FEAR

Chapter Thirteen

Chapter 13

                We decide to stop off at one of the local diners in town after going to visit Lorraine. The town was nothing special; it had all your various shops that you would expect for a local town such as the finest butchers, hairdressers, diners, and a local grocery store. I had only been away from this town nearly a month, but it felt like I had been gone much longer than that. I never expected to come back here when I moved away to Louisiana, especially this soon.

“What are you going to eat then Abigail?”

Abigail looks down at the menu on the table, her eyes gazing at all the appetising pictures of the food. “That one!” she says pointing down in excitement. “A succulent and delicious Southern Fried Chicken Burger with chips, please daddy.”

“Looks like someone’s hungry then,” I chuckle, admittedly thinking of getting the same thing as I could begin to hear my stomach growling as I read the menu. “It’s good to see that you have got your appetite back Abigail.”

Abigail nods and smiles. “Can we get desert after as well daddy? They have cherry pancakes, my favourite.” She says licking her lips.

“Anything you want princess.”

After ordering the food which could serve about a dozen people, it finally arrives, covering nearly all the table. Two huge chicken burgers, two portions of chips, two milkshakes, a side order of nachos, and some cherry pancakes for deserts. I had not had an appetite like this in a long time. It was great to see Abigail enjoying herself, as she tucks into her food, watching her eyes glitter at the sheer sight of the cherry pancakes arriving to the table.

“Are you enjoying that Abigail?”

Abigail nods as she stuffs the cherry pancakes into her mouth. “Delicious!” she tries to say, but there was too much food in her mouth to completely understand her.

“That’s good. Abigail, I was thinking about going back up to Louisiana tomorrow but finding a different house.  We have so much going for us up there. We’ve still got my job, your new school, and a future for us both. I can put the new house up on the market, and in the mean time we can lodge somewhere. Everything’s going to be okay now Abigail.”

“Okay Daddy, but what if everything is not going to be okay? What if Samantha has not really gone.”

“She is gone Abigail, so we need to put what-ever happened behind us. There is nothing to worry about anymore Abigail.”

“What about Uncle Jamie daddy?” her voice quietening.

“What about Uncle Jamie?”

“Did you not see him earlier daddy? He seemed really strange. What if Samantha has gotten to Uncle Jamie? She could hurt Aunty Julie too.”

“Abigail, there is nothing to worry about. Uncle Jamie was just not feeling well today, I spoke to him and he seems fine. He was just a little tired, that’s all. There is nothing to worry about. Okay Abigail?”

Abigail goes to open her mouth to speak, but reluctantly closes her lips and nods. Abigail was right though. There was something unusual about Jamie when I looked into his eyes. Perhaps he really was just tired and in a few days he would be back to normal. But in the back of my mind, there was something telling me that perhaps there was something more sinister that was happening.

“Daddy...” Abigail says to me, her voice quietening as her eyes looked straight past me.

“What’s wrong Abigail?”

“Daddy, why is that man over there staring at me?”

“What man?” I say to her, as I turn my head around slowly to look behind me, to find that there is no one there. I turn my head back to her. “There’s no one there Abigail?”