for you.? the words rang
thorough Vivian?s head like a fog horn blaring through the deadly silence
of a warm summer?s night. She looked up and screamed, the man from her dreams stood
four feet from the window. He stared at her, his deep, black eyes didn?t move, they just
peered through the window. I?m dreaming, I have to be dreaming Vivian thought
frantically but she knew it was not true. This time she wasn?t dreaming, there was no
escape. She sat staring at him, too petrified to turn away, trusting that if she did he would
walk through the window and kill her. The cardinal that she had been watching flew up
and perched on his shoulder, without tearing his eyes from hers he snapped his hand up
and flattened the bird, removing the mutilated ball of feather?s from his coat and threw it
away. The birds still warm blood could be seen on the dark shoulder of his jacket. His
hand too was stained with the blood, Vivian could see it trickle slowly down his arm, he
brought it to his mouth and licked the ruby juice away. Vivian felt like she was going to be
sick. He smiled at her. ?Soon.? the silence spoke to her.
?Hey gorgeous, how long have you been up?? Vivian broke the hypnotic trance
that the figure had placed upon her and looked away to see Jake walk into the room. A
second later, when she looked back through the window, the man was gone. Unable to
control her queasy stomach any longer she sprang up and ran to the bathroom just outside
the doors of the kitchen. When she finally emerged from the bathroom, twenty minutes
later, Jake greeted her with a kiss and a big bowl of steaming chicken noodle soup. ?I
thought that morning sickness was strictly designated to the mornings.?
?I saw him Jake.? Vivian said, staring in the direction of the window. ?He looked
right at me, oh my god I was so scared.?
?What? Who did you see?? Jake asked taking the bowl from her hands placing it
carefully on the table before returning to his wife.
?The man from my dream, he?s real I saw him right outside the window. Oh my
god Jake I saw him, I watched him kill a cardinal with his bare hand.? Jake brought her
closer to him, trying to give her at least some comfort, he knew that it wasn?t working but
in all honesty he held her close for his own comfort as well, there was something about the
house that frightened him too.
?Are you sure it was him??
?Of course I?m sure.?
?Okay you stay here while I see if I can find anything, okay? I?ll be right back, I
promise.? he said and was gone out the door before Vivian had time to protest. She ran to
the kitchen window where she saw Jake stumble around in the cool night, he stooped
down over the body of the small cardinal, looked about himself and then disappeared from
sight. A moment later he walked in through the kitchen doors. ?Well I saw the cardinal,
poor thing, but there was no sign of anyone creeping about the house, not one single
footprint.? he rubbed Vivian?s shoulder?s reassuringly.
?No, of course there were no footprints. He?s a ghost.? she said coolly not taking
her eyes from his for an instant. At that exact instant the lights began to flicker throughout
the whole house, both Jake and Vivian looked about desperately as the lights flashed on
and off above them accompanied by the unmistakable sound of laughter.
Six months later Vivian and Jake found themselves relaxing in their hammock,
basking
in the warm may sun. There had been no sign of the white faced shadow that had haunted
Vivian?s dreams since the night he had shown himself to her. From that point on
everything had just stopped. The voices, the nightmares, even the unwelcoming air that
seemed once to consume the house had vanished. Vivian was now in her seventh month of
pregnancy and she looked it, her stomach had swollen out so greatly that it looked as if
she might explode any second. Jake slowly combed through her hair as they lazily rocked
back and forth. ?What do you think about the name Bailey?? Vivian asked.
?For boy or girl??
?Either. Hmm, how about this, if it?s a girl we use it as the middle name and find a
more girlie first name, what do you think??
?What about Laura? Yeah, Laura Bailey. I think it has a nice ring to it, don?t you??
he went up on his side to look down at his wife a large childlike grin sweeping over his
face.
?I think that it?s perfect.? she said reaching up to kiss Jake?s smooth lips. ?Now
what if we have a little boy? I know, Benjamin, Benjamin Alan, do you like that?? she said
searching for a sign of approval on Jake?s face. He nodded happily, using his right leg to
gently rock them. ?Well, I don?t know about you but we are ready for dinner.? Vivian
chuckled as she waddled her way out of the hammock.
