Watcher

A stroke of good luck finds me as I sit in a fancy cafe, waiting for the person interviewing me to arrive. One of the waitresses has paid for my coffee. I have never been one for handouts, but I can tell her gesture is born of goodwill, and accept it graciously. It feels like a good sign that this is going to work out. I saw this job listing in the newspaper, applied online, and prayed to every God, that this would be the one for me.

I can't take another moment at home, and this opportunity feels too good to be true. I mix more creamer into my drink when the bell on the door chimes. A woman, oddly shaped, orders a black coffee, and then makes her way to me. I’m hesitant at first, but then remember she would know what I look like from my file.

“Miss Strix, I presume?”

“Yes ma’am. It’s a pleasure to meet you.” I reach out my hand for a shake but she doesn’t comply. I notice she’s wearing gloves and wonder if maybe she’s a germaphobe.

“Hmm. I didn’t expect you to be so scrawny, but you look like you can hold your own.” I bring back my hand and smile, despite the insult.

“Oh well thank you, ma’am.”

“Yes, yes.” She sits across from me, her large bosom barely able to fit on the other side. “Now tell me, child, why do you want this job?”

I flinch, wishing she had asked any other question besides this one.

“Well, truth be told, ma’am, I know a lot about taking care of a large empty home. I grew up without any siblings and my parents were travel journalists. Once I reached ten they decided I didn’t need a babysitter and I took care of the house on my own. Besides, I’m a huge animal lover, so I won’t have any problem with tending to the farm animals.”

She eyes me up and down, and I resist the urge to see if I’ve spilled anything on my blouse.

“Hmm, and do you still live at home? Will this arrangement interfere with anything else, including taking care of your parents' home?”

“Oh, my parents have passed away; an accident in the Himalayas. So I’m by myself in a little flat up the street these days.”

“Ah, so you’re also probably hard up for money.”

I grip my mug tighter and try to keep myself from looking tense. I force a chuckle. “Well ma’am, money makes the world go round, and despite my parents' loss, I still need to keep moving forward.”

She eyes me up and down again, but this time smiling wildly to reveal a missing tooth on the right, and a blackened one on the left. “I like your spunk girl. I’ll tell you about the position more in-depth, and you can decide if you truly want it. I’m assuming you’re not from around here either?”

“No ma’am. I moved in last month.” Which is why I’m so desperate for income.

“As we stated in the ad online, this is a live-in position until the house can be sold. You’ll need to clean it regularly, take new and alluring photos every once in a while to send to me, and keep the barn animals fed. We’ll have a list of the animals so you can make sure none of those ugly cretans escape. You’ll be given a budget every week for food for you and the animals, plus your compensation. Any questions so far?”

“Are there a lot of animals?” I ask, picturing a farm overrun, but she rolls her eyes.

“No, just a horse, some pigs, cows, sheep, and chickens, maybe a barn owl?” Her definition of a lot must truly differ from mine. “Anything else?” I shake my head. “Good. Now on to the other aspects. This house is special. It’s very old, on even older land, and people in this town are superstitious. They’ll spread all sorts of vile rumors, but the house is merely that, a house. I’ll be at the real estate office if you ever have questions, but try not to call me for any reason. I simply don’t care unless the house is on fire or being flooded.”

I nod and feel my brow furrow. “So what’s the catch ma’am? This opportunity sounds amazing. I can’t see why anyone wouldn’t want this.” She stares at me, her makeup caked so thick it breaks around her eyes as she smiles.

“The owners of this house went missing six months ago and have never been found. This house is going to auction soon, but no one here wants to step foot on the land for fear of going missing as well. I’ve been working with the bank to try and keep things out of the news, but you know how small town vermin talk.”

That notion does make the hairs on my arms stand up, but I need this job if I want to stay in Maine any longer.

“While that is tragic and strange, I still want to do this.”

She gives me her terrifying grin and I smile back, hoping I’ve got it.

“All right then child, you’re hired! Here’s the address, and if you could write down your bank information for me I’ll have your direct deposit set up tomorrow so we can deliver your first payment.”

I almost want to hug this large woman, but don’t want to do anything to get me fired this early on. “Thank you, ma’am. You won’t be disappointed.”

“I sure hope not.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

“No, I’m fine.” I really am. This house is so nice, the bedroom is large, and the unsettling feeling I get at night is probably normal.

“Are you sure? I can push back your rent due date if you need?” I had told my landlord that I wouldn’t be able to complete my lease and she had been fine with it until I told her where I was going.

“Okay well, I’ll keep your unit open for a month if you change your mind honey. That place-“

“I know, Mrs. Jones, you think it's bad luck, but I’ll be okay. Thank you, though. I really appreciate it.” I continue unpacking, missing her already.

