One House, One Secret, One Terrifying Revelation.

 

Story: S A Spencer

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My husband and I paid a visit to my parents. I was abruptly awakened in the dead of night by his startled cry, "Your mum became a ghost!"

Luke and I met, when I was working in London, and after a year long courtship, we married. My parents from Australia couldn’t attend the wedding, because Dad fell sick, and had to cancel the flight ticket in the last moment.

 After the wedding, we decided to visit my parents, and introduce him to more of my extended family. My parents kindly offered to host us at their property, which he had purchased three years ago, located outside the city. I thought it would be nice, to spend some time with my mum and dad under their roof.

However, on our first night at my parents' place, Luke had trouble sleeping. He decided to step outside for some fresh air. It was at this moment, that he let out a scream, that pierced the silence. Worried, I hurried to his side, and found him terrified, claiming that he had seen my mum disappearing into bushes, like a ghost.

"When did you see her?" I asked, perplexed by his statement.

"Just now, barely a minute ago. She disappeared into that bush over there," Luke replied, his fear evident.

I couldn't help but feel a mix of anger, and scepticism. "Is my mother some kind of ghost, that would vanish into the bushes, especially at night?" I was certain that Luke must have mistaken something for my mum.

"Clara, please believe me. Let's go and find her," Luke insisted, grabbing his phone, and turning on the flashlight. Together, we searched the small bush area near my parents' house, for nearly 15 minutes, but found no trace of anyone. Frustrated, I knocked on my parents' bedroom door, and my mum opened it.

"Mum, do you happen to have something for a headache? Luke is having trouble sleeping,"

Without hesitation, she handed me a tablet, and I returned to our room. Luke questioned, why I had mentioned his headache, to which I chuckled silently, and replied, "I was just checking if my mom was in her bedroom. Now I'm certain, that you must have seen something incorrectly, as there was no one else there."

With that, I managed to fall asleep, but Luke continued to struggle with his sleep.

Next day, we went for a picnic with my parents, and Luke enjoyed it. He didn’t bring up the last night’s findings, but just told, he couldn’t sleep the entire night. I could see that in his eyes.

Next night, Luke got into deep sleep, as he was too tired. But somehow, I stayed awake, thinking, did my husband have some mental disorder? Was he just hallucinating?

 At around eleven PM, I got up. Holding a torch, I went out. The house was surrounded by lots of trees, which seemed like a small forest. As I stepped into the woods, I saw a figure walking ahead of me. It was a full moon night, and I could guess the figure was that of a woman. I tiptoed behind her. I was convinced now, that Luke didn’t have any mental disorder. But who was this woman? The woman took a turn, and vanished. But I could see her face from a side. It was my mother’s face.

 Surprise hunted me. What mother is doing in the woods, after everyone in the house is asleep? I followed her into the woods, but didn’t find anyone. Disappointed, I came back. Should I knock on my parents’ door like last night? Rather, I stood there, and heard mum’s soft snoring. I was sure mum was sleeping, and the woman I saw was someone else.

 I told Luke the following morning.

 “Did your mum had a twin sister?”

 “What do you mean?”

 “Maybe she had an identical twin, and she is dead.”

 “Do you think her twin is coming every night to our property? But why? Yes, my mum had a twin. She is dead. She had left the country, and was living in overseas, but had no contact with us. We got her death news a year ago.”

 Next, I asked my mother without saying I saw a woman who could probably be her twin sister.

 She told me something, which I didn’t know so far.

 Her twin Stella was jealous, when my mother Sophie fell in love with my dad, Ethan. He is a handsome, and I am sure he was much more charming during his younger days. Stela had a crush on my dad, who was in the same college. But finally, Sophie won the lottery, leaving Stella broken hearted.

 Luke heard everything, but when we both were alone, he said, “Clara, that story is too old. I don’t think Stella has come back after so many years, and she is here to get your dad.”

 “Then what it could be? Is here to take revenge? Is Mum’s life in danger?”

 “Very unlikely,” Luke said.

 “What can be the most likely reason?” I asked Luke.

 “Maybe your family has a dark secret.”

 I chuckled. “Luke, my dad is a professor. He was from a very poor family. He had lost his parents when he was a child, and has worked hard to study and build his life.

 “Understood.” Luke scratched his head.

 Luke asked, “What about Sophie’s family? How well you know about your maternal grandparents?”

I didn’t want to discuss the sad past of my mum. Her dad had left them, when she and Stella were children. My grandmother brought them up as a single mother. Luckily, both my mum and aunt were brilliant students. It is sad that my aunt Stella did not keep touch with her only sister.

 “My grandfather was in merchant navy. He met a younger woman, and fell in love. Then he left his family, for grandmother to fend for herself, and 2 girls. She was working as a maid to make both ends meet.”

