~BBW, ~MWG, paranormal, intrigue - A long, cold winter in a house with some restless, hungry spirits
Author's note: This one goes out to the state of Minnesota, which is a wonderful and creepy place.
Chapter 1
A pair of cross-country skiers glided slowly over the landscape. They grabbed the eye easily, being the only moving objects in the otherwise frozen white field. Their wide, awkward stridesfor they were skate-skiing, like proper Minnesotanswere thoroughly mesmerizing.
Raleigh, who was new to Minnesota, watched them and shivered. Just amazing, she said, her breath billowing in the crisp air. I cant believe all this snow. We arent even halfway through November.
The whole world had been whitewashed. White ground, white roads, white skin the only outliers were the dark, twisted limbs of trees and Raleighs red scarf. A stiff wind blew in from the prairie with a grim howl and it seemed to Raleigh that she had entered a land of the dead.
Isnt it beautiful? replied Ms. Magnussen, her new landlady. And believe me, Raleigh, winter hasnt even started with us yet. The rotund old woman smiled knowingly and peered up at the grey sky. Heck, its still warm enough to snow.
Raleighs mind struggled with that statement. She pulled her scarf tighter. Warm. Youre saying it gets colder than this?
Oh ya, you betcha.
Raleigh frowned, already regretting having left the west coast. She stared out at the frozen wasteland before her and wondered how much more frozen it could possibly get. The skiers had disappeared; presumably they had been eaten by a yeti.
Ms. Magnussen continued: Now, in the summer theres a fitness trail going around the lake. And as you can see they groom it up for skiing in the winter.
What lake? Raleigh gaped, folding her bundled arms. There was nothing in sight but snow and dead trees.
Lake Porte. The shore comes up right by that signpost across the street. Beautiful beach in the summer.
Raleigh squinted at the signpost. Beach, she murmured.
But ya dont want to go out there in a bikini this time of year, no, haha.
No, probably not the best time for a swim.
Oh ya, fer sure. All frozen solid. Good for skating, though. Do ya skate?
Raleigh shivered in reply. Her peacoat was fashionable but rapidly becoming insufficient.
Ms. Magnussen smiled at her, overflowing with Midwestern goodwill. Now sure, youre not used to the cold, but I know youll be just fine. And the house is plenty warm on the inside, even old as she is. She turned to glance up at the house. It had been an inn back in the mid-nineteenth century and still looked the part: snow-covered stagecoach wheels greeted guests on the walk up.
It had a gloom to it, though, like a lonely widow missing her lover. Long shadows hung under the eaves.
Im sure Ill be fine, Ms. Magnussen, Raleigh sighed. But Im starting to understand why so many animals hibernate through winter.
Oh ya. But ya need a layer of fat on ya to hibernate, doncha know?
The diligently slender young woman winced. She had only been in Minnesota for a week and already regretted applying for the internship. She also definitely regretted signing up to live in a rotting old shanty in the woods instead of an insulated downtown apartment.
Besides, the landlady continued, the ghost wouldnt let ya sleep for that long anyway.
Raleigh glared at her, aghast, shivering even more violently.
Its a joke, dear! My goodness. Heck, you should see your face! Oh, fer cute. Come on inside and well get you warm and settled before I have to leave.
The house was indeed quite warm in comparison. As soon as Ms. Magnussen had shut the heavy glass door and turned on the lights Raleighs shivering ceased.
Everything in the house seemed to promote warmth. Yellowish incandescent bulbs illuminated curtained walls, a huge, fluffy couch piled with blankets, a rack of down-stuffed winter coats, and wood-paneled walls reminiscent of a Scandinavian sauna.
Ms. Magnussen didnt stay long. She helped Raleigh bring her bags inside and went over a few details of their agreement, prattling along happily. But when Raleigh began poking her head around the various corners of the house the landlady grew quietly anxious. When Raleigh pulled open the door to the basement, Ms. Magnussen cleared her throat and announced that she was leaving.
The landlady uncovered a plate of cookies on the kitchen table before she departed and wished Raleigh well. Her Midwestern cheer persisted as she hugged her new tenant and trudged back out into the cold, but Raleigh noticed a nervousness beneath it.
Raleigh watched Ms. Magnussens SUV rumble out of the driveway and disappear down the farm road into the woods. She munched on a cookie as the last of the sun set and shuddered as darkness surrounded the lonely old house.
Cold as fuck, she hissed into her phone a few minutes later. I thought it was like a stereotype or something, but it is seriously an arctic wilderness up here.
She stomped around the house while she unloaded her complaints, the old floorboards creaking. Augh. Its so old its not even quaint just creepy as shit. The floor makes all this noise every time I take a step. I know, right? Im not heavy enough that any floor should even notice me.