“Your parents were always so nice when they stayed with me during their travels. I’ll be in touch, dear.”

She finally lets me go, and I sigh. She makes me miss my parents even more, despite their absence over the years, they were still the only family I had. Mrs. Jones had saved a room for them year-round in case they wanted to visit and was devastated when I told her the news all those months ago. She offered to set me up in their unit for a discounted price and I couldn’t say no when the house was finally sold.

But staying there had been eating me away, and I hastened my move in so I could be free of their presence. Imagining them where I had slept, showered, and eaten had created a new kind of pain that I didn’t know existed.

It was fine because I was more than happy to get to the animals and see how they were doing. The real estate woman had emailed me all the lists and paperwork I needed to keep up with their maintenance, but I was shocked to see that the animals were so well behaved. They were quiet as I entered the barn on the first day, hardly making any sounds besides a casual snore or bite into their food.

“Hi, guys. I just wanted to meet everyone and to let you know I’ll be your new caretaker for a while. I hope we can all get along.” Some of the animals spared me a glance, but the only one that looked to be paying attention was the owl staring at me from the rafters. It seemed like it understood me, and cocked its head to the side. I waved at it, and it hooted at me as if I was annoying them. I just shrugged and left.

Remembering it still leaves me unsettled, and every night I’ve been here, I’ve been too nervous to wander around at night. In the sun, this house is different. It’s pleasant and feels like every happy memory within these walls is still here, blessing the air. As the sun is beginning to set, I sigh and go to check on the animals again. I double-check all the enclosures and then hear a hoot from above me. I stand up straight, but can’t turn around. The air is so cold, it restricts my lungs, and I feel the hairs along the back of my neck stand at attention. Goosebumps trail up and down my arms as I reach for my phone and then turn the flashlight on. It's not even that dark in here, but my fear gets the best of me. I shine the flashlight behind me and slowly turn around, only to see the owl flapping its wings at me as if the light is bothering it.

“Oh, sorry!”

I quickly lock up and head back to the main house, practically jogging to my bedroom. I’ve never felt more grateful to have an attached bathroom before. After my shower, I turn the lights off, but I see the shape of an owl in my window. I quickly look, but there is no bird in sight, and the shadow is gone. I close my blinds, double-check the window lock, and crawl into bed, hoping this house sells sooner rather than later.

As I wake, I swear I can hear the flapping of wings, but I chalk it up to my dreams and get the day going. It’s filled with light cleaning, snapping cute photos of rooms, and tending to the animals who are so low maintenance I’m beginning to find it frightening. The owl is always in the same spot in the rafters, watching me down below as I fill troughs and blow kisses to the horse.

It hasn’t hooted at me today, but I’m doing my best to try and not piss it off.

“I’ll be back tonight everyone. Stay safe! Tomorrow you guys will get to finally roam the fields since they’re getting cut today.” The owl cocks its head at me again, and it seems as if it nods at the end. I just turn around and walk out, wondering why a simple bird has me so on edge lately. It’ll be fine once all the animals can roam about. Maybe the owl will find a new barn to settle in. That’s what I tell myself.

The rest of the day flies by and even though it’s an hour before I usually call bedtime I decide to check on the animals early and get extra sleep tonight.

As I approach the barn I notice through a crack in the door all the animals are looking up at the owl who has its wings spread as if it was talking. It looks back at me and the light makes it look as if it has red eyes. I jump at the contact but still, I go to open the door all the way. However, when it's open the animals are all doing their own thing, and the owl seems to be asleep.

I shake my head, sure I’m just daydreaming, and finish up telling everyone good night. Locking the door behind me I can’t get rid of that image I saw and rub my face. A night of pampering is just what I need before I have to clean all of the stalls tomorrow.

I make my way to my fancy bathroom, make sure the blinds are closed, doors locked, and let myself sink into the hot tub. My muscles relax and I drift off while I'm soaking, thinking about margaritas and puppies. I suddenly hear a very loud hoot, as if an owl is in my bedroom. I jump, the water sloshing over the lip of the tub, and look underneath the door for any kind of shadow, but nothing moves. I don’t hear any other sounds, so I decide it must be my imagination again. It’s not the first time I’ve had a vivid dream like that and I doubt it'll be the last.

No, I’ve had vivid dreams about my parents since the day they died, and each time they were there, telling me we’d be together again one day, but I’d be lying if I haven't said I hoped it’d be soon. Thinking about them before bed makes me miss them all over again and I recall all the times they’d bring me books on new animals from all over the world because they knew I loved animals more than anything.

