The Seamstress’ House

The house stood empty on the hillside for years, overlooking the small town below. Trees lined the driveway creating a canopy leading to the house. Black birds perched on the iron fence enclosing the property.

Evelyn pushed the heavy mahagony front door open to the empty 1920s Victorian house. Even with the morning sun shining brightly over head, the inside of the house was filled with shadows that loomed on every wall.

A soft wind drifted by Evelyn’s face as she stepped through the large door. She had a bag thrown over one shoulder and a small cardboard box in her hands. Hesitantly, she stepped a few more feet into the house.

“Woah!” Her best friend, Ana popped in through the front door behind her, startling Evelyn and almost causing her to drop the box in her hands. “Oops! Didn’t mean to spook you!” Ana caught the box.

Evelyn was thirty years old and from New York City. She was an aspiring writer with several horror and fiction manuscripts on several editors desks throughout the city.

Recently, Evelyn unexpectedly inherited the key to a safety deposit box from her grandmother after her passing. Inside the box was a small velvet bag containing several pieces of antique gold jewelry. A key ring filled with keys was hiding under the velvet bag along with a little black notebook. Tucked inside the black notebook was a deed to a house in Upstate New York.

That was where Evelyn found herself now.

Evelyn felt a bit uneasy as she gazed around the grand entry. A chandelier hung over head with broken chains of crystals dripping from the fixture. A grand staircase lined the back wall and delicately made its way to Evelyn’s feet. White sheets were draped over all the furniture and pictures that were still hanging.

“How lucky were you to inherit something like this?” Ana’s gaze drifted all around the elaborate front room.

“It’s pretty insane.” Evelyn nodded, still taking in the grandness of the house. “I mean, my entire apartment could fit in here.”

“Along with my mine!” Ana added.

The girls looked at each other and nodded in agreeance. After spending the better half of the morning exploring the mansion, Evelyn and Ana got to work cleaning.

The sun began setting behind the house creating an orange hue throughout. That’s when the girls flopped down on the couch in the front room, exhausted from a hard days work.

“Thanks for your help.” Evelyn smiled as she saw the mahogany fireplace gleam from being cleaned and oiled. “Couldn’t have gotten as much done without you.”

“Yeah, what are best friends for?” Ana laughed a tired laugh. “Let’s order dinner. I’m starving!” She pulled her phone from her bag and began looking for food delivery.

“Whatever you order I’ll pay. I’m going to jump in the shower. It’s been calling my name since we scrubbed the heck out of it!” Evelyn grabbed her over night bag and headed to the second story bathroom.

“Looks like we’ll be eating pizza!” Ana shouted to Evelyn. “There’s nothing close by!”

“That’s cool!” Evelyn shouted back.

Evelyn flipped the light on and sighed as she walked over to the shower.

“Hey, could I borrow your face wash?” Evelyn asked as she turned to the sound of foot steps coming towards the bathroom. But when she turned to see Ana standing at the doorway, there was no one there. “Ana?” Evelyn asked as she tip-toed to the doorway and stuck her head into the empty hallway.

Evelyn looked around baffled, and shrugged as she turned to get into the shower.

Ana placed a pizza order with a restaurant she’d never heard of and then began the process of making a fire in the fireplace.

After crumbling newspaper together and placing it around small logs, Ana pulled out a lighter and flicked a small flame to life. She leaned in, placing the flame to the crumbled paper. But as soon as she placed the flame to the newspaper, the flame went out. Ana flicked the lighter again, placing the flame to the newspaper and again the flame went out before she could light the paper. After several failed attempts Ana decided to give it one last try.

“Don’t!” A female voice cried out startling Ana.

Ana turned at the voice to find no one there. She gazed around the room, her heart racing. “Evelyn?”

Just then the doorbell rang. Ana jumped at the sudden alarming sound. Then sighed heavily when she realized it was probably just the pizza delivery.

She opened the door to a skinny young kid wearing a ballcap with a pizza slice on the front.

“Pizza delivery.” The kid said. He peaked his head around, trying to get a better look inside. “I never knew anyone lived here.” He said as he began handing Ana the food order.

“Yeah.” Ana said as she grabbed the pizza and drink and handed him a tip.

“I mean, I wouldn’t want to live in a haunted house.” He said, still trying to see in through the door.

Ana stared at the kid for a moment. “Haunted?” She asked a bit intrigued.

“Yeah. Some lady that used to live here is haunting it.” He said, matter-of-fact.

“What happened to the woman?” Ana asked.

“I heard she died in there.” He shrugged. “Something about the fireplace not working and the house filled with smoke and she died from smoke inhalation. So they say.” He was still trying to peak in. “Have a great night.” He turned and dashed down the stairs.

Ana shut the door with her foot and walked over to the coffee table to set the food down. She looked back at the fireplace as a shiver ran up her spine.

“Hey, was that the food?” Evelyn hopped down the last few steps.

Ana screamed a shrilling scream, placing both of her hands over her heart.

Evelyn held her hands up. “It’s just me.” She laughed.

