Return to White Hill

HM Cuello

1600 words

Return To White Hill

It was getting late. But at least Robert and the kids were near their destination. They had left Atlanta, Georgia, 800 miles and 24 hours ago. Now it was dark.

Robert had compiled a playlist for the trip. As they got on Route 85 North, they started out singing Willie Nelson’s “On the Road Again.” At 500 miles to go, they all—of course—sang along to Peter, Paul and Mary’s “500 Miles.” At 400 miles to go, they stopped for the night.

After breakfast, they piled back into the SUV, and at 300 miles to go, they worked their way up Route 95 North to Roger Miller’s “King of the Road.”

After passing Atlantic City and while driving through the Pine Barrens, they sang along with Canned Heat’s “Going Up the Country.”

Tim remarked, “Hey, I saw a TV show where they reported that there is a spooky place out here called Ong’s Hat that has a portal to another dimension. Can we stop?”

Both Robert and Cathy shouted in unison, “Hard pass!” and they all laughed.

Robert was glad that Cathy and Tim were at least enjoying being back in a car after the accident two years ago that took their mom’s life. It had taken a lot of time and therapy to get them to move on from seeing their mom’s lifeless body being wheeled into the morgue van.

As for Robert, he had also had therapy for the trauma he experienced. He still carried a .38 Special in his briefcase. He hadn’t thought about using it in three months. He couldn’t put the kids through losing their dad, too. Having been adopted as a toddler, he couldn’t imagine how much loss they felt.

He had to leave his job as an administrator, and when this opportunity came up, he decided to make a move to the town of Fieldsboro in Burlington County, NJ.

The mayor, who referred to himself as Buddy, called to offer him the position of administrator of the White Hill Mansion and Museum. There was a residential wing, so they would be able to live there for free.

Buddy, the mayor, faxed him the 35-page contract, and Robert read the compensation—very generous—glossed over the rest, signed it, and sent it back.

The kids had been hesitant to spend so much time in a car, but Robert had convinced them that he would take good care of them and it might even be fun.

As they pulled up to the mansion, located next to a chemical plant and down off 4th Street, it sat on the edge of an overlook above the Delaware River. Tim pointed out some bird-like creatures circling overhead.

Cathy said that the Gothic-style mansion reminded her of The House of Usher.

Tim asked, “Is it too late to go back home?”

“No, it’ll be OK—you’ll see. Anyway, it’ll be a great adventure exploring the place.”

They started up the front steps and were greeted by Stefan Quinn, the obviously drunk caretaker.

Tim asked about the weird birds.

The caretaker replied, “Those are byakhee birds. They’re indigenous to this area.”

Tim, glancing up at the dark cloud of birds, said, “Never heard of them.”

Trying to break the ice, Robert asked, “So, Mr. Quinn, how long have you been caretaker here?”

The caretaker responded, “Just Stefan, and I’ve always been the caretaker.”

Once inside, they were shown their living quarters.

Behind closed doors, Tim laughed. “Man, that dude is creepy.”

Cathy agreed. “Yeah, ultra creepy.”

Robert chided them, “Kids, let’s be respectful.”

While Robert pored over old records, the kids explored and found a tunnel down a stone staircase that led to the riverbank.

Stefan told them that Napoleon’s brother Joseph had used it to smuggle weapons and goods during the Revolutionary War. Other accounts reported that it had been used as a transit point on the Underground Railroad—though no one had ever seen an enslaved person in the area.

Robert noticed a 10-year gap around 50 years ago.

He asked Stefan, who just shrugged. “Maybe ask Buddy—he has more records at his office.”

Just then, the kids came running back, shouting.

Cathy was agitated. “There’s a thing down there. It ain’t human.”

The comment startled her dad. “What?”

She added, “It’s shiny and slippery, grey and green. It has, like, a fish head with red yes.”

Tim, also agitated, said, “I heard it call my name—in Mom’s voice.”

Robert, afraid that their trauma was creeping back, tried to deflect.

“Can’t be. It’s just the sound of the river playing with your mind.”

Stefan added, “Yes, that’s true. There might be a beaver or otter down there, but nothing bigger.”

