The Bell Witch [STORY]

Kyrie 11/05/19

Do you really think friendships

can last more than one lifetime?

—Toph Beifong, ATLA S03E06

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So, I stumbled across this little tale

o'er here, and I got pretty much

excited. By and by, I also wound up

reading the quote above here in

Pinterest, which then gave me the

idea for this story you're about to

read :smile_cat:

Also, I kept the ghost border 'cuz

this is supposed to be a Halloween

inspired challenge, so... yeah.

Enjoy!

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╭ Bit of a Warning ╮

Use of Strong Language

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The Bell Witch

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Artist: Kudocats

#StoriesByKyrie

#mythunderstandings

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Noah grunted as he walked out of the dust-filled storeroom with a big cardboard box. He knew next to nothing about its contents, other than the fact that it looked like it was filled with nothing more than notebooks of all kinds. That, and bundles of papers that were strewn and sandwiched around the books and their box-home.

His older brother asked him to take it out of the storeroom and to bring it over to him. That, he knew. To what purpose, he was not sure. All Noah knew was that he has to hand this old box over to Lucas so that he could do whatever he wants to do to it. He knew nothing more, nothing less.

“This better be good,” the young man said to himself as he climbed up the stairs and towards the lobby. Noah looked around for his brother. “Lucas?”

“I'm right here.”

Noah looked at where he felt the voice came from, and true enough, there he saw his brother, arranging the items on the shelf at the far end of the room. The brunet approached him and asked, “Where do I put this down?”

Lucas, still focused on the shelf, said, “Just place it in the counter,” Lucas replied, though he did not bother to turn his around, as he was fixated at organizing the shelf. “I'll be there in a minute, okay? And be very careful when putting it down. It's old.”

Noah nodded and walked towards the counter. As he not-so-gently set it down, the dust that had gently veiled over the box flew into the air, set free from the unceremonious drop. The brunet coughed and walked back as a result. Add in that he was also somewhat blinded by the fog of dust, he began muttering incoherent words beneath his breath. This finally drew the attention of Lucas, who had now looked away from the shelves that he had been working on.

“Noah, are you okay?” Lucas climbed down the step ladder and approached Noah, only to see the spectacle that was his brother, vying to get rid of the thick dust cloud that decided to float lazily in the air as if without care. “Oh, Noah… I told you to be careful,” he lightly chided.

“I was being careful!” The brunet retorted in-between fits of coughs. “It's this stupid box that's at fault here!”

Lucas sighed, but did not comment any further. Instead, he flipped the switch by the wall, which then brought the ceiling fan into life. The free floating dust were blown away by the gust of wind. He then approached his brother with a napkin to help him get rid of whatever dust that went into his eyes. “Now just hold still, okay? And don't rub your eyes too much, otherwise the dirt won't be able to get out. It'll end up making your eyes all watery and irritated.”

“I'm fine,” Noah said defiantly as he pushed his brother away. “It's just some dust in my eyes. Not that much of a big deal, a'ight?”

Lucas remained silent, but nodded nonetheless. He was used to Noah not accepting help and all, and he respected his decision. To try to point out the latter's flaws in his reasoning would only ignite his fiery temper. He will grow out of this phase, Lucas was sure of it, but when?

Well, it does not matter. He would just have to be patient about it.

“So, what's with the box?” Noah jerked his thumb at the still dusty box, sitting at the counter table.

“Hm? Oh, right… well, grandma said she accidentally left a journal of hers in that box, and she only ed all about it today.” Lucas walked towards the box and peered at its contents. He gave a frown as soon as he saw the number of books inside. “I think we'll probably have to check each one of these...”

“Wait, why? Doesn't it have, like, a name or something on it?”

“Nope. Well, as far as grandma said, she didn't write her name or anything on the cover... or at the sides, for that matter.” Lucas removed a few stacks of books before he turned his fave towards Noah. “Come here and give me a hand.”

The brunet groaned. “Do we really have to do this?”

“Our grandma is out there, counting on us to help get her missing journal back to her hands, Noah… I think it's only right for us to help her with that.”