“Let’s eat.” Was all Ana could get out.

As the girls ate, Evelyn began going through the box she brought with her. The contents in the box were from the safety deposit box. She pulled out the velvet bag and dumped out the contents. Gold chain necklaces and gold rings fell out. Ana began trying the jewelry on.

Next Evelyn pulled out the little black notebook that she hadn’t gone through other than finding the deed to the house. The first entry was dated

May, 1926. The same beautiful cursive handwriting filled the journal. Along with several different pressed flowers and ribbons.

“What do these keys go to?” Ana asked as she pulled the key ring from the box.

“I’m not sure.” Evelyn shrugged.

Ana began twirling the keys around her index finger as they began reading through the journal and eating their pizza. They soon discovered the journal belonged to Evelyn’s great-grandmother who was a seamstress during the late 20s and throughout the 30s.

Evelyn flipped from page to page. “She keeps mentioning her work space and the basement throughout the journal.”

Ana, who was still twirling the keys on her finger stopped twirling the keys and looked at them, then at Evelyn. “Wasn’t there a locked door in the hallway closet?”

The girls looked at each other, then jumped up. They dashed through the house and reached the closet to find the locked door inside.

“Here,” Ana handed the keys to Evelyn. “It’s yours.”

Evelyn began going through each key, trying to see if any of them fit. Finally, the last key fit and the doorknob turned. Evelyn and Ana looked at each other and back at the slightly cracked door.

“You know better than me that this is how horror stories begin.” Ana let out a gust of air.

Evelyn only rolled her eyes. She pushed the door open and easily found a light switch. It was very old electrical wiring, but at least it worked.

Ana grabbed a golf club that was in the corner of the closet. “You never know.” She shrugged as the girls began walking down the old, creaking, basement stairs.

“It looks like a basement.” Evelyn let her arms flap to the side as she took in the mess that surrounded her. Old light fixtures, cameras and typewriters were stacked on old shelves. More furniture was covered with more white sheets.

“You could make an antique shop out of all this.” Ana gleamed at the rusty treasure.

“Or just have an estate sale.” Evelyn thought.

“Hey look. There’s a door in the corner.” Ana pointed.

They made their way to the door, both eager to pull it open. It was locked. Again, Evelyn began going through each key on the key ring, and then the door opened. She flipped the light on and they stepped into the mysterious room.

The girls were amazed at what they saw. It was a like a time capsule in a room. A manniquen was standing in the corner dressed in a dark purple, flowy dress. An old sewing machine table made from iron and wood sat towards the back wall. Rolls of fabric filled a shelf from the floor to the ceiling. A tall mirror stood beside the shelf. Several antique dressmaking forms were lined beside one another. A dark wood wardrobe sat beside the sewing machine.

“Wow” Both girls said.

“This is,” Evelyn was speechless.

“Awesome.” Ana added.

Both girls jumped and screamed simultaneously as the wardrobe doors swung open. They looked at each other, then the wardrobe, then back at each other. Together, they took a step towards the wardrobe.

“Is that fur?” Ana gasped and leaped the rest of the way to the wardrobe. She grabbed the fur coat and slipped her arms through. “Oh my goodness I feel so wonderful in this.” She walked over the mirror and began admiring the coat and herself. “You have to try this on!” She exclaimed. “And if you decide to get rid of it, I want it.” She laughed.

“Let me try it on.” Evelyn laughed and slipped the coat on. She twirled around a few times and stopped in front of the mirror. She looked down at the coat and shook her body side to side, then jiggled up and down a little.

“What the eff are you doing?” Ana laughed at the odd behavior.

“This coat feels weird.” Evelyn shook the hem of the coat, which hung down to her calves.

“It’s like 100 years old.” Ana shrugged.

“No, that’s not it.” Evelyn continued investigating. “I think there’s something inside it.” She grabbed at the hem and could feel something under the lining.

She slipped the jacket off and laid it across the sewing machine table. The entire room was set up as if her great-grandmother were coming right back, which made it easy for Evelyn to find a seam ripper lying casually on the table. Without a word or moment of hesitation she began ripping the seams apart.

“Woah! Woah!” Ana tried to stop her. “What are you doing? You’re ruining the beautiful coat!”

“I’m only ripping the seams. It can be fixed.” Despite Ana pleading with Evelyn to stop, she didn’t.

“Shut up!” Evelyn’s eyes lit up. “Do you see this?!” She asked Ana enthusiastically. She ripped the last seam open and pulled the silk lining of the coat away from the fur.

“Shut up!” Ana’s jaw dropped open.

There, beneath the silk lining of the grey fur coat was rows and rows of perfectly lined one hundred dollar bills, held in place individually by a single stitch.

Evelyn began frantically counting each row of hundred dollar bills and Ana did as well.

“Twenty thousand dollars?!” They both exclaimed at the same time, bewildered and amazed by what they discovered.

They turned back to the waredrobe where more jackets hung. Both with the same thought. Maybe there’s more hidden money.