I finish drying off and climb into the comfiest pair of pajamas I have, hoping that sleep will come early, but as I lay in bed, I can’t turn my thoughts off. Even though I know monsters and ghosts aren’t real, the idea of leaving my room at night for a cup of tea leaves me pacing in my room. Deciding that if I wait any longer, I’m going to really chicken out, I yank my door open and rush to the kitchen, turning on all the lights as I go. It takes a minute to adjust my eyes, but for a second, I think I see an owl at the end of the hallway until my eyes focus on a painting I have never noticed before.

In the painting are a man and woman, praying at what looks to be a UFO in the sky, if UFOs were made from clouds. This painting only deepens my uneasiness of walking around at night so I quicken my pace towards the kitchen. I get a pot of water boiling for the tea and try to avoid looking out any of the windows. The last thing I need to see is an owl outside. I might quit at that point, and I really need this money. It’ll finish paying off my parents’ funeral and all the hospital bills from when they tried to be saved.

The kettle goes off, making me jump again, and I make my hot cup of tea, nursing it as I head back to my room. I turn the lights off room by room, not looking back, and trying to avoid the ominous aura coming from behind me once a room has gone dark again.

Once I’m in bed, I sip at my tea, pulling up a book on farm animal safety. It takes an hour until my tea is gone and I’m finally feeling sleepy. I turn out my light and snuggle into the comforter, hoping I can go dreamless tonight.

Over the next few days, things remain the same. I let the animals out when I can, I clean, and I try to rest. Not leaving my room at night keeps me sane, and I’ve started talking to the owl.

“You know I looked it up and owls are supposed to be a good sign of wealth, which is exactly what I need, so don’t go anywhere.” The owl seems to be amused by my statement and looks as if it's smiling. I just shake my head at it and continue on my day. It’s when I’m on my way to the kitchen for lunch, do I realize something.

The painting of the man and woman is gone.

There’s no trace of it as if it never existed there in the first place, and I have to wonder, did I imagine it? But there was no way. I start searching the web for any traces of the painting, but can’t seem to find anything similar, so either it was local art, or I really did make it up. I back burner the thoughts as I eat and wonder if maybe it had been moved into the barn’s storage on accident by the men from the auction house who had been sent here to gather some items. They had moved anything worth value into the barn storage room, but I hadn’t paid any attention since it had been another stall cleaning day.

I decide to go back to the barn once I’m done eating, but then the image of the animals looking up pops back in my head. I shake it off, reminding myself I was just tired that day, and cleaning my dishes before exiting the house. The sun is still high in the sky as I make my way to the large red building, and I head towards the side door that leads me to the storage room. I quietly enter the room, not wanting to disturb the animals, but inside I can see them through a small window and my blood runs cold.

There in the center, holding the attention of all the animals, is what one might call a man if men had feathers along their body, wings, red eyes, and the feet of birds. I duck, afraid to be seen, and leave the room just as quietly as I had come, painting long forgotten.

Once I’m safely back inside the house, I head up to my room, still trying to wrap my head around what I saw. My phone rings, startling me, and I sigh answering Mrs. Jones.

“Ah, Laurel honey, I hope I’m not bothering you. I just want to check on you.”

“Thanks, Mrs. Jones that’s very sweet of you.”

I’m sitting with my back facing the window, and as I’m talking, I see the shadow of the birdman fill my window frame. I freeze, fear gripping every inch of me.

“Of course. Are you going to come to visit me and tell me all about that damn spooky house?” I force a laugh, glad I’m not too terrible an actor.

“I will once the house is sold. Until then I’m going to stay and take care of the animals.”

The shadow recedes, and I move slightly as if everything is fine.

“You really love animals, don’t you? Why don’t you try to find a permanent position working with them somewhere after this?”

I genuinely smile at the thought, trying to pretend that I might actually get to live through this.

“I would really like that. Could you tell me if you hear of anything?” I twirl my hair, nervous, but also hoping it was a normal enough gesture.

“Of course, dear! I’ll check in again, okay? Stay safe out there!”

“Thank you, Mrs. Jones.” She disconnects and I see the shadow has completely gone.

I know that right now, I have three options. One I could quit. This would guarantee my safety, but I also wouldn’t be able to pay off the debts, and Mrs. Jones would definitely spread more ghost rumors, and I might die. Two, I could stay, try to just ignore it so I can get paid, and possibly die. Three, I could stay, try to fight the Owl Man to save the animals, and definitely die.

I just sigh. I could die either way honestly so maybe I choose the path that might put me in the green and with the least resistance. Still, my decision doesn’t change the fact that something is going on here. Something that seems strange, if not malicious. I look in the mirror in the bathroom, taking a look at my dark hair, and tired blue eyes.

“Everything is fine,” I tell myself, and then I smile. If there’s even the slightest chance that I’m just crazy, I’d like to believe that, but when I close my eyes, I see the red ones compelling the barn animals. They are compelling me the more I think of them.

