The One That Did It

Trigger warnings: suicide, murder

I saw the man again yesterday.

He was big and tall, taller than Father. He stood at the end of the hall and made an angry face. Sometimes he yelled. 

He didn’t see me though. I was hiding, and anyway he was looking at Jack.

Jack looked a little bit scared and also angry. But when Father and Mother came he was quickly not angry. 

Father made a strange man come in and the strange man said some things and went away. Father and Mother were not angry anymore. 

Today Jack was sleeping and I saw the man go into his room. I heard Jack yell. Me and Father and Mother came in and the man was gone but Jack turned the light on and didn’t sleep.

~~~

“I don’t know what to do. The exorcist came and went, but the ghosts just changed. We can’t sell the house, there’s nowhere else to go.”

She pressed her fingers against her temples and looked at her husband. Her husband looked tired.

“We can have the kids stay at Pastor Blair’s for a night…”

“Absolutely not. We barely know the man.”

“Susan, it’s the only solution left.”

“No.”

~~~

We went to Pastor’s house today. His wife was nice and made us cake. Then Father and Mother told me and Jack we were going to sleep here tonight. I didn’t want to go, but Pastor said I could have more cake for breakfast. I like cake.

Me and Jack slept in the same room. The bed was very comfy. I fell asleep very fast.

I woke up because there was a lady screaming. She was like the man because she only looked at Jack. Jack just looked scared this time, even when Pastor came in and the lady screamed louder.

We went home after that. I didn’t get any more cake.

~~~

“It’s following the kids, isn’t it.”

“Maybe they’ve just been in the town for a while, and we’re new, and they don’t like that…”

“Pastor knew the woman. Said she was from a town over, and right as rain a week ago.”

“Maybe the ghosts flock here, I don’t know…”

“We have to do something, Michael!”

~~~

An old lady came to our house today. She hung weird-smelling stuff all around the house. Mother and Father told us not to touch it. They said it would make the people go away.

~~~

“They’ve gone away for now…”

“We can’t leave the herbs up, they’re stinking up the house!”

“It’s just a few more days.”

~~~

Father took the weird stuff down. Then when I was sleeping I woke up again because there was a man standing at Jack’s door. Father and Mother are very angry now.

I was having a nice dream. Me and Jack were at the beach. I’ve never been to the beach, so I don’t know what it looks like, but it looked like what I think the beach would look like.

~~~

“We have to move. There’s no other option.”

“Fine. We can stay with Marge for a bit and figure out what to do.”

~~~

Father and Mother and Jack packed everything up and we are leaving. I think it’s because of the people. They keep coming into Jack’s room and Jack is very scared and angry I think.

We got into the wagon and we went away. Father says it will be a long time before we get somewhere.

~~~

As the family sleeps, the ghosts hover near.

~~~

We got to a big town. We went to a house and there was a lady I didn’t know. Mother says she is Father’s sister. I didn’t know Father had a sister.

When we slept, a little girl came. She didn’t scream like the others, and she didn’t wake Jack up. I only saw her because I went to take a pee. I asked her what her name was and she said Lucy. I asked her where she lived and she said she didn’t have a home. We played together until I got too tired and then she went away. I slept for a long time so when I woke up the sun was high in the sky.

I hope I can see Lucy again. She seems very nice, even though she’s a bit sad.

~~~

“Anything yet, Jack?”

“Nothing, Mother.”

~~~

I talked to Lucy and she said something very strange. She said she was dead. I asked her how she could be dead if she was sitting here talking to me. She said that she was “trapped” and could not move on until the person who made her dead was gone. I said that I was sure they would be gone soon.

~~~

“The neighbors have been complaining.”

“Of what?”

“Apparently our little girl and her “playmate” have been staying up talking too late.”

“But she doesn’t have a playmate.”

“Exactly.”

~~~

Lucy said that she couldn’t stay. She said she was passing the job on to someone else.

~~~

“They’re coming again!”

“It’s a different one this time.”

“That doesn’t matter! We’ll never escape them.”

Suddenly, both parents notice their daughter standing in the doorway.

“What is it, sweetie?”

“She said she’d leave if the person who made her dead was gone.”

There’s a moment of shocked silence.

“What, sweetie?”

“Lucy said she’d leave if the person who made her dead was gone.”

Down the hall, the brother slips away. He knows what he has to do.

~~~

Jack didn’t come home. Father and Mother are very worried. They got the big people with funny hats to go look for him. I saw Mother crying.

No one else came today. It felt a little bit lonely. I miss Lucy.

~~~

“Officer, he has to be out there somewhere.”

“I’m sorry, ma’am, but he’s nowhere to be found. We’ve put up flyers and had search teams. It seems he does not want to be found.”

“He has to. He has to come home.

Later that night, the parents stare out the window.

The father says, “They’ve stopped coming, though.”

From the kitchen, the voice of the father’s sister says, “Good riddance.”

~~~

Jack has been gone for a long time. 

The men with the funny hats came to our door again. They look serious. Father and Mother rush out with them. Auntie Marge is taking care of me.

~~~

CERTIFICATE OF DEATH

This is to certify that Jack Green died at London Bridge on the 31st of October. 

Cause of death: Suicide

Sex: Male

Age: 17 years