Noah felt obliged to help, and did so by removing the stacks of books out of the box. “So, are we really going to open each and every notebook here, and pray that we got the right one?”

“That's pretty much the gist of what we're doing, yeah.”

The two brothers began their search for their grandmother's old journal in relative silence. Although every once in a while, Noah would make a joke, just to brighten up their time as they continued with their little task at hand.

Halfway through the stack, the brunet felt a strange vibe coming out of the next notebook in question. It felt dark and sinister.

“Hey, are you okay?” Lucas snapped his fingers, trying to get his little brother's attention. “Earth to Noah?”

Noah flinched at the loud snap Lucas did right next to his ear and gave the other a half-hearted glare.

“You were spacing out, so I ought to snap you back to reality. Literally.” Lucas tilted his head and looked at him with confusion. “Something in your mind?”

“Uh… I guess so?” Noah looked back at what looked like an ordinary notebook. He pointed at it hesitantly before drawing his hand away. “This thing gives me the chills. Is this grandma's journal?”

Lucas looked at the notebook Noah was referring to, and his face paled instantly. “That's far from it, Noah.” He lowered down his voice, as if someone might hear them. Hear him, specifically. “It's grandpa's old dream diary.”

Noah raised a brow. “That's it?”

Lucas shook his head. “Have you heard of the infamous Bell Witch?”

“No, not that… wait a minute…” Noah frowned as he tried to recall where he had heard the name from. With a defeated sigh, he looked at Lucas, worn and unsure. “I believe it was on the internet. It's a ghost, isn't it?”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, it was said to be a ghost…”

At the mere mention of the word 'ghost', Noah's face lit up, and Lucas felt he had dug his own grave. Ever since they were little, Noah was a fan of everything occult. Sure, he would get scared easily, but he would do everything in his power all to listen to a horrific tale of spirits and all that.

Lucas motioned Noah to come with him and to leave the book behind. The younger male nodded as he was led to the bookshop's reading area. An odd space, for sure, but Noah's father—and Lucas' step-father at that— thought that it was a great idea to have somewhere customers can read the books they want before purchase. They both sat at the far end of the table. One was clearly exited, but the other was ghost-pale.

The things he does for his little brother.

Lucas looked at Noah straight in the eye. “Are you sure you want to learn about it?”

“Yes, please!”

“Okay… so, let's start with the origin story, yeah?” After a deep breath, Lucas began the tale, “It all started in the early 1800s, when a certain man named John Bell moved his family into a small community in Tennessee. At that point in time, he had bought a home and land for him and his family to use, and the land only grew as time ed by. Soon enough, he ended up owning around 328 acres of land, of which John Bell made several into fields suited for farming.”

“Hm, okay… so he's basically rich?”

“Yup. He's basically rich. Anyway, it wasn't until a few years later when things began to make some nonsense.”

Noah leaned forward, crossing his arms and resting his head on them on top of the table. “Nonsense?”

“That's right, nonsense.” Lucas stroked Noah's hair a bit. It calmed down his own beating heart, which gave him a boost of courage to continue. “It was in 1817 when John Bell saw a hideous creature that was said to be part rabbit and part dog.”

“A bunny dog?”

“Yeah… a bunny dog.”

“Oh, okay. What happened?”

“Well, the creature escaped, even though John Bell shot at it several times. He decided that it was worthless to look deeper into it. That is, until dinnertime, wherein he and his family were harassed by sounds outside their wooden home.

“The sound of beating and all only worsened through the days, scaring the wits out of everyone… and it even escalated to the point where the Bell children felt their blankets being pulled, and bed posts being gnawed at.”

“That's scary,” Noah commented.

“I know, Noah, but don't worry.” Lucas gave him a sincere and heartfelt smile. “Big brother is here, and he'll protect you.”

“Promise?”

“I promise.”

The brunet smiled in return. “Continue the story, please?”

“Okay, so… time went on, with this mysterious, unseen being that continued to harass them. But it escalated even more, when the whole family began to hear what sounded like an old lady singing to them hymns and whatnot. From what began as ghostly songs turned to physical harm. The youngest of the Bell children, Betsy, began experiencing horrid encounters with it, including having her hair pulled, as well as physical abuse. She was left with welts all over her body, and more.”

