From The Raven James Chronicles by B.H. Wydeven
Raven awoke with malaise; the skin on his forehead felt stretched like a giant rubber band over his skull. His long dark hair was gnarled in a mess atop his head, bundled over his ears and tickling his neck. Sweat dripped into his eyes. He twisted his body, his bare back sticking to the couch with an adhesive of sweat.
It had been this way for the last three weeks as temperatures climbed into the high 90’s. The heat had become unbearable to sleep in and nearly impossible to keep down enough liquor to resist the haunting imagery he endured night after night. Raven peeled himself off the couch and made his way into the kitchen for a tall glass of water, then returned promptly to the couch, chugged and curled back onto the sweaty cushions.
A few seconds later, Benny came barreling in through the front door; his plump face was beat red and his forehead shiny with sweat. Then Raven felt it: the humid air barreled in like a hot oven.
“Good afternoon,” Benny said cheerily, slamming the front door with his cane. His eyes were glazed over and watery. His tank top was sticking to his plump build and his polyester jogging shorts clung to his thick thighs. He looked like a polyester - wrapped chicken.
“I made it to the end of the block today,” he exclaimed with a rough breath as he crossed the living room and into the kitchen. The frig door opened and slammed. Raven heard the crinkle of plastic as Benny opened and chugged a bottle of water, the thin plastic slowly impeding as the contents drained out. The bottle swooshed into a paper bag, and crackled some more.
“Man it is miserable out there,” Benny said, sliding into his recliner. “You just get up?”
Realizing sleep in the heat of the day would be ruthless, Raven slowly sat back up and wiped the heavy, sweat soaked hair out of his eyes.
“Yeah, it’s a hot one.”
“Hey so, I’m taking off today. I got the new guy watching the bar. My friend John and his family just moved down the street and he’s invited me to a barbecue tonight. It’ll just be a small group, you me, and his family. You okay with that?”
“Why don’t you take Sarah?”
“Well this is kind of last minute and Sarah has to work."
Raven wiped the sofa lint off his sopping back. “I’m not much for socializing.”
“Nah, you’ll like John, he’s a bartender at Franco’s Martini Bar. Besides, they have a pool and central air.”
Raven got up and took his glass back into the kitchen for a refill. Benny followed.
“Does he think I’m going?” Raven asked.
“I told him I’d be bringing a friend.”
“Did you tell him my name?”
“Not yet.”
“Well just- introduce me as… James,” Raven set the glass in the sink and cupped some water into his hands, splashing it into his face. Benny took several steps back, just in time for Raven to shake his head, firing off beads of sweat in every direction.
“This is why I don’t have a dog,” Benny said, wiping his face.
Raven opened the frig and poured himself a Bloody Mary.
“Go easy on my booze,” Benny said with a smile. “John likes to serve high shelf liquor.”
† † †
John and Dana McWalter lived only six blocks down from Benny’s in an old, two-story, red brick house. As they pulled up to the house, Benny looked at Raven with a questioning gleam. Raven shook his head.
“I’ll let you know if it’s infested,” Raven sighed.
John greeted them at the door. “Come on in guys, I was just about to put the steaks on the grill.” John was tall and slim and had short black hair. He looked like he was about to go swimming; he wore a half buttoned Hawaiian T-shirt and long blue swim trucks.
“John, this is James, a friend of mine. He’s staying at my house for a while.”
“Nice to meet you James,” John said with a smile. "Do you like steaks? I’m making New York strips.”
“I love steak,” Raven said with a smile.
In contrast to the aging brick outside, the interior looked fully remodeled and lively. Raven felt that undeniable central air hit his face as they entered the foyer.
“Guys, this is my wife Dana, John jr. and Olivia. J.J. just turned six and Olivia is eight months,” John said as they passed through the living room.
On the living room rug, the boy was playing with a Jack-in-the-Box, rapidly winding the hand crank. Each time Jack popped out and said a phrase, J.J. would quickly push his head back into the box and wind him up again to see how quickly he could repeat the process.
The spring-bound puppet that emerged had a white clown face with simple red shapes for facial features; eyebrows for triangles, an upside down heart for a nose and lips, a wide red curvy smile with round dimples. It had a tiny red hat and a dirty white shirt that looked to Raven like a bizarre straight jacket decorated with little green diamonds. The toy looked far from new and the voice box sounded distorted as if the next time it chimed would be it's last.
J.J.’s efforts were overshadowed by a very cartoonish show playing on the TV behind him, featuring what looked like people dressed as life-sized stuffed animals, dancing and singing.
