The year was 1978. It was a bright and sunny day. The birds sung their own tune outside while, 74 year old Ruth Nolan was inside singing to a baby in her lap. Rocking away in her old rocker while sitting inside the babies room. Cooing gently whenever the baby would begin to grow upset. "It's okay, now." She would say in her gentle voice only a Grandmother had, "Ain't nothing going to happen to you. Your mama and daddy, they will make sure of that."
Ruth began singing the old tune she use to sing to her boy's to lull them to sleep, again. 'Hush little baby, don't say a word, mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird, and if that mocking bird don't sing. Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.'
Ruth wiped the single tear that had formed in her eyes. Outside this humble little farm house there was a war going on in their small little town of Texas. So small, in fact, that no one had ever even heard of it. Hyperionbrooke. It was mostly just farming folk, or people who wanted to be away from everything. Hell, they didn't even have a store nearby. To get any groceries, one would have to go in to Town. All they had was a small bed and breakfast and a small diner. Nothing to bring in the tourists. There may have been about a hundred people who lived here.
Ruth worried that if this war went as far as she believed it could, Hyperionbrooke would be wiped off the maps before it was even noticed. White Farm's was already gone. The one place they could actually get fresh meat and vegetables without having to go in to Town. Ruth closed her eyes gently as she heard the cries from outside, the constant screams, guns blaring. She tried to block it out as best she could but when the baby began to scream once again without her soft, sing-song voice, Ruth was brought back to reality as quick as she could drop out of it.
Ruth stood and set the baby in her crib. "Now don't you worry. Your mama and papa have a plan for you. You gonna be, okay." Ruth knelt down and kissed the babies head.
She then turned and went out of the bedroom, down the stairs, where there she knew soon enough she would meet her fate. The front door opened and though she hoped it was her son, she soon realized that it was a masked man. The one and only who started the war. "Are you ready to die, Ruth?" The masked man had asked.
"I have lived a long and beautiful life so yes. I am ready." Ruth replied.
The masked man rose his gun and pointed it towards her. Ruth closed her eyes and just prayed to God that it would be painless. If old age wasn't going to take her, she at least wanted it to be quick and painless. And it was. For her. Luckily, believe it or not, the masked man had a soft spot for older people. What he had done to everyone else made Ruth's death look like nothing at all. The masked man had turned to leave and paused briefly at the sound of the crying baby upstairs. That was a line that not even he would cross. So, with a gentle sigh, the masked man left the old farmhouse, and the carnage behind.
ONCE UPON A HAUNTING
2017
The town hadn't grown at all. It looked basically the same even 39 years later. Well, not exactly the same. It looked more decayed then it once had. But the Locksley family wouldn't know that. They had just moved from New York City in to this small little Town. The number of people didn't seem to change any. Except now there were five more resident's. Chloe. A content little ten month old baby who sat in the middle of the back seat in the families Toyota Corolla, propped in her car seat. She had been born near Halloween, which is how she got the nickname, 'Pumpkin' from her oldest brother, and was the youngest of the five. Not much to her tale yet, except she always had her mommy and daddy on constant alert.
Roland Locksley. An eight year old with his daddy's smile and his mother's eyes. He was going in to grade three at a new school located in Hyperionbrooke. His mother had explained to him that he would be going to a school house, which they didn't have much of these day's. Roland had found it interesting, and wanted so badly to experience this, so the move to him was great! He couldn't wait for school to start in two short weeks!
Henry Locksley. A sixteen year old, not happy teenage boy who had to leave his friends, WiFi, coffee house, and high school behind. I mean, how much could someone ask one guy to do? Henry had been giving up a lot by moving here but his father tried to remind him that at the same time he would be gaining a lot. Like, family values, and hard work. Which didn't sound appeasing to him. Yeah sure, he loved his family but that didn't mean he wanted to be around them all the time. Family meals just weren't his style, and hard work? He'd much rather be gaming and beating his high scores. Possibly meet that troll girl on World of Warcraft again.
