The Haunting

CW: Some swearing and drug use

The Hoffman house, which sat nestled between towering and ancient Douglas fir trees, lay behind a creek which ran a little over a mile. Come summer, it was often tradition for the Hoffman children to play in it, speeding down on boats and prancing around in floaties. Come the summer of '03, just a couple years before my passing, Ned, at least I believe his name was Ned, my nephew, or at least who I believe is my nephew, fell off his boat and almost drowned, thereby ending the tradition. 

I observe it now, and see a squirrel making its way down like a natural acrobat, jumping from wet stone to wet stone, body twisting in the air. Come the seventh stone, it slips, and is carried for a short while down the creek before attaching himself to a rock, claws attaching to the moss which grew on it. He hoists his small body back up, and continues his journey down the creek, disappearing out of my field of vision.

I make my way towards the creek, and, when I reach it, unlike the squirrel, I began to step on it. My foot, or what feels like my foot, doesn't stand on it, it simply just goes through. I do not sink, however, simply floating. I take another step, then another. After a few more, the creek not being more than eight feet in width, I again stand on solid ground. Maybe not standing, as I step over a golden leaf to which there is no crunch. I look at the leaf, a strange feeling of nebulous dread coming over me, then continue to proceed towards the house. As I ascend the three worn and weathered cobblestone steps, I hear talk from inside. The oak door stands heavy, but I go through it, the sensation like walking through a light mist.

Inside the foyer I make my way, drifting into the living room, where I see my son, or at least who I think is my son, Ike, talking to a rabbi on the sofa. My son looks distressed. They both do.

"-but more or less, these feelings of profound sadness, confusion, guilt even, are par for the course with these situations. When my daughter died, I-"

The rabbi shook his head, a slight crack forming along his lips as a brief chuckle escaped.

"-I was inconsolable. Not for months, but years."

Ike observed the rabbi, only nodding his head. He cracked his mouth open, then closed it, lowering his head. After a moment, he brought it back up.

"D...do you ever, like, still...feel her?"

The rabbi's brows furrowed, then he considered for a moment.

"No", he finally spoke. "No, I don't."

He looked at Ike.

"Why do you ask?"

Ike swallowed.

"I...well, sometimes I think I feel...a presence. That's the best way I can describe it. I-it sometimes scares me, but it feels...familiar. I don't know."

The rabbi looked at Ikes now lowered face, nodding.

"You think your father is still residing here? Or perhaps sending you messages?"

Ike nodded his head.

"I don't know what to think, honestly."

Ike looked back up.

"Do you believe in exorcisms?"

The rabbi shrugged.

"Me personally? No. Some do though. Deciphers and studiers of Kabbalah and other mysticism have claimed to rebuke Dybbuks. Have they actually? Who's to say. Certainly not me."

Ike nodded.

The rabbi stared at Ike, eyes in thought before he spoke.

"I haven't seen you in synagogue in years, so I assume you are no longer religious. Which is nothing wrong, a secular man can still be righteous. Oftentimes, perhaps more than the believer. Hal is either somewhere better than here, or he is just not. In my view, at least."

Ike nodded, smiling.

"Thank you. I-I wouldn't say I'm not religious, well, maybe I am, but I've found myself frequenting church more often than not."

The rabbi nodded, a smile forming.

"Taken after your mother, eh?"

Ike let out a chuckle.

"More so the son of the preacher than the rabbi."

This got a hearty laugh out of the rabbi, who grunted as he arose from the sofa. He patted Ike on the shoulder.

"These are difficult times, my only advice would be to try and take everyday in stride. And keep yourself grounded, don't become lost like I was."

Ike stood up, outstretching his hand.

"Yeah, I will. Or at least try. Thanks."

The rabbi shook Ikes hand and nodded, before proceeding down the foyer.

"Call me whenever you want to talk, I'll be there", he said, before stepping out the door with a wave.

Ike stood a moment, a door opened on the second floor and steps followed. A moment later, Leslie appeared, Ike turning towards her with a forced half smile.

"Well? Was he able to help?"

Hal observed his wife, heavy eye bags and wrinkles decorating her still beautiful face.

Ike sighed, his shoulders slumping.

"I guess...though not really. In a way, I feel more lost now."

Leslie looked at Ike with kind, though sad themselves, eyes.

"That's okay, and not to be mean, but...well, I expected that. You know-"

And just like it had happened multiple times before, a flame of fire ignited behind Hal, about seven feet tall in length. It roared, inside it a black void.

"N-no", Hal began to scream, his voice a raspy screech. The void began to pull, as if having arms and grabbing Hal, and Hal was sucked into the black. As quickly as it appeared, the flame was gone.

