Chapter Thirteen: Robert the Sailor:

Things got stranger that spring. Small puddles of water formed on the floor. The giggling filled the house. That room started to smell like Robert. I wasn’t the only one who noticed.

“Why does this floor keep getting wet?” Doris complained as she mopped up the kitchen. I watched her with a nervous look on my face. Miranda stood next to me, watching.

“Do you want to tell her?” she whispered. I shook my head. I turned and walked down the hall. Robert started moving around the house. I would run into him when I least expected. He never tried contact when ever since I first met him. What exactly did he want? I didn’t dare to try and talk to him. I wasn’t the only person who saw Robert.

One of Grandma’s friends, Glenn, was on the porch, smoking a pipe when he jumped with a yelp. Doris and Grandma ran outside.

“What happened? What’s going on?” Grandma asked. Glenn looked around with his pipe in his hand.

“Something tried to touch me!” he shouted.

“What do you mean?” Doris asked. The three of them started looking around the porch. I watched them from inside the sun room.

“I don’t see anyone,” I heard Grandma say. Doris froze when she looked up towards the stairs. She whispered to the other two older people.

“What is it?” Grandma asked. Our maid put her finger to her lips. She pointed out towards the swamp. Glenn and Grandma looked with her.

“Who is that?” Glenn whispered. Robert, or at least I thought that was Robert, stood further down the path. I thought he was waving at us. I backed up with my hand over my mouth.

“Who is that?” Glenn asked. I think Doris sounded panicked as she whispered to him. Still, that was one of many instances.

Chairs were moved around in the dining room. Silverware would go missing. Some of our possessions would end up in another room in the house all soaking wet.

“Who moved my favorite dress?!” Mama asked in April.

“I don’t know, Patsy,” Grandma said. “Where did you leave it last?”

“In my closet,” Mama said as if the answer was that obvious.

“And it’s not there now?” Grandma asked.

“Why would I be asking if it was?” Mama asked. She sighed frustrated. I heard her walk out of her room and walk through the hall. About fourteen doors all opened and closed up and down the hall. Then, she paused.

“Who moved my dress in the guest room?!” Mama shouted. “And why is it all wet?” I froze when I heard that.

“Uh-oh,” I whispered to myself. I could smell Robert in the room. The smell made my stomach turn. But this time, he wasn’t alone. I lifted my head.

“Who’s there?” I asked. Giggling circled the room. A pair of green eyes stared back at me. I fell back with a yelp. The owner of the eyes laughed.

“Why are you so jumpy” she asked. I tried to think of something to say.

“You scared me,” I said. The little girl sitting in front of me pouted.

“I don’t mean to,” she said. I blinked at first.

“Who are you?” I asked.

“My name is Sally!” the little girl with short red hair said. “I’m here with my daddy. What’s your name?”

“Kinsey…” I said. “Uh… Who is your daddy?” Sally looked like an angel when she smiled.

“Oh you’ve met him already!” she said.

“Who is he?” I asked.

“Daddy!” Sally called. I looked up when I heard footsteps at my door. My little eyes widened when I saw Robert in the doorway.

“Hello, little lady,” he said. I started backing away. Miranda took me by the shoulders. Robert walked over and patted Sally on the head. I didn’t know whether to scream or run.

“I see you’ve met my daughter,” he said.

“W-W-What do you want from us?” I asked. Sally and her daddy looked at each other for a second. She turned back to me.

“We came here with that sailor’s valentine,” she said.

“What?” I asked. It donned on me what she was talking about.

“But how?” I asked. Sally smiled like a jack-o-lantern as she touched my forehead. A bright flash of light filled the room.

What is this?

The room started to shake and spin. The next thing I knew, I found myself starting on a ship in the 1700’s.