Post by pannt51 on Jun 30, 2012 10:49:46 GMT -5
This is the first two chapters of my new novel I have started.
THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE
By: Patricia A. Turner
CHAPTER ONE
With her every footstep resounding hollow and loud as she made her way down the now empty hallway of Shawnee High, Diane thought the sound somewhat haunting as a chill climbed her spine, which had nothing to do with the cold, damp weather.
Laughing at her own silliness, Diane sought to lay the blame for her uneasy feelings on the wild tale which Barry Noland had been spreading around school today. It was a tale in which the boy had claimed to have seen ghost in the nearby old Butler House.
Good grief, Diane thought.
Here she was, a woman full grown and quickly approaching her twenty-seventh birthday. She was much too old and mature to believe in ghost and haunted houses. Still, Barry’s wild tale was teasing at her senses, making her wonder if such a thing could indeed exist.
Struggling with her purse, an arm load of books, and her laptop, Diane descended the short flight of steps leading to the front entrance of Shawnee High School.
Stepping outside into the cold winter afternoon she found that it was snowing rather hard, leading her to believe that maybe tomorrow would be the county school system’s first snow day of the year.
Waving at Jac Jackson as she pulled out from the school parking lot onto highway 10 Diane was once again assailed with the same eerie feeling which had blanketed her earlier. What was it about Jac Jackson that prompted such a feeling of unease in anyone who came in contact with the man? A strange fellow, to say the least, it appeared that the man had no friends that anyone knew about.
As the janitor at Shawnee High, Jac mostly stayed to himself, speaking only when he was spoken to. Rumors had it that Jac had supposedly killed a man many years ago after catching him with his wife, if Diane remembered correctly. But then, she knew how people were to gossip about someone outside of their own circle of friends.
Perhaps it was all the controversy swirling around Jac that made him seem so distance and different from most folks, Diane thought idly as she drove the short distance from the school to her home. After-all, Jac had always seemed kind and nice to her. He often went out of the way to give her a quick nod or a friendly wave when no one else was about.
Arriving at home, Diane shivered from the cold as she made her way to the front door. Stamping her feet to remove the snow covering her shoes she unlocked the door, immediately assailed by the warmth of the house. “Thank you Lord for electric heat” she whispered as she pushed the door closed behind her.
Turning around to bolt the front door of the two story country house which had been left to her by her grandparents, Diane unloaded her burden on the desk in the living room before heading to the bedroom to change into a pair of soft, faded jeans and a sweatshirt.
A few minutes later, as she left the bedroom, Diane caught herself glancing nervously up to the top of the staircase. Feeling downright foolish doing so in her own home, she scolded herself as she headed to the kitchen where she filled the coffeemaker and set her coffee to brewing.
As the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen, Diane rummaged through the pantry trying to decide just what it was that she wanted for supper. Finally settling for a can of chicken noodle soup, she opened it and put it into the microwave to heat while she made a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup and poured herself a large glass of milk.
For Diane mealtimes were a lonely affair that never failed to leave her longing for the day when she would finally meet someone, fall in love, and settle down to fill that old house to the rafters with children.
However, given the scarce number of eligible bachelors in and around Shawnee Falls, plus the fact that Diane seldom ever ventured outside the county line, she had serious doubts that her dream would ever come true. After all, she could hardly expect that someday she would hear a knock at her door and open it to find her Mr. Right standing there with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a wedding ring in the other.
Watching the local news updates as she ate, the weather forecast furthered Diane’s belief that the next day would be a snow day for the county schools. Nonetheless, whether there would be school tomorrow or not, she still had papers to grade and assignments to make up.
So, tiding up the kitchen, Diane turned off the television and turned the stereo on low. Humming along with the music playing she sat down at her desk and gathered her students homework papers amid the eerie feeling of being watched, which unsettled her to the core.
