The Shadow People by Ashley White (the read aloud family .TXT) 📕

Prologue

I heard a noise from Annie’s room...laughter? I put down my book, and slowly began to climb the stairs. As I stepped onto the landing outside her room, I realized that I not only heard her laughing but...she was talking to someone? Yes, she was definitely talking to someone. Thinking someone had broken into the house, I silently grabbed the paperweight off a nearby table. I stretched out my hand, grasped the knob, and yanked the door open.


I peered out the windshield through the pouring rain, straining my eyes to glimpse a barely visible sign. “Ah!” I exclaimed. “Here we are; Elliston.” I flicked on my turn signal, and soon found myself on a winding road that seemed void of life. Almost as if someone had read my thoughts, a sleepy town came into view. Small mercantiles and cars lined the cobbled streets, and mothers were busily rushing their children in out of the rain. A group of elderly men were clustered in front of a shop, talking vehemently. No one even seemed to notice as I turned down the next street to look for 701 Maple Avenue.

From the backseat, I heard a soft rustling. Looking into my rearview mirror, I smiled to myself. “Good morning, sleepy head,” I said. “Are we there yet, Mom,” asked a small voice. Annie was more than a daughter to me; she was all I had left in this world. Her curly, black hair framed her face as she rubbed the sleep from her beautiful blue eyes. She looked so much like her father. “Yes, dear, we are,” I replied. The eager child pressed her face against the window trying to take everything in at once. “659...700...701 Maple Avenue,” I stated, more to myself than to Annie.


I pulled the car into the driveway in front of the most beautiful house I had ever seen; two stories high, with a balcony jutting out the side, and pale grey shutters that matched the stone body. It towered upward, seemingly piercing the sky. “Wow!” I heard from behind me, and I quickly snapped out of my trance-like state. “Can we go inside, Mom, please?” Annie pleaded. “Of course...” I said, still slightly awestruck. I turned the car off, and we both stepped out into the shadows of the house.

As I climbed the stairs onto the front porch, Annie was intently awaiting me. I pulled out an old, antique key, put it in the door, twisted and pulled. No sooner had the door opened, an eerie chill swept over my body. I quickly dismissed, though, as I crossed over the threshold. “Which room is mine?” Annie asked, excitedly. “It’s the one at the top of the stairs, dear.” I said with a smile, and she darted up them and out of sight. “There must be some mistake…” I thought to myself. “This house is worth so much more than I paid for it.” As I looked around at all the space, I felt relieved we had sent the furniture over beforehand. Everything had already been arranged, and it seemed as if it had been waiting for us to arrive.


After hours of exploring the various rooms of our new home and unpacking most of the boxes, I realized I was starving. Above me, I could hear Annie busily preparing her new room. She was such a brave little girl…especially after what happened to Paul. At the thought of my late husband, an almost instantaneous pang of pain shot through me. When I had first met Paul, he’d just joined the local police force. We immediately fell in love and got married shortly thereafter. Barely two months had passed when I told him the happy news; we were going to be parents.

The day our daughter was born was the happiest day of both our young lives, and we loved her with all of our hearts. Then, after nearly nine wonderful years, a tragedy occurred. Paul was killed in the line of duty. He had been returning to the station when they received a call about a drug bust that had turned violent, and the officers on scene were requesting back up. Paul was the responding officer.


He was fatally wounded pursuing one of the criminals. Paul died on the way to the hospital, only two weeks before Annie’s ninth birthday. I thought it would be best to take Annie away from all the memories that haunted that neighborhood, but with little money, I could hardly afford it. Then, one morning, I went out to get the mail, and there was a business card taped to our front door.

As you can imagine, I was quite curious to find out where it came from. I went inside and dialed the number, and as it turned out it was a realtor. Intrigued, I began to explain our situation to her. I told her about how my husband had just been killed and I only wanted what was best for our young daughter. When I had finished, she paused for a moment and hesitantly said, “I believe I have the perfect house for you and your daughter.” It was right in our nonexistent price range and far away from any unpleasant reminders of Paul’s demise. A month later, we arrived here in Elliston. “Mom...?” I looked up from where I was sitting. I must have drifted away in thought. “Hmm?” I replied. “I finished unpacking my room. Can we go look around town, now?” Annie asked. “Sure,” I said, suddenly remembering my hunger. “And we can grab something to eat, too.”


