My Demon, My Love

Chapter 1

Windward House – Cornish Coast of England

Present Day

            Here are more intruders come to invade my home.  Why must they continue to torment me? I will easily frighten them away as I have all of the others. My work begins.

“What was that?”  Sierra turned back to the crew, startled by the thunderous crash.

            “Relax, it’s just Benny being clumsy, not the Windward Demon.”  Dave flipped his Texas Rangers cap around backward and bent to retrieve the fallen folding table.

            “Is any of the equipment damaged?”

            “No, it’s all still packed in the cases.  We just started the set-up.”

            With a grimace she said, “Okay, but be careful.  We’re a long way from home.  We can’t run back to Austin and pick up another camera.”

            “Just chill, Sierra.  The way you act you’d think we’re amateurs.  We’re the top rated paranormal show on the air.  We’ve been doing this for a couple of years, ya know.”

“We’ve never done a case with a documented demon.  This could be dangerous.  I need for you to act professionally on this one, no fooling around.”

“Aye, aye, Captain!” said Dave with a mock salute.

“I’m going to explore the place while we still have the daylight.” 

Her crew paid no attention to her.  She walked partway up the once grand staircase, avoiding the discarded tools left by frightened workmen in their hurry to escape. 

  A breathy sigh floated on the breeze from the broken windows.

Sierra cocked her head to one side, as if to listen.

At least this one is female and pleasant to watch with her long legs in tight pantaloons.  With that pale hair she resembles Mariana.  Turn around, sweeting, so that I may see your face.    Ah, how obliging of her, she turned just for me.  I cannot tell if her dark eyes are brown or black.  Her bosom is most fair, but why does she wear a garment with writing upon her chest?  What words are those, Spirit Stalkers?  

The sound of his own joyful laughter surprised him.  He had not laughed like that in many years. Tis a pity she cannot stay. I would enjoy her company.

Sierra leaned over the scarred banister.  “Hey, did one of you laugh just now?”

“No, ma’am,” called Dave.  “We’re at work.  We’re not allowed to laugh.”

Soft chuckling sounded from below.  “Yeah, right.”  She continued up the stairs, her lips twisted into grin.

If I can drive them away as easily as the workmen, I will be at peace this evening.  With great effort he hurled a large stone from the highest riser.  He watched as it crashed down several steps below the woman.

She shrieked and stared down at the melon sized rock that came from above her.

“Sierra, are you all right?  What happened?”  Dave ran to the staircase with Benny behind him.

‘Looks like we got the customary welcome to Windward.”  She bent to scan the stone electronically. 

“No energy readings, that’s odd. Something threw that thing from the top of the stairs.”  Sierra looked up at the top of the staircase.  “Nothing up there, no shadow, no movement. Okay, here I come, ready or not.”  She continued up the stairs.

Windward House – 1661

Dawn filled the chamber with a roseate glow.  Devon looked at his wife, peacefully asleep beside him.  Her fair hair fanned over the pillows.  He could not resist the urge to touch the silken strands.

So much had happened to them in their short time together.  They had spent most of their married life apart. He had been away fighting the roundheads.  Only when King Charles, newly restored to the throne, bestowed Windward House upon him, had he been able to give his wife a proper home.

Mariana stirred and opened her dark eyes.  She smiled at the sight of him.  “Devon,” she murmured, pulling him to her for a long and satisfying kiss.

“Good morning, my love.”  He moved over her to gently suckle her ample breasts.  “Motherhood agrees with you.”

She laughed deep in her throat.  “I am not a mother yet.  The babe won’t be born for five more months at least, according to the midwife.”  She arched her back to enjoy his attentions.

Devon ran his hands over her velvet skin careful of the growing mound of her belly.  His lips followed his hands as he tasted her rich warm flesh.  “I will miss you so much.”

She pouted.  “We are just settled into our home.  Why must you go to court now?”

He raised his head from his delightful task.  “I serve at the king’s pleasure.  When I am summoned I must go.”

She gripped his shoulders, stopping him, her expression serious.  “I have heard tales of the life at the king’s court.  Promise me, Devon, you will not succumb to their wild ways.  I don’t want to lose you. I love you.”

“You will never lose me, my love.  On my honor never will I love another in my lifetime.”

Mariana smiled at him.  “I will hold you to that pledge.” She pulled him down for another kiss.

When the kiss ended, Devon looked at her for a moment.  “How could I turn from the perfection of my only love?  Do not worry so.”