Pondering this, she made her way to the bathroom while the voice on the other end responded. She rifled through a bag until she found her scale.
Yeah. And shes like, the ghostll keep you awake, haha, like thats an okay thing to say to someone moving into your house. Raleigh shook her head at the thought and set the scale down. She paused to look out the bathroom window. Yeah, terrifying. I mean, Im looking out the window right now and theres seriously nothing to see but snow and trees. And its the same thing in every window. Im in a creepy old house out in the middle of a forest at night and she tells me about a ghost. A fucking ghost.
No, she lives in town with her family. Just owns this place and rents it out to poor, unsuspecting young women, apparently. Yep. All alone in a haunted fucking house.
She stepped onto the scale. It blinked 145 at her in happy, flashing numerals. Oh, fuck me. What? Oh, sorry, I just found my scale. Ive put on like ten pounds since I left home. Ugh. Everything about this internship sucks and its only been a week. Her tall, slender body showed no evidence of the added mass, but the number weighed on her mind.
She stormed out of the bathroom. Yeah, youre right. Yeah. Ill go do something. Stay active; keep my mind off it. Sure. Talk to you soon.
The phone call terminated, Raleigh threw the phone onto the giant couch, made her way into the kitchen, and spent a few minutes banging her head on the table.
That task complete, she resolved to do something more active, as she had promised her friend. She located her exercise mat, spread it out on the floor of the living room, and sat down on it with a heavy sigh.
She stared out the window. Snow had begun falling and she could see it accumulating on the windowsills, barricading her inside. Twisted, bare tree branches waved in the wind. They waved almost purposefully, as if trying to point somewhere, but the only thing in that direction was the kitchen.
Raleigh shook her head. Yeah, this isnt gonna happen tonight, she announced to herself. I am in no mood for situps.
She climbed to her feet and left the room, her lanky body echoing the windblown tree limbs outside. The plate of cookies awaited her in the kitchen and she chomped down on one.
The floor creaked. She turned around, eyes wideshe hadnt moved her feet and the creak had come from somewhere else in the house. She stood frozen, listening.
Hearing nothing further, she shook her head at herself and bit into the cookie again. Another creak sounded, longer and louder and so much like the creaks of her own footfalls she yelped and dropped the cookie.
The sound faded, leaving only the wind. Raleigh exhaled slowly.
Its gonna be a long winter.
Author's note: This one goes out to the state of Minnesota, which is a wonderful and creepy place.
Phantom Gains
a ghost story
by Marlow
Chapter 1
A pair of cross-country skiers glided slowly over the landscape. They grabbed the eye easily, being the only moving objects in the otherwise frozen white field. Their wide, awkward stridesfor they were skate-skiing, like proper Minnesotanswere thoroughly mesmerizing.
Raleigh, who was new to Minnesota, watched them and shivered. Just amazing, she said, her breath billowing in the crisp air. I cant believe all this snow. We arent even halfway through November.
The whole world had been whitewashed. White ground, white roads, white skin the only outliers were the dark, twisted limbs of trees and Raleighs red scarf. A stiff wind blew in from the prairie with a grim howl and it seemed to Raleigh that she had entered a land of the dead.
Isnt it beautiful? replied Ms. Magnussen, her new landlady. And believe me, Raleigh, winter hasnt even started with us yet. The rotund old woman smiled knowingly and peered up at the grey sky. Heck, its still warm enough to snow.
Raleighs mind struggled with that statement. She pulled her scarf tighter. Warm. Youre saying it gets colder than this?
Oh ya, you betcha.
Raleigh frowned, already regretting having left the west coast. She stared out at the frozen wasteland before her and wondered how much more frozen it could possibly get. The skiers had disappeared; presumably they had been eaten by a yeti.
Ms. Magnussen continued: Now, in the summer theres a fitness trail going around the lake. And as you can see they groom it up for skiing in the winter.
What lake? Raleigh gaped, folding her bundled arms. There was nothing in sight but snow and dead trees.
Lake Porte. The shore comes up right by that signpost across the street. Beautiful beach in the summer.
Raleigh squinted at the signpost. Beach, she murmured.
But ya dont want to go out there in a bikini this time of year, no, haha.
No, probably not the best time for a swim.
Oh ya, fer sure. All frozen solid. Good for skating, though. Do ya skate?
Raleigh shivered in reply. Her peacoat was fashionable but rapidly becoming insufficient.
Ms. Magnussen smiled at her, overflowing with Midwestern goodwill. Now sure, youre not used to the cold, but I know youll be just fine. And the house is plenty warm on the inside, even old as she is. She turned to glance up at the house. It had been an inn back in the mid-nineteenth century and still looked the part: snow-covered stagecoach wheels greeted guests on the walk up.
