Caroline’s mother rushed to the girl and embraced her, asking what was wrong. Meanwhile, her father began checking the room, thinking that an intruder might have tried to break into their family home. Tearfully, Caroline started clumsily explaining what had happened.
“She was here, she started screaming at me. Mom, we need to go back to her house,” the girl tried to explain.
“Child, calm down. You need to relax, and then you can tell us what happened,” Laura replied calmly.
At that moment, William left the room to see if anyone was in the house. Still half-asleep and forgetful of the family’s struggles with supernatural forces, he thought that someone must have scared his daughter, and he knew what to do with burglars.
Since William married Laura and they moved in together, he had already dealt with two burglars. One at the beginning of their marriage and the other when Caroline was three years old. Hence his experience.
As he walked through the house, he noticed light coming from the kitchen. Armed with a stick, he entered the kitchen and saw that all the cabinet doors were open. This convinced him that someone had broken into their home. Quietly turning toward the living room, he tiptoed to find the intruder. When he reached the sofa, he heard the sound of the kitchen cabinet doors closing. The sound made him jump, but he quickly composed himself and boldly headed for the kitchen. Upon entering, he saw no one. It finally dawned on him that it wasn’t a burglar. It must be a being that had begun to haunt his daughter and wife.
He wanted to run up to them, to see if they were okay, but suddenly the cabinet doors started slamming as if someone was trying to break them down. Each cabinet, under the influence of some force, began to fall to the floor. Drawers flew open and flew across the room. Plates that were left in the sink after dinner flew up and shattered on the floor. Terrified, William, not thinking of himself but of Laura and Caroline, began fervently praying for this nightmare to end. He fell to his knees, grabbed the cross he wore around his neck, and prayed fervently.
Meanwhile, surprised by the noise, William’s daughter and wife decided to go downstairs and see what was happening. Caroline was very worried about her father. The guilt she felt from the previous afternoon weighed heavily on her now. She had a vision of her father being tormented by a being that had started to haunt her. She didn’t want such a situation to occur, so despite her immense fear, she ran downstairs with her mother to save William. Love for her family prevailed, and she was ready to sacrifice herself for her parents.
Descending the stairs, the dreadful noise grew louder. Laura likened it to a construction site, where heavy machinery transports lots of stones, causing a terrible racket upon dropping them. Entering the living room, the women met with a horrifying sight: the father kneeling and calling for help amidst flying objects scattered throughout the room. The kitchen was completely wrecked. Every knick-knack, photo, and piece of furniture was either overturned or completely destroyed. The shock the women experienced was interrupted when they saw a heavy armchair looming over William’s head. They were certain it would soon come crashing down on him. Caroline, screaming to her father, ran towards him to pull him away. Fortunately, William reacted to his daughter’s scream and got up, rushing towards her.
“We’re getting out of here, get in the car, we’re going to the priest!” he shouted to Laura and Caroline.
He grabbed his daughter’s hand, and before she could react, she was pulled by William towards the door.
“Where are the car keys?” Laura asked, running after her husband and daughter, without looking back.
“It doesn’t matter, I’ll try to start it with cables. We won’t find anything in this mess,” a very agitated William yelled.
The family quickly got into the car and drove off with screeching tires. William sped along the rural road, disregarding speed limits. His mind was occupied with the urgency of saving his loved ones. He didn’t even worry about fastening the seat belts.
Upon arrival, they swiftly exited the car and rushed to the rectory door, pounding on it, ringing the bell, while William shouted for someone to open it. After a few minutes, the lamp hanging above the door lit up, and the sleepy priest opened the door. Dressed in a bathrobe and slippers, he asked what was going on. He rubbed his eyes and saw the family before him, also dressed in pajamas, Caroline was barefoot, and the parents wore slippers. All pale and terrified, they all shouted at him at once. The surprised and worried priest asked them to come in quickly because the nights were still cold.
He invited them into the living room and asked one person to tell him what was happening. The request yielded nothing, as everyone started shouting over each other again to explain what was going on.
“Calm down!” the priest shouted. “William, tell me what’s going on,” he said, indicating for the father to explain what brought them to him.
“Father, the situation has worsened, and it’s very bad. This being that attacked Caroline has now attacked us in our home. Everything is demolished, dishes, cabinets, and even the armchair and sofa were flying around the room!” William sat hunched over on the sofa, arms resting on his knees, nervously tapping his right foot. The clergyman asked William to describe in detail, step by step, what had happened.
After listening to William, the priest asked Caroline to explain why she was screaming.
“I saw my aunt, Father. First in a dream, when she screamed at me for abandoning her and not helping her, and then after waking up. Her face was… contorted. With nerves. She was screaming at me,” Caroline said.
She sat between her parents, her mother holding her hand. The clergyman fell into thought. He apologized to the family and went to his bedroom. There, he called his friend.
“You need to come earlier than we agreed. Things are happening much too fast,” the priest explained to his friend.
