Meeting The Neighbors
EPISODE 5 OF SHOE FACTORY ROAD
BANG! A nail spiked into the freshly painted wall. Below that, half-opened moving boxes were stacked high across the threadbare carpet. Leaning against the nearby wall, a portrait which showed a husband (Allen), 5 year old daughter (Lily), and — Jill Caldridge — who’s delicate hands placed the picture frame over the nail. She paused a moment to appreciate the memory. The 3 of them all in Christmas sweaters from the previous year. All smiles. Lost in it, made Jill feel as fresh as the paint lacquered around her.
Behind her, the sun engulfed the large dusty window that dominated the back window in the July afternoon. There was something else, too. Someone lurking at the threshold, watching Jill in the living room. Sensing something behind her, Jill’s eyes slowly swiveled past her shoulder, revealing…Lily. A small doll, gripped in her hand. Caught, Lily giggled, and ran to her mom’s leg, dropping the doll mid-leap.
Jill laughed, walking Lily back, while still clinging to her leg. “We can’t go in this room, sweetie. The carpet is too dirty.”
“Well, Daddy said I can’t play on his ladder,” said Lilly.
“That’s because ladders can be very dangerous.”
With that, Lily scurried to the other room. Watching her help her dad gave Jill another warm feeling. She turned back. The room still needed a lot of work, but it was coming together. Slowly but surely.
Something about the ratty carpet snagged Jill’s attention. Wondering if there was perhaps the original wood hidden below. She knelt to her hands and knees. Scooping up the nearby box cutters, and sliced through. The polyester carpet split like tissue paper.
She lifted slowly. Peeling the carpet back — Jill’s eye’s stopped on something else. A thick, white line. A little more, revealing — a chalk outline. The color drained from her features. Just then, the sounds of her husband’s voice grew in the distance.
“Well, the ceiling fan’s up. What’d you say we break for lunch?” The very moment he entered the room, Jill recoiled, almost instinctively dropping the carpet. Lily appeared behind Allen, careful not to step into the room. Obeying her previous orders.
Jill glanced at Lily and up towards Allen, forcing a smile. Keeping the facade. “That sounds good!”
Lily took a step into the room. Jill swiftly held a hand up, palm out, as if saying, “Don’t come in here.” Jill followed Lily’s pointing finger, wondering if she was perhaps too late to cover the carpet back up. She snapped her head, and saw the doll Lily dropped earlier on the floor. She sprung over, snapping up the doll, and handed it to Lily. “Can Wally come with us to get food, too?”
Jill smiled reassuringly, “I don’t see why not,” while wondering where she found that doll in the first place.
OUTSIDE THEIR FARMHOUSE
Lily rushed from the front porch towards the station wagon. Her doll in one hand, twisting by its arm. Allen and Jill appeared a few moments behind her. The country farmhouse’s perimeter was choked with weeds. In the field nearby, a rusted-out car. A tire swing hung from their front, oversized oak tree.
Climbing into the station wagon, Jill stopped, gazing curiously back at the house. The house looked back at her. A chill slid down her spine as she closed the door.
The humidity had set in under the clear and cloudless blue sky, as the station wagon turned onto the single-lane Main Street. Cars were parked in diagonal slots. Simple, picturesque small-town life. Storefront windows on both sides, and quite busy for a town with a population of 8,000. A five and dime appeared through the mix.
Allen parked the car, and the three stepped out. They rounded onto the sidewalk, crossing pedestrians. Allen glanced down at Lily, and just as he looked back up — WHAM! A shoulder caught him. He whirled around, lightening quick. “Ay, watch where you’re going!,” Allen snapped as Steven Northrop, wearing a tailored suit, mumbled something -giving little reaction to the occurrence, before stepping into an adjacent thrift store.
A few onlookers threw glances Allen’s way, and moved around him. Jill shot him a look saying, “We’re new here. Don’t make trouble.” Allen’s eyes regarded Jill, and eased back, following the girls into —
TEDDY’S SNACKS AND SODA POPS
The place was immaculate. Shelves fully stocked. Cans perfectly front facing. Despite the old farm equipment on the walls, not a cobweb in sight.
Ted, late 60’s, stood hunched behind the counter, smiling at the obvious outsiders. Allen and Jill smiled back, surveying the polished store. Lily peeled off, disappearing down one of the aisles. Allen extended a hand.