Regina Locksley. A Latina, with long brown hair, and brown eyes that could get you lost for days. Regina was a doctor in New York but after a major cut back, she had found herself out of a job and her family had found themselves with about half the money coming in. Which wasn't near enough to pay the bills. But above all, Regina was a loving wife and mother. Her whole world was in this car right now and it didn't matter where the car had taken them she would be happy as long as she had them there with her.
Robin Locksley. Straight from England. He had blonde hair and ocean blue eyes. He had moved here for University twenty years ago, met Regina, fell in love and now they were here. Driving to their new home in Hyperionbrooke. Robin was a Criminal Lawyer in New York but he desperately had wanted a change from the fast pace lifestyle. He found it all so stressful and it weighed down on the family as well. Each had grown apart from the family in their own little way, and Robin had put on Kijiji that he was looking for a job in a small town, preferably farming. A new career but something he once did all the time back home. He heard back from a man named, 'David Nolan' only a day later who told him he was trying to rebuild an old farm that was once part of the families back in the day. White Farm's. He wanted to start rebuilding this place after the war of '78. After talking to David and discussing it with Regina, they had decided it was what was best for them.
As they drove along the streets, Henry wondered if there were any trees. Wasn't the country suppose to be full of them? All he had seen so far was dirt, old houses that looked like they needed to be redone, a diner, and an old rusted canister that a dog was trying to bite at. A dog that looked that it would try to eat you if you went too close to it. Henry looked to the front seat. "Even the dogs look like their parents were siblings." Henry said.
"Henry Daniel Locksley!" Regina exclaimed from the front seat as she turned and looked at him. "That is a judgmental stereotype and I don't want to hear it come out of your mouth again!"
Henry rolled his dark orbs before looking down to Chloe who was looking back up at him. "What?" He had asked her. Chloe, of course, never said anything as she couldn't speak sentences yet. Only a word here and there, so she smiled up at him, her four front teeth, and only teeth so far, beaming up at him.
Henry turned his attention to out the window again and Chloe made an irritated sound, because he didn't want to pay attention to her. The farmhouse had come in to view. "There it is." Robin said as Henry and Roland looked up towards it.
Roland's eyes went wide in wonder. "Whoa." He said, "It's so big."
"Whoa." Henry's tone was laced with sarcasm, "It's so infested with rats, mice and spiders!"
"Cool!" Roland exclaimed, "Mommy? Can we keep one?"
Regina shuddered at the thought of them having /any/ creepy crawlers or rodents. She didn't reply to Roland although by the look on her face she was sure Roland knew the answer. Robin pulled up the long narrow driveway and parked the car. The U-Haul had already been there, so all their boxes were inside. All they needed to carry in was clothes and baby stuff. On the side of the house, a big oak tree stood with a single swing dangling down from it. Regina thought it was a sweet edition but Henry though it to be cliche and cheesy. Roland didn't think anything of it, except "Mommy! Swing!" And the next thing any of them knew, Roland was out of the back seat and running over to it.
Henry unbuckled his little sister before getting out of the car to make it a bit easier on Regina to grab her from the backseat. Both Robin and Regina had their belts off but still sat in the front seat as they watched Roland happily playing on the single swing. He was so content and he hadn't even been inside yet. "I am going to grab Chloe and go over with him." Regina said as Robin nodded his head.
"I am going to grab Henry and bring the clothes in." Robin said. Regina had nodded her head as well as she reached for the door handle. "Hey?" Robin said to her as Regina turned her head. She was greeted with a sweet kiss to the lips from her husband that she hadn't experienced in a long time. Maybe he was really happy here already? Something she would never ruin on him. She returned the kiss more then happily and then smiled at him as she pulled back. "Welcome home." Robin said to her.
"Welcome home." Regina repeated back to him before giving his lips another quick kiss.
ONCE UPON A HAUNTING
Henry had walked inside the house as Regina and Robin spoke out in the car. Man, this place was really old! When he had walked up the porch and in the front door, he was in the kitchen. Immediately to his left, a big old fridge, and across from that the counter. Beside it was an old stove Henry doubted even worked anymore. To his right was an empty space for the table to be put. He walked through the kitchen and in to the living room where the family couch had sat. Immediately to his left in there, was an old staircase that was big enough for three men to walk up at the same time. Henry decided to walk up and see where they would lead him. At the very top of the stairs, there was a door ajar and Henry could see inside. Clearly, it was the nursery. Completely pink and of course a crib and rocking chair that he could see from the hall.
