Saying good-bye.

“It had been twenty-four years since she’d last seen it, but the place looked exactly the same” She told me.

 I asked her then. “How much do you remember, or how much have you forgotten?”

Jenny screwed up her nose and peered at the house

“It does look the same, but there is an eeriness about it now. Perhaps my parents never left, perhaps they still roam the hallway at night!”

“Well we can find out because it has been turned into a B and B now. We need somewhere to stay tonight, how about we stay here?”

Jenny gave May a quizzical look. She remembered the day she had left and the enormous argument she had with her parents.

“I’m not sure that’s a good idea. They put a curse on me the day I left and told me never to darken their door again. What if they really are still here, in spirit I mean?”

“Then I guess we will have to try to make amends with them. It’s time they forgave you for going off with your boyfriend at the time, even though they were right about him.”

“Yes, he turned out to be a loser just as they predicted, but we all make mistakes, especially when we are very young. I have found my soul mate now and been happily married for ten years. I’m sure they would have loved Geoff, if they had met him.”

With a little bit of trepidation they walked up the path and knocked on the door.

A middle-aged, blonde-haired lady with enormous eyes opened the door.

“Good morning can I help you?”

“You have a vacancy, would it be possible for us to stay the night?” Jenny asked in her sweetest voice.

“Well of course, come in!” The woman beamed from ear to ear as she ushered them into the front room.

Jenny shuddered as she felt the walls closing in on her. As they passed the first door in the hallway, it rattled as though it was about to open.

“This way, it’s a lovely room with twin beds and a view of the cottage garden at the back.” The woman opened the door to the second bedroom.

“Thank you so much, we’ll be leaving about 8am if that’s okay?”

“Of course, I’m an early riser, you can pay for the room on your way out. Please enjoy your stay.”

The room was lovely in a cottage sort of style, and the garden view was very peaceful.

They watched television for a while, chatted about what had been happening recently and about their families, and decided it was time to go to bed.

There were plenty of snacks there and facilities for making tea, but the meal they had at the restaurant earlier had filled them up.

After changing into their pyjamas they hopped into bed and said good-night.

Jenny awoke with a start and looked at her watch on the side table. It was 3am. A noise had woken her, a very quiet metallic sound, like a door latch.

Jenny picked up her phone and pressed on the light. She focused the light on the door to the room. The door was half open.

She switched on the side lamp and got out of bed. May was snoring her head off.

Jenny crept over to the door and opened it. She had made sure the door was locked from the inside last night and now it was open, by itself.

Jenny took her phone-torch and went out into the hallway.

Her parents bedroom was just down the hall on the right, the owner had the bedroom upstairs.

Jenny crept down the hallway to the door, it was half open. She shivered from the cold night air and the thought of what might be in there.

She pushed the door open and walked inside. The door slammed behind her, making her jump.

“Mum, Dad, are you here?”

In the half light she saw a woman sitting in the chair beside the bed.

“You were told never to come back, why are you here!” The woman screeched.

Jenny shivered as a hand touched her shoulder. A man with sunken black eyes appeared beside her. Her Father snarled at her. “You left us to go off with that ruffian. You left us, your parents, for a useless no-good idiot!”

“I’m so sorry!” Jenny said. “I was an adventurous, know-it-all teenager! Please forgive me, you were right all along he was no good!”

“Forgive you! You left us here to die all alone, you never came back!

I put a curse on you, you will never find peace until the day you die!” her Father snarled.

Jenny looked at them both. “It won’t work, I don’t believe in curses. I forgive you for the way you treated me and the things you said about me. I never came back because you threatened me not to, but now I’m here to say good-bye!”

“How dare you!” her Mother screeched. “We’ll see about that!” “I curse your marriage and I curse your children to roam this world in loneliness for many years ---- “ Jenny turned, walked out the door, and slammed it behind her.

From that moment she vowed she would never think about her parents ever again and there was no such thing as curses from the dead.

The next morning early they left the B and B and headed home.

They stopped at a Café on the highway for lunch and jenny told May what had happened.

“I don’t understand, I never heard anything!” May said.

“You wouldn’t have heard anything because it was all spectral. Even though they were screeching there was actually no sound in reality, even when the door slammed.” Jenny explained.

“I wish I could have been there to help you.” May said.

“It’s okay, it had to be done. I had to put their ghosts to rest once and for all. They weren’t very nice parents and they aren’t worth remembering, so I am going to forget all about them and get on with my life.

I have a lovely husband and beautiful daughter, and a son, and many good friends, and that is all I need.”

May agreed. “You were right to tell them there curses wouldn’t work. They only work if you believe them, and we don’t.”

Jenny drove home to her family who greeted her warmly. “Have you had a nice week-end, we all missed you? We especially missed your cooking!” Her husband laughed.

She was home, and happy, with her wonderful family again.

And that was all that mattered.