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BILL AND MISTY FREEMAN had been planning this trip to Rexma, Louisiana for months. Marquette Plantation was now open and allowing guests to stay there. The Freemans adored staying at new places and preferred to be one of the first to post a review. So far, they had stayed at numerous bed and breakfast inns, hoping to find a haunted one, but had no luck.
It was a long trip, over fifteen hours, from San Antonio, Texas to Rexma, but they finally arrived. They stopped over in New Orleans for a Muffaletta sandwich and hit the road once again, wanting to be there before dusk. The drive was mesmerizing, especially with the sun setting.
As they drove up, they noticed the deserted parking lot. As they stepped out of their car, the steamy heat of the day hit them full force. The house stood in front of them, the dusty shadows of twilight danced across the property. Misty could not wait to explore it and the land. She could already picture herself sitting on a rocker out front while reading one of her paranormal books. She was into everything haunted; the scarier, the better.
Bridgette saw her guests drive up and waited patiently for them. She watched in fascination as the piano keys rose and fell as it played by itself. Her ghost was playing a lovely concerto piece tonight. Having grown up with the nuances of the house, the piano playing by itself never bothered her, but she feared what it might do to her guests. She hoped with the arrival of new guests that they would remain quiet. So far, that had not happened. The piano could be easily explained.
Bridgette waited to greet her guests, “Welcome to Marquette Plantation.”
Bill walked up to Bridgette, “Mr. and Mrs. Freeman from San Antonio. We made our reservations online.”
Bridgette smiled up at the young man, “Yes sir. Everything is ready for you. Please, make yourself at home. I hope you enjoy your stay. Dinner is served at seven o’clock, breakfast starts at six o’clock and the dining room will remain open with various treats until checkout at one o’clock. You are more than welcome to explore the main grounds, but please do not venture into the cane fields and swamp land. A person can get lost out there quite easily if they don’t know their way around the grounds.”
Bill took his room key from her, “Thank you so much for opening your house to us. My wife is hoping this place is haunted.”
“Well, hopefully, no ghosts will keep you up tonight. The house is very old though, and you never know what you may see. Pierre and Genevieve Marquette built the house in 1757 and the Marquette family have owned it ever since.”
Bridgette pointed to the entryway mirror, “You will notice that the mirror in the entryway is cloaked with a black cloth. It is done in remembrance of my deceased ancestors. Years ago, my mother started this tradition and I keep it alive today. Over the years, some tragic deaths have occurred here. It has been a tradition, since the house was built, to cover every painting and looking glass, what we call mirrors today. Several family members swear that they have seen a face in the mirror, but I am not sure how true that is. My mother did not like the ghost stories and was always paranoid about looking in the mirror, thus she started the tradition to keep it cloaked.”
Bridgette pointed over to the doors that opened to the front parlor, “If you notice on the front parlor doors, the keyholes are upside down. That is because Genevieve Marquette was also a very superstitious woman. She believed that if the keyholes weren’t set in just so, then evil spirits would find their way into that room.”
Misty came up behind Bill and happily exclaimed, “Oh, this is so exciting. This is exactly what I wanted. I have stayed at various plantations since I was a teenager and have yet to find one that is really haunted.”
Bridgette smiled at her, not wanting to scare away other guests with talk about a haunted plantation. That could scare business right off. “Well, I hope you aren’t too disappointed when nothing shows up tonight.”
Misty could barely contain her excitement. The very thought of seeing a ghost sent goosebumps up and down her arms. “It will be okay. This is a lovely place.”
Bridgette agreed, “Yes, it is. There is an old blacksmith shop out back, which you can explore as well as various other buildings. In your room is a brochure with the layout of the plantation and the areas you are welcome to explore.”
“Thank you so much for your hospitality.”
“You are in Room Four upstairs and to your left. If you need anything, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
Misty was so excited about spending the night here, she could hardly contain herself. It was almost midnight before they climbed into bed. As she fell asleep, Bill informed her that he was going outside for one more smoke. She despised him smoking, but she could not complain in front of him since she had her own vices.
Somewhere between REM sleep and dozing, a rush of cold air blew across her. She grabbed a blanket to warm herself and felt Bill’s side of the bed push down as he climbed in bed. She moved closer to him to warm up. Reaching for him, she found that he was not there.
Suddenly, the whole room was freezing. A sensation washed over her, as if there was someone else in the room with her. She bolted upright in bed. A chill swept over her when she saw the silhouette of someone sitting at the corner of the bed just watching her.
She tried not to panic. Could she make contact with this ghost? Did she want to? As the ghost looked at her for a moment, Misty thought it would actually speak to her. Something in the ghost’s eyes resonated with her. This ghost seemed to be either scared or angry about something. Misty could not wait to ask the owner in the morning if someone died in this very room.
She believed the ghost was asking for help, but for what? For some reason, she could pick up on its emotions. If only she could help it find peace, but how? Then, as quickly as it had appeared, it disappeared.
Misty hoped that the ghost was not upset that they were spending the night here. She would hate that she upset someone, even if it was just a ghost. She had been obsessed with seeing one for years now and she could barely contain her excitement. It's a shame Bill was not here to see it. She should have picked up her camera and taken a quick picture. That would have been perfect.