Henry looked to his right where a huge window had been on display and outside it, he could see his brother, mother and sister by the swing. Roland swinging away happily, Chloe in her car seat laughing at her brother, and Regina sitting propped up against the tree beside her. Henry wondered where his father had gone. Probably working away. Henry went to the left of the hall. At the end were two doors. One, in to the master bedroom, and the other? Henry had no idea. It wasn't ajar like the others. He walked over and turned the knob to the door but it wouldn't even budge. He had even used all his force but this door was as stubborn as his father. It just wouldn't open!
Speaking of his father, the blonde had crept up behind Henry as his attention had fully been on the door. "What are you doing?" Robin asked.
Henry jumped and looked at Robin like he had been caught trying to steal cookies from the cookie jar. When Henry quickly realized he hadn't been doing anything wrong, he pointed to the door he was trying to open. "It's stuck." Henry said.
Robin walked over and turned the knob and Henry had to hold back the roll of his eyes. Did his father really think he was that incapable of doing something? Finally, Robin had given up. "Must be locked. I will try to find the key for it later." Robin said as he turned to go back towards the stairs.
Robin kept talking to Henry but it had seemed Henry was completely out of it, all of a sudden. His sights on the door like it was putting him in some sort of trance. It wanted him to open it. To take an interest in it. It was just teasing him. Taunting him. Something behind this door liked Henry and Henry had never been more curious in his life. Robin actually had to stop walking down the steps, turn back, and grab Henry's arm to gain his attention after saying his name five times with no reply. "Henry!" Robin had said for the sixth time as his hand grasped the boy's forearm.
Henry looked at him, finally out of his trance, as he shook his head a bit. "Wh-what?" He asked.
Robin pulled his hand back. It wasn't that he wasn't concerned about his son. Robin just thought that Henry was being an angry teenage boy at this point. "I need your help bringing in some boxes. Think you can handle that?" Robin asked.
"Yeah." Henry replied as he walked down the stairs ahead of Robin.
Outside, Roland jumped off the swing and dove in to his mother's arms. She greeted the welcome as she kissed his cheek and gave him a hug. "You like it here?" Regina asked.
"Yeah. I can play outside in my own yard!" Roland said excitedly, "And no bullies are gonna make fun of me."
"Bullies are mean, aren't they?" Regina asked, with a frown.
Roland nodded his head with a frown of his own, and it just made Regina wrap her arms around his tiny little frame and cuddle him close. Henry had jumped the steps on the porch, while Robin took the safe way down, and walked down each step. He went to the back and popped open the trunk. "Can we like leave my box inside the trunk?" Henry asked as Robin cocked a brow and looked at him, "For you know, when mom leaves you and takes the car back to New York. Roland seems to like it here so he would stay with you."
It seemed as though Henry had hit a soft spot, and he hit it right in the center. His father straightened his stance and his gaze was hard against Henry's. "Uh oh..." Regina mumbled to herself when she saw the look in her husband's eyes from a distance.
"What mommy?" Roland asked, having heard her.
"Nothing." Regina said quickly and put a smile on for Roland, eyeing the two over by the car just in case she had to intervene.
There was a lot Robin wanted to say to Henry right now. Not say. Yell! The whole reason Robin wanted him and his family to move here was because he wanted a fresh start for them all. When it came to his and Regina's marriage, yes things had been rocky lately because of stress. Not knowing where their next dollar was coming in at. A Criminal Lawyer may have made a lot of money, but they had two cars (which they sold one), a house, and other bills not to mention two growing sons and a new baby. When Regina worked they had made their bills easily and even had enough to play around with. When she lost her job, they barely made ends meet. Fights and arguments had happened a lot but divorce? It would never happen. Regina and Robin were the types of people who would give up a high end life and live in a shack, before giving up each other.
So many things Robin had wanted to say at this point but instead, he lifted a box and put it in Henry's hands. "Take this to your sister's room, and I don't want to hear another word out of you." Robin said calmly.
