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Chapter 21
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The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 22
Jerry Wilcox called in every favor he had around town to help Brian Thomas. An electrician, a plumber, a painter, a carpenter, all of them showed up one after the other. Jerry Wilcox only had one condition, a date with Nadine. Nadine was flattered and agreed quickly. It was then that Luke told her that House One would be open to her should she wish to leave the main house. The announcement took everyone by surprise. No one had expected Roger to give up that house and give permission for renovations. But it happened.As luck would have it the electrician made quick work of the wiring and then the painter and carpenter were let in to do their part. A week after the massive delivery Brian’s house was ready to move in. He kept the rooms the way they used to be; he simply replaced curtains and carpets and added a couple of extra lights. The instruments were polished and placed on display once more, this time with a black-light to accent the entire wall of guitars.It pleased Bradley to se
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 23
The boys were doing well at school, and very soon everything seemed to be back to normal; the only thing that reminded the family of the near tragedy behind them was the white lines in Brian’s hands and arms.The relationship between the boys and their father was mostly repaired, simply because Joe did not mention anything about the property at all. He enjoyed the walks with his wife in the gardens, and they loved to play hide and seek in the maze. Brian had recruited some of his friends to help him sort out the irrigation issue on the property and once the irrigation worked the garden bloomed. From dahlias to tulips, the light pink hibiscus grew nearly everywhere, save for the front garden.Brian had sought out every rose of every color he could find and had planted them in the front garden around the water feature and statues.Cynthia’s favorite though, was the white and yellow daisies, spotted so often with the blue and purple hydrangeas, that grew next to the paths.The lawn was w
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 24
The family breathed their first sigh of relief two days after the incident, for that Monday afternoon Brian woke up. Jerry and Joe were sitting with him, whilst Nadine and Cynthia were taking a break. James and Luke were in the ICU, and no one was allowed to see them.“Dad.” Joe heard a hoarse voice from the bed.“I’m here son.” Joe stood up and hurried to Brian’s side, taking the boy’s shaking hand in his own.“Dad, we need to save them,” Brian said hoarsely.“Save who?” Joe asked confused.“James and Luke. They’re not coming back until you and I start that project.” Brian said as his eyes fluttered.“Are you sure?” Joe asked surprised.“We were spirits Dad. And we were held away until I could make a deal with old man Cornelius. He’s the one that cursed us Dad, and we are both the reason they are not here.” Brian’s eyes fluttered again.“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Joe promised his son.“I’ll be better tomorrow Dad, and then we can talk,” Brian said before taking a deep breath and go
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 25
As Brian promised he woke up again the next day, and the first person he asked for was his father. The family was waiting though, and so were the nurses. They checked him out, declared him fit enough for the visit, and then left.After the pleasantries, Brian turned to his father.“Did you bring the plans, Dad?” He asked carefully.“I did,” Joe said and handed the rolled-up documents over to his son.Jerry stepped closer to look over Joe’s shoulder.“Congratulations,” Brian said to him with a grin. “Do you have a wedding date at least?”“We’re getting married in your Garden. So you need to make sure you get your plans right so that we have a lovely backdrop for the pictures.” Jerry told him quickly.“Excellent. Now, all things considered, we should add a pergola over there, with climber roses on either side at the bases so that they can grow over them. I’m going to assume your bouquet is going to come from the garden as well, so you need to let me know what flowers you like so that th
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 26
The Thomas family set off to the hospital. It’s was James’ turn to wake up, he had improved overnight and during the morning in such a way that he was taken out of ICU and put into a pediatric ward with other kids his age, just in a separate room so that no one could disturb him.The family met Rodney Gillian, one of James’ best friends, out in the hall with his mother.“Samantha!” Cynthia said surprised but embraced the other woman.“I’m so sorry about your boys! Rodney has been begging me for ages to come and see James, we’ve been here every day, the nurses just wouldn’t let us see him.” Samantha Gillian replied and gave Cynthia the flowers and gift bag she was holding.“They told us when we came in he’d be here, so we came up.”Cynthia was furious but then she looked at the young boy hiding behind his mother.“Come on then, I’m sure he’d love to see you.” She said to Rodney.The nurse showed the two families into James’ room. He was half asleep while the doctors looked him over.“D
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 27
As Brian had predicted James was let out of the hospital three days later. He was still weak from his experience, but at least he was at home. He wanted to jump into the work immediately, telling Brian he will go pick the rocks with Rodney, but Brian told him to rest instead. But instead of following instructions James decided he will sit on the lawn and watch his father and brother work and taking them glasses full of cold refreshments while their mother went to sit at the hospital, waiting for Luke to wake up.It was hard for Jerry to help them, he had picked up extra shifts to make extra money for his baby and the wedding. Nadine was still having the weird experiences in their home, but Jerry was completely oblivious. When Jerry worked night shifts Nadine would stay in the house. Brian was back in his house, so Rodney used Brian’s old room on the nights he stayed over.James had been home three days when he finally felt strong enough to go for a walk up the path. So that Wednesday
