I got lost in the day-to-day recollection of the minutiae of her life until I came to one of the last entries in the book. It was addressed to me of all things, and my heart started to race as I read. It was her apology to me for what she’d done in the name of saving me, protecting me.
You see, Hal’s family was one of the wealthiest in our little town, and mom was afraid that I’d get hurt, that a boy from one of those families would only use someone like me and then move on to build a life with someone else. She’d been afraid, like so many of her day, that the mixing of classes would only lead to heartache.
But it was her final entry, the one where she told me to seek out Mrs. Horton, who would tell me what I needed to do, that caught me by surprise. At fifty-one, I’d spent my life teaching the younger generations the history of our great land, and though some of it was steeped in superstition, I was never one to fully believe in such things.
But the story she told had given me hope. There was nothing to lose after all since I’d spent my life without love of any meaning. My heart had never been mine to give, and so I’d never sought to share it, choosing instead to live my life for a memory. I knew that I would never, could never love the way I did back then.
It was a love that had followed me for decades, his face I could never forget, a face I only saw once more when I was dying. It was then Mrs. Horton had shared the story with him. I’d come back home after getting the diagnosis, bringing sweet Ellie with me. The child had clung to me throughout her life, having been blessed or cursed with my temperament.
That same soft-spoken angelic muse that saw the world through rose-tinted glasses. Mrs. Horton had taken one look at her and knew that she was my conduit. I can’t say that I was surprised. She’d been so much like me; how could I not know?
Hal had taken some time to get used to the idea. His own wife had passed not too long ago from the same illness that was about to take me. I’d selfishly thought once he came to accept the story that, he’d choose to be with her.
But not only could she not be part of the spell since she hadn’t been born here and had no real connection to our town, something we hadn’t known until after he chose me. But they’d already had their love song; the spell worked only for those who’d lost their one true love.
It was a nice thought to have on my last days here; it made my passing easier. That, and the fact that Hal, who’d left the big city to see me when he learned I was ill, had chosen to move back here to take care of me. It was during those last days that he’d chosen his grandson Nick to attach to. We’d introduced Nick to Ellie through photos, and I was pleased to see that the girl had been smitten from the start.
But then we’d messed up. It wasn’t long after my passing that Nick came home to see his grandfather and was introduced to Ellie. Hal had decided to keep her close since she had no one else really after I was gone.
Like me, she was an oddity in her own immediate family, so it was no big deal when she chose to stay here as a caretaker for Hal, which is the story they’d come up with. Because it had been so soon after I left, we were in the early stages of my attachment. That night, I’d selfishly used Ellie’s body to go see Hal.
Nothing untoward transpired, of course; he was asleep when I snuck into his room to stand over him for one last look before I had to go. I wouldn’t be back until Hal was attached to Nick, which would only happen after he was nearing the end, something I wished was far away and yet longed for it to be hastened.
That is the night Nick saw Ellie sneaking out of his grandfather’s room, the night the big misunderstanding began.
NICK
I’d gone for an evening walk to clear my head. Today, while she’d been gone, I’d snuck into her room through the connecting door and planted one of my new cameras over her bed. I wasn’t afraid of her finding it since it was hidden neatly in the deep folds of the curtains that shrouded the ornately carved canopy bed.
I felt a bit odd taking these steps, but it was my last resort to finding an answer to the strange anomalies. I’ve never looked forward to the night like this before; I needed to know if I was losing my mind or if something else was at play here. I’m convinced it’s some kind of sleepwalking jaunt, but that doesn’t explain the other oddities.