The House on Cooper Lane Read online

  INTRODUCTION

  The incidents relayed in this book are all based on actual events in my life. Names have been changed, and the timing of the occurrences has been adjusted into a more suitable framework for the story. The events themselves happened and I endeavored, only to make changes necessary for keeping congruency.

  Thank you, and I hope you enjoy The House on Cooper Lane.

  Oliver Phipps

  TABLE OF CONTENTS

  Chapter One: The House

  Chapter Two: Window of Discontent

  Chapter Three: The Unseen Stairs

  Chapter Four: Forbidden Room

  Chapter Five: A Sad Tale

  Bonus Story

  CHAPTER ONE:

  THE HOUSE

  Bud pulled off the road in front of a large sign that read “Welcome to Madison LA.”

  He wanted to browse through his selection of cassette tapes as the tape in the player had become wearisome many miles back. A fresh set of songs was called for, now that they’d finally reached their destination. The stop also seemed an ideal place to park and let Badger out for a bathroom break.

  The 1973 Pontiac Grand Am rumbled as it idled beside the road.

  "All right boy, you ready for a little break?"

  The large Doberman Pincher sat perched in the passenger seat and turned to look at his master in an almost humanlike motion. His canine friend appeared to be saying, somewhat without words, "What do you think, of course I am.”

  While Badger took care of his business beside the road, Bud changed the tape. He then stretched his legs and let Badger back in; "Well, did everything go okay?”

  His friend let out something of a whiny bark in frustration at his master's personal query.

  "All right, let's find out what this here town has to offer in the housing department."

  With the volume turned up and the windows down, the two rolled into Madison with rock and roll blaring and the warm summer air of 1984 blowing in their hair.

  At nineteen years old, Bud Fisher had already been independent for several years. The recent job opportunity he’d received signaled a new prospect for the young man. He would need to travel with this company, but he didn’t consider this a problem. He liked this aspect of the job. The higher pay would balance the traveling expenses as well as greatly increase his abilities in the department of self-sufficiency. His first task however, would be to find a place to stay with his limited funds; and keeping in mind he would need to work several weeks before getting his first paycheck. Bud knew he must be thrifty with his money for a while.

  "Okay, at least we know where the paper mill is." As they drove down the road Bud glanced over at a facility with smoke rising from its two large stacks. "That's where I’ll need to be first thing Monday morning, so we’ve got to find a place to rent this weekend buddy."

  Badger looked over at his master as if he liked hearing the words, regardless of what Bud was saying. The two then stopped at a convenience store and picked up a newspaper to check for rentals.

  The construction company he’d recently hired on with would be working at the paper mill for the next three to four months, so they only needed to find temporary living arrangements. The rest of the day consisted of stopping by houses with rooms to rent that were within Bud's price range. Of the few that hadn’t already been rented, there were none that the owners were willing to rent out on a temporary basis. With the daylight growing dimmer, his hopes for finding a place to stay began to fade.

  As the fruitless day transitioned into evening Bud drove out of town and found a dirt road. He parked on the side of the desolate stretch of gravel and crawled into the back seat to try and catch some sleep. Badger squirmed around the front bucket seat in a restless effort to get comfortable.

  Just as slumber began to ease the young man’s mind and body, Badger passed loud and smelly gas.

  "Oh man, ewwww... Badger, what did you do?"

  He quickly jumped out of the car, trying to get a breath of fresher air.

  "What have you been eating? Never mind, I know."

  He waited until the air inside the vehicle cleared and crawled back in to try again for some sleep. With the windows down the mosquitoes were constant nuisances. With the windows up, the heat became unbearable. As dawn slipped over the horizon, the two were exhausted from struggling all night for a little rest.

  “Well, what do you say we go try again buddy?”

  Bud stretched his sore body. He felt as if he'd been flopped around in a clothes dryer all night. Badger bailed out of the car behind his master. Shaking to rid his body of the turbulent night; the dog trotted up the dirt road a way and began sniffing the side in search of a good bathroom spot. Bud decided his dog had a good idea and walked to the back of the car to answer a nature call as well.

  Once again the two rolled into town. Saturday morning Bud thought. This time there was no music playing. He watched sternly as they moved up and down the streets, hoping for any sign of a room or small house to rent. Having exhausted all the possible rentals from the paper, he began to grow more concerned as the day wore on.

  As his hopes dwindled, Bud considered renting a room at a motel, but this would take a significant portion of the money he had saved for rent.

  "I don't know boy, this seems to be the making of another night on the old dirt road.”

  Bud glanced at Badger who had his tongue hanging out and watching the scenery go by. But the dog still managed to respond with a carefree whine.