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 28
As the days and weeks passed the front lawn was quickly transformed into a construction site. Luke had still not woken up and was still in ICU. Brian and James could feel him slip away from them, no matter how hard they tried to patch things up with their father.Joe was starting to feel the pressure, no matter how many times he had sat next to Luke in his private room, no matter how many boulders he carried with James, or how little time he was spending in his study, nothing seemed to help Luke at all. The doctors were starting to lose hope for Luke, even though he still had brain activity and reacted to everything around him. His heart was still beating, all be it slow, as if he was in a deep sleep, there was no medical reason for him to still be in the coma he was in.Nadine’s pregnancy was progressing quickly, but she wanted to wait for Luke before she set a date for her wedding. The crying in House one still woke her during her naps, but she felt the irritation ease when she sang
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 29
Luke did not return for another week, a week where Brian changed his mind more times than anyone could count.Brian’s final decision was to have the pond slope inwards, and then pan out in the center, where the pavilion and the pump house were going to be. Brian did not want a pump house at first, but after some research he realized he was going to have to put pumps and filters in to make sure the water is always clear and moving.Since the pavilion was going to be roughly thirty six squares in a hexagonal shape, he agreed to have the pump house underneath the pavilion knowing it would leave enough space for the twelve square the pump house needed.Joe had to force Brian and James to return to school the same week Luke returned home. Brian made his instructions very clear to the builders he had enlisted to build the pump house, and would rush home after school to check on the site.The structures came up quickly, Luke took pleasure in sitting outside in the shade and watch the men sin
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The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Epilogue
It is the 11th of May again. Fifteen-year-old Jeremy Thomas sat on the bench of the Thomas Memorial Park, staring up at the statue of three grinning young men.“I wish I had known you.” He whispered softly to the statue. “Maybe things would have been easier if you could explain them to me.”He huffed and shook his head, knowing he would never get an answer out of the stone. He leaned forward and ran his hands through his hair and took a couple of deep breaths.“There you are. I thought I’d find you here.” A voice called out to him.Jeremy did not even bother turning around. He knew his mother was right behind him.“Hey, Mom.” He smiled sadly at her and then turned his gaze back to the statue.“Are you speaking to your Uncles again?” Nadine grinned and sat down next to the boy.“No. I’m just sitting here. I feel drawn to this place.” He replied.“I know you are. You know, Brian renovated this place.” Nadine replied.“I know, and he did Thomas Gardens too,” Jeremy replied and rolled his
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 57
The Thomas boys were buried the next Saturday in the family Cemetery in the corner of the property behind the waterfall that they so loved and carefully restored. Almost all of Buttershire turned up, including the divers that found them and half of the police force, Jerry included.Jerry was still a little banged up, but once he heard of the boys’ deaths he insisted he needed to attend. He believed they were the ones who saved him from a certain death.Mayor McCummins stood in the pavilion, looking back at a sea of faces, all dressed in black, and swallowed hard.“We are here today to celebrate the lives of three remarkable young men, who gave their last breath to save this town. They have made a massive impact on all of our lives, whether we know it, or not. But I know these boys touched my heart and inspired me to be better than I was.They worked hard for their family, who was their whole life. I will never forget the day when these young men first sat in my office, as I asked them
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 56
James had Brian drive around seemingly without any real sense of direction. His face was still blank. Luke added a few turns or comments here and there, but not as much as James. Brian knew better than to ask who was controlling his brothers.After nearly an hour of mindless driving, James had Brian stop in front of what used to be a house. The people milling around the house were up to their calves in mud. A young girl clutched a crying baby to her chest, while two other kids were running around. A teenage boy was looking for something amongst the rubble.An older couple, that appeared to be in their mid-sixties, were being comforted by a middle-aged man when a preteen girl standing next to them. James opened the door without a word and got out of the bus. Luke followed close behind him so Brian shut the bus off and got out.“Hi, I’m James Thomas,” James said as he approached the couple.They turned to look at him and then the old man took a deep breath.“What can we do for you youn
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 55
