Tales From A Small Blue Notebook

Jimmy Sullivan or as everyone liked to call him “Rev” was a respected preacher in his small city of Huntington Beach, California. If you had a problem you went to Jimmy. Marriage troubles or in a financial debt? You went to him to ask him to pray for you.

So one day, while he was practicing his sermon for next Sunday, he was interrupted by Brian Haner, a respected architect for the city.

The loud crash of the doors swinging open startled Reverend Jimmy and he turned around in slight surprise by the new guest.

“Hello Brian.” Jimmy said, making sure to smile at him as he gave him his attention. “What can I do for you today?”

“Hello Reverend.” Brian replied, standing in front of him, the large oak desk being the only thing separating the two men. “Rev I need to talk to you about something, well ask you a favor if you don’t mind.”

“Not at all.” Jimmy said, sitting down in his chair as he offered Brian to do the same in the one across from him.

Brian accepted the seat, setting his hands in his lap before he looked back to Jimmy. “Rev I need to talk to you about that old house out on Elm street. You know the one by the old lumber yard?”

Jimmy nodded in response. “Yes I do remember the old place.” he answered. “What about it?”

Brian let out a small sigh as he uncomfortably shifted in his seat, pulling up his leg to rest his ankle on his knee. “Well the house is starting to cause a problem again Reverend. Kids keep vandalizing the property, trashing the grounds and it has also interfered in some of my building designs.” Brian let out another small sigh as he spoke a little softer now, keeping his voice at almost the same volume of a whisper. “I think I speak for everyone here in Huntington that it would be best for it to be destroyed. The spirit in the house brings nothing but unwanted tourists, probably only disturbing the foundation more that it already has.”

Jimmy studied Brian as he finished asking his request, setting his chin on his hands which were pushed up on top of the desk. “I see.” he replied. “You are correct about that as I have noticed this as well. The house is certainly not something we all are pleased about. But my question is why you have come to me about this? You would need city council’s approval to destroy the house not mine. I’m only a preacher.”

“Exactly.” Brian smiled. “I will go to the city council about this but I knew I had to come to you first. You can’t exactly destroy a haunted building while a spirit still owns the place. It may come back to haunt the new building that is built over the area. You know like a poltergeist or something.”

Jimmy was still confused as Brian kept explaining the situation to him, not knowing where he was going with this. “That is a good point Brian but I still don’t understand what you are trying to ask me. Where do I come into all of this?”

Brian once again made an uncomfortable shuffle in his seat, slightly biting his bottom lip between his teeth. “Well this is where my favor comes in…Reverend I was wondering if you could possibly go to the house tomorrow night. Stay the night and try to put the haunt to rest. It’s the only solution.”

Jimmy fell silent as Brian ceased his talking, the request milling through his mind as he dropped his gaze from the man before him. Brian was a little to himself as well. He didn’t want to have to be the one to tell the preacher but eventually he was persuaded to do so by his best friend Zack. This job truly was for Jimmy, a strong believer and a man of God.
Eventually Jimmy exhaled a small sigh and met his eyes with Brian’s. “I’ll do it.” he whispered. “Just tell me what to do.”

The next evening, just as Brian had requested, Jimmy drove to the familiar house on Elm street, looking in his rearview mirror to make sure that Brian was still behind him.

Jimmy saw the long dirt road which led to the front driveway of the house and made a left so that he could be led to the gate. He got out after he got to the entrance and put in the lock combination, taking the chain off and pushing the gate open wide enough so that Brian and himself could drive through.

The house seemed a little larger from the last time he had seen it, Jimmy thought. Also thinking that it was more of a mansion than a house, presumably taking up the same amount of space as a football field in just mere width. The rest of the building consisted of three more stories, five bedrooms, five bathrooms, two sitting rooms, a kitchen and an extremely large basement. The basement being the location where the spirit is said to be the most as it’s death had occurred there.

Just looking up at the house made Jimmy’s skin crawl, not wanting to think about the fact that he had to stay the night. Even with the house’s enormous size there was a sense of an eerie loneliness. The once cream white paint that covered the walls had faded to an almost pale yellow, ivy climbing up the sides to cover up most of the fading color. The yard had been un attended to as the ground keeper had died about five years ago from natural causes, therefore letting the weeds and dandelions cover most of the hearth. The windows were boarded up to keep out trespassers but that had failed as there was some broken glass on the porch, showing that intruders had invaded the privacy of the home.

The house had been a sense of attraction to young kids and teenagers over the past ten years. Several of them had tried to stay there all night, but they always got scared out by the haunt.

So now Jimmy still stood in front of it, clutching his bible in one hand, a rosary in the other while Brian stood beside him.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go with you?” Brian asked, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder.

Jimmy nodded, letting out an anxious sigh as he turned to his friend. “I’m sure Brian. I thought about it long and hard as I laid in my bed. I’m afraid I’m gonna have to do this alone.”

Brian nodded as well, turning to Jimmy and pulling him into a friendly hug. “You have my cell phone number if you need anything. Someone to talk to or to call if something goes wrong.”

Jimmy hugged Brian back, slightly smiling as he appreciated this man’s kindness. “Thank you Brian. I certainly will call if I need you.”

Brian smiled back to him. “You’re a brave man Jimmy Sullivan. Only the lord knows we need more people like you in this world.”

Once again Jimmy smiled, this time a little larger at his friend’s compliment. “That’s why I urge everyone to come to church every Sunday. Then they can truly start to understand the depth of God’s good graces.”

“Then may god be with you.” Brian sighed, solemnly looking down at his friend. “I’ll pray for you.”

“As will I.” Jimmy replied, hugging his friend one final time before he departed, getting in his car and driving away.