  The houses became larger as they moved through an older, upscale part of town.

  "This must be the old 'high to do' neighborhood.” Bud rested his left arm on the door as they slowly moved down the street. The houses stood two stories high, in an old but impressive picturesque display. A sense of stepping into a grand past came over Bud as the historic old mansions rolled into view.

  "I don't think there's anything for us around here." He again looked over at Badger and then at a grand old house creeping by on the right side of the road. They moved beside the house and as they almost passed it, Bud caught a glimpse of something. He immediately stepped on the brakes causing the tires to squeal in protest.

  "Wait a minute, wait," Bud shifted the Pontiac in reverse and backed up to get a closer view.

  A rectangular sign stood erect in the front yard and Bud could read "Cooper Lane Apar-" The rest of the sign remained obscured by a bush with long stringing branches. He pulled into the drive to investigate further. As he opened the door and stepped out, Badger jumped into the driver’s seat and then out the door behind his master.

  He ran into the overgrown lawn, which appeared to not have been mown for some time. Moving up to the sign, Bud pulled the bush back to reveal the word "Apartments."

  "Hey Badger, don’t do that, we don't live here yet." He cringed a little, realizing Badger had already delivered a large amount of "doggie do" on the lawn. The dog happily scampered back up to Bud as if he'd done something great.

  "Oh boy, you may have just messed up our chances of getting a room here, you knucklehead." His canine friend paid no attention to this and ran around him several times in a display of apparent relief.

  Walking up the steps to the large porch, Bud noticed several plant pots with dry dirt in them. Leaves and other small debris lay scattered across the weathered walkway and appeared as if no one had set foot on it for quite some time.

  A large ornate door stood on the left side and on the right end a smaller one that resembled a newer style and of having been added onto the house at some later date. He moved to the large door and tapped the bronze knocker several times. Badger trotted up the steps and stood behind him, staring at the entry way expectantly.

  After a reas
onable amount of time had passed without an answer, Bud used his hand to knock again. When this produced no response, he moved down to the smaller door at the other end of the porch; his knuckles were just about to knock on the wood when he noticed a paddle lock about midway down. His hand retracted and he gazed back at the larger door in a vain hope that someone may have answered. Then he moved back down the steps of the large porch. They began walking around the right side of the vintage house.

  The young man now examined the massive structure as they moved towards the back. He couldn’t help but admire the lavish features that adorned the windows and trim.

  The grass they moved through stood almost knee high. As he came around the house, he found a stairway built onto the backside that allowed access to the second floor. A long walkway built along the length of the second story and doorways on both ends of the house could also be seen.

  Farther behind the house a storage building stood at the corner of the yard. A tall hedge ran along the edges of the property concealing the houses and yards adjacent to that side of the old house.

  He realized as he made his way up the stairs that this had been quite the mansion at one time but had obviously been renovated and turned into apartments at some point during its later years. The house reminded him of structures he'd seen that were built around the turn of the century. The newer alterations weren't very becoming, but the mansion still held onto an air of dignity nonetheless.

  Badger reluctantly followed his master up the stairs with his toenails scratching and searching for a grip on the wooden steps. Once they reached the walkway at the top, Badger raced from one end to the other in a display of victory over the stairs.

  Bud examined the nearest door and a paddle lock secured it just as the one on the front.

  Moving down to the other door, he again became disappointed by the presence of an identical paddle lock. He peered out over the rail of the walkway. In the yard next door, he saw an elderly lady; she knelt over to preen some flowers in a well-kept bed that ran diagonal from her house.

  He quickly trotted back down the stairs with his dog somewhat stumbling all the way down behind him.

  "Come on buddy, you’d better stay in the car, we don't want to give an old lady a fright." Bud walked back to the car and opened the door, gesturing for Badger to get in; reluctantly he jumped in; the door was quickly closed behind him.

  As Bud strolled over towards the house next door he noticed the lady making her way up her front steps.

  "Excuse me Madam,” Bud hurried to catch her before she went inside. "Excuse me," He raised his voice a bit more this time.

  Turning slightly, the lady seemed to hear Bud. She now moved quicker than before; went to her front door, opened it and stepped inside, shutting it quickly behind her. As Bud made his way up the front steps he could hear the lock clicking. He stopped midway before reaching the porch.

  "Well, I must have frightened her even without Badger," he said softly to himself.

  He considered knocking on the door but decided the elderly woman likely didn't want to be disturbed. He turned and gazed across the street from where the apartments stood. There he saw another large two-story house with a well-kept yard. He jogged across the road to this house.

  Badger barked in protest as he passed by the car.

  "Yeah, yeah, I know, hold on just a minute."

