Wednesday, October 4, 2017

A Bath Time Surprise

          It was just another night in the old house on Lacy Road when everyone was just minding their own business and life seemed to carry on its merry way. Edna had decided that she would remove herself from the daily doings which consisted of the cooking, the putting away of food, and the tending to those things that just needed to be done be it by her or the kids. So, getting her things, she prepared to take a bath.

          The tub was an old Victorian cast iron style tub which had been framed in around the basin with plywood older than anyone in the house could lend a guess toward. Its spigot was nearly as ancient as the tub, with a small nozzle that shot the water out in a tight stream as it filled the large basin. Edna turned the knobs beginning with the hot water valve and tested it until it felt just the right temperature. She then turned on the cold, adjusting it until the warmth was consistent to her liking. Without further hesitation she climbed into the large basin; the immediate sting of hot water a welcome feeling to her skin as it would help to soak away the day’s troubles.

          She lay back, allowing the hot water to soothe her tired form. Edna’s hands searched blindly for the soap which had been sat on the side of the tub. She groped around trying to grasp the slippery bathing bar only for it to slip through her grip several times before she managed to accost it. The bath water had nearly reached the overflow drain when she sat up to turn off the water. For several moments she was at peace. It was just her, the lap of the water, and the muffled ambience from the rest of the house which was locked beyond the oaken portal that marked the entry between the kitchen and the bathroom… or so she thought. As she relaxed in the hot water, bathing and soaking away the weariness of the day, she allowed her eyes to rove over the bathroom. All the bathroom seemed in order, as her gaze wandered over the room. From the fixtures to the washing machine, and even the towel rack, nothing appeared out of place, save for the figure which now stood in the middle of the room. It was a gentleman from a bygone era who had made his appearance in the room before her. His dress was that of the Eighteenth Century evening attire, like one who had been in attendance at a party or formal dinner. The gentleman looked around as if Edna was nowhere in the room. Edna, on the other hand, reached for something of which she could use to cover her indecency, only to look up once more to find him no longer there.

          When she got out of the tub, she looked around, and save for a vivid memory of what or who she saw, there was no trace of anyone else ever having been in there but her… and the door was still locked…from the inside.

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