The Prompt You Say! - 21. Prompt 189 - The Danvers' House

It was the perfect little house for me. The old home looked like it had been snatched right out a Currier and Ives print with the ornate woodwork that surrounded the porch on the front of the house. That is what sold me on the house in the first place; I’d always wanted a porch.

The realtor seemed surprised I was willing to put an offer on it, but for me it was the perfect home. While the house had originally been built in the late 1800s, it had been completely updated inside just a few years ago. While the outside had the charm and classic looks, the inside was a completely different story. The ground floor had become pretty much an open concept with a beautiful kitchen and living room. There was a ground floor bathroom and even a room I could use as an office and guest bedroom.

The second floor held a master bedroom with a full master bath, and a second bedroom as well as a small library. With my huge collection of books that was something I fell in love with the moment I seen it. It even had a window seat in the room to make it perfect for me. In addition the stairway was wide and gentle and there was one of those seats that made it possible to ride up and down if something happened and you couldn’t climb the stairs. I had been told originally there were a number of small dark rooms on the second floor, however the remodeling had changed everything.

The wood floors, and light colors and simple charms of the place won me over immediately. I wouldn’t be renting or living with roommates, I finally would have a home of my own. I was ecstatic.

I took possession of the house on the first of December. I planned to have a party for Christmas so the push to move in and get everything set up was on. One of the first things I unpacked was the picture of my mother and father. I placed it end table in the living room just before I climbed upstairs to crash on the floor. I had friends coming to help me set up and that first night I made a sort of nest of blankets and pillows on the floor and promptly passed out.

I stumbled into the bathroom that bright morning and washed up. I returned and cleaned up my makeshift bed before doing a quick change and heading downstairs. I couldn’t quite remember getting as much unpacking done as looked into my living room.

The couch and loveseat were about where I remembered them being put, but I didn’t remember unrolling the new throw rug or setting up the coffee table with the knickknacks I’d been given over the years. I turned to say good morning to my parent’s picture but it wasn’t on the end table. I wandered about looking for it and finally found it hung neatly in the center of the wall by the stairs.

“God, I must have been more tired then I realized.”

Shaking my head at my obvious mistake I walked into the kitchen and went straight to the box marked Lifesaver. Inside the box were my Kuerig, a mug, and my k-cups, so for me my morning was complete. I plugged in the coffee maker, filled it and soon had the hot fresh coffee brewing. I was just about to get the cup when the door bell rang.

“Hang on, I’m coming!”

I opened the door to very attractive young woman in bright pink jacket.

“Um, oh sorry. I’m Dinah, but everyone calls me Di. I heard someone had bought the old Danvers place.”

I hadn’t even gotten to say my name when she sort of stepped and pulled the door closed behind her. At least the cold air was left outside. The few moments I had held the door open had left me feeling cold and I wasn’t ready to face the world yet, my coffee was still sitting in the other room and here was an unexpected guest.

“Well, nice to meet you Di. I’m Conner Lidd. Sorry, but I wasn’t really expecting anyone yet. I only got the trunk unpacked last night,” I began hoping she would take the hint, “so not really ready to see anyone yet.”

“Oh.” Her eyes widened as she took in the boxes still neatly placed all along the walls and the kitchen, which was a disaster, was still waiting to be set up.

“Maybe you could …”

“I just wanted to see if you were having issues with the ghost.”

“Ghost?” Her comment stopped me cold. “What ghost?”

“Didn’t Marion tell you?”

“Did Marion tell me what? And who is Marion?”

Dinah looked at me and shook her head slowly.

“Oh crap they never told you about the Danvers!”

“Look, I just bought the house. What is it I was supposed to find out that I don’t know?”

Di who had been mostly looking around at the house finally turned her attention to me.

“Lucy and Benjamin Danvers were the owners of the house originally.” She paused and then raised her hands and sort of took in the whole house before speaking again. “The house had been built for Lucy as a wedding present. They moved in and started their family here. Everyone around here knows about the Danvers.”