***

When I come to, I found myself a little outside the orbit of earth, looking down at the green and blue marble which floated in the black. I look behind me, and could see the stars, now long dead, and the moon. Beyond that, endless obsidian which could not be measured or understood. I turn back for earth, and just like I have done multiple times before, close my eyes and think of home. When I open them, I stand opposite of the creek, in which the Hoffman children used to play. 

It was close to nighttime now, the sun beginning itself to fall asleep, and the moon soon to begin its wake. The forest was cast in a faded gold, and seemed to almost shimmer.

I see Ike arrive in the driveway, in the pickup truck I bought him four years prior. Its red sheen is already starting to fade, and this stirs about a certain sadness in me. He proceeded into the house, a stack of pizza boxes in his arms. I follow him.

When we enter, the foyer and living room is dark.  Ike sets down the stack of pizzas on the kitchen counter, looking up towards the staircase.

"Mom! I went and got pizzas! Come get a slice while they're still hot!"

When no reply filled the air, Ike went upstairs. Hal followed. A bit down the leftwards hall, Ike raised his fist, the door ajar, but still lightly knocking twice. The door was baby blue, and beckoned feelings of maternal comfort in Ike.

"Mom, there's pizza downstairs if you want some. If you do, you should get some soon before it gets co-"

The door drifted open, the room dark except for the pale light from the television screen. On it, the voting results thus far between Obama and McCain. Leslie lay sideways on her bed, face away from the door, and from Ike.

"Mom, there's um, there's pizza downstairs. I-it's hot, so if you want some best nab a slice now."

Ikes words were met with no reply, save for a whimper he swore he heard. He opened his mouth to speak before shutting it, closing the door. Hal stayed in the room, walking, or rather levitating, over to Leslie's bed. She lay with her bloodshot eyes open, cheeks ruddy and flushed. Hal outstretched his hand, or what he thought would be his hand, towards her. Leslie shuddered, pulling her cover up over shoulders and beginning to sob. Hal removed his hand and continued to observe her a moment, before proceeding back for the door.

When outside, Hal found that Ike and his truck had long departed, so he did what he always did in these situations and simply closed his eyes and focused on Ike. When he opened them, he found himself speeding behind Ikes truck on the lone night rode, eventually coming into the car and stopping in the backseat.

"-yeah, no, no, I get you", Ike said into his phone. "I'll call my bud Charlie up and we'll see if-"

The flame reappeared, this time several feet in front of the vehicle. Hal began to shout, which sounded like a guttural rumble, and when the truck passed the flame, he was gone.

***

When Hal came to, he found himself looking at rusty, red dirt. When he looked up, he found himself standing in a wide expanse of red dirt. He looked up towards the black, and saw two, small moons hanging. He realized he was on mars, and began to envision earth before faint, almost muffled as if far away, wails began to ring. The severity of the wails grew, like a wave gaining strength and height, and Hal was once again filled with strange dread. He returned to envisioning earth, and when he opened his eyes, found himself once again in the familiar orbit of the blue and green marble. He thought of Ike, and found himself in the basement of a house party. Ike inhaled from a bong, before passing it to the boy next to him.

"-man", the boy said, taking the bong and lighting the bowl. "That's tough. I remember when Maddy left me, shit fucked with me for a good while." He inhaled.

"Sarah's not leaving me, dumbass", Ike said, rubbing the back of his hand against his bloodshot eyes. "She...she just wants to do her own thing for a while."

"Goddamn", another boy said, laughing. "Do you even hear yourself?"

Ike waved him away.

"Fuck off."

The basement door swung open, a ruddy haired and freckled boy standing at the top of the staircase.

"Yo Matthews boofing a twelve pack!"

The basement group jumped up and ran for the stairs.

Once again, the flame returned, whooshing sound emitting as it appeared in front of Hal. The obsidian black stood inside, and once again as if clasping him, or as if he was magnet, Hal found himself being pulled in. He cried, then was gone.

***

Hal found himself in some type of dirt cave or tunnel, every few seconds the ground shaking and dirt following from the pillars. He looked at the ceiling, which appeared like a foggy or smudged window. Through it, he could see the living room of his former house, and three sets of feet. He lifted his arms up, and found himself floating up. When at the ceiling, he pushed with his palms, but found he could not pass. He pushed, and pushed, eventually his hands going through like a finger through Jell-O and the rest of his person following. He arose to find a priest performing an exorcism.

Ike sat on the couch, bitting his thumb nail, Leslie next to him with her hand against her strained face.

"Spirit, you are unwelcome in this house. You are unwelcome in this family. Depart, devil, and with the authority of Gods only son, we rebuke you."

Hal looked around, wondering if something would happen, but the seconds passed and turned into minutes.

"I...feel that the spirit has left", said the priest.

