The Richmond Haunting (COMPLETED)

Chapter 10:

After what Gary had told the Berman family (me) on November the 14th, Katrina was in the bathroom on the toilet — when she felt a hand tickling her bum.

Terrified, Katrina had jumped away from the toilet. And to her own horror. She saw an old man, naked and thin, floating in the water, giggling. Pale as the moon.

'Mum! Dad! You have to see this; there's a man in the toilet!'

These were the words; Katrina spurted out as she came running downstairs into the front room.

Steven, watching telly, nursing his toothache with his hand up against his face, turned away from the TV set and saw Katrina. She looked scared.

'Whoa, whoa, slow down. What's upstairs?'

'I've just told you.' Katrina spat out, getting all worked up. 'There's an old man in the toilet. Right in the place where you piss and shit.'

She didn't mean to curse, but sometimes, swearing was the only way to get your point across.

Steven allowed the swearing; his daughter was clearly upset. Her face was ready to explode with anger and frustration.

'Alright, just take a breather, sit down and start from the beginning.'

Katrina did, telling her mum and dad what she saw.

'Did he do anything?' Fiona asked, praying to sweet Jesus; the answer would be a no. And thank goodness, it was.

'This can't go on. It's getting worse every day.'

'I know, it is, I know.'

'What's happened?' Harmony wanted to know. She had been in the kitchen when the front room became a drama field.

'Katrina saw somebody.'

'Who?'

'Some old guy in the bathroom.'

'Old?' Harmony asked.'That sounds like the old man; I saw ages ago.'

'What, old man? What is she talking about?'

Fiona wanted to spare her daughter what Harmony had seen — an old man floating in her bedroom. But the kid wanted to know, and her eyes were locked on everyone.

'She's got a right to know.'

'Know what? Stop treating me like a little kid.'

'Nobody's treating you like a kid. We just don't want.'

'To worry me?' Katrina jumped in. 'Well, at least; I'll be on my guard.'

Nobody could argue with that theory, and Fiona came out with it

'Why didn't anyone tell me?' Katrina asked

'We didn't want to scare you.' Fiona said.

'Who is he?' Katrina asked, looking at her mum.

'We don't know.'

'Maybe it's the ghost haunting this house?'

'Look!' Steven yelled. 'We don't know what we got and going on about it; saying this and that — ain't gonna help.'

Fiona narrowed her eyes at Steven.

'You don't need to raise your voice. They're only trying to figure out what's going on.'

'I know, but the point I'm trying to get across. Until we get professional help, we can't say what we got.'

'And when will that be, tomorrow, next week, a month, when?'