Risking another nervous glance toward the top of the stairs, she jumped with a start and emitted a startle scream when a noise just outside the front door went thump, thump. With the contents of her right hand going flying everywhere, she grasped the stair railing for support.
Scared silly by the sound, her weak legs refused to hold her weight as she sank down onto the bottom step. Seeking to calm her frayed nerves she took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she reasoned with herself. “Okay chicken” she admonished, exhaling. “Just calm down” she ordered her pounding heart. “The noise was only Sassy settling down outside beneath the porch swing.”
When enough strength had returned to her legs, Diane unlocked the front door. Opening it cautiously she found that indeed the noise had been her neighbor’s German Shepherd, Sassy. “See silly” she chided herself as she stepped out onto the porch. “Sassy, you scared the daylights out of me” told the dog as she stooped down by the swing. “It’s too cold for you to be out here. Go home” she ordered, laughing when Sassy barked her protest before taking her leave.
Waking up the next morning to find that her prediction of last evening concerning the weather had proven right, Diane burrowed deeply beneath the covers. There was no need to rise so early this cold, snowy morning since there was no school.
Managing once more to drop off to sleep she was awakened a short time later by the ringing of the telephone. Reaching for the phone she mumbled “Hello”, her voice soft and sleepy. However, upon hearing Madge Parnell’s voice on the other end she sat up.
“Mrs. Parnell, what a surprise” she said.
“My dear, please do forgive me for disturbing you so early this morning” Mrs. Parnell said. “But I am afraid that I have some disturbing news to tell you. Barry Noland and two of his friends were seriously injured in an accident at Butler House last night” the assistant principle informed Diane.
“Oh no! How awful” Diane exclaimed. “What happened?”
“Apparently they were up there prowling around inside the house when a fire broke out somehow. All three boys were badly burned and had to be air lifted out to a burn center. According to what they were saying on the morning news the boys are claiming that they were attack by ghost.”
Shaken by the news, Diane felt a shiver climbing her spine. “Do you believe that?” she asked.
“Diane, I honestly don’t know what I believe anymore” Mrs. Parnell revealed. “I have never believed in ghost or such but, given everything that has been going on at Butler House here lately; I’m beginning to serious doubts about my belief.”
“What in the world were they doing there to start with?” Diane inquired.
“You know how boys are, Diane” Mrs. Parnell replied. “I guess they just had to go there to see for themselves if the rumors were true.”
“That is so pitiful” Diane said with a sad voice. “Is there anything I can do to help in any way?”
“At the moment I suspect that those poor children need a lot of prayer. If they recover from their injuries they are going to have a tough road to travel for a long while. So I would appreciate it if you could call people from your church and start a prayer circle for them.”
“I would be most happy to do that” Diane said. “If there is anything else I can do please let know.”
“Of course I will” Mrs. Parnell pledged. “You enjoy your day off and stay safe and I suppose I’ll see you on Monday. So have a great weekend.”
“You too” Diane replied. “And thanks for calling me.”
“THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE”
By: Patricia A. Turner
CHAPTER TWO
Six Months Later
“Well class, this is our last day together” Diane said to her students. “ I know that all of you are looking forward to your summer vacation and I hope that all of you have a safe, nice summer.”
“Ms. Moore” one student called from the rear of the room.
“Yes Angie.”
“I heard that you are going to be working on that archeology dig across the river this summer” the student revealed.
“Yes Angie, I certainly am” Diane replied. “How did you know that?” she asked out of curiosity.
“My father told me” the student stated. “He and Dr. Thomas are friends. In fact it was my father that first told Dr. Thomas about that field and all the artifacts that people have been finding over the years.”
“Well imagine that” Diane said with a smile. “Then maybe I will be seeing you over there this summer” she suggested.
“Oh no, Ms. Moore” the girl cried, shaking her head. “My father would never allow me to go anywhere near that place.”
“Really!” Diane questioned with surprise. “Why is that?”
