Haunted Souls by Samuel M. Hallam

Author:Samuel M. Hallam [Hallam, Samuel M.]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Publisher: Ginger Paw Press
Published: 2022-07-13T23:00:00+00:00

Chapter Fourteen

March 6th - 7th, 2018

Ed was relieved to see his niece back and unharmed from her first trip to Stone Acres. He’d had a terrible feeling that January might fall through the rotten floorboards during her visit.

She stumbled through the front door, the cardboard box in her arms full of items that Ed had never thought he’d see again. Peeking out of the top of the box, he could see his brother’s face again, that same smiling face he liked to remember, instead of the broken man he found over twenty years ago.

Ed had known that it was coming up to the anniversary of his brother’s passing and was dreading this year more than any past. There was no Zara here to help support him, and although there was January, he wanted to shut himself off from the outside world. But he couldn’t. He knew that wouldn’t end well for him and Jan might need him, as much as he needed her right now. They were family, and they were always there to support each other through thick and thin, and Ed had always loved her company.

“Uncle Ed?” January called out, not seeing her uncle as she walked through the door. “Ah, there you are.” She paused and put the cardboard box on the table, ready to show her uncle her treasure trove of trinkets.

“I found some family photos while we were up there yesterday and I thought you might – Uncle Ed, are you ok?” she paused. Her uncle had a single tear rolling down his left cheek. She ran over to him and held him tight in her arms.

He couldn’t hold back the tidal wave of emotion which had overcome him. All those memories of his older brother and the times they’d shared, the life Kyle had built and the horrific discovery he had made over twenty years ago. How he’d found his brother. No matter how hard Ed tried, he couldn’t purge his mind of that final memory. Every other memory faded into the background, leaving only the broken shell of his brother in the end, engraved in his mind.

Oh, how he wished Zara was here today. But instead of his wife, there was a gaping black hole in his heart. She always knew what to say in these situations. Ed wished she were here right now. He dried his eyes and sat at the table, trying to steady himself emotionally. January sat beside him, holding his hand, softly whispering to him, trying to be there, not quite knowing what else she could do other than comfort her uncle as he grieved. Grief affected everyone in different ways and everyone had their own way to manage their pain. For Ed, it was solitude and silence, struggling to contain his emotions around others.

The Millers sat at the table, the cardboard box of mementoes in front of them. January unloaded and showed her uncle some of the items she had retrieved from Stone Acres. The picture of January and her family was the piece that caught Ed Miller’s eye the most.

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