The Wind

Anthony Morrison has found his dream house and is eager to introduce his wife, Jeannette, and children, Taylor and Michael, to his discovery. It's as if the house is drawing him in, like a wind that pushes you a little faster along your walk in the woods. Little does Anthony know that realtor Richard LeBrock is desperate to sell the house. The previous owners lived there just two short weeks, leaving in a mysterious rush without explanation. Harriet Cray, the only other homeowner on Mercy Street, is eager to have the house occupied as well. For Harriet, having children nearby will continue to feed her obsession. After settling in, each family member begins to experience disturbing events. Laughing children, a weeping mother, and unspeakable apparitions of abuse. Jeannette and the children vacate quickly, but Anthony cannot make himself leave. He is driven to discover what happened in the house and how the odd Harriett Cray is involved. Piecing together the mystery becomes Anthony's ultimate nightmare. As each bit of information falls into place, Anthony finds he's become the very man he swore he never would. At what point did all that he love become second to finding answers?

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

The WindBy Eric CarasellaiUniverse, Inc.Copyright © 2009 Eric CarasellaAll right reserved.ISBN: 978-1-4401-2929-2Chapter One The house on Mercy Street had been empty for only two months. The previous owners had moved out after just two short weeks and had left the place empty and deserted. A large white For Sale sign hung in the front lawn as a reminder for the only other house on the block that its counterpart needed new ownership. A company called Research Land and Development took the property from the previous owners and used their down payment to fund a new sale. Richard LeBrock, the man responsible for selling the house and also the CEO of Research Land and Development, took extra special care in cleaning up and making new a property that was in much need of a facelift. The only other house on Mercy, a twelve room Tudor situated on eight acres of green land, had the same occupants in it for the last seven decades. The family that lived there, the Cray's, was weary of why their neighbors might be abandoning their new home after only two weeks. Richard Lebrock took the time to visit the Crays one sunny afternoon, not long after the occupants of the only other house on Mercy bailed. He knocked on the large oak door and was greeted by the pleasant face of one Mrs. Harriet Cray. She smiled at Richard when she opened the door. The Crays were nothing if not cordial. "I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Richard LeBrock and I am in charge of the property next door." Richard smiled at this. To say that the only other house on Mercy was next door seemed almost comical. From one front door to the other was a space of about 150 yards. The length of one and a half football fields. Richard's favorite team was the Bears. "It's no trouble at all, Mr. LeBrock. Won't you come in," said Harriet. Richard entered the living room of the beautiful Tudor and sat when offered a place on the couch. "I would just like to ask a few questions about the folks who were living next door for the past two weeks," Richard said. "Have they done something wrong?" Harriet asked, sounding genuinely shocked at the very idea. "Well, no. They simply moved out. They called me very early this morning and said that they had packed up all of their things and were loading up a van. I asked what on earth could have happened to make them want to move so suddenly. The only response I got was a click and a dead line." "That's very strange, indeed," Harriet said. "That is strange, no doubt. But if you could see the house now, just a few short hours after the former tenants moved out, you would be simply amazed." "And why is that?" "It's spotless. Not a single bit of debris left over. Not a scrap of paper, not a crumb on the kitchen counters. Nothing. It's like they were never there." At this, Harriet Cray stood up and started pacing. She wrung her hands together like a woman who could not be more nervous. Something had rattled her cage and Richard LeBrock took note of it. "Is something wrong, Mrs. Cray?" Richard asked. "Well, frankly, yes. Something is very wrong." She continued her pacing and hand wringing and only occasionally looked up at Richard LeBrock. "Well, what is it?" Richard asked. Chapter Two Anthony Morrison slid back into bed. It was only four-thirty in the morning and the house was still quiet. But he had to pee real badly. So he did his business and then slid back into bed where his wife was curled up sleeping. Anthony kissed his wife's back and snuggled up against her. He knew the kids would not be waking up for at least another three hours. He also knew that if he didn't go back to sleep he would not be in shape to handle the coming day's events. He rolled onto his back and stared at the ceiling, knowing that going back to sleep was going to be next to impossible. He had way too much on his mind. The biggest thing was the new house. He knew his family would support any decision he made, but he also wanted them to like it as much as he did. He wanted them to fall in love at the very sight of it just like he had. But he wouldn't force the issue, either. If they decided against it, then he would bite his tongue and keep looking. After all, they were a family. He never ran his home like some horrible dictatorship. He always respected what his kids had to say, and most especially what his wife, Jeanette, had to say. She was his world. His everything. And without his family he was nothing. So he lay in bed, staring at the ceiling and hoping that his family would indeed love the house on Mercy Street as much as he did. Jeanette stirred next to him and threw her arm around his waist. Anthony grabbed it and pulled it towards his mouth. He slid his hand into hers and kissed the back of it. A low moan escaped Jeanette's lips and she smiled sweetly. Anthony leaned over and put his mouth over hers. She accepted his tongue