“Yes, but there will be beautiful women at court, well versed in the ways of seduction.  When you come home, you will find me an unattractive lump so round I will hardly be able to move.”

“In that case, I’ll hold you on my lap and kiss you senseless,” he said, with a quiet laugh.  “You will always be the most beautiful woman I have ever beheld, especially when you carry my son.”

“Oh, you are sure it is a son, are you? We haven’t even selected any names yet.  And what if I carry a daughter?”

“She will be as lovely as her mother and I will worship her.” He hugged her to him and held her fast.  “I must go to court, but I will return before our babe is born.” 

“You will be well cared for here.  We are near enough for your lady mother to visit as she wishes. When I return, you will tell me what name you have chosen for our child. ”

Mariana sighed as she nestled against her husband. 

“Yes, Mama will be here to help if I need her.  I won’t lack companionship. But it is you I want and you I will miss.”  She looked up at him.  “Do hurry back to me.  Do not stay one moment longer there than you must.”

“I will return to you as soon as I am released from court.”  He kissed her again and smelled the lavender scent of her hair.  “I vow we will be together for eternity.”

* * * * * * * *

 “Wait a minute, Sierra,” said Dave, “you want us to come with you?  How about a walkie in case you need help?”

“No.  Keep on with the prep work.  I just want to check things out before it gets dark.”

“Why are you so nervous?  I’ve never seen you like this.  What’s different about this case, besides the demon aspect?”

“I don’t know.  There’s just such sadness here, so much pain.  Can’t you feel it?”

“Oh so now you’re a psychic?”

She nudged his shoulder.  “Of course not, this is a significant case for us.  I’m anxious for it to go well.”

Dave shook his head and went back to his assigned task.  “Okay, just be careful!”

“I will.”  She reached the top and stood to look at the surroundings.  Light from mullioned windows with broken panes flowed to illuminate the hallway. 

The stone walls were black with mold.  She could smell the salty tang of the sea in the chilled air, mixed with the heavy layer of dust that covered every surface.

She heard movement behind her and turned.  There was nothing there.  “It must be my imagination,” she muttered.

 “GET OUT, SIEEERRRRAAAA!” 

The hoarse guttural voice was so loud it came from everywhere.

Surprised that she trembled, she took a couple of deep breaths.  “It’s just because I wasn’t expecting it, that’s all.”  She glanced in each direction.  There was nothing to be seen. Yet someone or something was there.  She heard the voice with her ears, without benefit of a recorder. 

“Is that the best you can do?” she asked.  “I’ve heard all the stories.  Where’s the apparition, the blood running down the walls?  So far, I’m not impressed.”

“Wait until tonight.”  The sibilant whisper sounded right behind her ear.

She spun expecting to see him.  Again there was no one within view.  “Is that a promise? I will hold you to it.  Go on, hit me with your best shot…”

After a moment of silence, she heard Dave and Benny coming up the stairs.

“We put the cameras up in the designated areas.  You want any changes to our original plan?”

“No, stick to what we decided.  I’ll check out the rest of the rooms up here.  The pictures we studied and the room plans were very clear.  But I’d like to see everything for myself.  There could be some priest holes in a house this old.”  She charged forward and inspected each of the rooms on the corridor until darkness loomed.

The demon watched her from his vantage point.   Curious lass, this one is a challenge.  Which of my tricks will send her screaming into the night?  She cannot stay. This is my home, mine!  No one else may occupy this house. She may look like my Mariana, but she is no different than any other trespasser.  She must go.

Sierra walked into the room that would serve as headquarters for their stay.

“Have fun?” asked Dave as he peered at the monitor. 

“You heard that voice, huh?”

“Honey, they probably heard it in London.”

She grabbed a water bottle and drank deeply.  “Whew that’s good.”  Moving behind Dave she looked at his monitor.  The individual cameras were set to display on it. 

She watched for a moment and then moved to one of the chairs.  “Looks fine,” she said.  “We’ll start out in a bit.  Just let me rest and get my bearings.”

“You want hand held recorders and mini-dvds?”

“Yeah, sounds good.  If he manifests, we’ll catch him on camera.  Dave, you and I will take the first shift.  Benny, you can watch the monitor.  Note anything unusual and mark the time.”

In the darkness, Windward became even more sinister.  Rain blew in from the sea on winds that shrieked their fury.  Sierra and Dave moved through the house, camera and recorders in full operation.

            “You know my name.  You called out to me earlier,” said Sierra.  “What’s your name?”  She waited for an answer.  “What’s the matter?  Don’t want to talk to me?”

“NO!”