Leslie looked at Ike, placing a hand on his thigh.

"Honey?"

"Um", Ike said, snapping out of his trance. "Yeah, I um, I feel better. I-I think maybe it's gone."

The priest nodded.

"Well then", he said, picking up his briefcase. "I hope to see you this Sunday, Isaac. Your presence is missed."

Ike only nodded.

"Let me walk you out", Leslie said, getting up from the sofa. She engaged in quiet conversation with the priest as they walked down the hall, Hal staying with Ike. He approached him, putting a palm, or what he thought was his palm, on Ikes shoulder. Ike looked up, a panic and fear in his eyes. He looked around the room, but saw nothing. He put his hands on his ears and began to groan.

The flame appeared and Hal shouted, returning to the void.

***

Hal found himself atop a bridge now, which seemingly stood on nothing and in nothing, obsidian encompassing him. At the other end stood a foggy window. Hal approached it. When there, he pushed through, the consistency like Jell-O again. It was becoming more difficult.

When passed through, he found Ike on his bed making out with his girlfriend, Sarah. Hal looked over to Ikes bedside desk, the unfinished bridge still there. As if Sarah could sense Hal's gaze, she turned her head as Ike thrusted from on top of her towards the toy bridge.

"Your dad's bridge, when are you going to finish it?"

Ike stoped after a moment, looking over.

"I-I don't know", he said, flopping over on his back. "...maybe never."

Sarah looked at Ike.

"Why?", she asked with an amused chuckle.

Ike shrugged.

"The toy bridges, and trains and all that stuff, that was always his thing. Not mine. It's what he always wanted to do, at least that's what my mom says. Before they had me he was going to be like some type of miniature crafter or something. Then he started at my uncles firm, and well, that's it."

Sarah laughed.

"You won't at least finish the last project of a dead man? Not to be blunt, sorry, but why?"

"You kind of just answered it: he's dead."

Ikes eyes were cast in brief obsidian, before a grin crossed his lips. He looked down at his crotch.

"Unlike me, who's alive and coursing with blood."

Sarah laughed and Ike jumped on top of her. Hal watched, that is until the flame returned and took him.

***

Hal found himself back on the bridge, which was deteriorating. Pebbles and chunks of stone fell from the pillars, and the ground was cracked. Lightning and thunder roared from overhead, the source of which Hal didn't know. Above stood a small dot of white, minuscule, but powerful. Hal proceeded down the bridge and towards the foggy window. He pushed through, the action even harder now. The hardest it's ever been. When he passed, he found himself on a rock whose colors consisted of blue, brown, orange, yellow and red. Around him, five moons. 

Pluto.

He envisioned Ike, and when his eyes opened, found himself returned to Ikes bedroom, Ike working on the model bridge.

Ike was adding a coat of paint to the pillars, squinting as the brush ever so lightly grazed the wood toy pillars. Ikes hand slipped a slight inch, a thick coat of paint going across the side.

"God fucking dammit", Ike spat, slamming the brush down and putting his head in his hands.

Ike looked at the model bridge a moment, before sighing and rising from his desk chair. He turned off the lights and went to bed. And as always happens, the flame returned and took Hal.

***

Hal found himself on a moon, when he looked around him spotting Pluto afar off. Above him, the same white dot, expect bigger, and more powerful. When he looked back down, he saw himself still on the moon, but now on the cracked pavement of the now dilapidated bridge. The same foggy glass sat at the end, and Hal proceeded towards it. He pushed through, the hardest yet. When through, he found himself in a now sleeping Ikes bedroom. He observed Ike a moment, the way his chest heaved with each breath, the way he slept on his side with his hand beneath his head. Hal couldn't speak, not fully, but as he hovered to Ike, he gasped.

"S-son."

Ikes eyes opened and he shot up, when his eyes saw Hal, screaming. Hal stumbled back, and he looked sideways to Ikes bedroom mirror. Greeting him was a smoky, black figure with crimson eyes. Hal tried to approach Ike again, outstretching his hand.

I-ike", he croaked with a raspy voice.

"No!", Ike shouted. "Enough!"

Ike yanked off his cover, the edge of the blanket hitting the model bridge and knocking it to the ground.

"D-dad...please, go. Just go." 

Hal stared at the now broken model bridge, the flame reappearing. Ike looked down at the bridge, his chest heaving and face covered in sweat.

"I-I'm sorry. I didn't mean to."

Hal was pulled into the flame.

"...i-it's okay."

That's what he wanted to say, but all he was able to manage was it's.

***

Hal found himself back on the bridge, now all but annihilated. He looked up, the white dot now gigantic, and pulsing with power. It washed over him, and his obsidian, smokey exterior was torn away, his body beaming white as he shot upwards, disappearing into the great and blinding white.