Resting in Peace

                The newspapers on the coffee table rustled as a breeze blew through the living room. The fluttering caught the corner of Dan’s eye. He looked around the room for the source of the breeze but there was nothing to make the papers flitter. He looked toward the front windows of the small house and verified they were shut tight. Dan sat back on the small living room sofa. He was trying to relax, but there had been a lot of strange goings on in his small house lately. These strange occurrences were starting to get on his nerves. He glanced suspiciously at the newspapers again and they were motionless.

                Dan heard the kitchen cabinets opening and closing by themselves the previous day. When he hurried into the kitchen to investigate there was nothing. There were also the issues with the trudging footsteps down the hallways, the creaking of the bedroom window that sounded like someone was trying to open it and the odd voices Dan could hear every so often. He was getting terribly annoyed. He had lived in this small house for as long as he could recall and there had never been a troubling sound. It was a nice quiet place normally.

                He hadn’t gotten a decent night’s sleep since the noises started. He rubbed his face and yawned loudly. He leaned forward on the small sofa and stretched his arms wide to his sides. He arched his neck and rolled his head back and forth across his shoulders. He looked up at the ceiling and sighed. He cracked his knuckles loudly.  He sat quietly watching the dust motes float across the rays of the setting sun dappled room. He considered he was just overreacting to the strange noises in the house. It was an old house and old houses make noises.

                His momentary peace was interrupted by a scream. A blood curdling scream from nowhere. It made Dan jump from the sofa and stand up in the middle of the room. The newspapers on the coffee table were swept aside by an unseen hand and they spun like Maple tree seeds to the hardwood floors. Dan stepped to his right instinctively out of fear. He heard hard footfalls on the floors that seemed to head down the hallway. The bedroom door slammed shut. Dan jumped and backed himself up against the wall. He was terrified.

                He seemed to stand there against the wall for a long time. He was waiting for whatever it was that scared him to just go away. He felt silly, thinking that if he just ignored it perhaps it would go away. It wasn’t like there was a school bully trying to take his lunch money. There was something definitely in his small house and he didn’t know what it was. His terror slowly ebbed as he tried to catch his breath. He was able to move and slide his way along the walls toward the kitchen. He wanted to get a flashlight. A flashlight seemed like something he would need and he just wanted it.  As he felt his way along the cabinets he heard a voice, a clear voice saying something.

                “Dan, Dan Estevez? Is that you? Are you with us,” asked a loud male voice.

                Dan ran from the kitchen back toward the living room. The newspapers had been picked up off the floor and were back on the coffee table. On top of the newspapers was a lit candle in a candle holder. The small flame flickering faintly in the darkening room.

                “Mr. Estevez, please communicate with us,” said the same loud male voice, “let us know that you are here.”

                Dan heard more shuffling footsteps around him and could make out small blinking green and red lights along the wall toward the hallway closet. He started to move toward the blinking lights.

                “Dude, I’ve got movement! Movement,” shouted an excited voice from the darkness.

                Dan jumped backwards back against the wall. He felt like he couldn’t breathe. He felt his throat was closing up. His mouth was dry but he had to speak. “What is going on”, he yelled into the candle lit room.

                “Dude, did you hear that! It said, ‘I’m going to kill you all!!’ Holy shit bro”, exclaimed the male voice.

                There were more excited footfalls in the small living room. Dan saw his sofa slide backwards slightly without anyone touching it. Dan gasped. The room seemed to be filled with electricity and too much activity. Dan just wanted to get out, he just wanted to get back to his peace and quiet.

                “Please go away,” pleaded Dan as he pounded the wall behind him.

                The room filled with excited shouting and Dan cowered against the wall. He felt weak. He didn’t want whatever was happening to continue. Nighttime had filled the small living room and the flickering candle seemed to illuminate disembodied faces and bodies moving back and forth across the floor.

                “Dude! The spirit communicator just said, ‘I want to play’,” said another strange voice.

                Dan ran from the front room toward his bedroom and dove onto his bed and pulled the covers up over his head. He felt like he wanted to cry. He just wanted his peace and quiet.

                “Oh my God Bro! We got that! We got that on video bro,” said another excited voice.

                The night wore on and Dan continued to hear footsteps and loud voices all through his house. The voices kept asking to speak with him, to show himself. Dan stayed in his bed. He prayed it would all be over soon. He felt himself get lighter as morning started to creep closer. He closed his eyes and vanished into his dreams.  His dreams of his youth when he was strong and brave. When he had been alive.