“I won’t be able to be there earlier than the day after tomorrow. Take them in, to the rectory. They’ll be safe in your company,” his friend advised the priest.
The clergyman returned to the family and announced the plan he had made with his seminary friend. Until the arrival of the demonologist, the family is to move to the rectory. They can only return to the farm to take care of the livestock, but at night, they are to stay with the priest. Caroline is to take leave from her job and spend her days in prayer for her aunt because the dreams she had suggest that her aunt needs help. In two days, Caroline and her family will move back home and begin documenting the haunting to send it, with a request for permission for exorcisms, to the Vatican.
“For how long should I take leave? You know, Father, it’s a new job. I don’t even know if they’ll grant it to me,” Caroline worried about losing her position.
“There are things more important than work,” the priest replied calmly, adjusting his bathrobe.
The clergyman aided the family in preparing a room at the rectory, an additional bedroom to accommodate everyone. Simultaneously, the priest apologized for the inconvenience, explaining the rectory’s lack of capacity for many people. The parents reassured the priest, warmly thanking him for his assistance, while also apologizing for any trouble caused. Caroline remained quiet and pensive, pondering the connection between her aunt and the evil entity.
The next two days passed fairly quietly. Caroline managed to take three weeks off. During the day, the parents were on their farm, and the priest attended to saying mass and other more earthly matters of the faithful.
Finally, the time came for the arrival of the new priest. The pastor revealed that his name was Henry and that his friend preferred to be addressed by name. The family waited outside until the taxi with Henry arrived. It was a sunny day, and the first tulips planted around the rectory began to bloom.
When the new priest arrived, the parents didn’t wait for the pastor to introduce them, they ran up to Henry and began to thank him warmly for his favor. Caroline sat on a fishing chair lent to her by the priest, so she could stay outside and pray all the time. She didn’t even notice that the pastor’s friend had arrived. Meanwhile, the parents grabbed the priest’s luggage and helped him carry it to the rectory, hosting him with delicious cake baked by Laura and coffee. The parents quickly began to explain to Henry what had been happening in their homes and explained the strange connection of the entity to their recently deceased relative.
Henry listened to everything and promised to help them. He really wanted to talk to Caroline, because everything started with her. The priest went outside and approached the girl who was focused on prayer. He gently touched her shoulder to get her attention. Caroline looked up and saw before her an older, slender priest who smiled warmly at her. She felt his kindness and peace. And love. She sensed immense love for others from him. It comforted her greatly, and she introduced herself to the pastor’s friend.
“Pleased to meet you, Caroline. Would you mind having a short conversation with me?” the priest asked, still smiling at the girl.
She replied in the same way. The joy and goodness emanating from the priest affected the girl. She felt like hugging everyone.
“No, of course not. What does the priest want to talk to me about?”
“Call me Henry. If you don’t mind, please tell me about your experiences with the haunting,” the clergyman requested.
Caroline began to tell him one by one what had happened and how she felt during the haunting. She described all the dreams she had about her aunt in detail. Henry listened carefully to everything and, although he had some suspicions, he didn’t share them with the girl. He didn’t want to scare her. He thought she had already been through a lot, not by her fault.
After Caroline finished telling the priest about her experiences with the entity, he asked her how she planned to further develop her life. He also asked about her interests and experiences she had already gained in her life. She gladly told him about them, feeling the bond growing between her and Henry. She liked him a lot and thought he was a great spiritual guide. They started joking, laughing, and telling each other different adventures from their lives. Laura watched them from the kitchen window and was pleased to see her daughter cheerful. She was immensely grateful that Henry had decided to help them.
During this time, William tried to repay the pastor for his help and decided that the best way to do it would be to repair the old rectory. The pipes in some places were clogged, and the wiring also needed to be replaced. Caroline’s father felt in his element and began to fix everything he could. Laura explained to her husband that they were returning home the next day, and he wouldn’t have time to do it, but William, smiling at his wife, said:
“Nonsense, I’ll manage to do everything by evening.”
He didn’t succeed. Specifically, he didn’t manage to finish repairing the toilet flush. Although the priest didn’t say anything about it, it could be felt that he wasn’t entirely pleased with the attempt to fix the plumbing at the rectory. Nevertheless, he knew that William had good intentions. During dinner, he announced that the next morning, everyone should go to Caroline’s house.
“You know, Father, I was thinking, maybe Caroline should stay here? She’s been through a lot already,” Laura said timidly.
“I understand that you’re worried about your daughter. It’s beautiful of you, as a mother, to defend your child. But unfortunately, Caroline must participate in this because she first experienced the presence of the entity,” the priest said calmly.
“You don’t have to worry. We’ll protect you with Henry,” he added, smiling gently at Laura.
Looking into his eyes, Laura saw that the priest was genuinely concerned about them and wanted to help. She was very grateful to both the priest and Henry.
“Don’t worry, honey! Both the parish priest and Henry will surely help us,” cheerful William exclaimed.
