The water glistened under the sun. When sitting on the hard grass, I stared up at the bright blue sky making shapes out of the cotton clouds, when I noticed something out of the corner of my eye the basement light flicked on. I could see a silhouette of someone walking around through the curtain, it took a minute but the light went off. I figured it was just my mother grabbing some more of our things, and began looking at the clouds again. Soon after I heard a warming voice call out my name “Ashley it’s time to go,” My mother called out while sitting in the front seat of the moving truck. I got up and started walking then turned around, I would miss this house. I started up walking again, I got inside the truck. “You ready?” My mother asked, “As ready as I’ll ever be,” I said looking out the truck window. I fell asleep shortly after the long trip began.

When I awoke there wasn’t much to see since it was so dark outside. When I opened the door you could hear the crickets chirping. Every time I took another step on the dry leaves they crackled. “Grab your suitcase,” My mother called out with hers in her hand. I walked over to the back of the truck; I opened the door and grabbed my rosy red suitcase. When we got through the door, there was an odor, it smelled like wet dog. My mom grabbed her nose and pulled out some perfume from her purse, she sprayed around the room a couple times, “This is going to have to work right now, so here,” she handed me the blue bottle, “Take this upstairs find you’re room, and that should cover the smell for a while.” My mother added. A nodded and grabbed the bottle. I took the long decayed stairs up. There was a row of rooms aligned. The third door was pretty peculiar since it was open I was automatically drawn to it. When I walked in the bed was made nicely… blankets and all. The window curtain was opened, and so was one of the dresser drawers. When I rummaged through some old paperwork in the dresser I found a picture, the picture had a little girl with a strange man in it. To add more detail there was a couch and the girls neck fell slightly to the side of her shoulder, her eyes were closed and the man looks strangely serious. I took another look at the picture… then I flipped it. I realized exactly what this was… you know the pictures of dead people after they have had their makeup done, and dressed nicely? Well this was one of those. I looked back around at the man for another second. He had red curly overflows of hair that you could tell was put up. He had a grungy beard that stuck out like a sore thumb, and big black round glasses. I put the picture down… I sat there, like a idiot… what if this was his room? What if she died in here? There wasn’t a couch in here… so he couldn’t have. I walked over to the window and twittled with the curtains, when I looked outside of the cold glass, I saw him, I saw the guy in the picture. I took a step back and tripped over my suitcase, I rushed to my feet and looked back out but he was gone. I was pretty sure this was just my eyes freaking out so I went to sleep. I had a new start at a new school tomorrow anyways. I got ready for bed which included setting up my plain gray alarm clock.

~~~the next morning~~~

I awoke to the loud ringing of my alarm clock. I balled my hand up in a fist and punched it, it silenced. A long sigh slipped out of my plush lips. I was startled by a loud banging on my door. My mom didn’t wait for a reply and just walked in, “You have 30 minutes before the bus gets here,” My mother said as she handed me a cup of coffee and a donut. “The closest donut shop is 6 miles away, So don’t expect this every morning.” My mother added. I agreed and just nodded. She excused herself and left my room. I set my warm donut to the side, sipped my coffee down and added that to the desk. I rolled out of bed and went to grab a box my mom had already put in my room; I opened the box… a picture lay flatly on top. A drawn picture of me asleep, I figured my mom drew this when she had art class. I set it on top of my bed, I could ask her later. I grabbed a blue and red stripped long sleeve shirt; I added a pink tank top over it, and a pair of blue baggy skinny jeans. With some old grey shoes I had. I walked down the old stairs and went to my mom. She handed me a notebook. “Don’t be late, love you.” “Love you too mom,” I smiled. I walked out the door.

At school nobody really talked to me because I was the new, new girl. Toward the end of the day two girls walked up to me, “Hi what’s your name?” the one with black hair asked. “Uhm, it’s... Ashley.” I seemed to have trouble saying this. The other girl with a ashy red hair looked at me, this amused her, “No need to be shy,” she smiled, “I’m Katy and this is Mika,” She said pointing to the first girl that talked to me. I nodded, “Nice to meet you guys.” I said. I turned toward the door, “Talk to you tomorrow,” Mika said smiling. I didn’t say anything I just kept walking.

