Chapter Eight
Matthew struggled to his feet and Dino helped him along. When they got to the stairs they saw Jillian coming down.
She smiled at Dino and said, “I made Matthew a room downstairs. I hope you don’t mind?”
Matthew smiled at her and said, “My child, I don’t mind at all. I don’t think I could have gotten up the stairs tonight.”
Jillian grinned. “I had a feeling about that. I made up a room for Dino right next to yours.”
“Bless you, child,” Matthew told her. “I hope it wasn’t any trouble.”
“None at all, although I should warn you,” Jillian said.
“I heard something last night that I can’t explain, like an argument and footsteps running down the hall.
Then there was nothing. I looked but I didn’t see anything.
I also saw a vision of the woman you called Claire.
The same one we just saw earlier. She was just standing at the end of the hall.
I only caught sight of her for a few seconds and then she was gone. ”
Matthew nodded. “This close to the anniversary I wouldn’t be surprised. The spirits of the dead are restless and often relive past events.”
Jillian cocked her head and stared at him. “Do you know anything about it? The voices raised in anger I mean?”
Matthew nodded. “I might.” He ambled over to the sofa and sat down again. He placed his cane directly in front of him and looked at her. “I haven’t been completely honest with you.”
“What does that mean?” Jillian crossed her arms over her chest.
“After the Inn came back, I stayed here for a while,” he explained.
“I was the only person in the county that was actually brave enough to step inside the place. Anyway, I stayed here for almost a year. Just before the anniversary of the fire, I heard something in the night, much like you heard last night. A scene from the past played itself out, just as I remembered it. At first, I didn’t understand what was going on.
That’s when I realized that to break the curse I had to find Tilly.
I had to free her soul. But before I could do that I found myself on the side of the road just like before.
By the time I got back I could see the place was burning and I couldn’t get back inside to look for them.
I tried every year for five years and it always ended the same way. ”
“The Inn burns down every year and then it comes back... I heard this already... but...Like that’s really true?” She stared at him.
Matthew shook his head. “No, the fire isn’t real, it only appears to be.
But every year something or someone prevents me from getting back inside the Inn.
I have to stand outside and watch the place burn to the ground.
I have to listen to the god-awful screams from that night.
Finally, after the fifth year I stopped coming back.
It broke my heart but I couldn’t relive the same tragedy every year.
Everything from that night haunts my dreams and it always ends the same. I can’t get back inside the Inn.”
“Then why did you come back now?” Jillian wanted to know.
“I had a feeling this year I’d better come back. I’ve lived too long with this in my soul and it is time to end the curse. I had to come back and find my Tilly.”
“I keep trying to tell you Grandpa, there is no curse,” Dino stated. “I wish you two wouldn’t keep on talking about ghosts and curses and other garbage.”
“Ok, I will if you explain Claire’s visit to me then. You were here and we all saw her appear from nowhere and disappear into thin air.”
Dino shrugged. “I don’t know how to explain that but I don’t believe in curses.”
Jillian hesitated briefly then told them, “I’m afraid there’s more. Your grandpa might be right about something evil being here.”
“What do you mean?” Dino now crossed his arms over his chest.
“Earlier today, I saw something that scared the socks right off me,” she admitted.
“What was it?” Matthew asked.
“I was standing in the doorway to the kitchen and when I looked up there was this black aura shimmering in the corner. Like a black mist.” Jillian shivered as she remembered the feeling that pulsated from the blackness.
“I felt the cold from it and something else washed over me in waves. I thought the feelings were coming from the blackness but I could have been wrong. The longer I stared at the thing the stronger the feelings were. Finally, when I was able to break off staring at it, it just disappeared.”
“You felt trapped to the point you couldn’t move,” Matthew commented. “It wouldn’t let you go and you were helpless, almost like being caught in a trap.”
Jillian snapped her gaze over to stare at him. “That’s exactly how I felt. How did you know that?”
Matthew shook his head as he remembered something from his past. “Every year for those five years I was caught by the same black cloud. When I woke up by the side of the road, I would hurry back here and I’d get close to the house then I would be surrounded by a black cloud.
It stopped me in my tracks and would hold me while the Inn burned to the ground.
I felt despair but I couldn’t break free of the damn thing.
It held me back and I was caught until the screaming stopped and the Inn was gone.
Only then would I be able to move again. But by then, it was too damned late.”
Jillian shivered and looked over at Dino.
The expression on his face was one of disbelief. “I have a hard time imagining such a thing,” Dino muttered.
“Why?” Jillian asked.
Dino stood up and began to pace. “Because any rational person wouldn’t believe in ghosts and spirits. Any rational person doesn’t believe in curses and buildings that magically reappear after being burnt to the ground.”
“Yet, here we are, standing in a building that was burnt to the ground almost forty years ago,” Jillian reminded him.
“We all saw Claire appear and disappear. She was clearly not of this world and both your grandpa and I saw the black cloud. We both felt its presence and its power. How do you as a rational person explain that?”
Dino stared at her for a moment. “Matthew might have flights of fancy about all of this. It is part of a history that was traumatizing to him. And since I don’t know anything about you, that is a blind spot too.”
“Dino, that’s enough!” Matthew shouted. He struggled to his feet and shook his cane at his grandson.
“You need to apologize to the young lady. Whether you believe me or not, I don’t care.
I lived through everything that happened all those years ago.
I am not a doddering old fool and she is not pushing this... I am.”
Dino glanced at Jillian. “I’m sorry if I offended you, but this is crazy stuff. I just can’t believe in something I can’t rationalize. I don’t see the reason for all of this. It makes no sense to me.”
Jillian stood and nodded. “Look...I’ll tell you something right now.
I’m not playing games with anyone. I wouldn’t know how or where to begin to do that.
I just bought the Inn a week ago. I am here trying to find out what happened here at the request of my mom whom I loved very much.
Her name was Chloe Levy. She was friends with Tilly.
Her best friend for years.” Jillian turned to Matthew and smiled.
“Of course, I remember her,” Matthew said.
“Your mother was a lovely woman and like I said when I saw you... I saw Chloe as she looked back then. Then your father and I shared many a good time fishing and partaking of the Belmar homemade wine.” Matthew chuckled.
“Even though the women never found the drink to be tasty, Jed and I found it quite tasty.”
Jillian grinned. “Yes, dad liked a glass of wine once in a while.” She reached out and placed her hand on Matthew’s. “There’s food in the kitchen if you get hungry later, please help yourself. Your rooms are the only ones made up on the main floor.”
Matthew smiled at her. “Thank you for your kindness and your understanding. This hasn’t been an easy trip for me.”
Jillian turned her head to glance at Dino then she stood and nodded at him.
With a sigh, Dino shook his head and stepped forward. Clasping his hands in a prayer pose, he pleaded, “Please forgive what I said earlier? Please?”
Cocking her head at him, she relented finally, “Ok, but you need to understand something. You two came here. I never invited you nor did I know you were coming here at all. So how would I be able to scheme something?”
“I know ...I know!” He nodded as he still held prayer hands up at her. “I messed up.”
“Ok....” Looking back at Matthew, she smiled at him. “I hope you enjoy your stay.” Jillian turned and walked out to the front porch.