FicWad

The wind was a bitter cold, and the leaves rushed around as if chased by some unknown entity, as Viveca walked down the moist dirt road of her grandmothers driveway on a gloomy autumn day. Her hair constantly blew into her face as she contemplated her reason for visiting. After her husband died 30 years ago, her grandmother had been living alone in this old victorian house. Preferring to live alone, she refused to be taken care of by any of the family. The family accepted her decision without much fuss as long as they were allowed regular visits and she called at least twice a week. Two weeks had passed since any word had been received from Grandmother and the family was beginning to panic. Being her grandmothers favorite, Viveca, had elected to make the 6 and a half hour drive from their comfortable modern flat in Temecula to the Santa Cruz Mountains to make sure her grandmother was okay.


Viveca approached the old wooden door and grasped the rusty door-knocker. She knocked and waited but received no answer. After, twice more, attempting to solicit a reaction she let herself into the house.


"Grandmother?", No answer.


"Grandma Delora!? It's me, Viveca. Mom and everyone wanted me to come by and check on you. No ones heard from you for some time and we started to worry."


Still failing to gain any reassurance of her grandmothers health, Viveca made her way further into the house. Coming to the winding mahogany staircase in the foyer, she began to work her way up. The house was beautiful. The walls were lined with cherry wood and separated by panels of crimson wallpaper. The French ceiling was gilded in some places with intricate vine work, though some was beginning to peel off. A crystal chandelier hung gloriously in the center of the room, holding stubs of candles left over from many years prior. The small lanterns, placed at intervals, cast on eerie glow on the whole house, making it look like a place outside of time, as if the ghosts of the people who lived here a hundred years before still walked amongst the ancient halls. Everything inside looked like it belonged in a Jane Austen novel right up to the paintings of their old, deceased relatives.


As Viveca walked, stairs creaking beneath her, she felt a chill waft through the air and pulled her sweater closer around her shoulders. She didn't remember the ancient house being this cold, but then her grandmother had never been one for updating any appliances, let alone replacing her fireplace with a heating system. The farther up she walked the colder the air began to feel until Viveca could see her breath. She got to the hallway and made her way to the library, floorboards whining beneath her, to see if her grandmother had fallen asleep reading. The library was one of the largest rooms in the house, filled with hundreds of books from every genre. It was her grandmothers favorite place.


Viveca came to the library door and stopped. As she reached for the cold metal handle she felt a trail of goosebumps travel up her arms and a shiver down her spine. Ignoring the feeling, she opened the door. Her grandmother was seated on the far end of the room on an old velvet plush chair the color of red wine. Shelves upon shelves of dusty books surrounded her. Motionless, with her chin resting on her chest, she looked as thought were in a deep slumber.


"Grandma?" Viveca began to approach the old woman.


Looking around, Viveca noticed the fire place had not been lit in quite some time. Seeing as her grandmother hated the cold, she found this very odd. Touching the old woman shoulder, Viveca gave her a small shake, nothing too alarming, and received no response. She touched her grandmothers face. The feeling of icy flesh sent Viveca into a panic and she shook harder.


"Grandma! Please wake up!" This couldn't be happening, Any minute now Grandma Delora would wake up to be-


Viveca stumbled back with a gasp as her grandmothers eyes flew wide open and her wrinkled hands reached for Viveca's smooth wrist.


"Child whatever is the matter? You look as though you've seen a ghost."


Regaining her composure but still a little frightened, Viveca replied, "You weren't moving and everything here was so cold. I, I thought you were..."


"Nonsense, everything is perfectly fine though I will admit I did forget about the fire. Why don't we make our way downstairs and get you some tea. I can see you are clearly shaken up and I need my dearest granddaughter to be healthy for me." The old woman smiled and offered her progeny a welcoming hand. Together they made their way down, hand in hand, descending back down the tired staircase, and into the shadowed halls below.


Kitchens of the Victorian era were grand and often filled with the same paneled woodwork of the rest of the house. So it was with Grandma Delora's kitchen. The butchers block in the center of the room was often used as a dining table when Viveca was young and she would spend summers alone with her grandmother. The iron stove in the corner had always fascinated her with its classic technology and swirling designs carved into the metal. The ivory colored cabinets and shelves always held hidden goodies for her to find if she looked hard enough. Many happy memories had been created in this inviting room, now it just appeared neglected.


"Do you take sugar in your tea my sweet?" Grandmother asked, startling her granddaughter out of her reverie.


"What? Oh, yes please Grandma, two scoops would be lovely. Thank you."


Watching her grandmothers back as she prepared the tea, Viveca noticed how the elderly woman was aging. The older she became the more bent her spine became and her white hair was thinning in too many places on her head. Age spots littered her arms and hands and her veins grew more obvious as her wrinkled skin clung desperately to her fragile bones. Viveca's eyes traveled up her grandmothers neck where she noticed some odd discoloration. Putting the thought aside as yet another consequence of time, she looked out the window. What had simply been another windy autumn day when she arrived was quickly turning into a storm. Already dark clouds were forming over head, creating vast ominous shadows, and small perfect drops of rain fell from heaven to the earth below. Worried she wouldn't be able to make it home in this weather, she turned back to her grandmother who was already pouring tea into delicate china cups.


"Grandma, there's a storm coming in and I don't know I can make it home. Do you mind if I stay here for the night?"


"Of course not my child. You are always welcome to stay in this home for as long as you like." A smile curled around her lips revealing a mouth that had not quite all it's teeth. Vivecas heart thumped a little to loudly. She did not smile back. The two women drank their tea in silence. Ones eyes focused on the contents of her cup while the others eyes, focused on the youthful face of her companion. Haze began to cloud the young girls mind and she slumped forward in her chair, letting herself be escorted into the land of dreams and blissful unconsciousness.


