I was quietly sitting in my house. Lydia was away, collecting her dues from the governor in town. That meant I was all alone in the mansion. Lydia was usually there for me when I had a fit in the night. Tonight, she would be away, leaving me alone in the giant house, with more to fear.

I went to the absurdly large kitchen and got a small snack from the fridge. Lydia wouldn’t let me eat too much, saying that I would get sick and not eat my supper if I did so. I grabbed a small cup of pudding and a spoon and headed back to my room.

I sat down on my bed, when I heard small whimpers and cries. I had told myself that it was just the wind, or maybe a stray pet, and that it was nothing to fret over.

After I ate my snack, I went to my closet and pulled out a lace nightgown that had belonged to my grandmother. I slipped into the smooth cloth and stepped into my house shoes. As I walked down the stairs, I heard the whimpers and cries again. A bit frightened, I walked briskly to the bathroom and quickly braided my long hair. I then ran up to my room and lay down to sleep.

He was chasing me. Again. I ran and ran and ran but could never outrun him. Tonight, he was carrying a small hand-knife, smaller than the usual, and pursued me quickly. Soon, I felt a pang of pain against my side. I cried out in pain and fear, but nothing would escape my mouth. I fell to the ground and sobbed. He came up to me with the knife and I then woke up panting.

I looked about my room and tried my hardest to catch my breath. I finally caught my breath and lay back down. It was light enough out, signaling that Lydia must have returned home. I ran down the stairs, expecting to see the blond in her nightgown and socks.

When I entered her small room, I saw a sleeping figure that I quickly realized was Lydia’s small kitten, Moon. Moon saw me and yowled, realizing that I was not her beloved master, but the despised girl who did nothing but taunt the cat. I rolled my eyes at the sight and looked for signs that Lydia was home and would relieve me from my fear. All I found was her bow from yesterday and one mismatched sock. She must’ve been doing laundry.

I looked into the washroom and found a very tired-looking Lydia with bags underneath her blue eyes. She, as I expected, was washing some of her very few party gowns and my three smaller gowns. This must mean that we were invited to a ball or maybe a party.

“Good morning, Lydia.”

“Goodness! You scared me, Hannah! Next time knock, will you?”

“Sorry, I saw that you must’ve come home.”

“It’s ok, and yes, I am home, as you can plainly see. Did you have a terror last night while I was away?” My eyes began filling to the brim with tears. I ran to her and began sobbing. She rubbed my back and comforted me.

“Was it the same dream?” I nodded violently.

“Same man or was it someone else?”

“It was the same man. The only difference was he had a bit smaller of a knife, but it was just as terrifying.” She sighed and comforted me by rubbing my back. I tried to dry the free-flowing tears and sat there. My eyes were puffy and red by then, and my cheeks were tear stained.
“Shush, shush, it was just a dream, Hannah.” I continued my silent sobbing, not being able to stop. We went on like this, her holding me and me sobbing into her arms, for a while. Finally, Lydia made a stiff move, attempting to get up.

“Maybe was can visit the House today and you can go see Star. Remember how much you loved him when you were little?” Star had been my favorite horse out of all of my grandfather’s horses. Star was a brilliant black, with a whit star and snip on his delicate face. He had three white socks on his legs, with one stocking. It always seemed as though he really attempted to make me laugh.

“Of course I want to visit Star! Do you think that Grandfather will let me ride him today? Or at least let me ride one of the mules?” She laughed at my questions, which she knew would be coming, since I was such a fanatic about Grandfather’s stables.

Grandfather was a gentle old man, who was as gentle with his wildest stallions as he was a young infant. Grandfather believed that time, patience, and love were all it took to raise a child and to tame a wild horse. Grandfather had always had a simple way of doing things.

Lydia picked me up and took me up to my room. I was then set out a blue frock and boots to wear out to the stables. Grandfather would always fret when I wore a dress out to see the horses. He always said that dressing me in pants and a shirt for a day wouldn’t ruin me, but teach me that wearing a dress isn’t for horses. Grandfather finally gave up when Lydia bought me a simple pair of boots to wear.

We finally arrived at the stables and we were met by a gray-haired man, with a horse who was almost twice his height. I grinned at the sight of my grandfather and his horse. I quickly scrambled down from the cart and into Grandfather’s arms. I looked up to see an almost happy glint in Star’s eyes. I was sure the same glint was to be seen in my own eyes.

I walked up to the large Clydesdale and petted the bottom portion of his shoulder, seeing as he was a very large horse and I couldn’t quite yet reach his head when he held it high, as he was doing now. My boots had about 3 inch heels, which made me quite a bit taller. I was already a lot taller than Grandfather, so Star wasn’t quite so much taller than I.

I turned towards the stable to visit the rest of the friendly faces. I went to see Check, who was the pony that I rode when the mules were being used, or were at the vet’s house. Check was a gorgeous dappled gray and we stood almost eye-to-eye. He was very sweetly tempered and was an amazing ride. I stroked him a few times and fed him a carrot I snuck into the stables and continued on down the hall.

My next stop was at the stall of a retired racehorse named Sergeant Red. He was a bit ill tempered and would occasionally bite passers-by. He had never bitten me, but I had heard of those he had bitten. He would bite down hard and would rarely bite soft enough to not leave a mark. He wasn’t exactly a ‘scary’ horse, but I was wary of him at all times.