Dana was seated on the couch with little Olivia on her lap. The little girl bounced on her mom’s knee, clapping and cooing to the sing-a-longs. J.J. seemed to be deeply engaged in the Jack-in-the-Box’s limited phrases.
J.J. looked up when the guys passed through and his eyes went directly to Raven’s, but his hand never stopped winding. J.J. had brown eyes and dark brown hair that covered the upper half of his ears. He looked at Raven with a neutral expression, his mouth a straight line across his face, and his big brown eyes gaping wide.
Let’s jam! The Jack-in-the-Box exclaimed as Jack popped out, laughing hysterically. J.J. pounded Jack in the head with his fist, flattened the top with a click, and repeated, all the while his eyes never left Raven’s. It was as if he was testing Raven’s reaction to the odd routine.
John led Benny and Raven into the kitchen where a stack of raw steaks sat on a plate. The kitchen was designed to look like a bar. Above the counter island were a variety of glasses hanging from the ceiling. A wine rack was mounted to the inside wall and three bar stools sat snug underneath the lip of the counter.
Outside, Raven could see smoke coming from the large deck where the grill was warming up. The patio door was open and Raven could smell the intoxicating aroma of charcoal ready to cook. Adjoining the deck was a big, above ground swimming pool.
“Can I get you guys something to drink right away? You name it, I got it!” John said with a smile.
“I’ll just have soda water, John,” Benny said. John nodded.
“James? What can I get you?”
“Smoky martini,” Raven said.
“Ah, good choice. I got some Johnny Walker Gold for it.”
Raven’s face inhabited a large grin. “Excellent,” he said.
As John mixed Raven’s drink, the TV show in the other room went quiet, but the Jack-in-the-Box continued it’s steady jingle and phrase routine.
Let’s Dance! Raven heard it say, more laughter, the wind up jingle then, Let’s Sing!
“Here you are,” John said as he set the drinks on the counter and grabbed the plate of steaks and led the way to the deck.
Outside, the backyard was scattered with toys. Parked at the bottom of the gradual hill was a toy car tipped over on its side. A giant inflatable ball drifted gently around the pool. Inside, Raven could still hear the Jack-in-the-Box routine.
It was much cooler out than it had been when Raven first woke up. The sun was crisp orange behind the trees. In the distance neighborhood kids screamed and shouted, followed by a dog barking.
“It’s a nice house.”
“Oh it’s fantastic. Dana and I got lucky with this place. We got it on foreclosure for 65. We’ve been here three weeks and we couldn’t be happier. How are you holding up?”
Benny shrugged and tapped his right leg. “Living it day by day. I’ve been trying to go for a walk everyday, even if it’s just to the mailbox and back. On a good day, I can make it around the block without falling.”
“Fantastic man! What are the doctors saying?”
“The bone’s healing well so far. I go back in next week for a follow up.”
“Great, great,” John smiled through the charcoal smoke. The steaks sizzled and crackled, like scented candles to the summer stench.
J.J. came out onto the deck and ran down the steps to the toy car. He picked it up, climbed in, and tried to ride it up the hill. After a few attempts, he turned around and drove down the hill. Realizing this took little effort; he got out of the car, and dragged it to the top of the hill near the edge of the house, got back in, and coasted down the hill to great success.
About 15 minutes later, Dana came outside, carrying a baby monitor and a can of cola. She strolled passed her husband kissed him on the lips and said softly, “I got Olivia to sleep.”
“Good timing. The steaks are ready. Honey, you wanna go get the plates?”
As the last of the sun sank into the hazy horizon, they enjoyed their steaks on the patio table next to the pool. J.J. scooted up next to Raven, who was almost on his third martini.
Raven quietly drank his Martini and J.J. sat beside him, also in silence. As the adults spoke amongst themselves, Raven noticed that Dana and John were very keen to their choice of words in front of little J.J. He seemed unusually perceptive for a 6-year-old, a trait Raven encompassed when he was a kid. In fact, Raven was surprised at how closely this boy resembled himself.
The entire time, J.J. hadn’t said a single word. But as soon as his dad went into the house to restock the martinis, J.J. straightened himself up, looked up at Raven and said with a nervous smile: “Hey.”
“Hi,” Raven said, trying to sound as unslurred as he could to the kid.
“I have a girlfriend.”
“Yeah?”
“Yeah. She sleeps in my closet.”
