While Caroline was at work, her parents sat at the table pondering what to do. Caroline’s father insisted on calling the priest.
“Laura, we need to call the priest! There’s no point waiting until the situation worsens, because then it will be too late!”
Caroline’s mother was hesitant. She feared that the priest might think their family was engaging in some kind of ritual practices and thus brought evil upon themselves. She cared deeply about the reputation they had built over the years in the village and didn’t want to tarnish it. Nevertheless, she understood that her husband was right.
“Alright, I’ll go get the priest, and you stay here with Caroline.”
As she rose, she accidentally snagged the tablecloth, shattering the cups of tea. Nicole had bought both cups for Caroline when she went off to college. Laura’s sister ensured her niece looked presentable when leaving for the city.
“She can’t look like a country bumpkin!” Nicole would always say.
Laura comprehended her sister’s actions and appreciated them. When young, Nicole loved painting. For years, she sought recognition, often visiting the city’s art galleries to plead for the exhibition of her paintings. During this time, she endured hurtful words about rural people’s ignorance of art. Many comments on her dress, demeanor, and behavior suggested she wasn’t from the city.
Such situations broke Nicole’s heart. After some time, she gave up on becoming a painter and focused on country life. Over the years, she made peace with her fate and found happiness in gardening. However, it did not change the fact that she remained an artist at heart, earning her the reputation of an eccentric among the rural community. Nevertheless, this didn’t bother Caroline’s aunt; she was happy with what she had and lived her life.
When Laura gave birth to her daughter, Nicole wholeheartedly engaged in her upbringing. She spent a lot of time with her, teaching her everything she knew and instilling in the child a love for art.
But now, as Caroline’s mother watched the mementos of her beloved sister lying shattered on the floor, she forgot about the pain of losing her sister and focused all her attention on helping her only daughter.
Laura got into the car, fastened her seatbelt, and headed straight for the rectory. The day was cloudy, the sun hidden behind thick, gray clouds. Driving through the village, she passed neighbors herding cows. She waved to each of them, trying to maintain friendly relations with everyone. She also met her husband’s sister, who was out for a walk with her grandchildren. Part of her envied her having young children in the family to care for. Laura loved children and regretted only that she hadn’t given her daughter siblings. But it was due to poverty; she was afraid she and her husband wouldn’t be able to support more than one child.
When she finally arrived at the rectory, she wondered what to say to the priest.
“How should I start the conversation? What should I say?” she thought.
She stood in the parking lot, under the rectory. It was made of decorative cobblestone. Colorful fragments formed circles. Poplars grew around it. She decided to get out of the car and somehow manage the conversation.
“Maybe I’ll start by saying that we’re all in mourning?” she said to herself out loud.
She got out of the car, straightened her skirt, and headed towards the rectory’s entrance. As she climbed the stairs, the door suddenly opened, and the parish priest emerged, scolding his cat.
“All the curtains! You ruined all the curtains! If only you caught mice as eagerly!” he shouted.
When he saw the surprised woman standing before him, he blushed and embarrassedly apologized for his behavior.
“Oh, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean to frighten you. Please forgive me. My cat scratched all the curtains in the rectory, and we don’t have any others. I got a little upset,” he explained, still holding the cat in his arms.
Caroline’s mother smiled at the priest and told him not to worry. She also had a lively cat who loved to destroy things in the house. The priest returned the smile and invited the woman inside. Laura entered, thinking that nothing had changed inside the building since she was a child. The walls were painted orange, the floor covered in brown linoleum. The furniture was slightly dusty, but she figured the priest might not have time to do regular cleaning at the rectory. The priest led the woman to the living room and invited her to sit at the table.
Despite Laura’s earlier worries about how to start the conversation and how to explain the situation they were experiencing, seeing the priest’s spiritual demeanor and patience in his eyes, she relaxed and without hesitation told him everything that was happening. She recounted the events that had occurred in her daughter’s house.
The priest was surprised by the story; moreover, he believed that it was not a good sign that all this had happened with such force and intensity in such a short time.
“Please forgive me for asking, but in such a situation, I have to make sure. Has your daughter or you engaged in occult practices?” the priest asked, leaning towards Laura.
“The priest knows our family. We would never do such a thing. We don’t even know how!” the woman replied.
She was afraid of that.
“Now he probably thinks we’re lunatics,” she thought bitterly.
“I know, I know your family. You are a wonderful family and good people. Please don’t be angry. I’m just worried that this entity attacked so suddenly and forcefully. There must be something to it; such things don’t happen overnight,” he replied calmly.
