Ropes in the Attic Read online

  Dani felt a flutter of her own as she was expecting Peter to mostly brush this meeting off. This was a good sign.

  “We need a fresh start,” he continued, looking back at Dani letting her know he was talking to her as much as he was filling Dr. Urbridge in on the situation. “I’ve been selfish and let my fears get in the way of a lot. I realized that’s what got me here in the first place. I just don’t know where to start. That’s why I’ve agreed to see you.”

  “Good,” Dr. Urbridge responded. “Willingness makes recovery much more effective.”

  “I have some goals. Like, I want to finish my book…and I want to fix the tension in our relationship,” Peter’s speech began to sound more directed at Dani than Dr. Urbridge.

  “I think we should move to a new town…I was awake most of the night just thinking. I think somewhere in Rockland county would be perfect. You know…get away from the chaotic city life. We’ll still be close by, but we won’t feel that pressure.” Peter was definitely talking to Dani. Dr. Urbridge had simply become the mediator.

  “It can give me a chance to finish the book while focusing on us again. Plus, you’d be able to start teaching. You can get your license while teaching, instead of waiting like we would have to do here in the city.”

  Dani was silent. She never had the chance to think about what she wanted. Life happened to them so fast. They fell in love, got pregnant, got married…all within the span of their college careers. The thought of what came next was always on the backburner.

  Peter’s eyes darted back to the corner of the room. The drip was back. He tried to shake it from his thoughts.

  “I…I don’t…” beep beep beep beep. Dani’s cell phone cut off her train of thought. “It’s Michael, I’ll be right back.”

  She got up and left. Frustration and confusion set in as a result of the news Peter just unloaded on her.

  Peter closed his fists.

  “Whatever this is, it needs to be addressed. Whether with me or amongst yourselves. It cannot go unresolved,” Dr. Urbridge advised Peter.

  “We were expecting a baby,” Peter solemnly revealed. “She miscarried…it was the hardest thing we ever went through. Far more trying than any of the stupid noise in my head or whatever you want to call it. I tried to escape from it, but that only hurt us more. It hurt her…I just want to do what’s right for her this time…” His eyes again returned to the corner of the room.

  “What are you looking for Peter?”

  “That dripping…I wonder if there’s a leak coming from upstairs or something.”

  “We’re on the top floor.” Dr. Urbridge’s already serious expression grew investigative as Dani returned followed by Michael and Olivia.

  Peter’s eyes locked with Dr. Urbridge. He silently pleaded with him not to say anything.

  “It was great to meet with you both…” Dr. Urbridge continued searching Peter’s eyes as he went on. “As we discussed, we’ll begin to meet. Twice a week in my office in Brooklyn.” He turned to Dani. “I encourage you both to reach out to me any time.”

  He nodded at Michael and Olivia before making his exit.

  “You decided to go for it?” Dani’s voice had a hint of relief in it, yet she still sounded afraid. Peter had dropped a lot of information on her at once.

  “I want things to get better,” he started. “I want the old us back and I think a fresh start in a new town would be perfect.”

  “New town?” Michael instinctively cut in. “What about work?”

  To make ends meet after Dani got pregnant, Peter went to work with Michael who ran his own company. It was a small operation with just a handful of employees. People working on their homes would contract with Michael to deliver home improvement supplies. For an additional charge, Michael would offer services such as painting or tilework. It wasn’t exactly what Peter wanted to do with his life, but it was an income. A good one at that.

  “I’ve saved enough, I think, while working with you to be able to afford the move. Plus, don’t you work out of Rockland sometimes? You have to know somebody who is renting.”

  “Can we have a minute?” Dani turned to Michael and Olivia. “I know you just got here, but this is a lot to process.”

  “As great as all of this sounds, I’m scared,” Dani addressed Peter’s impulsive decision. “How can we just pick up and move like that all at once? I don’t want to say no to your plan because I think it’s wonderful. I want to find our spark again too. I want to teach, and I want you to write your book…but we need to take one thing at a time. We never had a chance to process any of this.”

  “We can figure it out along the way.”

  “Or we can take it a step at a time. Let’s ease into it. Take some time to slowly start a new routine together, while still living here. If we both agree it’s working, we can talk about moving.”

  “That seems fair.” Peter rustled the scratchy bedcovers. Dani kept him grounded where he would normally run with an idea before considering the details. “So let’s do this. Let’s make this work.”

  FIVE

  One year later – week one

  “Hey, honey?” Dani called out to Peter from the attic. “Would you come up here and have a look at this please?”

  She thought it would be a good idea to investigate the attic. They still needed to sort through a lot of boxes, but until the time came, those boxes would be stored away upstairs.

  Peter hunched over the desk, setting up a wireless network for the house in the room soon to be his office.

  It had been over a year since Peter’s accident…A year since the miscarriage.

