Summer Out At My Grandparent.... Or So I Thought.

To start out this story, my name is Aspen and I’m a 20-year-old female from central Alberta, Canada. My grandparents own a farm that they build together and grew together there, having 6 children 3 boys and 3 girls, my 2 uncles were born first being twins, my mom was born next, her sister next, and the second set of twins last, a boy and a girl. There was 10 years between the first set of twins and the second. Nanna and Poppa were young when they got married and started their family, Poppa’s family had gifted the farm to them as a wedding present, 100 acres of land with nothing on it. As well as 50 cows gifted from Poppa’s uncle. Right after the wedding they got right to work building a house that would hold the family they wanted, and a barn to hold the equipment for farming the land and taking care of the cattle. It took about 2 years to complete the building of both the house and barn. The house was magnificent for the time, 2 stories with a basement and part of it being a cold storage. A large kitchen made for Nanna to do all her cooking and baking in, a spacious sitting room for when company came over and for the children to grow up in, 2 bedrooms and a bathroom all on the main floor. On the second floor was all bedrooms, 6 rooms all made up, one of the rooms was made up to be an office like room for all the paperwork and important papers Nanna and Poppa kept.

My mom said that growing up there was tiring but she said having her chores and looking after the youngers kept her busy. She didn’t have the greatest relationship with both Nanna and Poppa. Saying that Nanna and Poppa were strict but still let the kids have time to enjoy their childhoods. As all the kids grew up some left the farm to continue their education and the others stayed to help out around the farm. My mom was one of the ones who left to go to one of the bigger cities to get a better education and to try and find ‘true love’ as she said, she said that she didn’t go back till she was engaged and a month till her and my father’s wedding. Apparently, Poppa was not happy that they were getting married and they hadn’t even met him yet and were disapproving of the whole thing. Nanna and poppa didn’t even show up to their wedding but mom knew that they weren’t going to come and she said she was okay with it but even as she tells the story to this day she sounds upset, I think she wishes they were there even with the rough relationship. It wasn’t until my mom and dad started having us, myself, my older brother and my younger sister, that she started talking with her parents again. They rebuild their relationship and we started going to the farm for family dinners, holidays and staying out there for a couple days through the summer. As my siblings and I got older we didn’t get to go out to nanna and poppa’s as often due after school activities and summer jobs.

That was about 5 years ago and we haven’t heard from nanna or poppa for a bit aside from the odd call or family dinner. It was the beginning of March when one night the phone rang and mom was the one to answer it. It was nanna calling to inform mom that poppa had fallen in the pasture that morning and had hurt his back pretty bad, nanna was in town about 20 minutes away from the farm getting their monthly groceries and what ever else they needed. When nanna got back home, she had noticed that poppa wasn’t back to the house and wasn’t in the barn either, they had two side by sides to get around better around the farm and pasture. So, nanna went out to check the pasture and that’s where she found poppa out there lying beside his side by side, she was able to help him up into her’s and rushed back to the house to get him into town. He had said that he was checking the cow and while driving the side by side he had hit something that through the vehicle to the side and he fell out, the impact was a hard one and that he was knocked unconscious for a while but he figured he was out there for about 5 hours before nanna had finally got home. He was okay, had some fractured vertebrae in his lower back and had a bit of a concussion. Mom was very concerned of the health of both nanna and poppa and now that poppa was on bed rest for 2 months how was nanna supposed to get all the work done around the farm on her own.

“I’ll be fine sweetheart.” Nanna had said, a bit sternly

“Mom, are you sure? Willy off this summer to who knows where with his girlfriend and Valerie is at summer camp but Aspen isn’t doing much besides hibernating in her room all summer. Why don’t I send Aspen out to live with you guys for the summer to help out, God knows she needs to learn some responsibilities.” Mom offered while I looked at her like she was absolutely bonkers, violently shaking my head no.

“I know those kids need to have their summer, but the help would be greatly appreciated my dear.” I could barely hear nanna’s voice through the phone mom was holding up to her ear.

“Of course, mom, how does Monday sound? I have the day off and I can drive her down and we can have coffee before I leave.” Mom said with a small smile.

