The Patchwork House Read Free

left me long ago if we’d been cooped up in that little lodge all this time!”
    “Well thanks for everything,” I said. “There’s no electricity, right?”
    “That’s right. Cut off two weeks ago along with the gas and the phones. Luckily it’s not too cold at night or the pipes would freeze! I’m hoping someone will move in before winter so the bills will be paid again.”
    “Oh right, sorry for the delay. There was a snafu at the bank and the utilities haven’t set up the new accounts yet. But don’t worry, my dad will be paying all the bills including your wages, Arthur.”
    He shifted uncomfortably. “Well I appreciate that. I was a little concerned, I’ll be honest.”
    “I don’t blame you. Thanks for carrying on looking after the place. We’ll make sure you keep getting paid while my dad owns the house, and we’ll let interested buyers know your services are part of the deal.”
    Arthur brightened considerably at this news. “Oh thank you, I appreciate that. I’ve put many years into this garden and I’d hate to see it neglected.”
    “It does look wonderful.”
    “Thank you, kind of you to say.”
    “Dad understands it’s best not to try to fix what isn’t broken.”
    “A fine philosophy. I’ll be off now then. Oh, speaking of broken things. Couple of nights ago we had some vandals. They broke a window but didn’t do any damage inside the house except to move some stuff around. I didn’t see anything taken. The police weren’t much interested. Anyway, window’s fixed now so I’m just warning you in case you hear anything.”
    “Thanks.”
    “Just one more thing before you go, Arthur,” Beth said.
    “Of course, my dear.”
    “Tell me about the ghosts.”
    I scoffed at that, I must be honest. I wasn’t expecting her to be so blunt.
    “Which one?” Arthur replied. His smile was pleasant, not mocking.
    “All of them,” she said. I groaned inwardly. Beth didn’t often embarrass me, likely not half as much as I embarrassed her, but now was one of those times.
    Arthur didn’t seem to mind at all. “Well, very quickly,” he said, “because I’m sure you’ll meet them yourself at some point. They’re all very friendly, so there’s really nothing to worry about. There’s the ghost of Percy’s grandfather. He got the clap, so they say, and died in the master bedroom. He’s been known to make quite a racket at night but he’s harmless. Then there’s the lavender lady. Nobody knows who she is, but she’s seen walking down the staircase now and again, and flitting about the kitchen. You can smell the lavender wherever she’s been. Of course it could just be fragrances from the herb garden carried by the breeze, but I think she’s real. Lastly there’s the little drummer boy. My, he can only be about seven or eight, but he walks around the grounds banging his little tin drum. You can hear him from inside the house on some nights. He moves fast though, you likely won’t see him if you look outside. At least, I’ve never seen him.”
    “You’ve seen the others?”
    “I’ve heard Percy’s grandfather, and I’ve seen the lady several times.”
    Beth clapped her hands together. “Thank you so much for your time, Arthur.”
    “No problem at all, my dear. A delight to meet you both. If you need anything, you can call me on this number.” He handed Beth his business card. "If you can get a signal out here. I rarely can. I’ll be back on Wednesday so I won’t see you before you leave, but maybe next time, yes?”
    We thanked him and he walked away. A little while later we heard his truck start up and the wheels crunch on the gravel path and then fade away.
    Beth and I looked at each other and then ran for the house. I slowed down and let her go ahead. She wasn’t getting inside without me; I had the key!
    I caught up with her and unlocked the door, then followed her in, heaving both our bags on my shoulder. It smelled a bit musty inside, but it wasn’t unpleasant.