Bless the Mother - Chapter 1

February 16, 1986

The Whispering House loomed over Abigail in damning silence. Twenty years separated her from her life-altering final night in the house. Now, standing so close to the house felt like a full circle moment. 

You’ve taken so much from us, she thought, opening her eyes to look up at the neglected white facade. Paint peeled at the hard edges of windows and eaves. A layer of wind-blown pollen and dirt coated every surface within sight.

I can’t forgive you for the damage you’ve done to us. But I have to find answers to my questions.

Is my mother free of your damnation?

Is my dear cousin Adeline still suffering a horrible death every night?

Is Aunt Lydia blindly searching the rooms for Adeline? Is she still tormented by loss?

Or did you finally return them to their graves in the family cemetery?

This place had ruined them. Aunt Jenny, Uncle Hank, Constance, and Uncle Wade–they’d all suffered terribly, and all because of this house. 

Why did you spare me?

Abigail had fared well, all things considered. She’d had a mostly normal life. She gained friendships and lost loved ones. After finishing high school, she worked a few retail jobs and eventually built a successful bookstore in town. Most importantly, she’d reciprocated the care and love that she’d once depended upon for survival. She provided strength to Aunt Jenny when Uncle Hank passed from a heart attack in his sleep in 1983. She cared for Aunt Jenny until a stroke took her as well two years later. Now, it was just Abigail and Constance in the small colonial style home in the woods near the York River.

But this house–it stayed with them. The trauma of their final night in the home had been so severe for their family that Aunt Jenny refused to let Abigail and Constance return to the property except for trips to the cemetery on their deceased mother’s birthday and Christmas each year. Even in their adult years, the girls respected Aunt Jenny’s wishes and avoided the slowly dying structure during their visits, sticking solely to the cemetery path. Constance shared Aunt Jenny’s steadfast condemnation of the home. After Aunt Jenny passed, Constance begged Abigail to continue avoiding the place. And Abigail had honored her request.

Until today. 

Now, only her will to walk up those softening wooden steps and through that door stood between Abigail and the answers she sought. Committing to the danger may bring her to the souls potentially waiting beyond the home’s threshold.

Placing one hand on the side of the house for balance, she raised her right foot over the bottom step. Abigail closed her eyes and gently lowered her leg, settling into the moment. She listened intently with her ears, then her mind. She drew deep breaths and waited for images of her mother to flood her thoughts, but none came.

Are you there?

Nothing.

Abigail opened her eyes and scanned the porch windows. The sheer curtains hung perfectly still in the porch shade. The two rocking chairs that once sat between those windows were long gone, removed years ago after Uncle Hank moved them out of the house.

That’s a good sign, she thought and relaxed her tense shoulders. She climbed the steps and approached the solid wood front door. She drew an old brass key from her front pocket and pressed it into the lock. The lock’s tumblers protested but eventually took the key in fits of resistance. Her fingers curled around the cool metal doorknob, and again, she closed her eyes and listened.

Please be here.

Abigail tottered on a narrow ledge between wanting silence and craving contact. Her mother appeared to her here once before. Perhaps she’d find her on the other side of the heavy door, beautiful in her waiting.

That’s ridiculous. You were a child, and your imagination amplified your experience.

Over the years, she’d grown leary of her memories from that time. With each passing day, the reality of this house grew more scrambled and untrustworthy as time eroded the accuracy of her recollection. 

There’s no denying what happened. The evidence of the haunting coats every element of your life. For God’s sake, look at what it did to your sister. You don’t get more real than that.

Even so, her mind harbored doubts. Now faced with full ownership of the house and a decision to sell or keep the property, she needed confirmation. She needed to know the truth before she sold their inheritance, their legacy, to some stranger.

Remember what Aunt Jenny said. This house is tainted. You can never live here again.

But if it wasn’t safe for her and Constance, how could it be safe for anyone? How could she sell it in good conscience?

And if it was safe for someone else, why couldn’t it be safe for them?

Abigail drew a shaky breath, took one brief glance over her shoulder to the empty yard behind her, and entered the Whispering House.

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Author’s Note

Welcome to the second novel in The Haunting of the Whispering House series! Technically, this is the third book, the first being the prequel novella Bury the Child and the second being the first novel in the series, Burn the Girls. You can find both stories in ebook format on Kindle Unlimited.

While you can read this story as a standalone novel, you'd have a much better read if you first read the earlier titles.

So what can you expect in this early access serial release? Well, paid subscribers get early access to the book while I write it! My process is quite simple. I write, my editor makes a first pass, I make major corrections, then I publish it here. That happens in for two or three chapters each week. Essentially, that is the partially polished product you'll find here in serial form.

How is this different from the printed version after the official release date? Well, after I release all the early serial chapters, I make another pass through the book with a fine-toothed comb before sending it to its second, and most critical proofreading. That process is rather thorough and results in another week of edits on my part. The final product from that final stage hits the streets September 20th as the official release. Pretty cool, huh?

So sit back and enjoy your early access to this book. I hope you enjoy the weekly chapters and please be vocal with your comments and feedback on each release. I love the interaction!

Respectfully,

Lucas