It was three days since the initial flood, three anxiety-filled days without a word of the Thomas boys. Surrounding towns opened their doors and heart to the survivors of the Buttershire flood. As the search and rescue continued day after day, the survivors became less, and the bodies became more.Bodies were found washed up along the banks of the rivers, and with every body bag brought through, Cynthia could only hope it was not one of her sons in those black bags.And then word came, the boys had been found.It was a bittersweet reunion for the Thomas family. Cynthia fell to her knees as Brian got off the helicopter, wrapped in a foil blanket. Joe rushed toward the young man who was helping his younger brothers out, and then Jerry came out on a gurney. There had been complications when he was rescued, but the medics on board stabilized him, all he needed was immediate medical attention.Joe enveloped his sons in his arms and kissed their wet heads as he held tight, all the while fai
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 54
The sun rose over an exhausted group of people on the very top of the hill overlooking Buttershire. They were wet, cold, bedraggled, and not looking forward to another day of rain. But the rain had not stopped pouring down, as if it wanted to break down the very last hope of the survivors.The doors of a white minibus opened, and a worried Cynthia got out of the bus. She closed the door to prevent the chill from getting to Jeremy, who had gotten a nasty cough overnight, and the five other lost children they had found wandering the road.“Anything?” Cynthia asked as she wrapped her arms around her husband who sat staring over the rolling river that used to be Buttershire.“Not yet. They are saying there are more survivors on the other hills around, some got up Thomas Gardens, but no one can confirm if the boys are amongst them.” Joe replied worriedly.“Oh my.” Cynthia replied and started to weep softly. “can we go down there?”“I want to try, but the army will be coming in shortly with
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Outside in the minibus, Cynthia saw the commotion through the rain as people ran from the City Hall, and into the streets. Another wail filled the night air, partially drowned through the torrent of rain, but the voices outside in the streets were enough to make everyone realize what was going on.Joe jumped out of the minivan and ran against the hordes rushing out of the doors. He pushed and shoved his way through until he reached the receptionist who was hurriedly emptying her drawers of all personal effect.“Where are my boys?” he near yelled at her.She gave him a frightened look and shook her head.“I don’t know. The mayor ordered an immediate evacuation.” She yelled back over the din of voices before grabbing her bag and making a run to the exit.“Crap.” Joe cursed and then started calling for his sons.“They’re not here. They went to the basement.” A security officer told him.“Are they still there?” Joe asked him hurriedly.“I don’t know. Mayor had the door closed, Jerry broug
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City Hall security saw the two brother approach the hall, and then hang around the bottom of the steps, as if waiting for someone. A uniformed police officer joined the two, acknowledging each other with a simple nod. The thunder rolled over the town along with the dark clouds that gathered above. “Mayor, I think we have a problem. The Thomas boys are here, but they are not themselves.” The head of security called up to the Mayor’s office. The Mayor sent Enrico down to the lobby to receive them. Enrico was just approaching the doors when a cloud broke above the town, torrents of water crashed down to the streets. Every one raced for cover, except the Thomas men at the bottom of the steps. Their clothes were dripping wet within seconds, but they still seemed undisturbed. The street lights flickered on, casting an ominous glow all around. Dusk started to settle in, and as it became dark, Brian joined the trio at the bottom of the stairs. A minibus parked next to the curb, but the doo
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Chief Warden was in the middle of a meeting with Mayor McCummins when the five divers strolled into his office, wet and bedraggled, with serious expressions on their faces.“Good afternoon Chief. Mayor.” Graeme greeted with a polite nod.“We are in the middle of something.” Chief Warden admonished him with a dark frown.“My apologies sir, but this could not wait. The Thomas River broke its banks on the Thomas property, destroyed everything in its path, and nearly killed the boys. I think it advisable to ask for troops, members of the public service, to inspect the rest of the river, and any other water source depending on the river.” Graeme spoke quickly.The Chief of Police and the Mayor stared at Graeme as if he had gone insane, but only for a few minutes, as Graeme’s words sunk in, the Mayor paled visibly.“You said the river nearly killed the boys?” Mayor asked concerned.“Yes Ma’am. Brian Thomas nearly drowned saving his youngest brother. I managed to grab the middle boy, and my
The Haunting of Thomas Gardens Chapter 50
The Thomas boys waited until nearly ten am before they decided to go back to the river and attempt the feat again. The put on their swim trunks, and went down to the river.From some ways off they could hear the voices on the river bank. Men and women were all talking and calling out to each other and then the laughing started. When the boys broke through the foliage they discovered seven people, all wearing wet suits, six diving tanks stood in batches of two near the water’s edge.Six of the seven wore flippers, the seventh just had boots on.Brian stared at them and then opened his mouth, but no sound came out.“Hello Brian.”Brian recognized him as the captain of the rescue squad from Firehouse 117.“Hi.” Brian finally managed to say.“I hope you don’t mind, Jerry let us in and brought us down here.” He said and then pointed to the people around him. “This is Hannon, Liza, Alex, Graeme, Shauna, and Blake. These were the only volunteers I could gather for you to help you boys out.”