Next to Red’s stall, was an injured warhorse named Lee. Lee was a gentle mare, who had lost a leg during battle, but was still able to be used for war for a few years after the incident. She was usually used for a foster mother for abandoned foals that arrived. She wasn’t very good for lessons, but she was excellent for children who were wary of the horses.

I finally made my way out of the stable house and out to Grandfather. Grandfather already had Star saddled up and ready. I scrambled up onto the mounting block and onto the large horse. I took ahold of the reins and guided him from the block. We lightly trotted to the pasture where I sent him into a full gallop. He had such a long stride that we could go 10 feet in just a few strides.

We rode for maybe half an hour, when we finally returned and I dismounted from him. I looked to the training circle to see Lydia atop Check and Grandfather atop Red. Grandfather was amazing with his horses. Red had only once bitten Grandfather and Grandfather only petted him and very sweetly told him that it wasn’t okay to bite a master. Soon after, Red was happier and had never bitten Grandfather again.

I watched the two go around and around the ring, practicing Lydia’s riding, and Grandfather’s trust with Red. Red obeyed politely and went into a fairly fast trot. Red had not yet learned that he could take a break and take it slow. He had been a racehorse for about 10 years and was a very fast horse. He would only go slowly after a workout or a lesson. Only very advanced riders were allowed to ride Red because of his temperament. Many riders were scared of Red and wouldn’t ride him. Therefore, Grandfather would usually take him out to the ring or the hot walker and have him let off some steam.

I took Star back to the tack room and tied him just outside of the room. I took off all of his tack and walked him out in the back, where the watering hose was. I turned the cold water on and began spraying his large feet. His feathered feet began looking a bit smaller when the water hit them. I sprayed up his legs and onto his sides and belly. Finally, I took the sweat scraper and glided the object over the horses sides and legs.

After Star was all finished, I took him back to the pasture and let him out to graze. I had been to the stables so much that I was used to the procedures. I went back to the back and saw Grandfather showing Lydia how to correctly take care of the horse. I grinned and ran over to them but stopped when I heard them talking.

“I’m so glad that you took her over here. You know how much she loves the horses and riding.”

“I know and I try to get her out here as much as I can, but you know how hard it is.”

“I know. I just wish I were able to see her more. Does she still have night terrors?”

“Yes. Though they do seem to be weakening, at least a little. This time, he had a smaller knife so I guess that’s some sort of improvement.”

“You know, I heard that in the house you are living in was inhabited by a criminal and that he passed away in that house.”

“Really? I hadn’t heard that and I have lived in the house for at least 5 years.”

“Yes, and I’m sure that it’s true. I’ve even looked in the old town hall and sheriff’s station.” Lydia sighed deeply.

“And you think that this ‘criminal’ may be who is haunting Hannah’s dreams?”

“Absolutely! And if her dreams are weakening, then that dream could soon come to life. Spirits have been known to manifest from dreams.”

“How am I supposed to believe this? It just sounds so irrational.”

“I don’t know, but you may want to get rid of the spirit before Hannah or yourself gets hurt.” I heard footsteps come closer to me. I quickly ran back to Lee’s stall and began petting her. She had been enjoying my company until Grandfather and Lydia came up to us, to whom she whinnied.

“It’s time that we leave, Hannah. You have got to get ready for tomorrow.” She looked at Grandfather before boosting me into the cart. I waved at Grandfather and he waved back at us. Soon enough, he was out of our sight.

Soon, we got back to the mansion and I went to my room. I thought about what Grandfather had told Lydia about my terrors. Were they really the hauntings of a ghost criminal? Was this man really haunting me? I wasn’t sure. To be honest, I was actually terrified to go to sleep tonight. I personally didn’t like the thought of being haunted by a ghost.

That night, I decided to have Reverend Smith come visit. He arrived around 5 o’clock in the afternoon. I had asked him if he would watch over me and pray as I slept.

I finally fell asleep around 9 o’clock that night. The man was still in my dream, except he looked sad, and maybe even more terrified than I had seemed to be. I walked to him, when he held his hands up in protection for himself.

“What’s wrong?” He looked up at me, fear filling the green eyes that burned into mine.

“Y-you’re real?”

“Every bit as real as you are.” He looked with astonishment at me.

“You’re not going to hurt me are you? Or arrest me? I didn’t do it! I swear! S-she was walking towards the well and I accidentally stepped on the hem of her skirt, and s-she f-fell in…” I looked with sympathy towards the wrongly accused man. I smiled at him, showing him that I wasn’t there to harm him.

After a short chat, I soon found out that his name was Jeremiah. Jerry, as people called him, worked at the local bank and was very wealthy. If it weren’t for the day that he accidentally stepped on the lady’s skirt, he would have been the wealthiest man in the town, other than the governor. He was wrongly accused.

After a while, I woke up from my dream that seemed so real. I went to the sheriff’s to see if there were still records on Jeremiah. I found his name and realized that it was all true. I decided to talk to the Sheriff to tell him that Jerry was wrongly accused, and that the record needed to be changed. Of course, he didn’t believe me and shooed me away.

As he sent me away, I snuck the folder out of the office. I took it home and changed a few things. I made sure that Jerry’s record had been cleared, and that there was an anonymous note saying that he was clear and a free man.

After that day, Jerry only visited me once. He told me that he was grateful for what I had done and that, even though he was still jailed then, at least someone knew that he wasn’t the guilty man everyone labeled him as. I smiled at him as he walked into a white light and mist.

My night terrors finally stopped and the house was a lot cheerier. Lydia was happier and she never had the bags under her eyes that I used to always see. I was happy for once and Jerry was free.