Revisiting The Painful Past

Here is chapter 1: The Unwelcome Visitor

Here is chapter 2: Shadows of Suspension

Here is chapter 3: Confronting the Past on a Lonely Halloween Night

Chapter 4:

Following her baby daughter’s death, Isla withdrew into a smaller, quieter world. Weak and on morphine from the C-section, she hadn’t fully comprehended what was happening. There had been complications from the accident and the doctors had to do an emergency hysterectomy to stop the bleeding from Isla’s uterus. The trauma and surgery had all kept her from seeing her stillborn daughter.

It was safer for her to retreat emotionally. Threatening phone calls from the man’s mother, who was the drunk driver, the dark world Tom worked in, and complications after the delivery, all contributed to her withdrawal from everyone.

The mother of the man demanded an investigation of who was responsible for the car accident. Isla was the one doing the driving that night, Tom had had something to drink and wasn’t up for it. It was determined that the boy who had a blood alcohol level of 0.07% was the one responsible for the accident.

The mother was devastated and refused to believe that he was to blame. She would leave messages on their iPhone that Isla was responsible for her family falling apart. She was going to be a grandmother and her son was going to be the father, but after the accident something had happened to her son’s surrogate.

Isla couldn’t handle hearing all this, especially the loss of a pregnancy. Isla was very sorry for the loss of this mother’s son but was this mother even aware of who she was talking to? Isla has just delivered a stillborn, she understood loss.

There was a woman nurse who would come visit Isla everyday when she was in the hospital. One afternoon, she overheard the woman nurse speaking with another outside her hospital room.

“You didn’t have to come in. You need to take some time off; you have had a tragedy in your family.” The nurse said to Isla’s nurse.

“I am needed here. I was with this patient when she came in. I have my reasons,” said the lady nurse.

Isla, who was still under heavy sedation medication, thought that her nurse who wanted to “see it through” would come in and sit with her for longer than a nurse would typically. The nurse would ask Isla questions about the accident. Isla’s medicated brain had a hard time focusing and answering.

She remembered that Tom once came in and found the nurse hovering over Isla, questioning her. He got angry and kicked her out. Isla had never questioned Tom about that day.

At the time, Isla and Tom were living in Salt Lake City where the accident had taken place. Could it be that the boy’s mother found her in Brooklyn after all these years? Could she be the one sending these packages? Was it the nurse who questioned her?

Now that Isla thought more about it, did the nurse and the mother look closely similar?

“Why did that thought just pop into her head!” Isla said

While Isla and Tom worked on repairing their relationship following their baby’s death, her parents expressed their disappointment in not having a granddaughter. But they were “willing” to get to know Tom better. Isla had kept them at arm’s length; they had never been supportive of her marriage.

Even Rita, her best friend, had wanted to do more for Isla, to visit and help take care of her.

“I pushed everyone away, Luna,” Isla confided in her faithful cat, sleeping in the living room.

Noticing Isla’s depression, Tom had brought home a gift one day.

“Found this little kitty and thought she needs a mama that can give her some love,” he had said.

When he placed the tiny kitty with white fur and gray-blue eyes on her lap. Isla had fallen in love at first sight with the little kitty.

“Luna, we will call her Luna,” Isla had decided, feeling her heart melt.

A faint chime had emerged from her purse, which had been on the countertop since she arrived home hours ago. Isla’s reaction to the chime caused another wave of pain in her back. She shuffled over, opening her leather purse and pulling out her iPhone.

She had noticed that she had 30 text message notifications on her screen. Why hadn’t she heard the chime earlier?

“Because you’ve been so focused on this package that everything else faded,” Isla said.

The package’s malevolence sent fear down her inflamed, rigid spine.

“I didn’t hear my iPhone because of you!” She addressed the package.

Isla wondered if Rita had texted to check on her. She didn’t want to burden her friend with the details of the menacing packages she’d been receiving, what her so-called “The Judge” which was how it was signed.

If Rita found out, she’d insist on calling Tom for help.

“No, I’m a strong, independent woman at 45. I won’t show weakness in front of my ex-FBI husband or anyone else!” Isla said

Isla recognized the persistent Irish stubborn streak that stretched a mile long. Asking for help wasn’t her strong suit; she remained determined to be self-sufficient. After the accident, Tom had started to make all the decisions for them. Telling her what to eat, giving her list of chores to do. At first, Isla needed them to keep moving forward but then it felt too much like her childhood.

Growing up in her family, she was told what to do, what sport to participate in, what friends’ houses she was allowed to go to, what classes to take, she wanted a summer job but her parents wanted her to stay home and spend time hanging out with her mother. Isla didn’t get much say on anything. Her life was totally run by her parents. She finally broke away when she went to college.

“What if real danger lurks?” she said.

“Could my stubbornness lead to my downfall?” Isla shook her head firmly.

“No, I won’t think about that,” she said.

As Isla carefully walked to her couch to sit for a moment, with her iPhone clinched in her hand. RING! Isla almost dropped the iPhone and her heartbeat raced so fast she was dizzy from it.

She raised the iPhone to her ear and said “Hello?”.

There was a brief pause on the other end. For a moment Isla thought it was “The Judge”. The hair on the back of her neck tickled like someone had softly blown on it. She turned around as quickly as her body allowed for fear that she was going to find “The Judge” behind her.

“Hello!”

“Isla, it’s me, Tom.” a deep masculine voice resonated from the other end. “Isla, are you alright? You don’t sound good. You sound nervous?”.

Isla had finally made it across the kitchen to the beginning of her living room. She carefully bent down to sit on the edge of the couch. The coldness of the room had permeated even the couch.

“Yes, I am fine. What do you want, Tom?” A deep long breath was heard.

“I wanted to check it with you. Today is well, you know, it’s her birthday and, well..”

Isla’s body was tight and aching now, her eyes kept looking at the package from afar like there was a magnet that kept drawing her to it.

“After all these years, you still can’t say her name. It’s Ariel, when are you going to be able to say it?” While Isla waited for a response, she reached for the remote that turned on her gas fireplace. With a click, the modern sleek fire burst into a light of flames in the narrow-shaped fireplace. At least that was still working. Isla thought.

“Ariel, there I said it. It’s just hard for me, ok. Listen, I didn’t call to fight with you. I called because it’s Ariel’s 6th birthday and I just wanted you to know that I am thinking of her and of you.” Tom said.

There was a pause.

“Of what life could have been. When I see all the children dressed for Halloween, walking around, I am just sad, and I am sure you are, too.” Tom said.

Isla’s gaze drifted to the shadows created by the dancing flames in the fireplace. They twisted and writhed, casting eerie shapes upon the brown paper package. It was as if eerie flames were engaged in a sinister tango, intensifying the package’s unsettling presence. It sends more chills down her body.

“Isla! Isla!” Tom said.

“What, yes, I am here, what did you say”, Isla said as she sat more forward from the sofa like a caged animal ready to spring up.

“I said, what is going on with you? You sound like you are on edge. Are you in some kind of trouble?” Tom said.

Isla’s whole body faced the package, the fear was pulsating around her body.

“Trouble? No, nothing I can’t handle,” Isla said as she stared at her enemy.

To be continued….

This is chapter 4 of 5 from a short fiction story: The Haunting Package

The Haunting Package is a suspenseful short story, Isla MacGregor, haunted by a mysterious, threatening sender known as ‘The Judge,’ receives packages that make her face past and test her resilience. As Isla battles her inner demons and a menacing presence, her determination to stand alone may lead to her ultimate downfall.

This was originally published on Medium.