I'm not sure what to say. This all happened rather suddenly, although the last three weeks have been long and dragged out. Let me tell you my story.
I moved into my new house three weeks ago. I moved here to be closer to my friend, Haley, whose mother wasn't doing so well. Only part of it was because my boyfriend and I were no longer getting along.
There was nothing special about the house; just a simple two bedroom house that had an attic. I didn't really know the history of the house, nor did I really care upon moving in. Oh, how I wished I did. It was only myself living there, so I turned the extra bedroom into a study. The bigger bedroom seemed much better for holding my bed and dresser anyway.
I spent the first week unpacking. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary about the house; no damages needing to be fixed, no leaks...made me wonder why the price tag was so low. Surely such a well-made, two bedroom house shouldn't have gone for only 8 grand. But, that is how much I paid for this house. The real-estate agent only said that the last family had moved out with their fifteen year old son to be closer to family. Such a plain reason should have warranted more of a search, but I was just happy to have found such a steal.
Like I said before, it only took a week to unpack my stuff. Everything was going great. I currently took college classes online, so the study was a great room to have for some peace and quiet.
Some strange things started to happen exactly 9 days after I moved in. When I would lay down to sleep, I would hear this...moaning sound. It sounded like an animal of some sort. I passed it off as something coming from outside, and ignored it as it continued over the next couple of days.
However, the day after that, things just got too weird.
I woke up to the smell of baby powder. It was faint in my bedroom, but it grew stronger when I entered the hallway. This was very strange, as I didn't own any baby powder. Not even any lotion that could have smelled similar, either. I was a little creeped out, but again dismissed it. The smell went away a few hours later, anyway. I continued through my day, cramming in nearly three days of classwork into my schedule.
While I was writing my report on the biography of Van Gogh, I started hearing a noise. Like the song you hear coming from an ice cream truck. But it was different. Soon after, to my horror, I realized what it was.
A baby mobile.
My older sister had a baby, and the mobile in his crib sounded much the same as the sound I heard. Of course the tunes were different, but that was definitely what it was. And the freakiest part? It was coming through the wall. But there was nothing next to this room. No bedroom, no bathroom...nothing. I left the study, moving out into the hallway.
Just as I thought. The music stopped, and I shook my head. Okay, maybe I was studying too hard? That had to be it. I was imagining things.
For the next week, things returned to normal. Haley came over and we played some video games, and she stayed for dinner. I pulled the baked spaghetti from the oven just as she returned from the bathroom.
"What kind of music box did you buy? I like the tune it makes." She entered the Kitchen, taking a seat at the table.
"Music box?" I parroted, "I don't own a music box." I replied, brows drawing up in confusion.
"Are you sure? I heard this cute little tune...how did it go?" She paused for a moment, before humming the tune she had heard, and I almost dropped the spaghetti. The color flushed from my face faster than I could even process what I had just heard. That was the tune the mobile had made.
"Oh hell," I breathed. I started feeling faint. I placed the spaghetti on the counter, stumbling over to a chair and collapsing into it, "can you get me some water?" I asked. I was going to be sick. I just knew it.
"Sure, May. What's the matter?" Haley moved to get me the water, and I sipped it while waiting on my heartbeat to slow. After finishing half of the glass, I set it down.
"That tune...I heard it earlier, too." I said. "It's not a music box, Haley. I don't know what it is, I...it sounds like a baby mobile. But the family who lived here before me didn't even have a baby." I then began to explain everything. About the smell and sounds I'd been hearing. "Would you mind staying the night with me? I feel a bit uneasy now." I admitted.
I felt relieved when she agreed. We ate dinner and I took a shower while she set up the couch in my room to sleep on. Soon enough, I came back and lent her a pair of my pajamas, and we both turned in for the night.
It was around three in the morning when Haley woke me. I was instantly awake, but it wasn't due to her prodding fingers. No, instead, I had woken up to the sound of a baby screaming and crying.
"What the hell!" I exclaimed. Haley looked scared. "Are you certain you don't have a baby? Do you hear that, May?"
Oh, I heard it alright.
"Haley. We have to find out what's going on, or else I won't sleep ever again." I said. My mind was made up. I got out of bed, walking out of my room and turning the hallway light on. The screaming was coming from the opposite side of the hall, and I crossed the short distance to listen. The screaming carried on for a few moments longer, then ceased entirely. "Get the toolbox from my closet. I may have to pay for the damages, but I won't get any peace of mind until I figure out what the fuck is going on around here." (Yes, I'm the kind of girl who keeps her own toolbox. Don't judge.) I was tired and shakey, but I couldn't go on like this. I needed to find out what was happening.
Haley brought the toolbox over, and I looked through it before pulling my hammer out. I then stood back, swinging the hammer to hit the wall as hard as I could. Nothing happened, but I continued. I pounded at the wall, again and again until a good part of it collapsed. I dropped the hammer, sinking to my knees.
"Oh my god..."
There was a bedroom. There was a bedroom, hidden behind this wall where nobody could see it. I stepped over the rubble, barely noticing that Haley was following me.
It was a baby's nursery. Furniture took up the room, most of it caked in dust. It looked as if no one had touched it in a long time. A rocking chair sat in the corner, and a crib sat along the opposite wall. There were no windows, either. A bookshelf was next to me, lined with toys and books. But not only that; A large book sat at the end. I plucked it from the shelf, wiping the grime and dust away to reveal the title. 'Baby's first year', it read.
"What is this?" Haley wondered as she explored the room. I shook my head slowly as I opened the book. I didn't know. The first page had a picture taped to it. A black and white photo of a baby girl was taped to the page, and the name under was written as "Olivia Bathany Cordell". The baby was cute, but she looked...off. Like she had a physical deformity of some sort. I couldn't say what kind. I flipped the page, finding a birthdate listed. October 23rd, 1972. The following details aren't really important, as I look at it now. Just ages of milestones and things like that.
"May!" Haley was standing next to the crib, hand over her mouth with a terrified expression masking her face as she peered into it. I dropped the book, going to stand next to her. I peered into the crib as well, and I went white with shock. Oh God...
Baby bones. They were fully decayed, but the whole skeletal structure was there. From the skull to the tiny toe bones, everything.
That did it. We both left the house as fast as we could, going back to Haley's house. I couldn't take it, I couldn't stay there anymore. I spent the night, taking the couch. The next morning was tense. Neither I nor Haley said a word, but I did borrow her computer. I decided to just throw caution to the wind, searching my address. I didn't find much, but I did find a news article. I started reading it, taking every word in.
Here, I'll relay the article the best that I can. It has since been removed for reasons unknown to me.
Family Disappears, father found. Local authorities contacted -- May 17, 1972
The Cordell family of 1247 South Broadway street went missing last Wednesday after the neighbors reported screaming. When authorities arrived, the house was empty. The persons missing are David Cordell, 33, Patricia Cordell, 30, and Tate Cordell, 7.
David was found and brought in for questioning three days ago, but the rest of the family has yet to be found. Cordell admitted to leaving his 7 month old daughter, Olivia Cordell, who was diagnosed as a mongoloid--recently renamed to Down Syndrome--in the house. Police could not find the little girl upon searching the house, but the case is ongoing and is still being investigated.
I have moved back into the house since then, and I am still living there today as I write this. I contacted the police and told them about the body, and they took the bones to be properly put to rest. I haven't had anything happen since, and I'm grateful for that. A terrible thing had happened here. A baby had been left to die, which she did; all because the room had been hidden. I decided to keep the room as it is, but I have had a contractor come out and repair the wall and install a door since then.
Who knows, the nursery might make a great room for my baby in seven months.