and they made love well into the morning. Outside, a gentle wind stirred the trees. There was another wind waiting to blow somewhere not too far. But that wind would blow through the souls of all that it touched. It would blow until every secret was revealed. "Good morning," Jeanette said as Anthony opened his eyes. "Good morning." Jeanette kissed her husband on the chest and rolled out of bed. Anthony watched her get up, marveling at how well her ass had held up after having two kids. He smiled and Jeanette turned around. "What are you staring at?" she asked. Anthony continued smiling and staring at her ass. "I'm just staring at the most beautiful thing in the world," he said. Jeanette gave her ass a little shake and then went into the bathroom. Anthony rolled over in bed and inhaled deeply. He had to get up. He had to get the kids fed and then maybe, just maybe, all of the stars would be aligned and the whole family would be the proud owners of a new home by the late afternoon. He flung the sheets off and jumped out of bed. He was suddenly invigorated. He pulled on some shorts that had been discarded during the night and headed towards the kids' rooms. Taylor was already awake when he knocked on her door. "Come in," Taylor said. Anthony opened the door and saw his daughter sitting upright on the bed listening to her iPod. "How could you hear me with that thing on?" Anthony asked. Taylor just smiled and pulled one of her ear buds out. "I hear everything, Daddy. It's a gift." Anthony smiled back at her. "Well, good. Get dressed. I'm gonna wake up your brother and then make you guys the most magnificent breakfast in all the land." Taylor giggled and then rolled her eyes. She slid the ear bud back into her ear. Anthony left her door open and then went down the hall to his son's room. The door was already open and his son, Michael, was not in his bed. He leaned his head in and peeked around. "Michael?" It was quiet. And then a slurping sound came from somewhere near the back of the room. And then a voice spoke. "Daddy!" slurp "Daddy!" slurp. Anthony acted like he could not be more scared. "Oh no! What horrors await me in this most dirty of rooms?" Anthony said. Michael jumped out of the closet and roared. Anthony jumped in mock surprise and laughed. "You scared me, son. You're gonna give your old man a heart attack." Michael came towards his father and gave him a huge hug. "Good morning, Dad." "Good morning. Get dressed and then head downstairs for breakfast. Got it?" "Got it," Michael said. The breakfast was indeed magnificent. Anthony managed to whip up several plates of pancakes with sausage and scrambled eggs. He cut up some fresh fruit for Jeanette and made the kids their own bowl of toppings for their pancakes. He watched his family eat, knowing that part of this special treatment was to butter them up for the rest of the day. Anthony smiled at his pun, knowing that it would take more than just good eats to make them come to his side regarding the house. But why was he even assuming they would need any kind of coaxing? He loved the house at first sight. Maybe they would, too. Right now was not the time to worry about it. He would leave the doubts in the closet before he left. Right now he was more than happy to just be around his family. "So, are we excited about seeing this new house today?" Anthony asked. "Does it have a big backyard?" Michael said. "Oh yeah. Huge! You should have plenty of fun mowing that thing," Anthony said, smiling. Michael dropped his fork and let out a huge sigh. "Great," he said. "Just kidding, buddy. But it's a huge property. You'll see." Taylor swallowed a big helping of eggs and nearly choked. Jeanette patted her on the back. "You okay?" Jeanette asked. "Fine," Taylor said. "What time can we see the house?" Jeanette asked. Anthony looked over at his wife and smiled. He could tell she was starting to get anxious. And that was good. "The realtor told me any time after 11. I said we would probably leave around that time." "Then I guess we should clean up and go, huh?" Jeanette said. Anthony stood at the sink cleaning up the last of the dishes. Jeanette was next to him drying off a large serving dish. She seemed deep in thought. Anthony shut off the water and dried his hands. He stood there a moment watching his wife dry the dish, but her mind was clearly elsewhere. "Something on your mind?" Anthony asked. Jeanette seemed startled out of her daydreaming and shook her head. "We have so many great memories in this house. We watched our babies grow up in this kitchen. We made love in every room in this house. A part of me is just a little sad, that's all." Anthony pulled the serving dish from her hands and set it on the counter. He grabbed his wife and hugged her tight. He was also sad about leaving. But he knew it would be much tougher on her. Men tended to be a little less emotional and attached when it came to things like this. Women held on to ceremony and certain memories could make them cry at the drop of a hat. But Jeanette was right; they had made so many wonderful memories here. Not the least of which was their two children. Anthony held Jeanette out in front of him. "We're just looking at this house today. No pressure. If you or the kids don't feel the same way I do, then we walk away. We come home and keep looking at houses on the Internet, okay?" Jeanette nodded. She would keep an open mind about it. She had made her husband that promise. And she intended to keep it. Chapter Three They were nearly to Mercy Street when Anthony's cell phone rang. He flipped it open and answered it. "Hello?" Taylor and Michael were both staring out the window and Jeanette watched her husband try to drive and talk at the same time. She hated cell phones in general, but even more so when people were driving. She hated how easy it was to lose focus on the road and become a much more dangerous driver. And right now, her husband was the guilty party. "Well, we're almost there, Richard," Anthony said to the phone. "Oh, okay. No, that's no problem. We'll just look around the grounds if that's okay. See you then." He closed