“My father says that archeology is the work of the devil. He says it’s a sin to disturb the dead.”
“Why would he think something like that? Archeology is just a field of science just as medicine or any other field.”
“I know that, Ms. Moore” Angie replied. “But my father says that to disturb the dead is to call evil spirits to yourself.”
“If he feels that way then why in the world did he tell Dr. Thomas about the place” Diane questioned, trying to understand what Angie was telling her.
“I quite happened by accident” Angie answered. “Dr Thomas had been talking about some old graves that he had heard about around here and my father sort of spoke up without thinking.”
“Angie, I am sure that your father means well” Diane pointed out. “Perhaps by the time summer is over with maybe Dr. Thomas can convince your father otherwise.”
“No ma’am” Angie claimed, shaking her head. “That will never happen” she was saying when the last bell of the school year rang, dismissing the students. As the other students rushed out the door in eager to begin their summer away from the classroom Angie walked up to Diane’s desk. “Ms. Moore, do you know Dr. Thomas?” she inquired.
“No Angie, I’m afraid I’ve never had the honor of meeting the gentleman” Diane answered.
“Well then, let me give you a word of warning” Angie said, sounding so grownup. “Dr. Thomas has a tendency to be very arrogant and intimidating, so watch yourself around him” she advised.
“Thank you very much for the warning, Angie. I shall keep it mind” Diane said, wondering why Angie would tell her such a thing. Suddenly she had a niggling thought that maybe she had made a mistake in wanting to work that dig. Oh well, all she could do was wait and see if Angie was right.
Watching as Angie sashayed out the door, Diane released a sigh. What a waste. It was students such as Angie that held so much promise of lending wonderful knowledge to fields such as archeology. The girl held the promise of becoming the scientist of tomorrow.
Yet, her father was placing before her a stumbling block that could smother out that potential, rendering it useless, while blinding his own daughter to the importance of such fields of study as archeology. Angie’s father may well be a man of the cloth but he sure didn’t know beans from butter when it came to the importance of education in his daughter’s life.
A short time later as Diane was finishing up her day and was crossing the parking lot to her vehicle she happened to look up to find Angie, her father, and another man approaching her. Giving them a nod of acknowledgement she spoke to them politely as she glanced toward the other man.
“Ms. Moore, I thought that maybe you might like to meet Dr. Thomas” Angie told her, as she introduced the man to her.
Shielding her eyes from the glaring sun Diane took a close look at the archeologist she would be working with for the summer. Standing a little over six foot tall, he was wickedly handsome and certainly put on an impressive air. By the way his clothing was molding itself to his muscular body he had the appearance of someone well accustom to hard work.
However, his face looked as if it were made of granite and, at that particular moment; it held a dark scowl which subtracted from his handsome look. Glaring at her Diane jumped when questioned, “Have you ever worked on a dig site before Ms. Moore?” he demanded in a voice which was hard and filled with contempt.
Taken by surprise by his rude crudeness Diane swallowed down the lump in her throat. “No Mr. Thomas I haven’t” she told him. “But I……”
“I thought as much” the infuriating man rudely interrupted. “You will never do. You are much too soft for that kind of work” he exclaimed.
“Pardon me!” Diane cried in agitation. “I will have you to know…..”
Stepping forward to take Diane’s hands into his own, she was utterly appalled when he snarled hatefully. “Look at these hands. It’s obvious that you know nothing about hard work” he charged.
With an unbridled fury building up inside her like a wildfire, Diane jerked her hands free. “Pardon me, Dr. Thomas. But you know nothing about me” she informed him. “And I will not stoop so low as to justify myself to the likes of you. So why don’t we just let my work by my judge.”
Glaring at her for a long, nerve racking moment, the archeologist crossed his arms over his broad chest and taunted. “Ms. Moore, I do certainly hope that you are prepared to spend your days baking beneath the hot sun while digging in the dirt with those lily white hands of yours. Not to mention all the spiders and other creepy crawly things you will find. But, most importantly, I will not tolerate anyone working on my sites who cannot pull their share of the work load” he barked.