  They took on a routine which served as recovery for Peter while re-igniting the spark in their relationship. Peter also saw Dr. Urbridge as prescribed, the spontaneous agreement made in the hospital.

  The Shellys were finally realizing their full potential as a couple. They were on the road to a healthy relationship once again. Something they believed had been lost.

  The beautiful Victorian style home was everything they could have dreamed of. Except being theirs. It was a rental. Michael had reluctantly come through with a connection. The best deal they could work out was a one-year lease considering Peter’s focus would be on his writing. The money he had saved gave enough of a cushion to live comfortably for the year. The house being vacant for a decade also helped them push for a better deal.

  Peter followed Dani’s voice up the wooden steps hanging from the ceiling. The attic was only accessible by pulling the steps down by a string dangling in the hallway between the office and the master bedroom.

  Every creaky step under his feet echoed as the boards bent under his weight. Inconsistent with the rest of the house which seemed to be very well built, the attic steps seemed to be falling apart. Although they would suffice when it came time to carry boxes up.

  He found Dani just a couple of steps from the entrance. She stood directly in front of what could only be described as a makeshift shrine. Peter frowned. A statue stood in the center of a tapestry of curtains draped from the ceiling. Angled in an almost calculated way, the curtains granted just enough natural light to sneak in, allowing for a slight shadow to be cast from the statue onto the attic floor. The likeness of an old woman had not aged well. The corner of her smile cracked slightly, due to decay. Her soulless eyes looked down at the outline her shadow cast on the floor. A robe covered her hair and draped down to her feet. The only thing visible aside from her face were her hands, folded gently over her lap.

  Peter shuddered, despite himself. Candles surrounded the statue. At least two dozen in total propped up at varying heights by cardboard boxes. They seemed to have all burned down to the last bit of waxy nubs. Whoever built this had predetermined the layout. It was intentionally organized to make the statue the centerpiece.

  The most unnerving part was the rope draped over the statue’s shoulders and tied into a noose. It hung off the torso like an ornament.

  “I don’t want this in the house,” D
ani said as Peter came to stand beside her. “We need to call somebody to remove it right now.”

  “We don’t need to call anybody,” Peter replied. “I’ll do it. It’s not really a problem.”

  It had taken Peter the entire year since the accident to relearn his un-phased, tenacious exterior he had built up in college. It was a long uphill battle for him but here on moving day, Peter was back to his old self.

  “Please, Peter, I don’t think we should be messing around with this stuff,” Dani exclaimed. “I think we should be careful. I don’t like the way this looks.”

  “Okay, I’ll handle it,” said Peter. “Michael will probably be here soon to help out. Why don’t you meet him downstairs?

  Dani reluctantly agreed and started back downstairs, her straight hair flowing as she navigated the creaky stairs. It was a signal to the new beginning. She smoothed over the youthful frizz, fully embracing the move not only as a new start, but a leap into adulthood. Peter lagged behind in that regard. His beard has become full and unruly as the autumn chill approached.

  Peter watched as she exited, making sure the coast was clear before touching the statue.

  #

  “There, 108.” Olivia pointed out from the backseat of the truck. Michael silently turned the wheel, letting his 2012 Ford pickup truck coast into the driveway.

  “Wow! Look at how big!” the tiny voice of Johnathan rang from his booster car seat.

  “That’s right,” Olivia responded. “Are you excited for Aunt Dani and Uncle Peter?”

  The boy nodded, disregarding the Iron Man toy in his hand over excitement to see his aunt and uncle again. He was the splitting imagine of his father, right down to his shiny black hair shaped into a crew cut.

  “Hi Aunt Dani!” Johnathan’s sneakers darted across the floor, identical to Michael’s footwear too.

  The stress on Dani’s face melted away as her nephew greeted her. However, the image of that horrific statue in their attic remained etched in her mind.

  “Are these the ones going upstairs?” Michael went straight for the pile of boxes in the living room. Not in the greatest mood, he was all business, a frown pasted on his face.

  “Yes, and just a few left in my car that still need to come in,” Dani said while still gripped in Johnathan’s hug.

  “It’s really a beautiful house,” Olivia said as she gazed around in awe. Her usual wide-eyed expression exaggerated almost to the point where her eyes would pop out of her head. “We’re both very happy for you.”

  Michael turned back from the boxes and nodded.

  “See, nothing to worry about,” Peter said as he re-entered the house through the back door in the kitchen. He wiped the remnants of wax from his hands.

  “What was there to worry about?” Michael gripped one of the boxes, wondering if he’d ever get them upstairs.

  “Oh, nothing really, just”—

  “Someone’s old shrine to witchcraft,” Dani cut off Peter’s nonchalant response. “And it is a problem.”

  “I thought you’d outgrown shrugging things off that like by now,” Michael said a little too eagerly. “Especially after everything you two have been through, you shouldn’t take any chances.”

