The usual disclaimers. Please read and review!

Chapter 10

Storming Inside and Out

Alex snuggled closer to Bobby in bed as the storm raged outside. The house had taken on a whole different atmosphere with the storm. The curtains could not hold back the sound of thunder, or the lighting flashes. She heard him lightly snoring as she turned over and looked at the window.

She started with a loud clap of thunder. Sometime in the night she had drifted off to sleep. Her eyes fluttered opened. She heard a low creaking sound. Raising herself slightly, she looked around the room. Her eyes rested on an old rocker. The rocker was slowly rocking, as if someone was sitting in it. Alex slowly sank back into the bed, not taking her eyes off of it.

After several minutes, the rocking stopped. Alex waited. The closet door next to her side of the bed opened slightly, and then closed. She quickly pulled the covers over her head.

The early morning light woke Alex. She reached over for Bobby. His side of the bed was empty. Her mind went back to last night. Slowly sitting up, she eyed the chair suspiciously. Standing, she walked over to the chair. She reached down and lightly pushed on the arm. It was heavy and did not move easily. She walked over to the closet door. She slowly opened it. Taking a step into it, she peered around.

"Alex?" The unexpected voice came from behind her.

She jumped, squealing. Turning, she saw Bobby with a towel wrapped around his waist. She frowned, pushing by him.

He cocked his head and smiled. "Too many ghost stories?"

Her heart was slowing down to its normal rate. "N..no, you just startled me."

She sat on the edge of the bed, looking from the chair to the closet. Bobby watched her, furrowing his brow. Shaking her head, she rose and opened the suitcase. She pulled a pair of jeans and a knit top from it. "I'm going to take a shower."

Bobby nodded, watching her leave. Closing the door behind her, he dug out his own clothes and began dressing. He placed the used towel in the hamper by the door. Stepping out into the hall, he pulled the door behind him. He stopped, tilting his head towards the door, listening. He could of sworn he heard a faint low creaking sound coming from behind it. He shook his head. Now she has me doing it.

He stopped by the bathroom to let Alex know he was heading downstairs. Walking down the main staircase, Bobby became aware of how quiet the house was. He made his way down the short hallway to the kitchen. Pushing the door open, he found the sisters sitting at the table, each reading a section of the newspaper.

Jean glanced up from her newspaper. "Storm keep you awake?"

Bobby shook his head. "Slept like a baby. Though, I doubt Alex can claim as much."

Anne grinned. "This old house has a lot of noises. Storms seem to bring them out."

Bobby nodded, pouring himself a cup of coffee. He was about to take a sip when he heard Alex scream. Nearly dropping the cup, he slammed it on the counter and ran towards the the front stairs with Anne in tow. Jean and Mary headed up the back stairs. They made it to the bathroom door about the same time. Alex threw the door open. Her face was ashen in color. She fell in to Bobby's arms, trembling.

She looked at Jean. "There, there was a a face in the mirror."

Jean stepped in the bathroom. The mirror was fogged. Wiping it off, she saw nothing. She pursed her lips, whispering, "Stop it grandma."

Jean walked out of the bathroom. Giving Alex an apologetic smile, she picked her words carefully. "This face, was it of a heavy set gray haired woman? Her hair in a bun?"

Alex pulled away from Bobby. Not trusting her voice, she nodded. Jean smiled. "That was grandma Hattie. She, she has a tendency of using mirrors to show herself."

Pointing towards their room. "The rocker, and the closet door."

Mary nodded. "Great grandma Lucille. She tends to check out the guests in the bedrooms. Sorry, we should have forewarned you, but most nights, they're pretty quiet." The other two sisters nodded their confirmation of this fact.

A/N: For the skeptics, if there are any...I stayed in this house (though located in Wisconsin), and on a stormy night, the rocker did rock, and the closet door did open and close. It was awesome and scary at the same time!