When I got home my mother wasn’t home, there was a note on the counter saying she’d be back later that she was out shopping at the moment. I went upstairs to my room, there was another picture lying on my bed. This time it was a drawn picture of my school. This made me a little uneasy. I grabbed the paper and walked to the window, it had already been open so when I threw the paper out it drifted among the wind. I shut my window and turned my back to it. My back slid down the cold wall. A sigh released out of my mouth, what had been going on? I heard my mom’s voice call down to me telling me to come down. When I walked down there was a plastic bag, “I bought you this for your room,” She handed me the bag, I looked straight into her eyes not saying anything about the pictures, I reached into the bag and retrieved a wallpaper. “I thought it would make you room, well roomier.” My mother said a warm smile on her face. “Thanks mom, you didn’t have to,” I said kind of upset she spent money on something unneeded. “It’s ok, I wanted too. You deserve it.” My mother replied. I smiled and grabbed the bag, I took it upstairs. This wasn’t going to get done unless I did it now. So that’s what I did. I finished about 30 minutes later. Mom was right my room did look a lot better, that night it was kind of stuffy in the room id been staying in, my window had been previously locked. Well I walked over and unlatched the crooked golden latch, a cold breeze rolled in. I walked back to my bed and began going over the words in the essay I was writing for English. I found myself and in a daze and fell helplessly asleep.

I awoke to a loud shatter, a vase from my nearby dresser had fallen, when I examined the broken vase, there was a dove that had most likely crash landed into my bedroom, its frail bones far broken and mangled than I had ever seen any species of animal being. I had a sudden urge to pick it up, I couldn’t leave it cold, and lifeless on my floor. I grabbed a plastic bag and took the bird in my hands. I went downstairs trying my hardest not to make a sound and wake my mother. I went out the back door and dug a little hole with my hands; the dove wasn’t very big so a little hole would work. I sat and stared at the little grave before me, this whole situation with finding the bed made; the picture of the man, then the drawn pictures, now a bird… I decided it was time to tell my mother, although it could wait till tomorrow.

“Good morning,” My mother’s sweet voice welcomed me. I yawned; I didn’t yet remember the situation that had happened the previous night. Then it came to me, “We need to talk this morning.” I looked concerned and I guess she noticed this, “What happened? Are you hurt?” she asked. “No, I’m fine , I am just worried about something… I found a picture of a man and a young girl, I was curious after I found out she was dead and I did a little research and I guess it’s called, Post Mortem Photography?” I said puzzled. “Yes, there were some people in my class that were actually studying to do this; do you still have the picture?” My mother asked, “No I threw it out, I am sorry… well after that I found some drawings, only two. The first one was a picture of me sleeping, the one I found after that was of my school… After a little I thought it was over, but last night I found a dove dead on my floor…” I said looking down at the carpet. “Why didn’t you tell me the other stuff, I am calling you’re school,” My mother said angry. “Please don’t, me and you can take care of this,” I said frightened. My mother looked at me and slowly nodded. “I’m nailing you’re window closed,” she said walking downstairs. A little breath of air went through my lungs, I was ok with this. Later on that evening I was drawing a picture of some roses in a vase, when my mother suddenly burst through the door with a hammer and nails. I watched intently as she struck each nail into the white peeling paint that surrounded the wooden frame on my window. When she finished she took a deep breath and a step back wiping her forehead. “Thanks,” I murmured quietly, “If anything else happens, please let me know.” My mother said as she put her hand on my knee. I smiled; it wasn’t till later that night when something bad happened again. I was sleeping when all the sudden something hit my window, then something else, and then again. I nervously got out of my bed and went to the window, it was then when I saw a white bird crash into the front of the glass I was looking threw. I looked down at my lawn there were at least six birds lying in our tall uncut grass. But once again another bird crashed, this time leaving a chip in my window. I stepped back and got on my bed. I yelled out for my mother, but the only sounds I heard from her… were screaming, I tried running to her, but my door wouldn’t budge. I heard a big smash and when I looked over a bird was frantically thrashing on my cold floor, then it stopped. Soon after another bird landed right next to the first one and repeated the same thrashing. I closed my eyes and went under my blankets; this was a dream it had to be. I heard what seemed to be a tornado of flapping in my room, when I took a peek out there was over a million birds flying around, I noticed all from my wallpaper were now gone. It wasn’t till then when I saw my door open a man with red hair and a mangled beard walked in, he was wearing black glasses. I cried out, but it was as if no one heard. I knew this was it, I closed my eyes,

~Later that year found in local newspaper~

Year: 2000, what seems as if the 1900’s are back! Reporters found two female bodies, names unidentified. Reporter also finds Post Mortem Photos taken of these victims. In each photo a feather is somewhere in the shot. They were also dressed in older fashioned clothes from the 19th century. Detectives have still no trace of the murderer. Or even how these two victims died. Some say this was a planned suicide. Detectives say otherwise.