It had a gloom to it, though, like a lonely widow missing her lover. Long shadows hung under the eaves.
Im sure Ill be fine, Ms. Magnussen, Raleigh sighed. But Im starting to understand why so many animals hibernate through winter.
Oh ya. But ya need a layer of fat on ya to hibernate, doncha know?
The diligently slender young woman winced. She had only been in Minnesota for a week and already regretted applying for the internship. She also definitely regretted signing up to live in a rotting old shanty in the woods instead of an insulated downtown apartment.
Besides, the landlady continued, the ghost wouldnt let ya sleep for that long anyway.
Raleigh glared at her, aghast, shivering even more violently.
Its a joke, dear! My goodness. Heck, you should see your face! Oh, fer cute. Come on inside and well get you warm and settled before I have to leave.
The house was indeed quite warm in comparison. As soon as Ms. Magnussen had shut the heavy glass door and turned on the lights Raleighs shivering ceased.
Everything in the house seemed to promote warmth. Yellowish incandescent bulbs illuminated curtained walls, a huge, fluffy couch piled with blankets, a rack of down-stuffed winter coats, and wood-paneled walls reminiscent of a Scandinavian sauna.
Ms. Magnussen didnt stay long. She helped Raleigh bring her bags inside and went over a few details of their agreement, prattling along happily. But when Raleigh began poking her head around the various corners of the house the landlady grew quietly anxious. When Raleigh pulled open the door to the basement, Ms. Magnussen cleared her throat and announced that she was leaving.
The landlady uncovered a plate of cookies on the kitchen table before she departed and wished Raleigh well. Her Midwestern cheer persisted as she hugged her new tenant and trudged back out into the cold, but Raleigh noticed a nervousness beneath it.
Raleigh watched Ms. Magnussens SUV rumble out of the driveway and disappear down the farm road into the woods. She munched on a cookie as the last of the sun set and shuddered as darkness surrounded the lonely old house.
Cold as fuck, she hissed into her phone a few minutes later. I thought it was like a stereotype or something, but it is seriously an arctic wilderness up here.
She stomped around the house while she unloaded her complaints, the old floorboards creaking. Augh. Its so old its not even quaint just creepy as shit. The floor makes all this noise every time I take a step. I know, right? Im not heavy enough that any floor should even notice me.
Pondering this, she made her way to the bathroom while the voice on the other end responded. She rifled through a bag until she found her scale.
Yeah. And shes like, the ghostll keep you awake, haha, like thats an okay thing to say to someone moving into your house. Raleigh shook her head at the thought and set the scale down. She paused to look out the bathroom window. Yeah, terrifying. I mean, Im looking out the window right now and theres seriously nothing to see but snow and trees. And its the same thing in every window. Im in a creepy old house out in the middle of a forest at night and she tells me about a ghost. A fucking ghost.
No, she lives in town with her family. Just owns this place and rents it out to poor, unsuspecting young women, apparently. Yep. All alone in a haunted fucking house.
She stepped onto the scale. It blinked 145 at her in happy, flashing numerals. Oh, fuck me. What? Oh, sorry, I just found my scale. Ive put on like ten pounds since I left home. Ugh. Everything about this internship sucks and its only been a week. Her tall, slender body showed no evidence of the added mass, but the number weighed on her mind.
She stormed out of the bathroom. Yeah, youre right. Yeah. Ill go do something. Stay active; keep my mind off it. Sure. Talk to you soon.
The phone call terminated, Raleigh threw the phone onto the giant couch, made her way into the kitchen, and spent a few minutes banging her head on the table.
That task complete, she resolved to do something more active, as she had promised her friend. She located her exercise mat, spread it out on the floor of the living room, and sat down on it with a heavy sigh.
She stared out the window. Snow had begun falling and she could see it accumulating on the windowsills, barricading her inside. Twisted, bare tree branches waved in the wind. They waved almost purposefully, as if trying to point somewhere, but the only thing in that direction was the kitchen.
Raleigh shook her head. Yeah, this isnt gonna happen tonight, she announced to herself. I am in no mood for situps.
She climbed to her feet and left the room, her lanky body echoing the windblown tree limbs outside. The plate of cookies awaited her in the kitchen and she chomped down on one.
The floor creaked. She turned around, eyes wideshe hadnt moved her feet and the creak had come from somewhere else in the house. She stood frozen, listening.
Hearing nothing further, she shook her head at herself and bit into the cookie again. Another creak sounded, longer and louder and so much like the creaks of her own footfalls she yelped and dropped the cookie.
The sound faded, leaving only the wind. Raleigh exhaled slowly.
Its gonna be a long winter.