Once the kids were calmed down and Robert checked that the door to the tunnel was locked, he gathered the documents, placed them in his briefcase along with the .38, and went to talk to the mayor.

The mayor greeted him at the door to his home.

“So, to what do I owe this visit?”

“I have a lot of questions about this gap.”

The mayor looked at the documents. “We knew you’d get to that, but we wanted you to get settled in first. We’ll just have to do it sooner than anticipated.”

Robert retorted, “Who is ‘we’?”

“The city council, but they are not available right now.”

Robert pulled the gun out of his briefcase and pointed it at Buddy.

“OK, then. I think you better explain. Is that place haunted or something? My kids were spooked by something back there.”

Buddy seemed uneasy. “Well, I guess I’ll have to explain, but it’s a lot to process. You better sit down. Can you put the gun away?”

“I’ll stand, and no, the gun stays out.”

The mayor rocked back and forth on his heels, thinking about how to proceed.

“So, first of all, you were chosen for the position.”

“Why? Why would I be chosen?”

“I’ll get to that in a minute.”

Robert snaps, “Then talk fast, asshole.”

The mayor proceeded to explain why Robert was chosen:

“You are a legacy hire. Your birth parents were the property managers here 50 years ago. You were the youngest of three children.”

“You’re full of shit. Tell me the truth.”

“The truth is that after the two older ones drowned in the river, your mother hung herself from the town hall belfry. Your father was devastated and could not look after you. The council placed you up for adoption. He stayed on until he died last year.”

“What? Holy crap. I can’t believe this. How did they drown?”

“OK, this is where it gets dicey. Sure you won’t sit?”

Robert waved the gun at him.

“I’m more sure that it’ll put a bullet in your head if you don’t get straight with me.”

“Actually, they were sacrificed to the Deep Ones. They require a sacrifice every 50 years.”

Robert did a calculation.

“50 years. Same family. Two kids. No, no! Not my kids. You can’t have my kids!”

The mayor gave him a wry smile. “Apparently, you didn’t read the sacrifice clause in the contract—you signed off. Remember?”

Robert was dumbfounded. “But I didn’t read that.”

“Yes, it was at the end. Your own fault. Anyway, the ceremony has already started. The Deep Ones demand the sacrifice.”

Robert shouted, “I’ll wipe that silly smile off your face.” He pushed the mayor and pistol-whipped him, leaving him lying unconscious on the floor.

He ran back to the mansion, still holding the gun.

The byakhees were circling overhead, squawking. They followed him all the way back.

He ran up the walk and made his way to the tunnel entrance.

As he shouted for the kids to come up, he could hear some kind of chanting.

They ran up, followed by Stefan Quinn, who shouted, “Wait! We’re not done yet. The Deep Ones will be angry!”

“Screw them and screw you.”

Robert slapped the caretaker, shoved him back down the tunnel, and slammed the door. He could hear Quinn screaming as he tumbled down the steps.

Robert was frantic. “Let’s get out of here. We need to go!”

Cathy balked. “Why, Dad? The entity is actually very gentle.”

“No, damn it! Let’s go—now!”

Tim said, “Dad, it knows our names. It knows Mom.”

“No, it’s a trap. It’s a monster. It’s gotten into your heads.”

They still resisted, but seeing the gun, Cathy was shocked. “You can’t be serious.”

Seeing the look of horror on their dad’s face, they seemed to snap out of whatever possessed them. They determined that the situation was indeed serious. They decided to trust their dad and follow him.

As they ran to the SUV, the birds were back. They swarmed almost like drones above the vehicle as it pulled away. He shot at them with no effect.

Tim yelled out, “I think you got one, Dad.” Robert wasn’t so sure. He thought that maybe he missed. Maybe the bullet bounced off.

After escaping past the Burlington County line, Robert noticed that the byakhees that had been following the car were gone. Maybe they had boundaries. He allowed himself to relax.

“We made it, kids. Let’s go back home.”

After driving for half an hour, he looked in the mirror, expecting to see the kids sleeping.

He was greeted by two sets of red eyes looking back at him.

He screamed and reached for the gun. He heard Cathy moan, “Dad, Dad, help us.” The vehicle suddenly smelled of seawater. The gun discharged. The SUV swerved off the road and hit the guardrail.

The End