Chapter 43

In Wenham, they unloaded their finds from the trunk of the car. Mary checked each one, but found nothing directly related to Rebecca. She recognized some iron artifacts.

“These I saw when they Rebecca moved to the house,” she said. “It astounds me to see them again after so many centuries.”

“Clean them up and they’ll be almost like new,” Gail said.

“I believe so.”

“Nothing belonging to Rebecca?” Marjorie asked.

Mary shook her head. “I see nothing.”

“What do we do?” Frank asked.

“Continue to look. If we find nothing, we will work without it.”

At the site of her old house, Rebecca stood and studied the ground, noting the areas that were dug, and the soil replaced.

She wondered aloud, “What were you doing here?”

Though she could see them dig and remove things, she had been too far away to see what they were taking. They carried away what they found, and it made no sense. It was junk, worthless garbage left from what was once her cheerful home. What did they want with it?

Rebecca also noticed the girl who carried some kind of machine. She was the distant relative with Mary and Marjorie Cloyce, months ago, but was not present for the standoff.

She and the man were off hunting the one who called herself Davina. That had not ended well for Davina. Although she didn’t know what happened, she never saw her ally again and could only assume the worst. It told her the girl with the machine was powerful, and that made her a threat.

Davina had considerable skills and abilities. It was why Rebecca enlisted her aid. But the girl apparently was stronger. How did one so young come to know so much?

She had to eliminate her. She should have gotten rid of her months before, rather than concern herself with the boy. Trying to get him cost her the fight, but she knew a war was never over until the last battle. And it was coming. It could happen soon.

They were here, on her ground. The advantage with her, Rebecca Collins. She could not lose this time. They would pay for what they did.

She looked at the ground again, noticing the places it had been dug and the soil replaced. It was all rusted junk. Once upon a time it mattered to her, but in this new age of wonders it meant nothing.

Rebecca shook her head, speculating how the Collins girl, her distant relative, found the things. Did the machine, or device, she used tell her? How could that be?

She tried to put it out of her mind. There were many things in this 21st Century she did not understand, and probably never would. Mary Bradbury and her friend, Marjorie Cloyce, adapted well to the new time. She thought herself incapable of assimilating, though she had never tried.

The 21st Century was just too different. The men were weak, many fat and soft, lacking the toughness and resolve of those who lived in her day. She could say the same about the women. Three centuries was a long time, and she felt the passage of years had done no favors for those who came after her.

As she watched people in other towns, after being driven away by Mary and her accomplices, the amount of complaining she heard appalled her. No one seemed happy with their lot, yet none appeared to exert any effort to improve themselves. They wanted it given to them.

“This is what we spawned,” she sighed. “Our ancestors have become pampered and spoiled.”

Not one of them would last a week in her time. None were capable of the hard labor needed to build a home, or work a field. If Indians were to attack, they would fall to their knees and allow themselves to be slaughtered.

Yet, there were also many strange and marvelous creations in this 21st Century–things she could never have imagined. It meant the minds in those soft bodies were active. They created wonders, buildings that reached to the sky, and machines that flew like birds. There were horseless wagons which could go faster than the wind. It was too much for her to absorb.

She wandered across the space where her home once sat. They had not taken everything, or even dug all the trash. Much remained beneath her feet. Would they return tomorrow to finish? If they did, she wanted to have a surprise ready for them. Now, she had to think what it would be.

Going to the store had failed, and she wished now she had tried again. As Hester Prince, she hoped to talk to Mary and make her understand that the Rebecca everyone thought was insane was no more. The being no longer possessed her, or she thought it gone. Now she was more able to see and realize the horrible things she had done.

Some of the things she did were right when she did them. Killing the men was good. Her last venture, trying to destroy the Collins family, was understandable. The family should not live on, carrying the same tainted blood that once flowed through her uncle’s veins.

The attempt failed. It not only failed, it failed in such a drastic manner that the thing inside her had to leave, and all because of a little healing witch, another who possessed surprising power, and a young girl whose abilities were still growing. They were too much for her, and too much for the one inside her. It abandoned her, and she was grateful it left, but also upset at its leaving. After all the centuries, she had grown accustomed to its presence, its guidance, and its vast knowledge.

What could she do if they returned? Should she just appear before them and try to apologize for attempting to murder them, saying she was not responsible? Mary already knew a spirit possessed her, and she knew the sordid details of how it happened.

Rather than think about what to do, Rebecca waited. First, she had to know why they were there. It wasn’t to dig up old, rusted junk. She stared at the ground, shook her head, and wandered into the forest. The woods had become her home. She could no longer imagine herself living in a house. She needed the freedom of the forests and fields.

“What is this thing?” Gail asked, hefting what appeared to be a pipe, with another pipe connected to it at a 90-degree angle two inches from the end.