“Hi, Allen Caldridge. We just moved — ”
Ted’s stubby hand met Allen’s hand with his own. “I’m Ted Grange. You the one’s that took that house up on Shoe Factory,” the man finished placidly. “Heard you was transferred to work on the railroad here. Not too many of us ‘round Old Orchard no more.” He paused and then added: “People been dropping like flies.”
Allen’s smile faded into a look of tentativeness, not catching his meaning. “Word gets around here, huh?” “It sure do,” Ted nodded with a frozen smirk. Lily’s head popped up at the counter, instantly shifting the mood. Five soda cans were heaved onto the counter. Allen amusingly looked from Lily back to Ted. “We’ll take ‘em.”
BACK HOME
Tires crunched on the gravel as the station wagon pulled up. Lily slid out, and ran to her new favorite tire swing. Jill came to a rest on the hood as Allen joined her.
Jill: “I don’t like this house, Allen. I found something earlier…”
Allen, who’s eyes caught the rusted car in the distance, stood up — “Now, I know this isn’t your dream home, but we’ll live here for a few months. Clean it up. You sell this thing when the railroad’s finished, and we can buy a nice home in the suburbs.” He moved off to the car to examine it. Jill stayed behind.
The thick, stifling breeze tossed the tire swing in the air, whirling both Lily and her doll around. Jill’s eyes shifted from Lily playing on the swing to the house, looming beyond.
Jill to herself: “What if it’s more than a few months?”
THE NEXT DAY
Jill washed the remaining dishes from lunch. One uneaten sandwich remained on the counter. Alone with her thoughts. Her memory flashed back to that chalk outline. A knock on the front door, caused Jill to gasp quietly, dropping the dish in the sink.
She hurriedly dried her hands, and moved cautiously towards the doorway, regarding the living room floor for a brief moment, as if making sure nothing moved in those few seconds.
The door opened revealing: an overly excited MARYELLEN PRINDABLE, late 70’s. Strawberry hair.
“Welcome neighbor! I just wanted to give you a nice, big, warm welcome home.” She produced a photo album, handing it to Jill. “This is for when the town gets back on its feet. Something to connect the dots between past and present.”
A grin washed over Jill. “Thank you! Why don’t you come in?”
“That’s a kind offer dear, but I need to go. Mr. Prindable will be looking for me soon.”
With that, Maryellen rounded past the house, disappearing from view. Jill, focused her attention on the photo album, slowly closing the door. Her eyes flashed quickly through the town and the people in it, before returning her gaze out the window.
OUTSIDE
Lily was joyfully spinning on the tire swing in the front yard. Talking to the doll. But from Jill’s view, the scene was entirely silent.
Jill curiously, cracked the door back open. Listening. Not hearing anything besides laughing again, she tried something new…
“Hey baby. I made you a sandwich that you haven’t eaten yet. Why don’t you come inside.”
Lily continued playing.” Can you make two, Mom? One for me and one for Wally?”
Jill played along. “Well, okay. If Wally eats one, too.”
“Wally says, thank you!”
In the distance, the station wagon came over the bend, pulling up the driveway. Allen got out. Jeans covered in dirt and grease. Drenched in sweat, impossible to tell if it was due to to the high humidity or workload.
Seeing Jill framed in the doorway, Allen broke out in a broad grin, and moved a little faster. Lily glimpsed over at her dad, but was having too much fun on the swing to leave. He moved up the porch steps to Jill, over-extending his neck to give her a kiss. Making sure his dirty clothes didn’t touch. “What is it with that tire swing?” Allen asked before looking down at the album. “Whatcha got, there?”
“Some lady dropped it off. Said something about memories of the town.” Jill opened it up to the middle, thumbing through it. Allen angled his neck. Getting a closer look. Pages flipped. And flipped. Allen spotted something. “Wait…go back.”
Something he saw before. A photo of an older man, a woman, and a boy near a 1959 Plymouth vehicle. Where did he see that before? Allen’s eyes snapped suddenly alert. He looked off to the field. Broke out into a run.
Allen slid to the front of the beat-to-hell car. Waving his hand over the rusted plate. “Hey read that license plate back!” Jill did. The numbers matched the photo. Allen smiled to himself thinking, “what are the odds?” He raced back to the porch.