It was just Jimmy and the house now, alone with each other and the spirit inside. It was too late to turn back now even if he wanted to. He was no coward.

So Jimmy took his bible and went inside the house, quietly shutting the door behind himself. All was dark except for the moonlight that shone through the cracks in the window, illuminating the room in a deep eerie glow.

Without the house keepers the house had let itself go as well. White sheets, layered with dust, covered the furniture. The lamps, which had burnt out years ago, sat by themselves in the corners. A fireplace could be seen in the heart of the room as well. Being built against the front wall where a large portrait of an elegant looking woman hung above it.

Jimmy walked over to it, upon seeing that there were three un-used logs sitting in the ashes. Thinking that it was quite convenient and a little coincidental he sat down his over night bag and rummaged through it to look for his matches. He didn’t smoke but he had brought them in case he wanted to start a fire.

After the flames were fueled and burning he reached further into his bag and pulled out a petite oil lamp, a bottle of fluid and his other lighter. (He had used the other matches to start the fire as he kept accidentally breaking them every time he scraped one across the little piece of sandpaper). A few moments later the lamp was lit as well and he thought to pass away the time by reading some of his book.

So he sat there, reading his faith and noticing that the clock was just a little before midnight. He had been there for little over 3 house now without noticing a single odd occurrence from the house…how wrong he would turn out to be.

The clock struck midnight, the second hand hitting the top as twelve loud chimes rang throughout the room, echoing off the walls and causing a vibration throughout the whole house.

Jimmy continued to sit there in his seat, hand marking his place in his reading as he waited for the chimes to cease. Twelve seconds later they finally did and Jimmy continued to look at the clock, anticipating anything that may move next…but it didn’t so the preacher went back to his reading.

Thirty minutes had passed since midnight had struck, leaving the man alone in his own presence with only himself to talk to. Little did he know that eventually someone would be talking back to him.

He continued to read, but then something from the cellar made his eyes dart to the cellar door. He heard something moving. Walking back and forth, back and forth. Then all of a sudden it sounded like someone was trying to scream and got choked off, followed by a lot of thrashing and screaming and struggling. Everything god dead quiet after that.

Jimmy’s heartbeat was close to pounding out of his chest at this point but he did not move or even flinch. He had to stick this out until the end.

So once again he began to read, another half hour passing before another paranormal occurrence began. He heard footsteps coming up the cellar stairs. His eyes once more darting to the door as the footsteps began coming closer and closer. He saw the door knob turn, and when the door began to open he jumped up and yelled,

“What do you want?!”

The door shut back easy-like, and there wasn’t a sound. Jimmy was trembling even more now but he knew there was nothing he could do.

So once again he began to read, only stopping to mend to the fire every once and awhile.

Fifteen minutes had passed since the spirit’s last visit, leaving Jimmy in silence but that silence was soon to be disrupted.

The haunt started to walk up the steps again, coming closer and closer to Jimmy. The preacher sat watching the door, saw the door knob turn and this time actually open. It looked like a young woman, slightly resembling the same young woman in the large portrait.

Jimmy backed up and frightingly said, “Who are you? What do you want?”

The haunt sort of swayed like she didn’t know what to do-then she just faded out. Jimmy waited, waited and when he didn’t hear anymore noises he went over and shut the door. He was sweating and trembling all over but he was a brave man and knew he would see it through. She he turned his chair where he would watch, sat down and waited.

Jimmy only had to wait about five minutes this time for the haunt to act up again and this time he was ready for her. The footsteps ceased at the door and Jimmy held out his bible in front of him. The knob slowly turned, and the door opened wide. But this time he spoke quiet-like. He said,

“In the name of the Father, the son, and the Holy Ghost-Who are you and what do you want?”

The haunt came right across the room, straight to him and took hold of his coat. It was a young woman about twenty years old. Her hair was torn and tangled and the flesh was dripping off her face so he could see the bones and part of her teeth. She had no eyeballs but there was a sort of blue light way back in her eye sockets. She also had no nose to her face.

Then she started talking. It sounded like her voice was coming and going with the wind blowing it. She told how her lover had killed her for her money and buried her in the cellar. She said if Jimmy would dig up her bones and bury her properly, she could rest.

Jimmy was more than willing to comply but she interrupted him so that she could continue to speak. She told him to take the end joint of her finger from her left hand, and to lay it in the collection plate at the next church meeting. She explained by doing this he’d find out who murdered her.

Her final words were that, “If you come back here once more after that-you’ll hear my voice at midnight and I’ll tell you where my money is hid, and you can give it to the church.”

With all her final words being said the haunt sobbed like she was tired, and she sunk down toward the floor, gone and finally out of Jimmy’s presence.

He caught his breath in his throat, realizing that he was barely breathing throughout the whole event. Quickly he gathered up his things, put out the fire and drove home to his wife to tell her all that had happened.

The next day her returned to the house and buried the bones in the graveyard like she had asked him to do. But before he closed the coffin he took the bone of her pinky finger and placed it in his pocket where it would lay in the collection plate for Sunday.

And that’s exactly what he did about a week later, placing the bon in the offering and waiting for the right man to touch it. Well that man turned out to be Matthew Sanders, a local sports hero who no one would ever have suspected. The man jumped up and rubbed and scraped and tore at the bone, trying to get it off. Then he went screaming like he was going crazy. Well, he confessed to the murder, and they took him to jail.

That same night Jimmy went back to the house at midnight just like the woman had said. He dug under the porch from her verbal instructions and found a big sack of money. Jimmy looked down at his coat to where the haunt had printed her bony fingers into the material, burned right into the cloth. It never did come out.