In the Shadow of Death

Gloom

Yeah, she hated this house.

She made the mistake telling Dad about the voice earlier. He just shrugged her off saying the voice was only the drafts whistling through the house.

He always had a reason or an excuse for not believing her. He said that it could have been her overactive imagination due to her having a difficult time coping with Mom's death.

Mom.

Her life changed when Mom died six months earlier while giving birth to Josh.

Dad said there were complications, and the doctors were unable to save her.

At first, Kara was so angry with Josh. She blamed him for causing Mom to die.

In time, she realized it really wasn't his fault.

He was just a baby.

Then, Dad sold their suburbia house in Boston, and moved them clear up to the North Country,

To a small town of Mallory Bush.

In the mountains.

Dad said they needed a fresh start.

She knew he really meant that he needed a fresh start.

He was a consultant for a law firm, and for the time being, they were allowing him to work remotely from home.

From the first moment they arrived at the house, Kara felt a sense of gloom that she can't quite understand.

She did not feel safe here but to tell that to Dad would prompt a lengthy speech about how her imagination was getting the best of her.

Kara recalled an afternoon shortly after they'd moved.

She stood outside watching two deer grazing in the backyard. She glanced up to the window into Dad's bedroom where he was unpacking and felt her stomach drop.

It was an overcast day, yet she saw a peculiar-looking shadow on the wall behind Dad.

At first, she thought nothing of it, that it was just her dumb imagination again

Until it moved.

Its size grew as it crept along the wall towards him, looming overhead as if it intended to devour him.

Scared out of her mind, Kara screamed.

After long agonizing moments, Dad finally noticed her outside, jumping and waving at him.

As he moved for the window, the shadow seemingly melted into the wall.

Leaning her head against the cool gray bark, she brushed a loose strand of hair from her oval, lightly tanned face.

Dad constantly remarked as to how much she looked like Mom.

Kara had long, dark brown hair that she normally kept pulled back in a ponytail and like Mom, she had emerald green eyes.

Blossoming into young womanhood, her stick-thin figure was giving way to soft curves.

She wasn't ready to grow up.

She longed for Mom's nurturing touches and gentle voice when she sang lullabies at bedtime.

With Mom gone, it seemed that Dad expected her to pick up all the responsibilities that Mom once did which included house cleaning, cooking and taking care of Josh.

Often, these unfair expectations led to arguments.

They had one of those earlier that day that ended with Kara shouting at her father –

"I wished it was you who died and not Mom!"

With tears burning in her eyes she stormed out of the house and spent the afternoon at the oak tree with a book.

This same tree was where she'd been spending more and more of her time lately.

It was the largest tree among several trees, mostly pines, near a small stream that ran along the edge of their property.

Kara peered across the stream towards the other side of a different plot of grassy field, and saw a house even sorrier-looking than her own.

It was a small, one-story house with its white paint peeling and the yard around the building overgrown with more weeds than grass.

There was an old model Ford truck sitting in the gravel driveway.

Beyond that house were miles of woods and winding rural roads until you came into the small town of Mallory Bush.

Kara felt utterly alone here.

She was used to the active lifestyle of Boston.

This move was a major culture shock.

She hated it here.

And she wanted to hate Dad for taking her away from her friends.

She really, really wanted to hate him.