I want to stay, but I also want to understand without the notion of definitely dying. I decide to inspect the room of the previous owners. I’ve been leaving it alone for now, not wanting to enter it for cleaning until I absolutely had to. I hope maybe they have left something behind that would explain what is going on in their barn.

With the sun still, mostly out I figure it’ll be safe as I cross through the large house towards their room. The door opens easily as I flip on the light, brightening the dull colors of the walls. It’s as untouched as from before they went missing, but I still search among their old belongings.

I go through the drawers, unsure of what exactly I might find, but hoping there’s the tiniest bit of a clue. It’s not until I get to the woman’s bedside table in the furthest corner of the room that I stumble across something. I see there’s a book on top, something to do with extraterrestrials, it seems. There's a bookmark sticking out that looks like a torn piece of paper. Picking it up gently I flip to the paper, gripping it tighter as I read what it says, ‘The good will be chosen’.

“What does that even mean?” I put the book back, deciding I should just get back to work, and clean this room today. It has collected enough dust since my arrival.

By the time it's up to my standards and the laundry is started it's time to say goodnight to the animals. I almost think about skipping it, but if the animals are truly sentient, then that might be a bad idea.

After practicing in a mirror to hide my composure I head back out to the barn, with the sun almost completely gone. I want to hurry this up and get back to take a nice relaxing bath, but the sight in the barn causes my heart to stop. All the animals are missing. I can’t grasp where they could have gone since all their gates are still locked. I grab the food bell and ring it as I walk towards the fields. A cow moos in the far-off distance, and I speed walk towards the sound, continuing to ring the bell every few seconds.

“Hello? You guys out here?”

The horse neighs, sounding like it's back near the house, and I feel conflicted. Should I stay by the barn, or should I be out here herding them? I decide to see if I can at least spot a few more, but even the cow doesn’t make another sound, letting the trails go cold. I head back up to see if the horse is still around, now with the sun completely gone. It’s dark and I pull out my phone using the flashlight.

To my dismay, it has also disappeared, and I notice my phone has lost its signal. The power around the barn, and through the house flickers once and then goes out, leaving all the land in darkness minus my flashlight. The air grows cold against me, like that one day, and I decide that no amount of money is worth this fear. I dart into the house, set on grabbing my keys, driving far, far away, and never looking back. However, I can’t find them where they normally are in the kitchen near the door that leads to the carport.

From the kitchen, I can see the barn through a window above the sink and I notice lights come on around it, revealing the birdman standing outside, staring me down. I scream at the sight, running in the opposite direction and towards my room. I hear it open the door, entering the house as I’m locking my bedroom door. Its talons click against the wood as it gets closer and I can’t stop crying.

“Please, all I ever wanted was to take care of the animals! Please!” It stops walking, and I’m utterly terrified, but my fight or flight senses are still running strong so I bolt to my window, scrambling out as fast as I can.

I clamber to my feet and look around me, only to see the birdman at the front corner of the house, facing me. It's still about 20 feet away, but it shrieks an ungodly sound, and I start running again, out of breath, wishing I had done more in my life before I had to die like this.

I don’t hear it chasing me, but I know it can’t be too far behind. I find myself back in the fields, trying to hide behind scarecrows or fences. My eyes have somewhat adjusted to the darkness, but I know that it can see me better.

As I’m catching my breath I think about the previous owners' note, ‘The good will be chosen’. There’s no way this is what the good is chosen for? Certain death? Why would the good be chosen to die, and why did I have to accept this job?

I hear it closing in on me, and I hold back my tears. I need to spend all my energy on surviving. Suddenly the wind picks up, and the clouds start to move around in the sky. It almost looks like it might rain, but then bright lights shoot out of the clouds and I’m reminded of the painting I had been searching for earlier.

Had it been more than a simple painting? I take off running again, not wanting the lights to see me, or have the owl find me, but it feels futile. Eventually, I’m at a clearing in the center of the fields and cry out in frustration. I thought I was heading towards the exit, but I had managed to find myself further in. I can hardly run another minute without possibly collapsing, so I try to sneak around it, but red eyes are caught in my peripheral, and I realize that the bright lights are missing. I take a step away from the birdman, and it takes one step towards me. As it encroaches on me I stumble in the center of the clearing. My heart is in my throat, beating aggressively against my ribs, and I’ve never been this terrified before. I try to look around for the cloud ship, but I notice too late, there’s a very dark cloud right above me.

The light shines directly on me, a pull upwards creates goosebumps on my arms. My skin feels tingly as it begins to glow, and I wonder if this is what being chosen means. Is this death, or something more, but I know without a doubt this light is saving me from the birdman. As I begin to lose consciousness and the white light fills my vision, I hope that the animals are okay.