The Strangest Dream (part 23)

"What is wrong with you, boy?" Just then, he growled, looking behind her, so she stood up and whirled around to see nothing. Charlie's back legs raised as if he was being pulled while he thrashed back and forth, biting at the air, trying to grip the floor with his nails. Something was dragging him towards the top of the steps, and he let out a big yelp.

Autumn ran to him, screaming his name, but she was too late. Charlie was forcibly sent through the air and down the stairs by something unseen, hitting the railing in the hall.

Hearing this, Clyde ran up the staircase when he saw the door slam against the wall, and the dog hit the railing, continuously yelping in pain. He got to Charlie, Evelyn ran to his side "Oh my god what happened?!"- He looked up the attic stairs and saw Autumn standing there with her hand over her mouth holding the railing.

"Mama?" Evelyn looked up at her mother in disbelief, not knowing what just happened. "Why would you do this Autumn?! What's wrong with you! It was just a little mud!"

Autumn tried to explain, but it didn't do any good, Clyde saw what he saw, and that was that. After all, she had been acting so strangely lately.

By this time, Marie was checking Charlie, and Evelyn started to tear up, "Is he gonna die?" Evelyn asked her grandmother, "It looks like just a sprain," Marie said, "Clyde take him to my room, and I will bandage him up." Still shocked Autumn started down the stairs cautiously taking each step slowly as not to fall, when Autumn reached the bottom she turned to shut the attic door when she heard a familiar low, quiet laugh, fear ran her blood cold, and quickly shut the door and ran throwing herself on her bed and she cried. Evelyn stood in the doorway with her hands in her pockets, watching her mother cry with her face cupped in her hands. "Mama?" Autumn looked through her bloodshot eyes at her and said: "Evie, I wouldn't do that, I would never hurt anyone, much less Charlie, please believe me." Evelyn walked over to the bed and patted her mother's back. "There there, mama, I know, I never touched those berries in the kitchen either." Autumn pulled her on the bed and held her tight "I'm sorry," she whispered in her ear. Evelyn then sighed and responded with, "I forgive you."

Undoubtedly there was tension in the air due to the ongoing negative turn of events that didn't change Clyde's love for Autumn, but it did make him more cautious. The looks she saw him give her when he thought she didn't notice, She almost felt as if he was questioning her every move, "Good God! Would you just stop!"

Marie didn't feel the same way. She noticed that Charlie wasn't scared of Autumn after the incident in the attic. In fact, if anything she thought they somehow bonded as some do after a tragic event, oh no, she knew that something was going on that was beyond their understanding. This came clear to her one night after everyone settled down for the evening. She was up late reading when she heard a tap on her door, putting her glasses down. She got up to see who it was, but when she saw no one was there, she dismissed it and went back to reading. After she heard the tapping again, she responded with, "The door is open, come in!" Nothing. No one was there. Maybe she was just tired and hearing things, she thought.

She went upstairs to wash her face and get ready for bed when she heard Evelyn's door open, she sidestepped out of the bathroom into the hall to look, but it was still closed. Going back to brushing her teeth, she heard it again. Only this time, the sound of her door opening was then followed by Evelyn's sweet voice. Turning off the water, she paused to listen, "Grandma," she heard being called in a long melodic tone. She grabbed the hand towel drying her face and hands, thinking that she had to put Evelyn back to bed. She came out into the hall shutting off the bathroom light. There in her doorway, she stood with the sweetest smile, "What are you doing up, Evie?" in which she responded with, "I'm awake."