“Previous owners?” Allen surprised and a little impressed by his own discovery. “Maybe.” Jill said soberly. Her expression darkening. “…or previous victim.” Allen caught Jill’s stare. She broke off and turned back into the house. Allen stepped right with her.
“Remember when I told you, I needed you to see something?…”
Jill discarded the album on the foyer table. They moved down the long hall, and into —
THE LIVING ROOM
“Something happened in this room. Someone died here, Allen…”
Allen followed her stare to the well-worn carpet. He dropped to a knee, cautiously pulling the carpet back. Catching a glimpse of the outline. His adrenaline spiked. He bunched the carpet in his fist, aggressively yanking the entire area back so hard a plume of dust hung in the air — covering the room in hazy debris.
Another chalk outline. This one smaller. Allen threw Jill a look that was both terrified and angry. Jill covered her mouth in horror. Their hearts were both galloping in their throats. Both trying to figure out the next move.
“We can’t stay here, Allen.” Allen kept both eyes fixed on the floor. “Go get Lily and I’ll pack the car.” The words were like a starter pistol — Jill tore from Allen immediately, and took off into the —
HALLWAY
Where Lily stood at the far end, facing away from Jill. Silhouetted in the front entrance, looking through the photo album. “Honey, we’re gonna head back to the car.” Lily didn’t look up, but instead kept looking at the album.
“Lily, I’m serious…” Jill said as she moved faster towards her. “Did you hear what I said?” She looked down at Lily, and then what she was looking at.
A photo of a boy with the doll Lily was holding earlier. “Lily, where did you find that doll?”
“In the car outside. Wally gave it to me.”
“I thought Wally was your doll’s na…” Before she could finish the words, Jill had a suffocating intuition that things were about to get real bad.
“Get in the car, Lily. We need to go. Right now!” She turned back, just as Allen flew past her with a ton of boxes. “I’ll grab the rest! Lily. Let’s go!”
Jill spun back into the living room. Her eyes scanned sharply. The only thing left of any value — the picture from earlier. She raced over, pulling it from the wall. Only this time, the frame didn’t unhook.
She peaked behind it. The wire was somehow twisted around the nail. She pulled as hard as she could, with both hands. No good. The wire stayed taut and was pulling back. Using all her strength. Teeth gritted and — RRRIIIP! — a huge chunk of wall went with the frame, sending her backwards. Cold air, and a wet rancid smell escaped from the wall’s new opening.
She appraised the picture frame quickly, making sure it was still intact. It was. Then a thick, half-clogged sewer smell filled the room; the stench engulfed her like a blanket. She swung back, discovering the hole in the wall —its darkness came to life—
Along with dirt, badly decomposed skeletal remains (which were covered in rotting linen) spilled out, and hit the floor. Bursting into dust. The horrid visual in front of her. She let out a gasp in agony. For a brief moment, everything went eerily silent, dimly aware she was still shaking. The picture slipped from her hand, managing to catch it at the last second.
BACK OUTSIDE
Allen shut the trunk lid, and buckled Lily into the back seat. He wiped his forehead, as the humidity came back with a vengeance. A deep patch of shadow raced over him. He shut the door and threw a mystified look up to see — a swarm of hulking vultures hovering lazily over the farmhouse, forming a circle. His eyes went wide in their sockets. Just below that in the attic window, the silhouette of a boy stood motionless, looking out at him.
The hair on his arms raised. “Jill!!” He screamed as he rushed back towards the —
HOUSE
Where Allen’s echo, for Jill, was like an electric cattle prod. She charged for the exit, scrambling around a sharp corner, and into the hallway — which seemed longer this time. The frame squeezed tightly under her arm. On the move.
Then…
Tapping. Growing louder. She blurred past the kitchen as — the sandwich — still on the counter, began shaking wildly. Like a chattery set of teeth. The plate flipped end over end. Slamming against the wall with a violent shatter, right where Jill had just been. Whatever the entity was, it was enraged.
Jill doubled her speed, reaching the front entrance the exact moment Allen appeared at the doorway. Without breaking stride, Jill exploded from the house, as Allen spun behind her, throwing the door shut, and together ran full tilt towards the car.
Just past them, the tire swing twisted and thrashed, as if in a fitful hurricane. Allen and Jill plunged into the car. Jill did a quick take, making sure Lily was safe in the backseat, but she couldn't rip her look completely away from the house.