After another hour of them chatting about nothing at all, I couldn’t believe I’d be spending my summer out in the middle of nowhere on a decrepit farm doing chores and whatever else nanna had in mind. Not that I minded much but seriously a whole 3 months and I was pretty sure they didn’t have internet or Wi-Fi out there. That was a Friday night that we had gotten the call and by Monday morning mom and I had set off out of the town we lived in and started the 3-hour drive to nanna and poppas. I had made sure to pack 5-10 different books, my sketch book and my iPod for the music so I didn’t kill my phone to fast. I remember falling asleep half way there and waking up to mom shaking me telling me that we were here. I had gotten out and made my way to the trunk of the car to get my bags to take into the house, I still remember being in awe of how well the house still looked after all those years. I walked in and nanna had instructed me to put my bags and things up into mom old bedroom and to come back down to help make coffee and sandwiches. I agreed and made my way up the front stairs and down the long hallway all the way to the end where mom’s childhood bedroom was, as I was walking past the various rooms, I remember smelling this god offal smell, like something died in and over flowing outhouse on a hot July afternoon. I had covered my nose and tried not to gag and made my way to the room that would be mine for the next 3 months. I didn’t think anymore of the smell and after I had set my bags on the bed, I had headed back down stairs to help nanna and mom.

The first month went by quiet and went smoothly, I remember the first week or two I had trouble waking up before the sun came up to get dressed and head out with nanna to get started on the daily chores, feeding the cows, opening up the second gate to let the cow out to the bigger pasture for the day, opening the barn doors to let the chickens out and giving them feed, checking the waters around the farm for all animals. Cleaning up the cow’s pens, collect eggs, Nanna had me take the side by side and do a perimeter check of the fence around the farm, Nanna had said that Poppa had seen some foxes and coyotes out on the far side of the pasture and that every so often part of the fence would be broken or some of the barbwire would look like it was cut so poppa would do a perimeter check every morning and if anything needed fixing, he would do it right then and there. Everything was going smoothly; I still would notice that strange and horrid smell every time I passed the first couple bedrooms and by the time, I would reach my room the smell would be gone. Nanna told me the first day I was there she had told me not to go into the office as it contain a lot of paper work that was ‘confidential’ and that I didn’t need to stick my nose into other people business, at first, I thought it was weird and didn’t question it further and hadn’t had another thought about it.

It wasn’t until the beginning of the second month that I had noticed that nanna would start to space out at odd times, would make simple mistakes like adding salt instead of sugar to our coffee in the morning, I once found nanna standing in the middle of the barn just staring up to the rafters. At first, I figured it was due to her getting up there in age and that it was probably normal, we would still get up every morning do the chores, after those were done, we would go into the house and nanna would wake poppa up and get him ready for the day and start on breakfast. By the end of the second month poppa was feeling a lot better and was back up and walking without pain but I figured I’d stay for another week or so to help out while poppa got his strength back. We all would get up by 5:30 am get dressed and head outside to get the chores done and continue with our day. By the time mom was on her way to come pick me my the end of the second week of the third month I had noticed that the smell that was upstairs had gotten worse and was now throughout the whole house, slowly what looked like mold was forming on the walls everywhere, and now both nanna and poppa were spacing out and forgetting things more frequently, if I’m being honestly that had scared me the most while there mainly because I wasn’t sure if they really were okay or if it was just a normal old person thing.

It was a Thursday that mom had come to get me and I had all my bags packed and already set and waiting on the front porch, we had finished the chores and were sitting in the swinging bench when mom had pulled up, nanna had passed a cup of coffee to mom and we enjoyed the early afternoon sun before we had to head back onto the road to make the journey home. Mom had to use the bathroom but nanna had refused to let either of us into the house, saying that the toilet was broken and just to stop at a gas station on the way home. Nanna had seemed really irate about it so mom and I ended up giving each other a look and slowly made our way down the steps towards the car waving our goodbyes to nanna and poppa. On the way home mom and I chatted about how my summer was with nanna and poppa, I had explained everything from complaining about waking up at the ass crack of dawn, to being concerned about the spacing out and forgetting simple things. Mom didn’t seem to concerned as I was and the rest of the ride home was good and quiet.