“How nice of you to be so generous” Diane shot back, her own voice sappy and sweet. “I’m sure that you workers appreciate your kindness.”
Taken back by the woman’s sharp retort, Dr. Thomas leaned down into her face. “Perhaps I should be sure that there is a file around so you can keep that tongue of yours sharpened” he suggested.
“Dr. Thomas, I am afraid that will be quite unnecessary” Diane hit back. “I am certain that your mere presence shall prove to do the job quite nicely, thank you.”
Standing there silently observing her teacher and Dr. Thomas, a smile split Angie’s face. Perhaps she should have warned Dr. Thomas about Ms. Moore rather than the other way round. While she had always seen the gentle, caring side of Diane, the girl had also seen how she handled the rough necked boys in the classroom, so her reaction to Dr. Thomas should’ve have taken her by surprise.
Looking up at her father, Angie saw the scowl of disapproval on his face and cringed. He may not say anything right at the moment, but she knew that she was going to catch it when she got home for insisting that her father allow her to introduce his friend to Diane in the school parking lot.
“Now, if you will be kind enough to excuse me, I believe it is time for me to go home” Diane fired at Dr. Thomas. “We shall see each other come Monday.”
Then, turning to face Angie and her father, a bit of the anger in her still wanted to rear its ugly head. How dare the Preacher man to bring that rude, arrogant jerk to the school house on the last day. Had he done so hoping for such a confrontation such as the one which had occurred with the hopes that she could be scared off from participating in her lifelong dream of working an archeology dig?
Well, if he had then Diane had news for both, him and Dr. Thomas. She wasn’t one to scare easily. She would not tuck tail and run. She would show up at the dig site and do the job even if it meant that she burst open the first day there. So would show both of them just what she was made of.
“THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE”
By: Patricia A. Turner
THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE
By: Patricia A. Turner
CHAPTER ONE
With her every footstep resounding hollow and loud as she made her way down the now empty hallway of Shawnee High, Diane thought the sound somewhat haunting as a chill climbed her spine, which had nothing to do with the cold, damp weather.
Laughing at her own silliness, Diane sought to lay the blame for her uneasy feelings on the wild tale which Barry Noland had been spreading around school today. It was a tale in which the boy had claimed to have seen ghost in the nearby old Butler House.
Good grief, Diane thought.
Here she was, a woman full grown and quickly approaching her twenty-seventh birthday. She was much too old and mature to believe in ghost and haunted houses. Still, Barry’s wild tale was teasing at her senses, making her wonder if such a thing could indeed exist.
Struggling with her purse, an arm load of books, and her laptop, Diane descended the short flight of steps leading to the front entrance of Shawnee High School.
Stepping outside into the cold winter afternoon she found that it was snowing rather hard, leading her to believe that maybe tomorrow would be the county school system’s first snow day of the year.
Waving at Jac Jackson as she pulled out from the school parking lot onto highway 10 Diane was once again assailed with the same eerie feeling which had blanketed her earlier. What was it about Jac Jackson that prompted such a feeling of unease in anyone who came in contact with the man? A strange fellow, to say the least, it appeared that the man had no friends that anyone knew about.
As the janitor at Shawnee High, Jac mostly stayed to himself, speaking only when he was spoken to. Rumors had it that Jac had supposedly killed a man many years ago after catching him with his wife, if Diane remembered correctly. But then, she knew how people were to gossip about someone outside of their own circle of friends.
Perhaps it was all the controversy swirling around Jac that made him seem so distance and different from most folks, Diane thought idly as she drove the short distance from the school to her home. After-all, Jac had always seemed kind and nice to her. He often went out of the way to give her a quick nod or a friendly wave when no one else was about.
