Kentucky Hauntings(36)

“Momma, may we play in the attic?” he asked.

Bonnie thought that was a wonderful idea, so she told them to go ahead.

Calvin and Charlotte hurriedly climbed the stairs and opened the attic door. They were greeted by a stuffy smell, but they ignored it and turned on the light by the door. As the light flooded the attic room, they were surprised to see several boxes lined up against the back wall. The excited children rushed to the boxes as though they were treasure chests. In the first box they found old clothes, blankets, and quilts. The next box contained old clothes and photo albums. The box after that held old dishes. Then they opened a box filled with old toys! Calvin took out two balls and some toy soldiers. Charlotte removed a toy tea set and a rag doll. When they had finished looking in all the boxes, they realized that the rainy day had passed without their hardly noticing.

When Bonnie called them for supper, the children decided to bring some of the toys downstairs to play with after the meal was over. Calvin chose the soldiers, and Charlotte picked up the doll.

Calvin was already heading for the stairs when Charlotte began screaming. He turned to see his sister throw the doll to the floor and begin to cry.

“What's wrong?” he asked. “What's the matter with you?”

“The doll!” she sobbed. “It opened its eyes and stared at me. Then it reached out one arm!”

“It couldn't do that,” Calvin told her. “It's a rag doll. Its eyes don't open, and its arms don't bend. It was just the shadows playing tricks on you.”

Their mother had heard her daughter's scream and had made it to the top of the stairs by then. Charlotte ran to her, still crying.

“What on earth is going on up here?” Bonnie asked the children.

Charlotte repeated her story while Calvin stood there shaking his head. He picked up the doll and handed it to his mother.

“See?” he said. “There's nothing wrong with it. It's just an old rag doll. Charlotte's crazy.”

“Hush that,” Bonnie told Calvin. “Now both of you come on down to supper. Calvin, bring the doll with your soldiers so we can take a look at it later.”

Calvin followed his mother and sister downstairs. He held the doll and soldiers out for his dad to see. Ben glanced at them and told Calvin to put them in the living room until after supper. When Calvin returned and took his place at the table, the family ate, mostly in silence.

After the dishes were done, Bonnie joined the rest of the family in the living room. They were all looking at the toys. Ben was pointing out to Charlotte that the rag doll was normal.

“I wonder who had this doll before I found it,” said Charlotte.

“It must have belonged to your cousin Emma,” said Bonnie. “She drowned near here in the river when she was just a little girl. She was a sweet child. I am sure she wouldn't mind your playing with her doll.”

The family experienced no other strange occurrence surrounding the doll, so Charlotte gradually set her fears aside. She named the doll Emma, after her dead cousin. She always kept the doll with her.

One day, Ben took Calvin with him to help a neighbor do some work on the next farm. About midafternoon, Bonnie heard a rumble of thunder and remembered that she had heard on the radio that they might have severe storms that night. If they did, the power might go out and they might need to light the lamps. She would need oil for the lamps, so she called Charlotte and sent her off to the store to get some.

“Stay on the path by the river, but don't go near the bank,” Bonnie told her. “Hurry and don't stop to play.”

“Okay,” promised Charlotte, as she hurried down the path.

Bonnie saw that the sky was darkening, so she rushed to get supper cooked. She kept an eye on the cloud and an eye on the path, hoping that Charlotte would get home before the storm hit. The clouds began to move faster, and Bonnie began to worry because Charlotte was not home yet. Then she heard the front door open.

“Charlotte, is that you?” she called.

“It's us,” called Ben. “We quit work early because of the storm.”

“Did you see Charlotte coming up the path?” she asked.

Calvin and Ben both shook their heads.

“Where'd she go?” asked Ben.

“I sent her to the store for some oil, but she hasn't come back yet. She's had plenty of time. I'm getting worried.”

“The cloud's so close, they probably kept her at the store,” Ben said. “I'll go over and get her when the storm's over.”

Just then, the rain arrived, and the three sat in the kitchen, thinking that Ben must be right about the storekeeper not letting Charlotte go out in the storm. Any adult would certainly keep a child inside. Still, they waited and silently worried. The wind thrashed the trees around and the lightning danced at the windows.