“Hold on!” Allen shouted as he threw the lever into reverse, the station wagon shooting backwards.
Tires screamed against the gravel, as Allen cut the wheel. The car launched forward, fishtailing onto the road. Houses rushed past. “Everyone, okay?” Jill asked, barely catching her breath. “Yes, Momma,” Lily said calmly as Allen nodded in agreement, still reliving that person he saw in the window.
The sky was turning a delicate shade of maroon, that stretched across the horizon. Tiny pitter-patters of rain began to stick themselves to the windshield. The humidity reaching a crescendo, along with the energy —
Jill turned back with a calming smile towards Lilly, but something changed in her eyes. “Lily…I told you not to bring that with us.” The doll. Next to Lily. “Wally wants us to bring it back to him.”
Allen, glanced in the rear view mirror, then turned to Jill. “ What is that?”
“She found it in that old car.” (To Lily) “We’re not driving with that thing…and we’re not going back in that house.”
“But Mamma, his house is just up ahead.” The words sent a plunge of fresh fear into Jill. Before she could think, Allen blurted out, “where?”
The car zigzagged through a few more streets as the houses thinned out, and were replaced with large fields and forest.
The rain picked up from a soft drizzle to a steady shower, making it less clear where they were headed. Lily still navigating directions, until they approached a—
CEMETERY.
The car’s pale headlights arced across a wrought iron gate. “Stop! Stop!” Lily exclaimed, while anxiously tapping her dad’s shoulder. With the car barely in park, Lily slipped out. Unlocking their seat belts, Jill watched from her side of the window Lily run off through rows of headstones that jutted from the earth like decaying teeth.
Jill and Allen threw open the doors, and ran fast after her; the rain beating down on them. Navigating puddles and valleys, Lily cut passed aisles of headstones. All shapes and sizes. She slowly turned her head, as if someone were speaking to her, and back stepped. She snaked around a few more, until — in front of her stood two tiny graves.
Jill and Allen spotted Lily up ahead, just as she disappeared behind another bank of headstones. They raced up behind Lily, watching her place the doll in a soggy clump of weeds next to the headstone, “What’s it say, Mommy?”
She inched forward. Etched in the headstone, Jill read: “Walter Prindable…”(Below the words) “A Nice Boy. A Quiet Boy.”
“Wally says thank you. He can finally sleep again,” Lily said as her voice was washed out from the sheets of rain. Jill’s gaze shifted from Wally’s headstone to the one next to it. Her heart dropped like a bottomless elevator shaft— the words “Here Lies Maryellen Prindable.” She mouthed it to herself in a whisper.
Allen stole a glance from Jill, back to the headstone, deciphering the rest. The three stood there for a moment, as the rain knifed at their backs. “I think we better get back in the car,” Allen said unevenly.
Scooping up Lily into his arms, Allen and Jill rushed back towards the car, the muddy grass caking their shoes like thick jelly. For a split second, Jill chanced a look back over her shoulder, towards the doll. It sat there. Silent and still in a pool of heavy rain. A small relief washed over her.
As they closed the doors, Allen keyed the ignition and began to drive off. Tires sputtered before catching traction. Lily waved a friendly goodbye to the doll and Wally.
Moments later, darkness fell. “I’ll call the railroad in the morning. Tell ’em to transfer me outta here ASAP.” Would they believe him? He juggled the thought — before deciding it didn’t matter.
Jill glanced over, “Who’s gonna get the rest of our stuff?”
Allen paused a moment. “We’ll figure it out. We can always start fresh.” Jill gripped his free hand, in affirmation. Both looked off, reliving the day’s events.
As they did that, Lily peeked outside. The angry rainstorm slashed against the window, but she spotted someone outside. A hitchhiker of sorts. For a quick moment, they locked eyes. Each frozen in the other’s stare for a split-second. Then just as quickly, the figure disappeared back into the darkness behind the wagon.
A sign raced by: “Now Leaving Old Orchard.” Allen turned to Jill — “Let’s get far away from here.” Jill couldn’t agree more.
Rain slammed hypnotically off the glassy pavement, as the wagon snaked around the tree-lined road, receding in the horizon — never returning to Old Orchard.
www.shoefactoryroad.com
