Karen stepped back out into the pouring rain and left, leaving him alone to deal with his problem.
He closed the front door. He felt a lot better about his situation. Karen had eased some of the stress that was plaguing him. Richard now had an ally, someone who believed him, who understood what he was going through. Having someone to talk to was enough to alleviate some of the tension. Some of the fear. When it came to TSH, Richard always liked to find solutions to problems, refusing to brush difficulties under the carpet. And right now he had a big problem. Karen was the help he desperately needed. Maybe she didn’t have all the answers, a fixed solution as such, but she certainly had a plan of attack.
A way to actively get this unwanted guest out of his house.
But then the loneliness of the house began to creep in again as the silence echoed along the hallway.
And there was the kitchen, directly in front of him—his Everest, waiting to be climbed.
He couldn’t live like this. He had to put an end to her reign over the house. His house. Going back to work next week was only going to temporarily solve the problem. He would still have something not-of-this-world dwelling in his house, waiting for him to come home, waiting for him to be alone. No, it was time he sent Mrs. Rees packing. She had her time on earth and now it was his. Simple as that.
He marched down the hallway and into the kitchen. Standing next to the counter, he gazed intensely at the dreaded chair, feeling like an animal fixed on its prey, fists clenched tightly. “Come on, Mrs. Rees,” he muttered, “come out and show yourself. I’m not afraid of you.” He waited for some kind of response, deep down knowing that it was never going to be that easy. He could feel his heart pound against his chest as he struggled to hold back his heavy, terrified breathing. “Where are you Mrs. Rees? I just want to talk to you.”
He stood in the silence, listening to the clock on the wall ticking louder and louder, and the rain striking the window like machine-gun fire. He fought hard to stay strong and focused, but the fear was winning, infecting him like a virus. The house was once again a breeding ground for darkness and isolation. And the idea of summoning a spirit to his kitchen seemed preposterous. But not the actual concept, merely the stupidity of forcing something so terrifying out into the open. Richard had still not been able to overcome his phobia of spiders, despite countless attempts by his wife. And right now, standing in his kitchen, potentially about to come face-to-face with the ghost of a former occupant—he would gladly trade it for a spider any day of the week.
“Come on, Mrs. Rees, tell me what you want from me?” he asked. “Don’t be afraid.” The very thought of her being fearful of him seemed absurd. But nevertheless he had to take Karen’s advice. He didn’t have any ideas of his own to bring to the table. “Maybe I can help you? But I need to know what you want.”
With no response after almost five minutes, his muscles started to relax. His fists opened and his body straightened. She isn’t coming, he thought. Suddenly the room seemed a different world, like a great shadow had been lifted. Thoughts of seeing her faded, so he shook his head and left, relieved yet disappointed.
Stupid idea.
Why would a bloody ghost listen to me? God! What’s the matter with me? This is idiotic. If my friends could see me now. They’d laugh their asses off. This can’t be real. There can’t be a ghost in my house. Jesus Christ, Rich! What are you doing to yourself? You’re letting a couple of tricks of the eyes drive you mad. There’s nothing here. No woman in your kitchen. It’s all just mumbo-jumbo. Pull yourself together. Focus!
He left the kitchen and headed toward the living room door.