He had finally stopped crying, but she knew he would start again. He always did. Vera made her way up the rear staircase of Coulson House carrying her three-month-old son, who slept soundly in her arms. Someone might see her if she used the main staircase.
No one went to the third floor, except for the household staff, to clean the unused rooms. Speculation varied as to why her father-in-law had built such an impressive estate. Some said it was for his wife, Mary Ellen, while others insisted it was to show the world he was committed to his project—developing the resort community, which he founded and that bore his name.
Her mother-in-law, Mary Ellen Coulson, had decorated the mansion. Just months after moving into the impressive estate, Mary Ellen had died in its library on the first floor. She was just forty-nine.
Vera wanted to go outside, breathe in the fresh air. Walking into one of the rooms on the third floor, she paid little notice to the ornate furnishings and impressive artwork. Instead, she walked through the room to the French doors leading to the balcony.
It was breezy outside. Vera held the sleeping bundle tighter. She didn’t want to wake Russell. Closing her eyes, Vera breathed in the crisp December air, escaping for a moment the prison that was her life. If she could just be free, fly far away from her pain, her sadness. Without thought, she climbed onto the wide banister surrounding the balcony and looked down. It took considerable effort to maintain balance, especially while holding the sleeping babe.
“Mother!” Vera’s eight-year old son, Garret, shouted as he raced through the doorway onto the balcony. His sudden and unexpected appearance caused Vera to lose her balance for a brief moment, but she reached out with her free hand and grabbed the outside of the building to steady herself.
“Please, Mother, get down, you could fall!” Garret begged.
Vera looked down at her son and smiled. “Don’t be silly, Garret. I can fly. Come.” She reached her hand out to him. “Join me, and I’ll show you.”
“No, please, get down!” Garret began to cry.
“Here, you’ll see,” Vera said calmly.
Turning away from Garret, she stood precariously atop the banister. Closing her eyes, she prepared to take flight when a gust of air hit the front of her body, sending her sprawling backward onto the balcony floor. The fall woke Russell, who began to cry, but he remained secure in his mother’s arms. Garret ran from the balcony.
The abrupt fall knocked the air from Vera’s fragile body. Colliding against the balcony floor was painful, yet nothing appeared to be broken. Attempting to catch her breath, she held tight onto the squirming baby. Opening her eyes, Vera looked into the face of Mary Ellen Coulson. Transfixed by the apparition, Vera’s eyes widened. The next moment, Mary Ellen was gone.