Caroline’s mother had a whirlwind in her head. She was afraid of the neighbors’ judgment, she was also afraid for her daughter’s well-being. Her mind created chaos she couldn’t control. Thoughts began to take on a life of their own. She leaned her arms on the table and clasped her hands to her head. Tears streamed down her cheeks; she couldn’t hold it in any longer.
The priest stood up and approached the woman. He laid his hands on her shoulders and said he would help her. Unfortunately, it wouldn’t be easy.
He explained to her that from what she described, exorcisms would be necessary, and to do that, they would need Vatican approval. To obtain consent, they would have to gather the necessary evidence that the family was in need. They would also need outsiders to corroborate their version of events.
The woman would have preferred to hear that the priest would help her get rid of the problem in one afternoon and that it would be incredibly easy, but she realized it was a pipe dream. She tried to arm herself with patience and strength, but she couldn’t even lift her head to look the priest in the eye.
The parish priest understood the faithful’s problem and tried to comfort her. He repeated that the real strength she needed now was in faith and prayer. He encouraged her to bring her family to the evening mass. In the meantime, he asked her to drive him to her daughter’s house so he could experience firsthand what her family was going through.
The woman struggled to get up from her chair and led the clergyman to the car. She felt as if all her energy and joy had drained away. Driving, she did so mechanically. Sensing the faithful’s concern, the priest said a short prayer for her during the journey.
When they arrived, the woman led the priest to her daughter’s house and asked her husband to take care of showing the priest around. She felt the need to lie down herself. She settled on the couch in the living room, covered herself with a blanket, and fell asleep.
“Too much emotion for one day,” she managed to think before drifting off.
Meanwhile, her husband, William, took the priest to the attic, where the engraved inscription still haunted their family. The priest asked William about the details of the events and also inquired about what time his daughter finished work, so he could talk to the person who had directly experienced the paranormal phenomena.
Caroline’s father said that their daughter wouldn’t finish work for another four hours. He asked the priest if he would be willing to stay overnight because paranormal activity usually increased then. The priest replied that unfortunately, he couldn’t do it today because he had duties at the rectory, but he would certainly do it the next day.
William wasn’t pleased with the answer; however, he acknowledged that the priest was also human with his private duties. Going into detail, he explained recent events to the priest, starting with the inscription in the attic, which prompted them to seek help. Recounting how his daughter had called, terrified, he described her fear of being alone at night. The priest listened carefully, noting William’s tough yet reasonable demeanor and care for his family’s safety.
“When Nicole lived here, did similar situations occur? Did she complain about anything?” the priest asked, standing in the attic and examining the inscription.
“The thing is, never! Nicole never complained about any paranormal activity,” William replied.
Standing next to the priest with folded arms, he waited for the priest to tell them what to do.
“I’ve already explained to your wife what steps we’ll have to take now. Unfortunately, to get Vatican approval for exorcisms, we’ll have to wait a long time. For now, I plan to move into this house from tomorrow. We’ll regularly gather evidence that this house needs cleansing,” the priest said calmly, looking William in the eye.
Caroline’s father understood that the Vatican couldn’t just grant permissions for exorcisms like that. He also knew they would have to wait for a properly qualified priest to perform the ritual.
They had to wait until Caroline finished work, so William invited the priest downstairs, made him tea, and offered some food. When they came downstairs, they saw Laura standing by the window, murmuring something under her breath. Surprised by his wife’s strange behavior, William approached her and asked:
“Darling, what’s going on?”
At that moment, the woman turned to him, still with her eyes closed, and shouted loudly:
“YOU WERE SUPPOSED TO TAKE CARE OF THE DOLL!”
And just as suddenly, she fainted. William, frightened and surprised, barely managed to catch his wife around the waist to prevent her from hitting her head. The priest, who witnessed the whole situation, rushed to the woman and made the sign of the cross on her forehead, fervently praying. William took out his phone from his pocket to call an ambulance, but in the meantime, Laura opened her eyes. It turned out that she didn’t remember what had happened. She was surprised when she heard from the men what she had done.
William led his wife to the couch so she could lie down and calmly contemplate what had happened. Meanwhile, he ran to make tea for everyone. The priest sat next to the woman and asked her what she remembered last.
“I remember lying down to sleep. I dreamed about my sister. She was looking for something in the basement of her house. Then I woke up and saw you all, I don’t remember anything else,” she said.
The priest noticed that the woman was still dazed. He decided not to further distress her and waited for William to return.
Meanwhile, Caroline finished her work. The opportunity to focus on something other than the events at home gave her a moment of relief. She heard her parents bringing the priest home, which made her very happy.