  He moved quickly up the steps of the porch. There he found a large screen door painted red and behind which stood a heavy door with a window made of stained glass. The door had the appearance of being quite old. Of the little knowledge he’d gained from his father about these sorts of things, he thought the door may have been produced in the 1930s or 1940s.

  He carefully opened the screen door and knocked several times. Soon, footsteps could be heard on the other side of the large door. He then saw movement behind the stained glass. The door opened, and an elderly woman appeared.

  "Hello?"

  "Hi, I'm sorry to bother you. My name is Bud Fisher and I'm interested in renting one of the apartments next door. Do you happen to know who owns them?"

  The lady examined Bud as if a bit puzzled.

  "You want to rent one of the apartments next door?"

  "Yes, please, do you know who owns them?” Bud turned slightly and pointed at house across the street as he said this.

  "Well, no one has lived there for a long time," she replied as she pulled her sweater closed one side at a time. "But, I believe the apartments are owned by John Beldon. He owns a number of properties around town as well as the pharmacy on Main Street."

  "Do you know where I could find him?" Bud was desperate to find an alternate sleeping arrangement after his night on the dirt road.

  "I believe he might be at the pharmacy. I think it’s open today; it's the only pharmacy on Main Street."

  "Thank you, thank you so much. I'll go see if I can catch him before closing time." Bud raced down the steps.

  "Well, yes, you're welcome," The lady replied as he trotted across the street to his car.

  He located the pharmacy on Main Street with little difficulty. When he saw that the lights on the inside were still on, he almost shouted with joy. Walking to the front door his main concern became whether the owner of the apartments would be there.

  "I'm looking for a John Beldon," he asked a cashier with urgency.

  "John is the guy with the beard behind the counter," the young woman said pointing towards the back of the store.

  Bud moved briskly to the counter where a heavy-set guy with a beard stood working. He wore a white lab coat and appeared to be in his late forties or early fifties.

  "Hello, Mr. Beldon?"

  "Yes," the man said turning to Bud, "can I help you?"

  "My name is Bud Fisher, Mr. Beldon. I work with the Cajon Construction Company. We’re replacing the insulation on the reciprocators at the paper mill. I'm looking for a rental house or apartment for about four months, maybe three depending on how quickly we finish the job. I seen the apartments on Cooper Lane and heard you would be the one to talk to about renting one of them."

  The large man stopped working and his face went blank. Bud initially thought the elderly woman must have been confused about who owned the apartments. Mr. Beldon began working again.

  "Nobody has lived in those apartments for quite some time," he replied, never turning from his work. "I don't know that they would be in any condition to rent."

  Bud knew he must work something out or he would be spending another night in his car.

  "Well, I'm not real particular Mr. Beldon; I just need a roof over my head and the basic necessities. I have cash for rent as well as a little for deposit right now. I also noticed the yard needed mowing Sir. I would be happy to keep it mowed while I'm there, that is, if you have a mower I could borrow."

  When he mentioned mowing the grass, Mr. Beldon stopped working again and glanced up at the potential renter. His demeanor seemed to change.

  After what appeared to be some careful thought on his part, John Beldon, returned to his work.

  "The rooms are furnished but as I said, no one has lived there for some time, so they likely need a good cleaning. If you keep the yard mowed, I'll only charge you a hundred and seventy-five dollars a month. You can give me fifty for a deposit now and another fifty within the first month."

  The young man felt as if a weight had been removed from his shoulders as he heard this.

  "Oh, that's great Mr. Beldon. I really appreciate it."

  Mr. Beldon continued, “There’s a mower in the storage shed out back, you can use it, but it’ll need gas."

  After paying his new landlord, Bud got the key to the bottom apartment with the big door. John told him this one appeared to be the best of the four.

  Bud stopped by a department store and bought some candles and a flashlight before returning to the apartments. He also had a small AM/FM radio, so he bought some batteries for it. He then stopped at a gas station and filled a few jugs and soda bottl
es with water. The two then quickly headed back to the apartment to get settled in before dark.

  Back at the house Bud opened the large door and the long unmoved hinges screeched out of unfamiliarity. He stepped inside, and the pungent smell of a long uninhabited dwelling greeted him.

  The evening light shining in through the entrance revealed a spacious living room with a fireplace that had been closed in at some time, and a gas heater was instead placed in the area where the log fires had once blazed.

  As he slowly continued in, he found a large couch sitting to his right in front of the windows that faced the porch. From the style of the couch, he thought it to be twenty-five or thirty years old. Certainly, it was older than he was. However, it appeared to be in fair shape and didn’t have any rips.

  In front of him, dividing the living room and bedroom area, stood two large doors with plate glass windows.