  “What’s up, champ?” Peter gave Johnathan a high-five before answering Michael.

  “It’s really okay. Just an ugly statue and some candles.” He smirked at his nephew “Nothing scary up there…want to see?”

  “YES!” Johnathan bounced on the balls of his feet.

  “That’s a no.” Dani’s word was final. “We have something more exciting for you in the kitchen with mom and Aunt Dani…maybe…cookies!” Dani’s bit of superstition sometimes got the better of her. She believed certain things could potentially be a vehicle for evil to enter. The setup they discovered in the attic fell into this category. The idea of something supernatural creeping around the house was ridiculous to Peter.

  Michael thought it was silly too. He wouldn’t admit it though. Ever since Peter announced he would no longer be working with him, a bitterness lingered over Michael. Their relationship hadn’t gone completely sour, but things weren’t the same.

  “Come on,” Michael motioned to Peter, heading for the sweeping staircase. “If we each grab a box, we only need a couple of trips to get them all upstairs.”

  They went to work as Dani and Olivia tried to distract Johnathan with some cookies.

  #

  “Alright, that’s all of them.” Peter wiped the sweat from his brow and scanned the attic over with a look of accomplishment. Boxes lay in neat stacks.

  “Yeah…” Michael gazed around himself and nodded. “Not a bad place. I like the finished nook in the corner.” He pointed out the worktable underneath the low point of the ceiling.

  “Not sure what we can do with that yet, but I’m glad we have the space,” Peter said.

  “Yep, that’s great. Listen…” Michael wasn’t hanging around the attic for small talk. “I respect what you and Dani are doing here. I want you both to succeed. It’s just crazy to me how you’re taking an entire year off work. I mean, it’s your lives, you can do what you want…it’s just…”

  Peter kept silent, caught off guard by this talk coming to him from Michael. He always looked at him like an older brother, but never got a serious “Now listen here” talk from him. He had always expected one sooner. Better late than never.

  “Dani’s my little sister and I want what’s best for you because I want what’s best for her first…don’t do wrong by her.”

  “You know I won’t,” Peter said, his eyes hardening.

  “Good, now let’s get out of here because this attic is giving me the creeps,” Michael said already starting towards the exit. “But don’t tell Dani I said that.” A modest smile returned to his face showing Peter he was in fact happy for them. Just a concerned older brother.

  They creaked down the worn stairs, the tingling atmosphere of the attic left behind.

  “I think it’s a school night for one little Iron Man,” Michael said as he and Peter joined the rest of the family in the kitchen. Johnathan was set to start the first grade the next day and without much of an argument, he complied.

  “Can I take aunt Dani’s cookies to share at school tomorrow?” a tiny voice asked from behind the plastic Iron Man toy. The thing nearly made the kid disappear.

  “You can have one cookie after school tomorrow,” Olivia compromised. “Congratulations,” she said to Dani. “It really is a beautiful house.”

  “Really impressive,” Michael added and turned to Dani. “Also, get him to shave that thing, will you?” He motioned at Peter’s beard.

  Peter grabbed Michael’s hand. His brother-in-law’s giant hand nearly dwarfed his own but he gripped firmly and squeezed. “Thank you for the help today.”

  The two locked eyes and in them, Peter saw the seriousness of the words Michael spoke up in the attic. He was supportive, but his threshold for any missteps was low. Peter knew he’d be watching closely.

  “If you guys need anything, just give us a call.” Michael took his son’s hand and followed Olivia out to the truck.

  As they left, Dani turned her attention to the few boxes of essentials still sitting in the living room. Each had been carefully written on with marker pen so she wouldn’t forget which was which. She decided to get a head start on building the bookcase to consolidate some of the left-over clutter.

  “Let’s not worry about this tonight.” Peter wrapped his arms around her, pulling her away. “You have work in the morning and we’ve got an early start. I’ll just take care of this during the day. You can come home to an organized house without any of the effort.”

  “Hm.” A grin formed on her face at Peter’s playfulness. “So, I get to start my new job without having to worry about this mess in the living room?”

  “More or less,” Peter winked. “And if I’m feeling generous, you may even come home to dinner being ready too.”

  “I do like the sound of tha
t,” Dani flopped back onto the sofa, pulling him with her. “You’ve got yourself a deal!”

  SIX

  Moonlight made its subtle entry into the second-floor bedroom as Peter and Dani slept. As autumn approached, the moon would do this progressively earlier each night. The couple slept comfortably in their bed which had been brought along on their move from Brooklyn. It was the same bed they had shared and were familiar with for years. The same dark wood frame with tasteful carvings in the headboard gave it a very regal feel. Along with the same mattress: firm and reliable. Finally, they were cocooned by the same sheets and pillows that provided a sense of warmth and safety.

  As they slept so did the house, as if the building itself was a third member of the family following along with their daily routine. Silence fell upon every square inch, except for one mainstay.