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Authors: Harriet J Kent
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Reverend’s limp grip and wiped it on his jacket pocket.
“May I have a walk around inside?” Mike asked. “Ineed to get some measurements and gauge the current layout and hear Max’s intentions for its renovations.”
“Of course, please do go on in.” Rev Oli smiled and bowed forward. “I will wait outside,” he added.
Greta followed Max and Mike and listened to their discussions. They moved from room to room with Mike taking photographs, notes and measurements by pointing a laser instrument at each wall, as Max described their intentions and the talk became technical. Greta slipped into her daydream bubble, trailing behind them in a trance. Through the darkened passageways from the still boarded up windows, from room to room, she drank up the atmosphere Greenacres was offering her. She stopped in the drawing room and stared into the fireplace. She visualised how it would look in daylight. With a roaring fire, logs piled up on the hearth. Perhaps even a dog lying in front of the dancing flames on a rug, fast asleep, with the winds howling on a cold winter’s night. She paused by the window and noticed an old gilt-framed mirror hung on the wall. It was ornately carved, however the glass was covered by a thick layer of dust. She dipped into her coat pocket and took out a paper tissue. She lightly dragged the tissue across the surface of the glass leaving a clean, clear line across its diameter. She looked at her reflection and smiled. She momentarily closed her eyes and opened them once more. Her intention was to gaze back into the mirror. As she focused back on her reflection she gasped in horror. The mirror revealed that she was not alone. Greta’s eyes were wide with fear as she could quite clearly see a severed hand suspended by her left shoulder. Entrails and tendons hung from flabby strands of skin. It dripped with blood and gore from the hand. Spots of blood begin to seep into the fabric of her coat and on to her shoulder. It was stationary; then its fingers began to move upwardwith the palm fully extended. Greta touched the top of her shoulder in what appeared to be slow motion. She turned around and screamed at the top of her voice; her heart was racing and her breath was suspended.
Max heard her scream and rushed downstairs. He was quickly at her side.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He held Greta’s shoulders as she tried to regain some sort of composure.
“I… I don’t know; it was horrible Max, just horrible! I have never seen such a thing!” she whispered.
“Do you want to sit down? Are you feeling faint?”
“No, no; I’ll be fine.” Greta’s heart was thumping in her chest.
“What did you see?” Max persisted.
Greta thought for a moment. Not wanting to dissuade Max or make him think she was imagining things, she blurted out, “It was a s…” She felt the air expel from her body.
“Don’t say it; it was a spider, wasn’t it?” Max surmised.
Greta nodded. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Thank heavens for that; you really scared the shit out of me, screaming like that! I thought it was something really awful!” He sounded relieved.
“It was!” Greta protested. “It was gross! Inhuman! Horrific! Can you see anything on my shoulder? I felt something on it; I’m sure of it!”
“Most spiders are pretty gross, love. But this is the countryside, an old cottage and no doubt, Greenacres will have a few more of the little critters hidden within its walls.” Max checked Greta’s shoulder. “No, there’s nothing on your coat or your shoulder.”
“But…” Greta felt faint. “I think I’ll go outside and get some fresh air. I will check on the Reverend, whilst I’m out there.”
“Okay. You’ll be fine. I will only be upstairs with Mike. We shouldn’t be too much longer.” Max kissed the top of Greta’s head. “Take it easy.” He squeezed her hand. Greta flinched as he touched her. She couldn’t get the vision of the severed hand from her
“May I have a walk around inside?” Mike asked. “Ineed to get some measurements and gauge the current layout and hear Max’s intentions for its renovations.”
“Of course, please do go on in.” Rev Oli smiled and bowed forward. “I will wait outside,” he added.
Greta followed Max and Mike and listened to their discussions. They moved from room to room with Mike taking photographs, notes and measurements by pointing a laser instrument at each wall, as Max described their intentions and the talk became technical. Greta slipped into her daydream bubble, trailing behind them in a trance. Through the darkened passageways from the still boarded up windows, from room to room, she drank up the atmosphere Greenacres was offering her. She stopped in the drawing room and stared into the fireplace. She visualised how it would look in daylight. With a roaring fire, logs piled up on the hearth. Perhaps even a dog lying in front of the dancing flames on a rug, fast asleep, with the winds howling on a cold winter’s night. She paused by the window and noticed an old gilt-framed mirror hung on the wall. It was ornately carved, however the glass was covered by a thick layer of dust. She dipped into her coat pocket and took out a paper tissue. She lightly dragged the tissue across the surface of the glass leaving a clean, clear line across its diameter. She looked at her reflection and smiled. She momentarily closed her eyes and opened them once more. Her intention was to gaze back into the mirror. As she focused back on her reflection she gasped in horror. The mirror revealed that she was not alone. Greta’s eyes were wide with fear as she could quite clearly see a severed hand suspended by her left shoulder. Entrails and tendons hung from flabby strands of skin. It dripped with blood and gore from the hand. Spots of blood begin to seep into the fabric of her coat and on to her shoulder. It was stationary; then its fingers began to move upwardwith the palm fully extended. Greta touched the top of her shoulder in what appeared to be slow motion. She turned around and screamed at the top of her voice; her heart was racing and her breath was suspended.
Max heard her scream and rushed downstairs. He was quickly at her side.
“What’s wrong? Are you all right?” He held Greta’s shoulders as she tried to regain some sort of composure.
“I… I don’t know; it was horrible Max, just horrible! I have never seen such a thing!” she whispered.
“Do you want to sit down? Are you feeling faint?”
“No, no; I’ll be fine.” Greta’s heart was thumping in her chest.
“What did you see?” Max persisted.
Greta thought for a moment. Not wanting to dissuade Max or make him think she was imagining things, she blurted out, “It was a s…” She felt the air expel from her body.
“Don’t say it; it was a spider, wasn’t it?” Max surmised.
Greta nodded. She closed her eyes and bit her lip.
“Thank heavens for that; you really scared the shit out of me, screaming like that! I thought it was something really awful!” He sounded relieved.
“It was!” Greta protested. “It was gross! Inhuman! Horrific! Can you see anything on my shoulder? I felt something on it; I’m sure of it!”
“Most spiders are pretty gross, love. But this is the countryside, an old cottage and no doubt, Greenacres will have a few more of the little critters hidden within its walls.” Max checked Greta’s shoulder. “No, there’s nothing on your coat or your shoulder.”
“But…” Greta felt faint. “I think I’ll go outside and get some fresh air. I will check on the Reverend, whilst I’m out there.”
“Okay. You’ll be fine. I will only be upstairs with Mike. We shouldn’t be too much longer.” Max kissed the top of Greta’s head. “Take it easy.” He squeezed her hand. Greta flinched as he touched her. She couldn’t get the vision of the severed hand from her
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