?Now that sounds like a good idea.? Jake sprang up and bounced his way in
through the heavy front doors and into the kitchen, holding the doors and bowing as
Vivian walked through each one.
?You?re so crazy.? Vivian laughed, slapping his buttocks.
?Hey, you keep that up and we?ll never get to dinner.? he said lifting her up on to
the island in the center of the room. He kissed he neck tenderly, running his fingers up and
down her spine in a rhythmic pattern.
?How about we take this upstairs?? Vivian breathed into his ear.
* * * * *
?Here we go, one double fudge brownie sundae, just as you ordered.? Jake
announced as he entered the bedroom carrying a wooden try in his arms. He set it down
on the bed and then climbed in beneath the light weight sheets. ?Personally I think that all
of our dinners should be like this.? Vivian leaned her head against his shoulder.
?Mmm, I agree.? she said as she placed the first spoonful onto her tongue. ?But
know what I like even more than this?? she lifted her head on an angle to meet his
downward gaze. ?You, I love being with you.? she said kissing the tip of his chin.
?And I you,? he whispered. ?and I you.? he lifted a spoonful of the rich chocolate
to her lips, she ate it feverishly. They stayed lying in each other?s arms until every last bite
of the mountainous dessert was gone and afterwards, too full to move fell fast asleep.
Gregory emerged form the shadows silently, his pale face was luminous in the soft
light of the moon. He inched his way towards the bed where Vivian and Jake slept, staring
at the synchronized rise and fall of their bodies. He stared at them for what could have
been an eternity then floated onto the wine coloured sheets, his body leaving only the
slightest indent where he lay. He reached out and touched Vivian?s bare back with a long,
boney finger, his nail digging into her flesh leaving a small cut, ?Tomorrow? he whispered
in to her exposed ear. Vivian stirred in her sleep. Gregory disappeared.
?Oh my god Viv, what happened to your back?? Jake burst out in the bathroom
the next morning. ?Did you hit it on something sharp??
?No. Why, does it look like I did?? she said trying to see it in the mirror.
?What, you didn?t feel that when you did it? Viv it?s a gash, like someone cut you
with a razor blade.? he said shocked. ?Let me bandage you up okay? Let me know if I?m
hurting you.? he had retrieved the gauze from the medicine cabinet and quickly began to
bandage up the infected wound. ?There all better.? he kissed the bandage.
?Thank you.? she said. ?You?re my hero.? she mocked.
? Well, I try.? he grinned. ?Okay, so Dr. Jeffrey is coming for your check up today
around seven right?? Vivian nodded. ?Well then, that leaves us with exactly ten hours to
ourselves, sound good??
?That sounds amazing, maybe we could even…?
?Work on the nursery?? Jake questioned.
?Am I that predictable? Would you mind?? she slumped against the counter as
she always did when she was feeling unsure of herself.
?We can do anything you want to do gorgeous, all you ever have to do is ask.? he
said, leaving the washroom. Vivian took one last look at herself in the mirror, I can?t wait
until this is all over with and I can shrink back down to my normal size she thought to
herself as she sighed and left to the nursery. They had painted the room a pale yellow with
blue and pink ducks swimming along the boarders. A lacy crib had been set up within the
indentation of the bay window that overlooked the front lawn of the house, a mobile with
purple clowns danced above it. Already the closet was filled with an array of small powder
smelling clothes, and the hand carved toy chest brimming with teddy bears and dolls.
Vivian smiled, it wouldn?t be long until the room was complete, all that needed to be done
could be finished within the day. She was so excited she could barely keep from jumping
up and down. Jake and Vivian spent the whole day in there placing everything in just the
right order so that when the baby came home it would be as comfortable as possible. At
five o?clock they had finished, it was the epitome of perfection, they had found a special
place for everything.
?Do you mind if I take a quick nap?? Jake asked, he had been up early that
morning to settle a business deal in Japan. The rest of his company had flown over seas to
see the deal to a close while Jake had told them to ?have fun with out him.? when Vivian
heard this she was so proud of him, he had finally done it, he?d said no.