Arriving at home, Diane shivered from the cold as she made her way to the front door. Stamping her feet to remove the snow covering her shoes she unlocked the door, immediately assailed by the warmth of the house. “Thank you Lord for electric heat” she whispered as she pushed the door closed behind her.
Turning around to bolt the front door of the two story country house which had been left to her by her grandparents, Diane unloaded her burden on the desk in the living room before heading to the bedroom to change into a pair of soft, faded jeans and a sweatshirt.
A few minutes later, as she left the bedroom, Diane caught herself glancing nervously up to the top of the staircase. Feeling downright foolish doing so in her own home, she scolded herself as she headed to the kitchen where she filled the coffeemaker and set her coffee to brewing.
As the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee filled the kitchen, Diane rummaged through the pantry trying to decide just what it was that she wanted for supper. Finally settling for a can of chicken noodle soup, she opened it and put it into the microwave to heat while she made a couple of grilled cheese sandwiches to go with the soup and poured herself a large glass of milk.
For Diane mealtimes were a lonely affair that never failed to leave her longing for the day when she would finally meet someone, fall in love, and settle down to fill that old house to the rafters with children.
However, given the scarce number of eligible bachelors in and around Shawnee Falls, plus the fact that Diane seldom ever ventured outside the county line, she had serious doubts that her dream would ever come true. After all, she could hardly expect that someday she would hear a knock at her door and open it to find her Mr. Right standing there with a bouquet of roses in one hand and a wedding ring in the other.
Watching the local news updates as she ate, the weather forecast furthered Diane’s belief that the next day would be a snow day for the county schools. Nonetheless, whether there would be school tomorrow or not, she still had papers to grade and assignments to make up.
So, tiding up the kitchen, Diane turned off the television and turned the stereo on low. Humming along with the music playing she sat down at her desk and gathered her students homework papers amid the eerie feeling of being watched, which unsettled her to the core.
Risking another nervous glance toward the top of the stairs, she jumped with a start and emitted a startle scream when a noise just outside the front door went thump, thump. With the contents of her right hand going flying everywhere, she grasped the stair railing for support.
Scared silly by the sound, her weak legs refused to hold her weight as she sank down onto the bottom step. Seeking to calm her frayed nerves she took a deep breath, releasing it slowly as she reasoned with herself. “Okay chicken” she admonished, exhaling. “Just calm down” she ordered her pounding heart. “The noise was only Sassy settling down outside beneath the porch swing.”
When enough strength had returned to her legs, Diane unlocked the front door. Opening it cautiously she found that indeed the noise had been her neighbor’s German Shepherd, Sassy. “See silly” she chided herself as she stepped out onto the porch. “Sassy, you scared the daylights out of me” told the dog as she stooped down by the swing. “It’s too cold for you to be out here. Go home” she ordered, laughing when Sassy barked her protest before taking her leave.
Waking up the next morning to find that her prediction of last evening concerning the weather had proven right, Diane burrowed deeply beneath the covers. There was no need to rise so early this cold, snowy morning since there was no school.
Managing once more to drop off to sleep she was awakened a short time later by the ringing of the telephone. Reaching for the phone she mumbled “Hello”, her voice soft and sleepy. However, upon hearing Madge Parnell’s voice on the other end she sat up.
“Mrs. Parnell, what a surprise” she said.
“My dear, please do forgive me for disturbing you so early this morning” Mrs. Parnell said. “But I am afraid that I have some disturbing news to tell you. Barry Noland and two of his friends were seriously injured in an accident at Butler House last night” the assistant principle informed Diane.
“Oh no! How awful” Diane exclaimed. “What happened?”
“Apparently they were up there prowling around inside the house when a fire broke out somehow. All three boys were badly burned and had to be air lifted out to a burn center. According to what they were saying on the morning news the boys are claiming that they were attack by ghost.”
Shaken by the news, Diane felt a shiver climbing her spine. “Do you believe that?” she asked.
