A Spirit's Touch

Judith Ainbridge kept a firm grip on the steering wheel of her Fiesta as she stared somberly up at the two-bedroom house before her. The engine purred softly, the only reminder that her new reality was in fact real.

She had been sat, staring, contemplating her existence for over ten minutes since she had pulled into the driveway.

How she had ended up in Loughborough instead of staying in Birmingham was beyond her contemplation. A move she had not quite figured out yet.

Still, even through her current state she was an optimist and opportunist; despite the brick-ridden ivy and the clumps of moss, she told herself there was potential in cheap rental and cheap rental was not easy to come by in 2024.

Why did that cheating fucker get to keep the house, friends and the bloody city, were her repeated thoughts for the majority of the journey down the M42 motorway.

Now, sitting in the driveway outside her new home, Judith put the thoughts to the back of her mind as a new thought came to light.

At twenty-six this was the first time she had ever lived alone, like ever. This made her a little anxious.

Five deep breaths later and a long, drawn out adjustment of her glasses, she was out of the car and readying her new key to her new home.

The faded red door was chipped and worn, "The place needs work."

Two upper windows confirmed two front facing bedrooms. Judith groaned at the sight of condensation in one of the glass panels and strange uncleaned markings drawn into the misted pane.

Judith turned the key to the semi-detached lodging she now called home. The door creaked open, the hinge wailing for some oil.

Inside was surprisingly, yet pleasantly welcoming. Sure the walls were all magnolia, but the laminated floors had been polished and the carpet on the stairs, shampoo'd since her viewing a week earlier.

Judith went straight to the kitchen, coffee was definitely the first thing on her mind

As promised by the estate agent, the fridge freezer and kettle, although basic, were left behind in the small, made-for-one room.

After a quick tour of the downstairs, all twenty-five feet of it, Judith let out a relieving sigh that this house could indeed become a home.

The fireplace caught her attention. It was unused, probably had been for years, the radiator in the room would have proved that.

A note sat on the mantle piece above the unused fireplace. Judith picked it up and read it aloud.

"Dear guest, welcome to my wonderful little abode. I do hope we enjoy our time together. Please make this your home, but please do keep it tidy. I cannot stress enough how I like my house to be kept clean. Yours, M."

Judith lowered the letter, "Our time together?" She questioned. "Arrange choice of words from the agency."

She checked her phone before ascending the stairs. Another hour was to pass before the removal men arrived with the belongings she was able to salvage from the recent split.

The stairs led to a slight larger landing; L-shaped, more magnolia and a very white bathroom in front.

At least it has a shower, she thought dryly.

Judith passed the first door, she knew it to be the master bedroom which stretched from the front of the house to the rear, complete with two sets of windows.

She followed the landing round to the smaller of the two bedrooms, the soon-to-be walk-in wardrobe she decided, Judith grinned at the thought.

The now singleton returned to her car and pulled out a large suitcase and a paper bag containing her priorities.

The front door whined again as she fought her way through it with two heavy bags and she made a silent promise to it that a round with WD40 would be her first job.

After dragging the bags up the stairs and throwing the door open to the master bedroom, Judith fell onto the mattress of the old divan that came with the house.

"Oh no, this just won't do," she spoke aloud to herself as she squirmed and wriggled against the worn coils.

The disgruntled woman suddenly shuddered as the air in the room noticeably dropped in temperature.

She turned to the front facing window and was surprised to see the smaller top window was open, supported on the latch.

Had she not noticed that from the outside? She was able to spot the condensation that was still prominent on the larger pane.

Deciding the window was not an immediate concern, Julie instead, opted to open the paper bag and pulled out a bottle of red wine and a glass with the words, Happy 25th Birthday My Beautiful Daughter, engraved across it. Last year's gift courtesy of her mother.

Judith took two sips before deciding the March air was still too cold for the windows to be open. She moved to the window and closed it before inspecting the glass pane.

"How recently were the cleaners in here?" She asked no one. She placed a finger on the glass and drew around a shape that looked like the remnant of a hand print.

Another sip while looking out of the window before turning and facing the room, "So they can scrub up the house quite nicely but then stop at the window?" She asked no one again.

She stared at the bottle of the wine on the cheap, wooden side table, "Huh," she said aloud with an unnerving smile. I thought I left that on the floor. She usually would have, a habit she was not proud of.

A sudden screech echoed by a repeated horn startled her into losing grip on her glass and nearly dropping it.

Judith glared down at the moving van for making such a horrid noise. "Coming!" She placed the glass next to the bottle and left the room.

***