“Hallooo.” Peg’s voice echoed through the empty house.
All of Peg’s secret wishes for a botched closing so they could move back to Chicago were dashed.
The money wired.
The realtors took their envelopes.
The title company took their envelope.
Peg and Clark Savage took the keys to their island home.
“The sellers said the cleaners should be here. I’ll take Nipper on a run before the storm hits.” Clark tied his Nikes and put his baseball cap on backward.
“It might be nice if you could–” Peg heard the door slam. “Whatever… or perhaps not.”
Peg wandered around the corner of the front hallway toward the stairs. She jumped with a start when a small, round black woman stood in front of her – out of nowhere. She wore a vibrant colored headscarf and beads on her wrists and ankles. Her feet were flat and bare.
“Oh. Hi. Sorry. You scared me. I’m Peg… new owner. Nice to meet you.” She held out her hand.
The woman held out a wrinkled hand and seized Peg’s. Placing her other weather-worn hand over the handshake, the woman firmly pressed the hand sandwich to her large, sagging breasts. “I am Jacinta.” Her lips drained of color as she gummed a broad grin.
Thinking that it might be a custom, Peg held her hand to Jacinta’s bosoms for what seemed to be a very long time. She returned the smile. “Yes, well, good. Okay. I’m… well… we’re just here… I mean my husband and my dog… they’re… uh… coming soon… and the movers.”
Jacinta released Peg’s hand and opened the front door of the house. She stood on the wooden porch and stared at the ceiling painted a brilliant azure. She motioned for Peg to follow. Waving her short arms theatrically in a rainbow shape, she pointed upward with a bony finger. “Dis good dis blue. Keep dis. Haints can’t get to you. Dey don’t like water. Haints can’t cross water. Blue keep dem away.” She closed her eyes, as if in prayer.
Peg broke the silence. “Um, excuse me. What’s a haint? I’m from Chicago. It snows a lot up there and I don’t think we have haints… probably too cold… it can get foggy too…”
“Ghos. Evil spirits,” Jacinta groaned, breaking her trance. “This old house. Many die who came here. Many want to come back. Blue keep dem away.” She flapped her arms like a bird and then padded back into the house.
Peg stood motionless, staring at the porch ceiling. Her mouth dropped open when she noticed sections where the paint had worn off. A large gust of wind blew the ever-present island coral dust in a whirlpool along the edge of the decking. She felt a chill. “Um, excuse me again, like, um, how many died, do you think? Why do they want to come back?” Hair standing on end, Peg searched the house, but Jacinta was gone. Out of the side window, a three-wheeled motor scooter hauling a wagon of cleaning supplies zoomed by.
Peg was by herself in the house.
She hoped.