“I heard that.” Dave chortled behind her.

“Come on.  Tell me who you are.  Why are you still here?”

Only silence followed her question.

Dave mumbled something.  “Damn,” he said.  “The camera battery has gone dead.  I put in a fresh one just before we started.  I’ll run get a new one.  Stay here.”

“Okay.”  She squinted in the weak glow of her flashlight to watch him leave the room.

Thunder rumbled as lightning lit up the sky outside the broken windows.  Something light as cobwebs brushed her back.  She turned quickly and scanned the area with the meager flashlight as the lightning waned.

“Is that you?  Did you just touch me?”

The flashlight flew from her hand and crashed against the wall, its light extinguished.  Sierra tensed in the darkness.

She felt something caress her face gently.  Startled, Sierra stepped back.  “Stop it,” she said.  “If you won’t talk, you don’t get to touch.” 

Low laughter, decidedly male, sounded near her, barely discernable over the sound of the wind. 

She stepped back again, only to bump into something.  As she spun to confront her assailant, arms went around her waist and pulled her to a hard body. 

“You’re no ghost,” she said as she pushed against him in an attempt to break free.

“I am known by many names.”  The rich baritone teased her ear.

“Who are you?”  Sierra stood in total darkness riveted in his arms.

“I am the one you seek.”

The body melted away from Sierra.  She could not hear his movement.  He simply was gone.

Footsteps sounded from the corridor.  Dave walked into the room. The light from his camera illuminated the area.  “I put in a fresh battery.  We’re ready to go.” 

“Did you see anybody else in the hall?”

“No, didn’t see anybody or hear anything except the thunder and the wind.”  He turned the camera on her, lighting her face with its lamp.  “Are you okay?”

“I had a personal experience,” she said.  “Let’s film an interview about it.  You ready?”

“Yeah, go ahead.”

Briefly she detailed the loss of her flashlight and how she had been held by phantom arms. 

“I couldn’t see or hear him except when he spoke.  But he felt solid, like he was real.  I asked his name, but he wouldn’t say.”

“CALL ME DEMON!” the voice reverberated throughout the room, echoing off the walls, followed by mocking laughter.

“That’s it,” said Dave.  He shut off the camera and grabbed her arm.  “Let’s go.”

They didn’t stop until they reached the main entry hall where the monitors were set.

Sierra sank into a folding chair and tried to slow her breath.

            “Are you sure you’re okay?” Dave looked at her with a concerned frown.

            She nodded.  “I’m fine, just give me a minute.”

Dave sat and reviewed the footage.  “Look at this.  You can see the flashlight fly across the room. How cool is that?  ”

Benny watched over his shoulder.  “That’s good stuff.  I bet we get lots of footage here.”

Sierra started to rise.  “I need to get back up there.”

“Oh no, you don’t.”  Dave put his hand on her shoulder.  “Stay here and regroup for awhile.  We haven’t filmed the interview about the history of this place.  We can do that now.”

“You may be my older brother, but I run this team.  I don’t want to lose contact with the entity.”

“You’re not going to lose contact.  People have been dealing with this thing for years.  He’s not going anywhere.”

She sat there for a minute. 

“You’re right.  I need to be professional and not get too excited.”  Pulling her ponytail tight, she smoothed down its length.  “Do I look okay?”

He gave her the thumbs up sign.  “Whenever you’re ready.”

She nodded and stood, moving to stand before the windows.  Lightning flashed outside, creating the perfect atmosphere to record in a haunted house.

“We’re here at Windward House on the Cornish coast of England.  Built in 1643, the local people have long said it is haunted.  It was last occupied during World War II when the military camped on its grounds.  Since then, no one has been able to stay within its walls more than a night.”  She walked to the table containing the equipment, using the monitors as a backdrop.

“Last year, the current owner, British film star Conal Winston, decided to restore Windward House.  He worked with architects and arranged for workmen to begin renovation.  The workmen did not stay for a single day.  Something frightened them so badly they fled and left their tools.  The men refused to come back.”  She gestured to the array of dusty tools still there against the walls. 

Dave focused the camera back on Sierra’s face.

“Two different teams of paranormal researchers were called in to investigate.  They decided it was a demon haunting the property.  The Church agreed and performed an exorcism.”     Sierra paused.  “The entity is still here within the walls of this old house in spite of all efforts to drive him out.  We learned that today, as you will see in subsequent footage.”

“And cut,” said Dave.  “Nice job.”
She sat down once more and grabbed her water bottle.  “Now all we have to do is find him and get him to leave.”