“The priest will surely help us,” she thought happily.
Upon hearing her mother’s scream and the words she shouted, she froze. Engaged in writing an email to her superiors, which included a report for the day, she halted her hands over the keyboard. Motionless, she listened intently, terrified and unsure of what to do. After a few minutes of silence, she decided it best to finish the email quickly and wrap up her work.
After work, as she descended the stairs, she heard her father talking to the priest. From his voice, she recognized that it was the parish priest. She went downstairs and greeted everyone. She also noticed her mother lying on the couch, so she asked if everything was okay with her mom.
“Yes, sweetheart. Your mom is feeling better now,” her dad replied.
“What happened? I heard screams,” Caroline asked, worried.
Her dad looked at the priest, unsure whether he should scare his daughter. However, he decided that since he had determined that his daughter was mature enough to run the farm on her own, she was old enough to handle what had happened.
After listening to the story, Caroline had to crouch down from the excess of emotion. Fear for herself and her family overwhelmed her entire body and mind. The priest tried to talk to Caroline, but she was too overwhelmed by the problems. Finally, Caroline’s father approached her, crouched down beside her, and said:
“Caroline, I know this is overwhelming for you, I know it’s hard. But you’re already an adult. You have to face this and let yourself be helped so that nothing worse happens than what’s currently happening. You have to pull yourself together and fight for yourself and this house.”
The firm tone of her father’s voice made Caroline raise her head and look at him.
The father and the priest were taken aback by Caroline’s swift surrender. Particularly concerned, the priest understood the susceptibility of individuals to possession by malevolent entities, especially when overwhelmed by negative emotions. While he wanted to explain this to Caroline, he deemed it inappropriate. Instead, he considered taking her outside, where the fresh air and chirping birds of spring might bring solace.
So, he reached out to her and began to speak, but he was interrupted by knocking coming from Caroline’s bedroom. Loud knocks, as if someone were pounding their fist against the wall. The priest asked everyone to stay together in the room and went to see if there was something entirely normal behind the strange sounds. Or if it was indeed a paranormal phenomenon. When he went upstairs, the sounds stopped, only to start on the lower floor. Caroline and Laura’s screams accompanied them. Terrified and weakened by the events, they didn’t know what to do anymore.
The priest quickly rushed downstairs and saw that all the picture frames on the walls were bouncing off the walls, as if someone very strong were hitting the walls from the inside. The priest concluded that it was the best time to start recording the event, so he pulled out his mobile phone and began documenting the event. Everything stopped only after an hour. Caroline sat huddled on the couch, tears streaming down her face, Laura hugged her daughter, promising to help her. William knelt beside the girls, holding their hands.
The priest informed the family that he would contact his colleague from the seminary who specializes in demonology and ask him to come to them. He also suggested that for that night, the family should move to Caroline’s parents’ house. And he would contact them the next morning. Meanwhile, he apologized to the family, but unfortunately, other duties called him.
Caroline wanted to run to her parents’ house, where she felt safest. Unfortunately, she had to pack at least a toothbrush and pajamas first. Terrified by the events, she ran upstairs as fast as she could, grabbed the first pajamas she saw, quickly grabbed her toothbrush, and ran downstairs to her parents. They all left the house as quickly as possible and drove away with screeching tires.
At Caroline’s parents’ house, Caroline felt free, feeling that she could finally relax, and maybe even get some sleep. The only overwhelming thought was the prospect of returning home tomorrow because of work. Caroline needed her computer for work. However, she preferred to enjoy the temporary peace rather than worry about tomorrow. The parents had to quickly take care of the animals, which demanded food and water, and the cow needed to be milked. Caroline helped them, collected eggs, threw grain to the animals, and poured water into the trough.
The parents also enjoyed returning home and the temporary peace. While Laura milked the cow, her husband herded the chickens into the coop together with Caroline. Fortunately, they didn’t have to water the plants in the garden because the weather forecast announced rain at night, so they could go home faster and go to bed after a long day.
Caroline fell asleep very quickly. She was exhausted by emotions and events. However, she was awakened at night by a dream. She dreamed of her aunt, who was shouting at her for leaving her in need. Her aunt cried and begged Caroline to come back to her. The girl woke up scared. She wanted to turn on the bedside lamp, but when she turned towards it, she saw her aunt’s face in front of her. Nicole’s face was twisted in a grimace of pain and despair. Caroline was paralyzed with fear, and when she tried to move away from her aunt’s face, Nicole began to scream.
The scream was loud and full of anger. Caroline, also frightened, began to scream. Her parents rushed into her room, but when they turned on the light, the aunt disappeared.
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