A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand

Author:Elizabeth Hand [HAND, ELIZABETH]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-10-03T00:00:00+00:00

CHAPTER 47

What the hell was that?” Cursing loudly, Stevie ran down the veranda steps. Nisa followed him into the underbrush, sweeping aside dead ferns and weeds.

“Her rabbit,” Nisa said breathlessly, slowing down at last, “the crazy lady in the mobile home.”

“Evadne,” I snapped. “And she’s not crazy, so stop saying that.”

Nisa shook her head. “It’s her familiar. Like in the play, only it’s a black hare, not a black dog.”

“It’s not her familiar.” Stevie returned to the driveway, brandishing a stick. “A familiar stays with whoever summons it—it’s a servant, or someone enslaved, like Caliban.”

“An animal can’t be enslaved,” said Amanda.

“A demon can,” retorted Stevie.

“Let’s not conflate theater and real life, Stephen.”

“Don’t call me Stephen!” Stevie’s hand curled tighter around the stick.

Again I groaned and ran my hands through my hair. “Everybody, please stop. It’s just a rabbit. Well, a hare. That’s all.”

Nisa stared at me, incredulous. “A hare that came down the chimney?”

The four of us stood and gazed into the woods. Finally, Nisa said, “Maybe Hill House really is haunted.”

“That wasn’t a ghost,” I insisted.

“Only a demon,” said Stevie.

“No, it wasn’t.” Amanda straightened, turning to stare at the house. “I was staying with friends in Maine once—they had a cabin on Little Sebago. We started a fire in the fireplace and a burning duck flapped down onto the hearth. A mallard. Of course the poor thing died, but…” She shrugged. “Things like this do happen.”

Nisa scowled. “Ducks fly. And we saw that rabbit before. Remember, I took a picture of it in front of the trailer?” she went on, excited. “And then we didn’t see the black rabbit or whatever it is—we saw her. Evadne.”

I started to retort but stopped. She was right.

“But how the hell did it get up there?” Stevie pointed at the chimneys atop Hill House, and everyone looked at me.

“Listen to me.” I used the tone for wrangling unruly students back into their seats. “No one was hurt, right?”

“Except the hare,” Stevie said.

“It was able to run off, I’m sure it’s fine.” I squinted into the trees, praying I was right. “And I know that was weird—okay, more than weird—but Ainsley said that animals get inside the house all the time.”

Both Nisa and Stevie looked like they were about to argue, when Amanda broke in. “Can we go back in? I’m freezing. Also,” she added as she tromped up the steps to the door, “maybe we could do what we’re ostensibly here to do?”

“And ignore what just happened?” demanded Nisa.

I shot Amanda a warning look—Nisa is of the Don’t go to bed mad, stay up and fight school.

But Amanda just lifted her chin and smiled condescendingly. “Don’t ignore it, dear Nisa. Use it.”

We trudged back into the house one by one, glancing around, and at each other, with disquiet. Yet Amanda was right. This was energy we all could work with. A black hare on fire, fleeing through the living room…

Immediately I began planning how to write it into the play. I was so absorbed I took a wrong turn, and wandered down an unfamiliar corridor.

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