“An andiron,” Marjorie said. “For the fireplace. It holds the logs up, so they burn better with less smoke. There should be another one. It’s probably still out there.”

“I have to get it cleaned up. It’s big,” Gail said.

“The fireplace was large,” Mary said. “You could almost walk into it.”

They inspected the other finds, and Mary was right. All were items already in the house when Rebecca moved in.

“She brought little with her,” Mary said. “Yet, I have hope we can find something.”

“If it’s metal, we might find it,” Gail said. “There’s a lot still out there.”

“So we’re going back in tomorrow?” Frank asked.

“We are,” Mary said. “And the day after if we must.”

“I was just thinking,” Frank said. “We should find a restaurant before they all close.”

“Good idea,” Mary agreed. “We’ve done all we can today.”

The restaurant was nearby, as are most places in the town of Wenham. When they finished dinner, they relaxed over coffee before returning to their rooms. The artifacts were right where they left them, but only Gail seemed interested.

“When we get back home, I’ll clean them up and check out the antique shops,” she said, looking at Frank. “I bet I can sell them.”

“I’m sure you can,” he said. “People like antiques, and these things are old.”

Marjorie smiled. “I wish I knew back then that it would be valuable. I’d have hidden some and been rich today.”

“It was all around us, and we never knew,” Mary nodded and looked at Gail. “There might be enough for you to open your own antique shop.”

Gail shook her head. “Not if it means I’d have to leave The Healing Witch. I love working with you. You’re the family I always wanted.”

“There has to be a lot more buried where Danielsford used to be,” Marjorie said.

“I’m sure of it,” Mary said. “First, we must focus on Rebecca and how we can help her be at peace.”

“I’ve got a question,” Gail said. “Do we even know she’s here? I thought you sent her back to hell, or wherever she came from.”

“I don’t know if she’s there,” Mary said. “We must make plans in case she is and comes for us, or challenges us.”

“That’s why you want something personal,” Gail nodded.

“Yes,” Mary said. “And it’s why you can continue using your machine to look.”

In the morning, they were out early. All grabbed a cup of coffee at a small convenience store, and they were on their way. Hiking in was quicker than the day before, and they arrived at the site of Danielsford in about half an hour.

“We can look this over later,” Mary said. “Now, I want to get to Rebecca’s.”

The others accepted her suggestion, and they began the short hike to the place Rebecca Collins’ house once sat. Minutes before arriving, Mary and Marjorie halted.

“She’s here,” Marjorie said.

Mary nodded. “Close by.”

“What do we do?” Frank asked. He glanced around, trying to peer through the thick brush.

“Hush,” Mary said. “She is close but not near to us.”

Marjorie nodded and looked around.

“Do we keep going?” Gail asked.

Mary hesitated for a second. “I think it wise to return to Danielsford. We must have a plan.”

“It’s a trap?” Frank asked.

“I don’t know,” Marjorie said. “It’s better to play it safe.”

Out of sight, Rebecca waited. When Mary and her friends retreated, a smile crossed her face.

“You know,” she said aloud. “Very good.”

When they left, she stood and sighed. Would they forgive her? Mary Bradbury, she thought, might. She was less sure about the others.

No, she thought. Why apologize for something she did not do? The shadow man who took her and possessed her mind did the deeds. She was but a puppet, not in control of her body.

What, she wondered, were Mary and the others up to? Why did they come back? She could think of only one reason. They were there to harm her for the things that happened and the people who died.

“Well,” she said aloud, “it shall not happen. You are in my home now. It will be different.”

Her mind began racing. Thoughts ricocheted through her head, coming to the front for a moment and disappearing just as fast. Rebecca could not focus. She put her hands to her head and squeezed, trying to slow them down. After a minute, she sank to the ground, unconscious.

Mary and Marjorie stopped. They looked around.

“She’s gone,” Mary said.

Marjorie nodded. “I don’t sense her now.”

“I didn’t feel anything,” Gail told them.

“What do we do?” Frank asked.

“Go on to Danielsford and, I don’t know, make plans just in case,” Mary said.

“We don’t know what she’ll do,” Marjorie added. “So we have to be ready for anything.”

“And anything can be?” Frank asked.

“It can be anything,” Marjorie answered. “She has tremendous power. No need to reiterate that.”

“We’re powerful, too,” Gail said.

“Come on,” Mary ordered. “Let’s get back. You can use your machine there. It was a town. There should be a lot to find. Then we shall devise a plan to deal with Rebecca, if need be.”

Frank glanced around, trying to see through the low, thick brush. In some places, Rebecca Collins could be hiding within arm’s length, and they would not see her. What also bothered him was that Rebecca seemed able to shield herself, preventing Mary from sensing her presence.

He didn’t mention his concerns to Mary. By all appearances, she didn’t appear worried. But it bothered him.