It wasn’t until a month later that the whole family was home and we decided to surprise nanna and poppa with having a family dinner. We made the 3-hour drive and as we got closer to the farm, we didn’t notice any lights coming from the house but it wasn’t until we pulled up to the house that we noticed the state the house was in, the entire house looked like it was abandoned for years, windows were broken, the door was swinging open, the siding was severely discoloured and most of it was hanging off the house or was already off the house. The barn was just about as bad, parts of the roof were off leaving gaping hole in it, one of the barn doors was hanging on only one hinge. We all slowly got out of the car, mom and I looking at each other, not really sure what was going on, the house and the barn was nothing like this a month ago when I was here. Mom called out a couple of times and hearing nothing she started to freak out, frantically looking around. Mom, Dad, and Willy slowly made their way up the stairs to the open front door, and I thought I had saw something in the barn so Valerie and I cautiously made our way to the barn. What I can remember is that somehow Val and I made it to the barn before the others got into the house and as I had opened the other barn door, I remember screaming at what I say inside the barn, the others came running over and my parents moving Val and I out of the way then screaming at us not to look, but to this day that image is burned into my head, haunts my nightmares, and every waking thought still. The image of my poppa hanging from the very same rafter that I remember nanna staring at during one of her episodes. Eyes still open, clouded overlooking whiter than white, neck bent at such and odd angle that I knew was not normal, skin pulled taut almost looking like a mummy just hanging there in the wind that was coming through the multitude of holes in the roof and walls.

I remember crying as I finally had stopped screaming, mom on her knees scream crying as my father moved my siblings and I back towards the car. As my dad went back to console mom and was sitting in the front seat feeling a bit numb at that time. I don’t remember opening the car door and slowly walking up to the house, I could faintly hear Val behind me, talking to me but I couldn’t make out the words she was saying. I pushed open the front door, enough for me to slip in and I looked around taking in the dust on everything, cobwebs hanging from the ceiling, and black mold covering every wall and door even down to the floors. Some floor boards were broken and even missing, I carefully made my way throughout the house peeking into the living room and kitchen and seeing them in the same states as the front entry. I made it to the staircase, looking up and seeing some of the floorboards where broken and cracking from old age, that’s when I noticed there was dried blood from medium sized spots to just little droplets coming from the kitchen going up the stairs to the next level of the house. I stepped around spots I could see and as I reached the middle of the staircase that familiar horrid smell assaulted all my senses, I through my hand up to cover my nose and mouth to try and stop the smell. As I reached the top, I once again noticed the smell was the worse when I passed the first couple rooms, I slowly opened the first two rooms showing dusty old bedrooms, but the one door that I remember nanna saying was the office and that I wasn’t allow in was where I figured the smell was the worse to the point my eyes were starting to water and not from crying, just from the strong stench coming from behind the door. I reached out and slowly grabbed the knob and pushed open the door, as it opened, I could see it was just as dust covered with cobwebs in the corners and along the bookshelves all around the room. It wasn’t until I heard an audible gasp from behind me that I noticed that nanna’s body was skin and bones similar to poppas, laying just in front of the desk, a large dried dark spot under her that I guessed was blood. I turned to look behind me to see Val standing their eyes wide, tears streaming down her face and both hands covering her mouth. I turned to look down the hallway and could see down the stairs and that’s when I noticed my parents making their way up the stair, both looking scared, looking between Val, myself and the open door in front of me. They reached us, briefly looked in the room, saw nanna and dad picked me up and mom picked Val up and rushed out of the house, Willy was still in the car, a vacant look in his eyes just staring at the house, we all got into the car and dad immediately call 9-1-1 and within 15 minutes the entire farm was crawling with cops, detectives, paramedics and a firetruck.

I don’t really remember much of the rest of the night but one thing that sticks with me is that one detective was talking to mom about the state the bodies were in and asking if we had had contact with them recently, mom explained that I had just spent the summer here and everything was fine and that it was just a month ago, the detective looked surprised and with a soft voice told mom that nanna and poppa have been dead and undisturbed for about a year and a half at least! And I couldn’t have just spent the summer with them. Mom continued to tell the officers and detectives that it was true that I had just been there a month ago and everyone was alive and well.

To this day I still don’t know how to explain what happened that summer out at Nanna and Poppa’s farm but I do know is that I’ll never get those images of the bodies of my nanna and poppa out of my head.