“Diane, I honestly don’t know what I believe anymore” Mrs. Parnell revealed. “I have never believed in ghost or such but, given everything that has been going on at Butler House here lately; I’m beginning to serious doubts about my belief.”
“What in the world were they doing there to start with?” Diane inquired.
“You know how boys are, Diane” Mrs. Parnell replied. “I guess they just had to go there to see for themselves if the rumors were true.”
“That is so pitiful” Diane said with a sad voice. “Is there anything I can do to help in any way?”
“At the moment I suspect that those poor children need a lot of prayer. If they recover from their injuries they are going to have a tough road to travel for a long while. So I would appreciate it if you could call people from your church and start a prayer circle for them.”
“I would be most happy to do that” Diane said. “If there is anything else I can do please let know.”
“Of course I will” Mrs. Parnell pledged. “You enjoy your day off and stay safe and I suppose I’ll see you on Monday. So have a great weekend.”
“You too” Diane replied. “And thanks for calling me.”
“THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE”
By: Patricia A. Turner
CHAPTER TWO
Six Months Later
“Well class, this is our last day together” Diane said to her students. “ I know that all of you are looking forward to your summer vacation and I hope that all of you have a safe, nice summer.”
“Ms. Moore” one student called from the rear of the room.
“Yes Angie.”
“I heard that you are going to be working on that archeology dig across the river this summer” the student revealed.
“Yes Angie, I certainly am” Diane replied. “How did you know that?” she asked out of curiosity.
“My father told me” the student stated. “He and Dr. Thomas are friends. In fact it was my father that first told Dr. Thomas about that field and all the artifacts that people have been finding over the years.”
“Well imagine that” Diane said with a smile. “Then maybe I will be seeing you over there this summer” she suggested.
“Oh no, Ms. Moore” the girl cried, shaking her head. “My father would never allow me to go anywhere near that place.”
“Really!” Diane questioned with surprise. “Why is that?”
“My father says that archeology is the work of the devil. He says it’s a sin to disturb the dead.”
“Why would he think something like that? Archeology is just a field of science just as medicine or any other field.”
“I know that, Ms. Moore” Angie replied. “But my father says that to disturb the dead is to call evil spirits to yourself.”
“If he feels that way then why in the world did he tell Dr. Thomas about the place” Diane questioned, trying to understand what Angie was telling her.
“I quite happened by accident” Angie answered. “Dr Thomas had been talking about some old graves that he had heard about around here and my father sort of spoke up without thinking.”
“Angie, I am sure that your father means well” Diane pointed out. “Perhaps by the time summer is over with maybe Dr. Thomas can convince your father otherwise.”
“No ma’am” Angie claimed, shaking her head. “That will never happen” she was saying when the last bell of the school year rang, dismissing the students. As the other students rushed out the door in eager to begin their summer away from the classroom Angie walked up to Diane’s desk. “Ms. Moore, do you know Dr. Thomas?” she inquired.
“No Angie, I’m afraid I’ve never had the honor of meeting the gentleman” Diane answered.
“Well then, let me give you a word of warning” Angie said, sounding so grownup. “Dr. Thomas has a tendency to be very arrogant and intimidating, so watch yourself around him” she advised.
“Thank you very much for the warning, Angie. I shall keep it mind” Diane said, wondering why Angie would tell her such a thing. Suddenly she had a niggling thought that maybe she had made a mistake in wanting to work that dig. Oh well, all she could do was wait and see if Angie was right.
Watching as Angie sashayed out the door, Diane released a sigh. What a waste. It was students such as Angie that held so much promise of lending wonderful knowledge to fields such as archeology. The girl held the promise of becoming the scientist of tomorrow.
Yet, her father was placing before her a stumbling block that could smother out that potential, rendering it useless, while blinding his own daughter to the importance of such fields of study as archeology. Angie’s father may well be a man of the cloth but he sure didn’t know beans from butter when it came to the importance of education in his daughter’s life.
