The Richmond Haunting (COMPLETED)

Chapter 1:

'I beg your pardon?' Fiona asked, her face looking stern.

'Nothing.'

'It's what I thought; now I want you both up.'

She left the girl's bedroom with a pile of dirty laundry and went into the kitchen. Steven was there. Fiona could see him wrapping the plates like Christmas presents and putting them into boxes.

'I thought you'd be finished by now.' She said, looking around to see boxes everywhere.

'Not yet. Are the girls up?'

Putting the dirty laundry into the washing machine, Fiona turned around and said no.

'Maybe you should try getting them up.'

'And where have I got the time? Steven blurted out. I'm up to my neck doing this.' His hand came down to the boxes.

'I don't know, but you could have made a gangway. I can't get moving.'

Steven looked over at the boxes and saw his wife had a point. They were everywhere. You really couldn't move; unless you held your stomach in. And Fiona, being petite, never one to put weight on - did have a point.

'They won't be in your way for long.'

'Let's hope not.' Fiona said, making Steven pause.

'Right, do you want me to stop what I'm doing and move the boxes out of your way?'

'No, it's fine, you just carry on.'

As you can guess, the stress of moving into the new home wasn't a good place to be, and the girls didn't help.

They had begun to argue.

Fiona could hear them, their voices like bicycle brakes, screeching.

'Why you being like this?'

'Like what?'

'You know what?'

'No, I don't. That's why I'm asking.'

'Oh, for Pete's sake.' Fiona said. And she went out into the hallway.

'Can you twos put a sock in it?'

No reply and she thought good - but the stress of moving out was making her head feel bad.

Steven saw it as she came back into the kitchen.

'What's up with you?'

'Do we have any aspirins?'

'What do you want an aspirin for?'

'Um, to paint the bedroom, of course?'

'Don't be sarcastic; I was only asking.'

'Well, don't ask stupid questions then; I need them because my head's banging.'

'You need to relax and take it easy.'

Fiona threw her hands in the air.

'How I'm I supposed to relax with those two still arguing?'

And she was right. After two minutes of silence, the argument started up again.

'Will, you stop playing up.'

'I'm not playing up.'

'Yes, you are, and you know you are.'

'See what I mean.' Fiona said, gesturing her hand to the wall where she could hear the argument from the girl's bedroom.

'I don't know. Go for a walk around the block; it might help.'

'No, I'm fine; I just need two minutes of quiet, that's all.'