 Everything was clean. Despite the sad past, my family had no dark history to be ashamed of. We need to find an answer about the strange woman around our house, who resembled my mum. The only plausible answer seemed, Stella’s ghost was coming to visit the house.

 I remembered a valid point. “Luke, Stella has never seen this house. My dad moved into this property only three years ago, and I also saw this for the first time, as last three years I had not visited them. I knew the move only through the phone calls. Dad and Mum had never discussed much about this property. I saw the vastness only after coming here with you. The property is outside the city, so must be cheap. This is a proper place, to spend the retired life for parents.”

 I spend time with Mum and Dad without discussing the strange woman. Luke went to visit the city.

 Two days passed.

 Luke came back in the afternoon and said, “Clara, that woman can never be Stella’s ghost. Because, I saw her today in the crowd. I began following her. She turned around, and saw me, and I’m sure she could know I am following her, and she vanished in the crowd.”

 “Does she look exactly like Mum?”

 “Mostly yes. If Stella is dead, how did I see her in the crowd?”

 I had no answer. I confirmed with Mum, yes, she was dead. She hadn’t seen her dead, but had got the news a year ago.”

 One thing I didn’t know. That my grandfather, and his wife had been murdered.

 Luke was not convinced. Having a liking for investigating, he decided to stay a few more days, until the time the mystery was uncovered. 

 By making friends with a few elderly men in this small town, he got to know some of my grandfather’s old colleagues.

“Mate, to the world, he was a sailor. He was known as Captain Jack Donovan. But he moved on, and got involved in clandestine operations.” The old man said.

 “How did you know?” Luke asked.

 “From his way of living. He started living a luxury life, none of us the sailors would ever imagine. After divorcing his wife, Jack married a beautiful young girl. He would make frequent overseas trips. Once, I was travelling abroad. Coincidentally, Jack was in the same flight. I saw him travelling in business class, which surprised me. Then onwards, he would buy the latest luxury, high value cars, even though his ex-wife and 2 daughters lived in poverty.”

 Luke gave this news to me. Even my mum told, she had also heard about her father’s activities, but never got the opportunity to see him, or ask him, as her mother was too terrified of that man. He had even threatened her with dire consequences, when she asked for the maintenance of the children. He gave only the basic amount, which the court had directed.

 After her father’s death, Dad bought his house at a throw away price, as gossip circulated that the house was hunted. Dad didn’t believe in ghosts.

 I didn’t know so much about my granddad. “But how is it connected with the lookalike of my mum? I am sure Aunt Stella is dead, and the woman whom we saw, is a look alike, which is not impossible.”

 “Because this property once belonged to your granddad, she might be an old accomplice of him, and looking for something valuable.” Luke explained.

 Luke would never rest before he finds out what he wanted. He connected to some policemen, and dug details about my granddad’s murder.

 The accused was an old accomplice, and he executed his plans with a female who is still unknown. The accused was granddad’s partner in crime. Their friendship soured, when he questioned whether grandfather had taken a large share of their ill-gotten gains, which they'd hidden as diamonds, and gold. The man invited the couple to a party on a yacht, then proceeded to carry out the plan of killing and disposing of the bodies in the sea. But the next morning, the bodies were discovered at the shore. He was nabbed.

But that man vanished when he was on bail,  and the police doesn’t know what happened. The yacht drowned in the ocean, and the police believe the man died in the mid sea. But there was no official record of his death. 

“Luke, let’s install some cameras around the property.”

“I am also thinking so.” He answered.

Then we, along with our parents, announced we are going overseas, on a month long holiday. Actually, we stayed in a hotel in a nearby city, and Luke monitored everything remotely from there.

As expected, that woman came again, with a man, and the man began digging a particular place. It was just behind the house. They actually made a tunnel beneath the house.

 We informed the police, and they arrived at the spot immediately.

 The woman was actually Stella, and she had married a man, who is an accomplice to the accused killer of granddad, and his wife. The man, when questioned by the police, disclosed, he had killed granddad’s murderer, so that he, and his wife Stella would get all the hidden treasure. My aunt Stella had circulated the news of her own death, so that she could live anonymously after obtaining the hidden treasure.

 The criminals were apprehended. But one mystery was not solved. What happened to the said hidden treasure? It was not there.

 “We will know.” Dad smiled.

 Dad organised a party for welcoming his son in law, and me. He had invited many of his friends, including the chief of police.

 The police chief announced something important after Luke and I cut the cake.

Dad had discovered the treasure last year, and had informed them. He could have taken them all for himself, and lived a luxury life. But Mum and Dad decided, they won’t take a penny of that ill-gotten wealth. Rather, they donated to ten charities equally.

 Luke and I loved this happy ending.

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