“Well, I don’t. I am not from around here.”

Di looked at me and bit her bottom lip.

“You said you didn’t know about the ghost so I suppose you aren’t really from around here.”

I could tell she wasn’t in rush to tell me. I wondered if she had ever been in the house before. I spotted one of the boxes sitting on the counter in the kitchen; it was labeled “mugs.” I walked over and pulled the tape off. I pulled out a mug and turned to Di again.

“Would you like a cup of coffee? I have milk but no sugar at the moment.”

She nodded and followed me into the kitchen as I rinsed out the mug.

“French Vanilla, dark roast, or coffee shoppe?”

“French Vanilla, please.”

I loaded the machine with her choice and knew that was about all I had to offer. My cupboards were literally bare. I hadn’t planned on company yet and other than milk for my coffee the fridge was still empty. I had a box of pop tarts, but somehow that wasn’t what I wanted to offer the neighbor.

“So you were saying something about a ghost?” I took a sip of my coffee as hers finished brewing.

Di kept glancing all around and her hands seemed to wrap about the cup I passed her like it was a lifeline.

“Sorry. Lucy and Benjamin were happy together. They had six children and everything in their life seemed to be going great, or was until Benjamin turned forty three. He seemed to get very sick that year and was hospitalized. He never left the hospital. Lucy was heartbroken.” Di paused and took a sip of her coffee. I could see her hand shake slightly as set the mug down and wrapped her arms around herself. “She was still a young woman and children weren’t all grown up yet. Lucy became a maid to help keep the bills paid and look after her family’s needs. Her youngest was a girl named, Mabel. When Mabel turned eighteen she married a distant cousin and they moved into her childhood home to help her mother. Her mother passed away nearly ten years to the day after her husband. The Danvers have always lived here, but when ever company stayed they said they seen a ghost of beautiful woman. She appears to be middle aged and kindly, but it makes people nervous.”

So the house had a history and a ghost supposedly. Nothing Di had told me made me want to run away at all.

“Has the ghost ever hurt anyone?”

“No, but evidently when last member of the family lived here, he decided to remodel the whole inside of the house. The workmen complained that things kept being moved and the floor plans for the place kept vanishing.” Di smiled, but as I watched she suddenly blushed. She coughed and then pushed on with her tale. “Alex Danvers had the whole place remodeled anyway. Everyone thought he was going to get married and move right in with his bride. Once it was done he put the house on the market and he didn’t get married. You know I think you are the first person who ever showed an interest in it.”

“Oh.”

“Are you married?”

I nearly choked on my coffee.

“No, I’m not.”

“I thought you might have bought the house for you and your wife is all.”

“No I’m single. No wife, no children. Just me and Ruby.”

“Ruby?”

“My Irish setter. I’ll be picking her up from my father’s house later this afternoon. I wanted to get settled in a bit and make sure the fence was secure before I brought her home.”

Di nodded.

“So the ghost does what exactly? Move things?”

“Well all I have to go by,” Di glanced around the room again before she focused on me, “are the rumors. Mostly it seems as if the ghost just helps out. So many of the women who lived here talked of the dishes being done, or things being straightened up while they were gone. I guess you wouldn’t have had time to notice anything if you just moved in. I’m sorry to have disturbed you, Conner.”

Di slowly made her way back towards the door.

“You never did tell me who Marion was.”

Di paused and her cheeks colored a deep red.

“Marion is Alex’s sister. She is also the real estate agent who was selling the house. Marion Danvers Banker of Banker Realty.”

“Mrs. Banker is part of the Danvers family?”

“Yup.”

With that Di let herself out of my house and bounced down the walkway.

It seems my move to this new town was going to be filled with all sorts of new situations. I closed the door and turned back to the face the house.

“Well, not sure if you are Lucy or someone else, but thanks for helping to unload the boxes. Hope you don’t mind but my baby will be joining us later. “

I smiled as pictured a ghost trying to scare Ruby, Soon enough this house would be my home. Now it was time to finish unpacking.