Benny and Dana had suddenly turned their attention to J.J.’s unusual comment. J.J. didn’t seem to notice the odd expression on his mom’s face or Benny's look of perplexity. Instead, he seemed wholly fascinated by Raven for some reason, kneeling in his chair and making himself as tall as he could, so he could be almost the same height as the adults.
“Really,” Raven said, playing along, noticing that their conversation was at the center of attention. “What’s her name?”
“McKenzie.”
By this time John had just returned.
“Who’s McKenzie?” John asked.
“J.J.’s imaginary friend,” Dana said, a hint of embarrassment in her voice.
“She’s not imaginary,” J.J.’s voice got louder. “She talks to me. And we play games.”
John chuckled, handing Raven his drink. “Kids,” he sighed merrily. “Full of imagination.”
“She tickles my feet when I’m in bed. She plays with Olivia too.”
John stopped laughing. The fun dripped off his face like heavy sweat; his eyebrows curled and his cheeks inverted. It was clear he didn’t want his son telling silly stories to his company. But he hid the embarrassment better than his wife did and rearranged his face with a smile. “Okay buddy, I think its time for bed.”
“But I’m not tired.”
“Don’t make me count to three.”
Scoffing, J.J. clambered off the chair and retreated toward the house. Before he opened the sliding screen door, he turned to look back at Raven as if to say ‘You believe me, don’t you?’ Instead, his little voice cracked as he said, “Good night.”
“Good night,” Raven said.
“I’ll be in to tuck you in, in five minutes,” Dana called after him.
“Sorry about that,” John said. “The kids haven’t really settled into the new house very well,” John explained. “They both seem to have trouble sleeping. We listen in on Olivia with a baby monitor because she usually wakes up several times a night.”
“She wakes up giggling in the middle of the night,” Dana explained. “It’s so strange.”
“Do you think J.J. sneaks in to tickle her?” Raven asked.
“J.J. doesn’t sleep upstairs,” John said. “His room is downstairs, next to the kitchen. If he were sneaking up the stairs, we’d hear him. The entire house is covered in wood flooring, the staircase is the worst. Every footstep makes a loud creak.” He laughed, then added, “Dana thinks the house is haunted.”
“It’s not funny,” Dana scolded at her husband.
Benny looked at Raven, eyes popping. Raven tipped his martini glass back and finished off Smokey #4. He had anticipated a ghost free evening.
But he knew it was naïve.
Suddenly, a familiar jingle began playing in the living room. It made everyone except for Raven jump.
Let’s Dance! Sang the wind up toy.
John bolted out of his chair and ran into the house. “J.J.’s playing with the damn Jack-in-the-Box again!” He grumbled, booking down the hallway. “God I hate that thing!”
Let’s Sing!
Benny stood up quickly. Comfortably drunk, Raven slowly followed.
“We should get going,” Benny said with a disappointed smile.
“I’m so sorry,” Dana said. “J.J. is not usually this misbehaved.”
“Oh, don’t worry about it, we had fun, right Raven?”
“J.J.?” John shouted down the hall.
As Dana, Benny and Raven entered the house, J.J. suddenly wandered into the kitchen from the other side of the house, wearing his pajamas. The Jack-In-The-Box was still jingling in the next room.
“J.J. Stop playing and go to b—” John shouted from the living room.
“Dad?” J.J. said sleepily.
You’re going to die! The Jack-in-the-Box said with its sinister laughter.
“John!” Dana shouted. “J.J. go back in your room!” The Jack-in-the-Box was getting closer.
John appeared around the corner, the Jack-In-The-Box cackling in his shaky hands. J.J. retreated half way through the kitchen then stopped and looked back when he saw his father with his favorite toy.
“GO BACK IN YOUR ROOM J.J.!!” John shouted.
I’m going to kill you! Get the hell out of my house. Jack-In-The-Box chanted gaily, repeating the phrase with a rapid repetition that turned John angrier and angrier at every word.
John’s face turned as red as an apple and his hands shook as he debated what to do with the jeering toy. The Jack’s head swayed cheerfully as it chanted it’s derailed words.
“John what’s going on?” Dana shrieked.
“GOD DAMN TOY!” John shouted, throwing the screen door out of his way, the frame grinding furiously on its delicate tracks. John hurried to the edge of the deck, and with no hesitation or emends, threw back his right arm and sent the heckling Jack-In-The-Box flying through the air. It disappeared into the darkness, but seconds later they heard it crash into the swimming pool with a single lifeless splash.