When she again awoke, Viveca noticed she was no longer in the kitchen, nor was she in her own clothes. A floor length white dressing gowned had been placed on her shoulders. She lay atop a feather bed in a room she wasn't familiar with. It was completely dark. Light was given occasionally by a flash of lightening, only to disappear an instant later and be replaced by darkness. Stumbling out of bed, she began to wander around blindly, arms outstretched for any sign of an exit. Panic began to rise in her throat and her breathing grew heavy. All alone and afraid to speak, lest some evil of the night discover her, she shuffled slowly and unsteadily across the room. Huge clap of thunder erupted, followed by a flash of lightening and Viveca collapsed to the floor with fright. Her body was shaking now and she could feel perspiration forming on her lip.


A low creak echoed from the side of the room followed by a ball of orange light. Viveca began to slowly back away on her hands and knees. This strange light, whatever it may be, was menacing to her and she did not want to be anywhere near it. Slowly and steadily, the light continued it's haunting march forward until Viveca was face to face with the twisted creature holding it. Burying her head in her arms, she closed her eyes, willing with all her being that this being would disappear. Frigid fingers grasped her chin and pulled her face forward with surprising force. What could only be described as cool breath began to blow in Vivecas face and she slowly peeled her eyes open only to find herself looking into a pair of eyes all to similar to her own.


"Grandmother! Where have you been? I'm so frightened. I thought you were some sort of ghoul come to devour me!" And with that she threw herself into her grandmothers arms. Expecting to be held yet receiving no treatment of this sort, she drew back.


"Is something the matter Grandma? Have I done something wrong?"


The old woman stared expressionless at the innocent child in front of her. Inch by inch a smile began to form on her lips. Reaching out a hand with which to pull the girl to her feet, the old woman began to hum. Ethereal tunes such as this had never before touched human ears and Viveca felt herself unexplainably drawn to the unearthly noise that came from the being she called her grandmother. Still humming, the old woman led her follower to the bed and had her lay down. They stayed that way for a while, The old woman humming her song and stroking the head of the healthy young girl, and the young girl enthralled by a music she couldn't understand.



Viveca found herself ensnared undeniable to move or speak. All she could do was lay back and stare at the woman in front of her. She began to suspect something was wrong but she was unable to discern what or to do anything about it. She felt like a mouse caught in the talons of a falcon. It was then she realized that the person in front of her was not her beloved grandmother. It had her face and her voice but it was not her. Tears formed under her lashes and slid down her flushed cheeks. She was afraid, more afraid then she had ever been in her life and unable to move.


The thing paused to look down at the soul it had trapped with it's song and began to speak, "I am not your grandmother child."


It waited for an indication that Viveca had understood. Noticing the tears forming on the child's face, it decided to continue, it's voice was soothing and calm, like ripples on the surface of water, "Your grandmother is dead. She has been for some time now."


Viveca felt a small whimper escape her lips.


"Oh shshsh. Don't you fret. She died painlessly, just as you will now. You see, I've lived in this house for quite some time. It used to belong to me, many many years ago in a time since forgotten. But you wouldn't care about that. Doubtless you would like to now how I came to be in possession of your Grandmothers body?"


Paralyzed, Viveca looked on, praying for a way to escape the clutches of the monster before her.


"As I've said, I lived here a long time ago.", The lulling voice continued, "I died here as well. It was an accident. I drowned in the bath, in this very room, and before anyone could rush to my aid it was to late. I have been cursed to wander these hall ever since. Overtime I have managed to gain the strength necessary to interact with the living, which is how I came in contact with your grandmother. I managed to appear before her and I cried out to her for help. She readily agreed and I convinced her that if she let herself fall into a deep slumber, she would join me in the spirit realm and release me from my faint. I watched and I waited. I had discovered a way by which I could posses the bodies of the living. If I could instigate their murder I could take control of the corpse and wander among sentient being once more, so when I saw she had fallen asleep I quickly willed all my power to rise before me so I might grasp hold of her neck and squeeze out what little life remained in her decrepit existence. She passed without struggle and I seeped into her skin ad took control."


Viveca was weeping profusely now and mentally screaming at the demon in front of her. How could it take the life of someone so dear to her as nonchalantly as one dresses in the morning. Feeling helpless and alone, She looked up at the monster once more, in hopes that maybe it would take pity on her pitiful form. It didn't. Instead, it smiled at her once more and continued to speak.


"You look so pathetic. let me wipe your tears away child. It will all be over soon. I promise."


Reaching out it's hand to wipe the tears from Viveca's face, she continued her tale, "I later began to realize that my newfound body couldn't hope to last forever and that I would need a replacement very soon. It was a frightening thought. How thoughtful it was of you to come along when you did and offer yourself to me so willingly. I can see you loved her very much and I swear you will see her soon."


With that the awful creature reached out its cold dead hands and laced them around the poor petrified girls neck. Viveca felt the life slowly drain out of her. The last thing she ever saw was her grandmothers smiling face. The world went black.


Frederik walked up to the door of his grandmothers house. Viveca had come to check on their grandma but had yet to return. Annoyed at the lack of response from his sister, he came down to check all was well. He knocked and the door before him opened to reveal the very pale form of his smiling sister.


"Frederik! I'm so glad to see you! Please come in. You must tell me all about how our family has been doing."


Being ushered into the house by the rambling girl in front of him, Frederik could only wonder at the clammy coldness of her hands.