?Of course you can baby.? she said wrapping her arms around his waist as they left
the nursery. ?Want me to wake you in an hour for dinner?? she drummed on his hard
stomach. He turned around and kissed her passionately before stepping through the door
and out of sight. ?Is that a yes, or a no?? Vivian laughed, through the door she heard the
triumphant scream of ?yes.? and still laughing waddled her way slowly down the stairs to
make dinner.
Jake undressed, put on his waiting bathrobe and climbed under the beckoning veils
of blankets on the bed. He lay his head down on the feathery pillow and closed his eyes.
Jake had been lying there for seven minutes when he heard movement within the room, a
few moments later and he felt a slight weight join him in the bed.
?Supper done already?? he asked sleepily as he opened his eyes to slivers and
rolled
over onto his side to look at his wife, Jake froze in terror, in Vivian?s place lay a pale
faced man in his early thirties his eyes solemn pools of black that were fixed un-moving
into his own. Jake scrambled up off the bed falling onto the unsympathetic, wooden floor
with a thud. He crammed himself up against the wall, trying to find protection within it.
Oh
*censored*, he thought aloud, it was the man from Vivian?s nightmares, what the hell was he
going to do? He glanced back towards the bed, the figure had vanished. Relieved Jake
rose to his feet and collapsed into the wall resting his forehead on the palm of his hand he
exhaled slowly. An icy, cold grasp shot out suddenly and enclosed around Jake?s neck,
lifting him two feet into the air. His eyes bulged from their sockets, Gregory looked
maliciously up at Jake, a smirk passing over his blackened lips as he tightened his grip,
cutting off all Jake?s air way. Jake?s feet lashed out against what should have been his
attacker?s legs but there was nothing there, he gasped for what little breath he attained,
frog like gurgles bubbling up in his throat. As Jake?s struggle weakened the hand loosened
and brought Jake down so that his feet could scrape against the wood of the floor as
Gregory leaned over placing his mouth over Jake?s.
?Hey babe, are you up? Dinner?s ready.? Vivian chirped as she entered the chilled
bedroom, the door swung shut behind her. The only light in the room came from the rays
of early evening sun that managed to sneak their way past the heavily drawn curtains. She
walked over to the bedside lamp and clicked it on, Jake sat in the middle of the bed
staring out into space. Vivian walked over to him, sitting down on the bed. ?Jake?? he sat
undisturbed by her soft voice. ?Oh my god, what happened to you?? she cried out in
alarm, touching the purple bruises that had started to appear around his neck. His neck
was freezing cold. ?Jake?? she whispered, at this he slowly started to turn his head to face
her, Vivian could feel her stomach leap into her throat, the eyes that stared back at her
were distant, black. She jumped off the bed, crying. ?Oh god, Jake.?
?Jake is no longer here.? the voice protruded from her husbands mouth, yet she
didn?t recognize it, it was harsh and crackled with a vibrating bass tone. Vivian ran
out the door as fast as she possibly could. The tears were pouring down her face as she
walked down the hallway, the lights in the whole house flickered and went out leaving
only the wash of the dying sun to light the way. Down stairs the front doors crashed open
a howling breeze charged inside.
?Jesus.? Vivian muttered as she kept inching her way towards the stairs not
knowing whether it was safer to turn back to what was left of her husband or keep going
forward towards the unknown. The breeze disappeared and the distinct sound of the
gigantic oak doors rang throughout the house. ?Hello?? she could barely get the words
out of her mouth.
?Vivian?? a familiar voice called out to her from down stairs. Dr. Jeffery. It was
Dr. Jeffery, she ran down the stairs and into his arms, unable to control her violent
trembling. ? Vivian? Vivian what?s wrong?? he asked leading her to a near by chair in the
foyer. Her breathing was rapid and her heart beat so insistently that she thought it might
explode within her chest.
?I…it…?s Jake.? she stammered out through her convulsions and gasps of air.
?Okay, I?ll go and check on him while you sit here and try to calm down, okay??
he said brushing the hair off her face. ?I?ll be back in two minutes.? he turned and walked
away, Vivian watched him climb the stairs until he was out of sight down the amber hall.