45 House spirits (2)
Aaron found a stone between the grass, and he collected it from the ground. He moved his arm back, getting ready to shove it at the dog.
They already were battling ghosts and spirits. They didn't need stray dogs. What if it had rabies? It would bring only more trouble.
Also, Lora hated dogs. When she was little, she had been afraid of them for years. She could manage to pass by one now, but still, she hated them.
He remembered how she would scream every time they encountered one, no matter the leash and muzzle.
«No,» he heard, but he didn't know it was directed at him until a gentle but firm hand wrapped around his wrist.
He turned to check who was the owner of that melodious voice, and his eyes met a pair of amber gems.
It was the first woman, the brunette. He didn't know her name, but he had checked her out when she and her colleague had come out of the house. They were too pretty to be taken seriously. About that, his sister was right.
However, seeing her from this close made him gulp. The stone fell from his hand, and he waited for an explanation for being grabbed like that. Not that he minded when it was such a beauty.
Maybe she was one of those battling for animal rights.
He wasn't violent with animals, usually. He just wanted to avoid his sister feeling uncomfortable.
Still, he blushed when he realised the woman couldn't know it. She was thinking he was a violent man! What a pity!
«You said again,» he heard in place of a scolding.
No words for not hurting animals. No question about why chasing a dog like that. Her doubt was on a word.
«Yes,» he said and decided to talk.
With her attention on him, he felt warm... almost burning. And he felt the need to impress her. In any way.
«Yes, that's right. We saw that dog when we came here last time.»
«Four years ago?»
He nodded.
«Why are you chasing it? Is there a specific reason? Do you feel something strange?»
«Ah? Why do you ask? I'm not doing it for fun!»
He was not a psychopath if that was her fear.
«Then, why?»
Mark Kaplan walked to them, intending to hear better and, at the same time, help his son.
«Why such a question?» he said, repeating Aaron's words.
«Children are often more sensitive to the underworld,» Vera explained. «That's why I'm asking for his reasons. Is that the case, Aaron?»
He winced, blushing even more. That woman knew his name! She remembered it! Did it mean he had made an impression?
«I didn't want Lora to shout,» he said. «When she was little, she hated dogs. She would shout every time she saw one...»
«I had a phobia,» Lora confirmed. «Now it's better. I still shiver next to dogs, but I have it under control. When we were little, we were playing out while mum and dad talked about their business in the house. They told us to play in the garden, and so we did. It was the only time we did something other than play video games or sleep. Literally.»
«And then, that dog came here,» Aaron said. «I took a stone and chased him away. That's all. I didn't even hit it! I just scared it a little!»
«I see,» Vera chuckled. «That solves it.»
«Solves what?»
«The mystery. The dog you were trying to chase is none other than the house spirit's husband! It's just another form of his.»
«H-husband?» Lora said, confused.
Helena and Mark exchanged a look, and, for a moment, they empathised with the spirit. She had her reasons for being mad, even if it was no one's fault if things happened like that.
«Aaron didn't know,» Mark said. «He was just protecting his sister.»
«I know that,» Vera said. «But she doesn't.» She pointed at the house, making it clear who she was. «And she doesn't care, actually. She wants her husband back.»
«H-how? Wait, can't she follow him out?» Mark queried.
«No way. We have to lure him in.»
«That would mean having two spirits inside.»
Double the trouble!
«Yes, but he will keep her under control.»
«How do we lure them in?»
«With bread,» Vera said, shrugging. Bread would always work. «And you should do it, Aaron. You should leave the food for him so that he's not angry with you when he returns.»
«Why me?» the boy complained.
«Because you chased him out. Like this, by righting your wrongs, you'll be safe in the house.»
«But Lora...»
«I'll survive,» the girl conceded. In the end, she would just stay far from that dog. And it didn't look scary. It was not aggressive nor too big.
And it had big black eyes. The wagging short tail was actually funny.
«It will be all right,» Vera said. «And I can protect you. Isn't that right, Herr Fiser?»
«I confirm!» Florian exclaimed without moving from his corner. He had enough of the supernatural for the day. Better get it over with and return home.
His boss was getting a hundred-page report. And Florian knew he would read every single letter. Florian's revenge would have been the time wasted reading about useless stuff. Non-related to Vera.
«If you lure him in with bread, little by little, it will settle in your garden and move into the house. He will keep the evil spirit under control and protect your home in the future.»
«Is it a good spirit?» Aaron inquired.
«Yes, that's correct.»
«But... An evil spirit and a good spirit being married? Isn't it strange?»
Vera just shrugged. «It's the underworld. We can't understand it,» she said. «We can just accept how things are. Or move to another house.»
«We're staying,» Aaron said.
His dad loved that house, and it was his fault for not being able to enjoy it. The least he could do was solve the matter.
It was just about feeding a dog, in the end. And be careful in the future not to chase it again.
