David Golemon: The Supernaturals

The sewing room door swung closed. Slowly, with the same penetrating squeak she had heard a few minutes before the house had turned on them. Jessica knew she was starting to lose consciousness, but through her daze she heard the softer, far gentler voice come once more through the bedroom door. This time it seemed as if the voice was tired, exhausted, but persistent nonetheless.

“Get out, NOW!”

Whatever walks there, walks alone

The men and women sitting around the large conference table watched as she slowly placed her files and large case on the table before her. The movements seemed deliberately slow, and everyone knew the man sitting at the head of the conference table was the object of those deliberate actions. The man himself sat stoically with his manicured nails of his right hand propped neatly against his chin and cheek, and didn’t mutter a word. His eyes never left Kelly Delaphoy — everyone in the company knew the young woman was after his job. That in and of itself wasn’t too surprising. After all, when you swim with sharks, there’s bound to be at least one in the water with designs on biting your ass. As everyone summoned to this meeting knew, there were no waters more shark-infested in the world than Hollywood.

There were sixteen people in the room, all of them with a hand in television programming, and only one of those had anything to do directly with the beautiful young producer. Kelly Delaphoy had notified everyone a week in advance of the meeting, and they all knew she had to have some backing. She had not only lured them, but had the power to summon the president of the entertainment division to an afternoon production conference. That was unheard of. The power of the number one show in all of television gave Kelly that right. It also meant that she had backing that went far beyond the entertainment division.

Kelly finally went to the wall switches and they all heard the whine of the small motor that closed the conference room drapes. She then cleared her throat and settled in at the far end of the table as the first blank slide illuminated the screen. Kelly punched a button on her laptop and waited. As for the president of entertainment, his eyes never strayed to the screen at the head of the room, but stayed glued to the young blonde. They all could feel his gaze on her, and they also knew Kelly could feel the man’s eyes burn into her. He didn’t show the slightest interest in her presentation — his mind was on how much he despised the young woman from Cincinnati.

“First off, I would like to thank each and every one of you for attending. If I didn’t think what I had to show you was important,” Kelly said, “I surely wouldn’t have interrupted the schedules of so important a group.” She knew she had indeed interrupted the schedule of every person inside the conference room, and she wasn’t the least bit sorry for it. “What I have to show you is this.”

The first slide was replaced by what could have been an advertisement in a realtor’s book. The house was beautiful and sat on manicured grounds. With one look toward the head of the conference table, the young producer started the meeting in earnest by nodding toward her executive producer — the only man who knew what this particular meeting was about.

Jason Sanborn stood and walked toward the screen. With his empty pipe, he tapped the gorgeous house and grounds.

“Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the vacation retreat Summer Place.” He turned to face the others around the table. As he spoke, the grounds in the picture played across Jason’s face, making them blend together with his beard and soft features. “As you will come to know through Ms. Delaphoy’s presentation, this is a house that needs attention. Attention from us, and the rest of the world.” He cleared his throat. “At least, the television-viewing world.” He moved his pipe away from the large screen and pointed at Kelly. “Kelly, I believe we have their attention.”

Out of the corner of her eye, Kelly Delaphoy watched the man she was about to go to war with over her project.

“The famous American author Shirley Jackson,” Kelly began, “was reputed to have vacationed at Summer Place a very long time ago. At least, that is the rumor. Like the strange stories surrounding the vacation retreat itself, it is hard to confirm. Ghost stories always seem to be that way: everyone knows, but they don’t remember who told them, or how the stories originated.”

Kelly walked a circuit around the conference table as she spoke, delivering every word as clearly and precisely as possible. The only area she avoided was the head of the table. As long as she felt the president’s eyes boring in on her, she knew she at least had his attention.

“After I came upon the tale — or rumor, if you will — of Ms. Jackson’s stay, I since learned that no one has been an official guest in the house since 1940. Ms. Jackson didn’t achieve her fame until 1959, so one would have to eliminate the author as a possible invitee to Summer Place — at least, by the owner’s invitation.”

Jason Sanborn cleared his throat. He removed his cold pipe once more from his mouth and looked around the table.

“The original rumor of Ms. Jackson’s stay began circulating in 1957, just two summers before she published her famous novel, The Haunting of Hill House. Nineteen years after the closing of the summer house, that book became a critical, literary, and financial success. Still, the anonymous gossips and storytellers persist that Ms. Jackson’s famous tale was based on her visit to Summer Place. After years of research on the house, we could not get a direct quote from anyone confirming whether the author did actually stay at the summer retreat. It is just one of those things publishers and editors discuss at cocktail parties when they’ve had a few too many martinis and the subject of ghosts and insane authors rears its ugly head.”

There were more than a few chuckles around the table, but not from the man watching with interest from behind a studiously bored demeanor. His eyes only moved to Kelly as she stopped at Jason’s chair and placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Unlike Ms. Jackson’s description of the stone monstrosity called Hill House , Summer Place — at least outwardly — has a feeling of peace and tranquility when you look down upon it from one of the many surrounding hills and privately maintained roads.” The picture changed on the screen to show the surrounding countryside. “These hills sit like sentinels guarding the house, and give way to the high peaks of the Pocono Mountains, which in turn surround and protect their smaller brethren. From this high vantage point, the distant view of the house and manicured grounds give one the feeling of welcoming and wellbeing, like coming home from a long journey.”

Jason added, “For more of a description of the house and grounds, Kelly and I have commissioned the former news anchor John Wesley to narrate and take us through the rest of presentation.” Kelly walked to the back of the room so she could view the men and women around the table. Or, more specifically, the man at its head.

Everyone seemed impressed that Jason and Kelly had coerced one of the most important men in the history of the network to narrate the story. His deep and booming grandfatherly voice would lend much power to the tale, and their ability to bring him out of his retirement suggested powerful backing for the project. This point wasn’t lost on the most important man in the room. His eyes finally moved to the screen as the voice of the retired anchorman began.

“To view the fifteen carved wooden gables lining the edge of the steep roof to the house itself, you believe that Summer Place could be a scene borrowed from a wondrous fairytale of gingerbread houses, bright forests, and glowing, sunny meadows. The grounds, immaculate in their pristine condition, are a welcoming suggestion of what must assuredly lie beyond the façade of Summer Place. The barns and stables were designed for aesthetics as well as functionality and give the property that down-home Kentucky feel. The Olympic sized swimming pool gleams in the summer sun, and once welcomed visitors to the estate with promises of cool and refreshing summer days, drinking casually by the poolside while the twenty-five foot long barbeque pit was ignited for the evening meal.”