That was what Henry hated. When he knew his father was so angry but some how stayed so calm. It was scarier then being yelled at. Without a single word, Henry turned and stalked off to the porch. He had caught his mother's wondering glance but ignored it as he went up the steps and in to the house. Up the old creeky steps to the door at the top, Henry walked inside and set down the box beside the closet in the nursery. He sighed as he looked around. This room was so bright and he wondered if his parents had done it the week they had left to come down here, leaving Henry, Roland and Chloe with their grandmother, Cora. Of course they did. His mother and father's smiles as soon as the house came in to view told Henry they loved it here.
He could almost hear their laughter bouncing off the bright pink walls as they painted the room, and more then likely, each other. A small smile had crept up on his brims as Henry remembered himself as a three year old. Back when they had no troubles at all and his parents were so happy together, it almost made you sick. Those were the best days of Henry's life. That smile he had seen driving up on his mother's face was just like that every single day of his toddler life. Maybe Henry should make this work some how. But, if he was going to he needed them to make it work as well. Maybe go in to Town once a week and be able to get on his WiFi. He did still have his laptop, after all. Might as well make some use out of it besides for solitaire.
Henry's thoughts were quickly interrupted by a child's laughter filling the hall and a low creek. "Hello?" Henry called out, thinking that maybe it was Roland. When there was no reply, Henry sighed and went to the hall. "Roland! This isn't..." Henry stopped dead as he made it out. No Roland, but the door both he and his father had both tried opening was wide open.
Henry swallowed hard before walking over to it and looking on the other side. An old staircase, no railing, led up to an attic. Henry crept up the steps, quietly, and slowly. Having no idea what he was going to find. When he made it to the top, on his right hand side there was an old cot. Below it and old wooden chest. Henry looked to the window to an army of old plastic toy soldiers lined up alone the sill. Intrigued by the chest, Henry walked over and opened it up. Inside were old comic books, and adventure books, perfect for a teenage boy's imagination. A smile emitted upon his lips. This was perfect for him. Private, like his own space. He just needed to get rid of the cot, and bring up his own bed and blankets.
Once Upon A Haunting
Regina was bringing in the groceries with the help of Roland when Henry had run in to the kitchen. He was smiling and this was new since being here. Regina looked at Roland. "Uh oh. He found something he likes." Regina teased as Roland giggled.
"Mom! I get it. You're happy here. You want things to go back the way they were with dad and be a big happy family. I can deal with that but I do have a few requests. The first one. I want the attic!" Henry exclaimed.
Regina lifted a single brow as Henry spoke and then shook her head. "What?" She asked.
Once Robin had come back in, Henry decided to show them the attic. Robin was highly confused more then anything as he stood in the dusty, cobweb invested space. "That door was locked!" Robin exclaimed as he pointed down the stairs.
"Five." Regina said.
"Are you really counting the number of times I say that?" Robin asked.
Regina nodded and gave him a smirk. "Dad!" Henry exclaimed as Robin looked towards him. "You have to get the big picture here. I can clean it up, bring in my own bed. This is a teenager's sanctuary! Alone, away from my parents. I can't hear when you guys..."
"When you guys what?" Roland asked as he looked between them.
Regina and Robin looked at Henry. They were pleading with their eyes to get them out of this since he was the one who put them in it. "Have the TV too loud." Henry lied.
"Oh. I thought when we heard that, daddy was giving mommy a massage." Roland said.
Robin snorted, as he tried to stifle a laugh and all Regina could do was give Robin's arm a light smack. She turned her attention back to Henry. "Okay, if I agree to this. It is your job to keep it clean in here." Regina said as Henry nodded his head in agreement, "I mean it! Not a spec."
"Okay mom." Henry said, "It's a deal."
"I am with your mother on this one." Robin said, "Keep it clean and you can keep it. And don't lock yourself in. Cause I know that door was locked earlier!"
"Six." Regina, Henry and Roland all said at the same time.
"Now, you're all doing it, okay..." Robin said in a defeated tone.
Finally, something Henry could have. His first request had been met and he would bring up the second tomorrow. For right now, he needed to clean up this place, get rid of the cot and have something of his very own. A room away from all prying eyes and ears.