A short time later as Diane was finishing up her day and was crossing the parking lot to her vehicle she happened to look up to find Angie, her father, and another man approaching her. Giving them a nod of acknowledgement she spoke to them politely as she glanced toward the other man.
“Ms. Moore, I thought that maybe you might like to meet Dr. Thomas” Angie told her, as she introduced the man to her.
Shielding her eyes from the glaring sun Diane took a close look at the archeologist she would be working with for the summer. Standing a little over six foot tall, he was wickedly handsome and certainly put on an impressive air. By the way his clothing was molding itself to his muscular body he had the appearance of someone well accustom to hard work.
However, his face looked as if it were made of granite and, at that particular moment; it held a dark scowl which subtracted from his handsome look. Glaring at her Diane jumped when questioned, “Have you ever worked on a dig site before Ms. Moore?” he demanded in a voice which was hard and filled with contempt.
Taken by surprise by his rude crudeness Diane swallowed down the lump in her throat. “No Mr. Thomas I haven’t” she told him. “But I……”
“I thought as much” the infuriating man rudely interrupted. “You will never do. You are much too soft for that kind of work” he exclaimed.
“Pardon me!” Diane cried in agitation. “I will have you to know…..”
Stepping forward to take Diane’s hands into his own, she was utterly appalled when he snarled hatefully. “Look at these hands. It’s obvious that you know nothing about hard work” he charged.
With an unbridled fury building up inside her like a wildfire, Diane jerked her hands free. “Pardon me, Dr. Thomas. But you know nothing about me” she informed him. “And I will not stoop so low as to justify myself to the likes of you. So why don’t we just let my work by my judge.”
Glaring at her for a long, nerve racking moment, the archeologist crossed his arms over his broad chest and taunted. “Ms. Moore, I do certainly hope that you are prepared to spend your days baking beneath the hot sun while digging in the dirt with those lily white hands of yours. Not to mention all the spiders and other creepy crawly things you will find. But, most importantly, I will not tolerate anyone working on my sites who cannot pull their share of the work load” he barked.
“How nice of you to be so generous” Diane shot back, her own voice sappy and sweet. “I’m sure that you workers appreciate your kindness.”
Taken back by the woman’s sharp retort, Dr. Thomas leaned down into her face. “Perhaps I should be sure that there is a file around so you can keep that tongue of yours sharpened” he suggested.
“Dr. Thomas, I am afraid that will be quite unnecessary” Diane hit back. “I am certain that your mere presence shall prove to do the job quite nicely, thank you.”
Standing there silently observing her teacher and Dr. Thomas, a smile split Angie’s face. Perhaps she should have warned Dr. Thomas about Ms. Moore rather than the other way round. While she had always seen the gentle, caring side of Diane, the girl had also seen how she handled the rough necked boys in the classroom, so her reaction to Dr. Thomas should’ve have taken her by surprise.
Looking up at her father, Angie saw the scowl of disapproval on his face and cringed. He may not say anything right at the moment, but she knew that she was going to catch it when she got home for insisting that her father allow her to introduce his friend to Diane in the school parking lot.
“Now, if you will be kind enough to excuse me, I believe it is time for me to go home” Diane fired at Dr. Thomas. “We shall see each other come Monday.”
Then, turning to face Angie and her father, a bit of the anger in her still wanted to rear its ugly head. How dare the Preacher man to bring that rude, arrogant jerk to the school house on the last day. Had he done so hoping for such a confrontation such as the one which had occurred with the hopes that she could be scared off from participating in her lifelong dream of working an archeology dig?
Well, if he had then Diane had news for both, him and Dr. Thomas. She wasn’t one to scare easily. She would not tuck tail and run. She would show up at the dig site and do the job even if it meant that she burst open the first day there. So would show both of them just what she was made of.
“THE HAUNTING OF BUTLER HOUSE”
By: Patricia A. Turner