“Hm, that's not nice.”

Lucas nodded. “And it gets worse. The haunting spirit only seemed to grew in strength, which gave her the ability to hold an entire conversation with the Bells. This phenomenon became widely popular back then, in which it even intrigued a man named Andrew Jackson.

“Anyway, do you know of this man, Noah? Of Andrew Jackson, I mean?”

Noah hummed a little tune, then shook his head. “Nope. I do know Hamilton, though.”

“Of course you do,” Lucas chuckled. “Moving on with the story, it was this General Jackson that first said 'The Bell Witch', a name that we all now use to refer to the entity that ruined the peaceful lives of the Bell family and their descendants.

“She continued her treacherous ways, such as physically harming one of General Jackson's men, destroying a would-be wedding of a grown up Betsy to a man named Joshua, and of course, her goal to seemingly punish John Bell himself.”

“But why have she done all these?”

Lucas paused. “Well, nobody knows for certain. Although there were rumours. Ones that claimed the spirit was actually that of the Bell's former neighbour, who had died in her home, cursing the Bell family with her dying breath. They said that it was due to some property dispute that she lost to the Bell's.”

“Oh, I see.” Noah let out a yawn, his eyes drooping and weary. “Is there more to it? And what does this Bell Witch have to do with grandpa's dream diary thing?”

Lucas nodded. “Yeah, there's more to it... but looks like you need to catch up with some sleep, Noah. I'll tell you the rest of it after you wake up, okay? About the rest of the story, and why it's all related to grandpa. For now, why don't you take a short break, hm?”

“Okay,” Noah mumbled softly as he slowly close his eyes shut.

Silence reigned over the small bookshop, Lucas felt a distinct call from the old journal. He got up from his seat, careful not to wake his brother up, and went back to the counter where the notebook was left behind.

“I know you're here, Bell Witch,” he hissed, face contorted with anger, and voice that exuded pure, unfathomable hatred. “What are you doing here?”

“Oh, if it isn't Old John Bell!” A shrill, disembodied voice rang through the air. “Oh? Oh? Hm, or is it… ah, that's right! Lucas Miklan Leicester?”

The raven kept his composure. “What do you want now, you wench?”

A malevolent laughter echoed throughout the shop, or at least, around Lucas. “Just visiting an old friend…”

“I am not your friend.”

“Oh? Oh! Not your friend? Not your friend?” The Bell Witch taunted, “Why, I was a good company to you and your family, ? Ooh, I really missed dear Betsy. Too bad I didn't like her fiancé. I never really understood her taste in men back then. Such a mystery, don't you think?”

Lucas knew she was testing him, trying to get the rise out of him, but he remained silent.

“I always believed that friendship can last for more than one lifetime, and here we are!” She cackled. “Oh, and it looks like you've got an adorable little brother, hm? What's his name again… ah! Little Noah! Little Noah!” The voice cooed. “Little Noah, such a precious young man! Hm… such soft hair.”

Lucas' eyes widened. He turned around to check on his brother, and fortunately, he was still asleep. The raven thanked his lucky stars that Noah was a heavy, heavy sleeper. His face then went back to a frown. “Don't you dare touch my brother, you crazed harlot!” He told the spirit.

“Oh, someone is testy today!” She laughed again, still invisible to the naked eye, as always. “Tell me, was the drink that I gave you delicious?”

At that, he unconsciously moved his left hand towards his lips. His mouth was desert-dry and had this metallic taste.

“Aw, maybe your brother's thirsty too! Oh, I can't wait to let him try my concoction! But for now, goodbye, John Bell!” The entity laughed once more as it slowly fade into non-existence. The heavy atmosphere in the air disappeared, alongside Lucas' anger, of which was replaced with dread.

She was back, and she would harm his family again.

Lucas shed a tear from his eye as he felt despair and helplessness all over again. Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, weak from the encounter, as what adrenaline that had empowered him earlier faded away. “Please… not Noah, please,” he whispered.

His words, however, fell unto the deaf ears of the air, as stagnant as ever.

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