the phone and dumped it into the cup holder on his console. Jeanette was staring at him. "Richard said that he's just running a little late. We'll just have to snoop around until he gets there." Anthony looked into the rearview mirror and saw his son smiling. "You heard me right, champ. I said snoop. Just like Sam Fisher on that game you and I play." Michael rolled his eyes. "Maybe you shouldn't try so hard to be cool, Dad. " "Oh, I don't have to try. I am cool.," Anthony said, smiling at his son and marveling at how beautiful he was. A huge copse of trees hung out into the road and obscured any view of the house from the road. Anthony brought the car almost to a complete stop and then eased it onto the gravel path that would lead to the front of the house. He was being dramatic on purpose, but he thought it might lend itself to the magnificence that awaited his family. He felt so strongly about this house and for the first time since he saw it nearly two weeks ago, he wondered why. Why did he want this house with every part of his being? Why did he need his family to love it also? This thought intrigued him. But it also made him have doubts for the very first time. And then the house came into view and all of his worries melted away at the sight of it. He was home. The Morrisons, Anthony included, all let out a collective sigh when the car made it's way around the trees and the house came into view. Taylor smiled bigger than she could ever remember smiling and Michael made a big O with his mouth that seemed to stay there until they got out of the car. But it was Jeanette that seemed the most amazed. Her eyes lit up like diamonds sparkling in the sunlight. She felt a wave of wonderful warmth sweep through her and in that instant she knew the house was right. It was right for all of them. And of course, Anthony felt the same thing. Had felt it, in fact, nearly two weeks before. Anthony stopped the car and pulled the keys from the ignition. Taylor was already opening her door. "Wait!" Anthony said. Taylor pulled the door closed. "I just want to tell you guys something real quick," Anthony said. "What is it, Dad?" Michael asked. "Just remember, we're here to look. This is not a done deal. If anyone has any reservations about this house, you say it. Cool?" "Cool." And then they were out of the car. Michael was scrambling up a small rise that lead to the front porch and Taylor stood near the car for a moment. Anthony went around the car and grabbed Jeanette's hand. She looked at him and smiled. "This is beautiful," she said. Anthony only smiled back. He knew it was beautiful. He wouldn't spoil her moment with words. Together they made their way to the front porch. Michael was half way around the porch when he felt the wind whip up. It felt surprisingly strong for such a sudden gust. But it was real and he felt it whip again as he stood with his back to the house and the whole expanse of the huge backyard in front of him. The wind died down and Michael titled his head like a dog might do when it senses something strange. He continued looking out onto the backyard, but the real action was behind him, in a window set low enough to look into if he had been facing the other way. Another wind swirled and Michael turned around. "Oh man, did you feel that?" Anthony asked. "Yeah. That was really strange," said Taylor as she made her way onto the porch. "Must be coming off the lake," Anthony said. "There's a lake?" Jeanette asked. Anthony smiled at her. "Yes there is." What Michael saw lasted for less than a second. And when it was gone he would not be able to say for sure if he had actually seen it, but for the briefest of moments he thought he saw a goat in the window. And then it was gone. The wind had died down and Michael stood only a moment longer before walking, with a little more speed in his step, towards the front of the house. "Hey, buddy," Anthony said as Michael came around the corner. "Well, what do you think?" "It's huge. And where did that wind come from?" Michael asked. "Probably from the lake." "There's a lake back there?" Michael said. "Sure is. But it's back a ways." Anthony patted his son's head and then made his way around the house. The family followed him. They had just gotten around to the backyard when a horn sounded. It was Richard LeBrock in his Explorer, sounding his horn like some brigadier general rallying the troops to battle. But in this case, it was a rally cry for money. A cry to sell a home that had been vacated under very strange circumstances only two weeks ago. And a cry that might reveal the most intimate secrets of the Morrison family. They all stood on the porch watching the man get out of his truck. Jeanette looked over at Anthony and nudged his ribs with her elbow. "That's our guy?" she asked. "Yep," Anthony replied. Richard LeBrock was a large man. He weighed nearly 250 pounds and had a huge shock of gray hair on his head. He had a jacket slung over his arm and he was lumbering towards them from the gravel drive. "Good afternoon, folks." "Good afternoon," the kids replied. Richard climbed up the steps to the front porch and held his hand out to Anthony. "Good to see you again, Anthony. And is this the beautiful Mrs. Morrison?' Anthony gestured towards his wife and she took Richard's outstretched hand. "It is a pleasure to finally meet you," Richard said. "Thank you," Jeanette said. Richard looked down at the two kids and smiled. "And you two must be Taylor and Michael, right?" The kids smiled back and shook Richard's hand. He knelt down in front of them and put his hands on their shoulders. "What do you guys think of this house?" he asked. Taylor nodded but Michael hesitated a moment, thinking about what he probably did not see in the window behind the house. "It's really cool," Michael said. Richard stood up with an audible pop in his knees and laughed. "Yes it is! Really cool!" Richard said. (Continues...) Excerpted from The Windby Eric Carasella Copyright © 2009 by Eric Carasella. Excerpted by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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