“Why are you in such a good mood?” Laura asked.
“The priests will help us, and our troubles will finally end. We’ll be safe, why shouldn’t I be happy?” William replied, embracing his wife tenderly, who, embarrassed, tried to break free from his arms.
Caroline smiled at the sight of her amused parents, and the priests were glad to have such wonderful parishioners. Everyone went to bed in good spirits.
The next day, the family woke up stressed. They were afraid of returning to a place that was haunted, but they understood that they had to go through it. During breakfast, Father Henry decided that it was the best time to share his thoughts on the matter with the family.
“My dear ones, you must understand that this situation is particularly perplexing to me. Both you,” he pointed to the parents, “and Caroline say that you didn’t engage in occult practices.”
The family sat at the table and listened attentively.
“Such a haunting doesn’t come out of nowhere. Considering that it wasn’t you who summoned this entity, it must have been summoned earlier. Do you know anything about Caroline’s house history?” Henry asked.
“The house was built for my sister. Our parents built it when we were teenagers. Only Nicole lived in it,” Laura said, surprised.
The priest listened to his faithful and asked if she was aware of any strange practices by Nicole.
“Not at all! My sister would never dabble in such things,” Laura said, defending her sister.
“I didn’t mean to offend you, I apologize if I hurt you,” the priest said calmly. “Understand that I’m trying to get to the bottom of this. We need to understand what attracted the evil entity to your daughter’s house. This may be crucial in the attempt to drive away the evil.”
Henry looked at Laura with a calm and understanding gaze. The woman knew that the priest had no bad intentions in asking about her sister, but she was afraid to admit to herself that her sister was indeed very eccentric. She had crazy ideas sometimes, and it wouldn’t surprise Laura if it turned out that Nicole was involved in the occult.
“Henry, we are simple people. We are believers, our families are like us. People would be afraid to even think about such things, let alone do them,” William said.
“In that case, we’ll have to find the truth ourselves,” the pastor said.
After the meal, the family packed their things, and everyone headed to Caroline’s house. The priest only warned the family that the house might be demolished, just like Caroline’s parents’ house. However, when they arrived, the house was in exactly the same condition as when they left it.
The priests began their preparations for documenting supernatural phenomena in the house, and William decided to help them, also inquiring about what such documentation would entail. Caroline and Laura decided that since so many people would be living in the house for a long time, it would be useful to do some grocery shopping and drove to the city for supplies.
“So, are we going to wait until something starts knocking on the walls and then start recording it?” William asked.
“Such entities can be cunning. They may not make themselves known throughout our stay here. We’ll have to trick them out,” Henry said, smiling at William.
He also asked William to show him the inscription in the attic, while the priest began to set up crosses.
So they went upstairs and looked around the attic. Seeing the inscription, Henry asked about the doll, and William admitted that he didn’t know.
“I actually didn’t even think about it. I focused on saving my girls,” the priest said.
The priest thought that there was a deeper issue behind the inscription. So he asked if he could search through the family’s private belongings in the house. Maybe they could find the source of the evil. Caroline’s father agreed without hesitation. He wanted to help his daughter and wife.
The men searched the entire attic but found nothing beyond typical attic items. They then descended to the floor where Caroline’s bedroom was located. At the same time, the women returned from shopping and asked William for help carrying the shopping bags. Henry also joined in to help, enchanted by the love that bound this family together.
As a priest, he taught his parishioners that love and family are the most beautiful gifts from God, and now he could experience firsthand how truly beautiful it was. He admired the relationships that connected the individual family members, especially admiring William. He believed William to be a simple man, the head of the family, who, in times of danger, could give everything for his beloved wife and cherished daughter.
Therefore, the clergyman wanted to spend more time with the family to bask in their wonderful relationship. He helped them carry the groceries and even arranged the products in the refrigerator. He also asked the homeowner if she would mind if he searched through, among other things, her private belongings in search of something that could have summoned evil into her home.
“Of course, it won’t bother me at all. Let the priest do whatever he deems necessary to help us. Please, make yourself at home,” Caroline smiled, handing the priest a bottle of milk to put in the fridge.
After unpacking the groceries, the girls started preparing dinner, while Henry, William, and the priest returned to searching for the item that could have influenced the summoning of evil into Caroline’s home. After scouring the entire floor with no results, they descended to the basement, only to find nothing there as well.
Since Caroline moved in there, nobody had looked in there. Caroline did want to tidy it up after she moved in, but the situation turned out that she couldn’t do it. The girl’s father opened the door and invited the priests inside. The basement was large and dark. There was one light bulb hanging from the ceiling, with the switch next to the door. It didn’t give off much light, but at least it allowed them to look around inside. In front of the men were numerous shelves, on which lay jams and juices that Nicole loved to make and give to the family. The priests walked ahead, looking around everywhere. William followed behind them. They all started searching in different corners until the priest finally called out:
“I found a strangely looking doll.”
Polski 
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