By then the rain had let up, and the sun was peaking down through the trees. We decided to walk into town, because we lived such a short distance away. As we walked, Annie looked around, admiring the scenery. The rolling hills, a deep, crystalline lake, and the immense trees that lined it jumped out at us. This change of scenery was quite different from the urban neighborhood where Annie had grown up in, and we both became immersed in it’s beauty. We barely noticed we had entered town until I became aware of something strange. Do you rememeber how no one had noticed us earlier as we drove through? That definitely was not the case now.The people weren’t just looking at us; they were staring. It was almost as if they were trying to read our thoughts...I looked at Annie, but she hardly seemed to notice anyone else.

I saw a small diner, and ushered Annie across the street. Once inside, all my insecurities faded, and I thought how silly I must have looked to the townspeople. I was just paranoid because we were new in town. “Can I help you, ma’am,” came a low, gruff voice. I looked up; an older gentleman dressed in a blue flannel shirt, and tan slacks was behind the counter. To be quite honest, he could barely see over it. I approached as Annie slid into a booth on the other side of the room. I could feel his beady, black eyes surveying me. Nervously, I glanced to a chalkboard nailed on the wall that stated, “Today’s special: Potato soup and a grilled cheese sandwich, $3.25.” “Yes,” I said. “Can I have two specials, a glass of milk, and a cup of coffee, please?” “Nine dollars,” the man grunted. I handed him a ten-dollar bill, he gave me my change, and he shuffled off, disappearing into the back of the diner.

"People here are quite odd...” I thought to myself, as I sat down opposite my daughter. By the time we had finished our lunch, and our tour of the town (despite intense stares from onlookers) darkness had begun to fall. “We’d better start home, honey.” I told Annie. She nodded her approval, and off we went.

When we got safely back to the house, I sent her upstairs to brush her teeth and get ready for bed. Exhausted, I plopped into the nearest chair, and slowly glided into a deep sleep. I was running down a long, dark hallway...running away from someone...something. It was no use, I could hear it coming closer and closer, and then...“Mom? Mom, wake up!” Annie was standing beside the chair where I had fallen asleep. I was drenched in my sweat. “I’m ready for bed; will you read me a story?”

"Sure.” I said, groggily, and pulled myself up from the chair. I wiped the sweat off my brow, and followed her upstairs to her room. After reading and re-reading her favorite fairytale to her, I tucked Annie into bed and turned off the light. She asked me to leave the door cracked and I obliged. I descended the stairs, crossed the living area, and went down the hallway to my own room, fully intending to take a shower and go to bed myself.

It was twice as large as the room Paul and I had shared, and came equipped with its own bathroom. The bathroom itself had a full-length mirror, shower, a huge bathtub, and a sky light. I maneuvered around a few boxes I had yet to unpack and went to my dresser to get some clothes to sleep in. Once inside, I turned the water on and undressed. I grabbed a towel and a washcloth, tested the water temperature with the back of my hand to make sure it was warm, and stepped inside.


As I rinsed the shampoo from my hair, it was as if all my problems were washing down the drain with the water. After my shower, I climbed under the blankets, and welcomed a peaceful night’s rest. As morning broke, sunshine poured in through the window and into my room. I opened my eyes, and unwillingly tore myself from my bed. I stumbled out of my room and into the kitchen to make breakfast, but soon realized I hadn’t done any shopping yet.

Annoyed, I went back to my room to get dressed, muttering obscenities under my breath. As soon as I was ready, I went upstairs to see if Annie was awake yet. “Sound asleep.” I thought, peaking through the crack in her door and smiling to myself. I looked at my watch: 10 A.M. She’d had a big day yesterday, so I decided not to wake her.


I was still too tired to walk into town, so I took the car, and parked outside one of the larger, more promising looking stores. I hurriedly grabbed everything I needed and went to pay for the items. Just as I finished paying the cashier (an oddly friendly young woman), I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around, ready to confront this unwelcome tap, and nearly screamed. “Do you need help with your groceries?” asked a soft, kind voice. “He looks just like Paul...” is all I could think.

I was numb with shock. “Excuse me, ma’am, Are you feeling alright?” he asked. “Y-y-yes. I’m fine.” I said, my voice shaking. Before he could say another word, I snatched up all of my bags and practically ran out. I saw the puzzled looks of both he and the cashier as I sped away. I’m not quite sure how I managed to drive home, but I did. I pulled in the driveway to see Annie outside playing among the trees. I shook off my thoughts and convinced myself that my mind was playing tricks on me.

“Stay close, honey, breakfast will be ready in a few,” I yelled as I exited the car. She