Dana turned on the backlights. John was kneeling near the pool, completely motionless. The Jack-In-The-Box cried out with a distorted dying laugh, submerged at an angle, Jack’s plastic head bobbing above the water. The beach ball bumped against the edge of the pool in the gentle wake. No one moved or said a thing for several minutes.
A terrifying shriek broke the stale silence. Immediately, Dana’s body came to life as she recognized her youngest child’s cries. But it was not like any scream a little baby should ever cry- it was the loudest, most bloodcurdling sound any of them had ever heard, and it jolted everyone into the impulse to hurry upstairs, Dana taking the lead. John rushed back into the house, racing down the hall to his daughter’s rescue.
To Raven, the baby’s cry was as sobering as a horse kick in the face. He wasn’t sure how to handling the situation: a family slammed with poltergeist chaos, and he was too drunk to do anything about it. Benny, cane in hand, took up the rear, climbing the winding staircase slowly with his bum leg. Raven stopped and waited for him.
“Go!” Benny hissed. “You can help them.”
“No I can’t,” Raven said. “I’m drunk. John’s martinis were dirty strong.”
“You can’t pick up anything?”
Raven shook his head. “I’m not here to investigate a frickin’ poltergeist!”
Olivia’s bloodcurdling cries continued above them. As Raven hurried up the old wooden stairs, he caught the brief odor of burning wood. He realized then that he wasn’t drunk enough to completely deflect the spirits’ signs.
When Raven reached the baby room, he found Dana and John embraced with Olivia in her mother’s arms. Both mother and baby were crying intensely. As soon as Raven stepped into Olivia’s room, he felt a drop of about 30 degrees from the hallway, but it wasn’t the central air. He took a deep breath, leaned against the doorframe, and closed his eyes, honing his senses to the room’s untamed energy.
Something negative was in this room.
For several minutes, Raven stood motionless in the doorway, observing the energy in the house.
As he toned out the mother - daughter crying, he heard Benny climbing the stairs, one step at a time. He focused his senses around the baby’s room: there was a closet to the right of the entrance. On the opposite end was the cradle and against the wall to Raven’s left was a playpen and a toy box. And in that corner came a voice…
Get out of my house.
The Raven did not recognize the voice. He tried to sense someone else in the room, J.J.’s girlfriend McKenzie, perhaps, but it was just the four.
The fourth one, a middle-aged man who smelled like burning wood, was angry.
“Is he alright?” John said. The crying had simmered down. Raven opened his eyes.
“The name of the man haunting you is David. He and his daughter McKenzie lived her.”
“What-.”
“David is very possessive of this house but I’m not sure why. I think he may have died in a fire in the house. He wants you to leave.”
John took a step forward. “James, what the hell is going on?”
“Your house is infested with a pissed off ghost.”
“And you can see this ghosts?”
“No, but I can feel that they’re here,” Raven explained. “You need to either get this house blessed by a priest, or move out as soon as you can.”
“No way!” John shouted. “I love this house. I’m not leaving here.”
“Whatever you decide is up to you, but I’m not going to stick around to find out what you do,” Raven said, letting his slur slip. “I’m sorry this happened to you guys, you’re nice people and I had a good time. The poltergeist wasn’t your fault. Thanks for the martinis and steak.” Raven turned and hurried back down the stairs.
“Raven wait!” Benny called after him, but Raven didn’t slow down. Instead, he hurried out the front door and began walking down the street. Several minutes later, Benny’s van rolled up after him.
“I’m walking back,” Raven said. “It’s a warm night and I need to burn off some room for a six pack.
† † †
A thousand raindrops pounded against the picture window as Raven began to awaken. The humidity had dissolved into the drizzle. Raven rolled over on the couch to face what little morning sunshine had broken through the steady rain. Benny was sitting in his recliner, waiting for Raven to wake up. Among the empty beer cans on the coffee table, was a tall glass of Bloody Mary.
“John called this morning,” Benny said.
“Is he still pissed at us?”
“He’s not pissed, he just didn’t know what to think of everything. I think he was pretty disappointed and embarrassed of the whole evening. He did take your advice though.”
“Which part?”
“The moving out part,” Benny said. “He’s moving this weekend. For now they’re staying at Dana’s mom’s. The house has a For Sale sign up already.”
“Damn.” Raven sat up. “That was quick. I feel sorry for the kids to have to go though that. Seeing a ghost and not being able to tell someone can really mess a kid up.”
“What was your childhood like?” Benny asked as Raven took a long sip of the Bloody Mary.
“Not today,” Raven said in between sips.
† † †
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