Free All Things Lost by Josh Aterovis Page A

now.
         Throughout the whole tour, Steve acted like a kid at Disney World. He was especially interested in the bedroom that the woman had said she had first seen Amalie in. It was, he surmised, probably originally Amalie's bedroom. I thought that he was stretching a bit for that one, but then, I wasn't a paranormal buff like he was. Most of the house was empty, with almost no furnishings, but that one room had been used as a storage room. And from the looks of things, no one had bothered to clean it out since the Roosevelt administration-the first one. I found myself just itching to jump in and start sorting through the castaways left by previous generations like an archeologist digging through stratum. But of course, I couldn't. I kept getting a prickly feeling at the back of my neck but I tried to pass it off as suggestive thinking in a creepy old house.
         The only place we didn't go was down into the basement since
Victoria
seemed a little reluctant and the lighting left something to be desired.
         After the house,
Victoria
led us around the grounds. The Captain had planted trees from all over the world, trees that he'd found on his travels. He was determined to make his gardens the envy of the social scene of the day. As a result, the yard was now full of rare and exotic trees, many well over a hundred and fifty years old.  There were familiar species, like the enormous and dignified old magnolias and the graceful and melancholy weeping willows; and there were the unfamiliar, like an African elephant pine. Most of the yard was fairly well kept considering no one had lived in the house in years, but part of the back yard was overgrown with a dense undergrowth. The Chicone Creek emerged from this jungle-like copse and ran a picturesque course through the side yard.
         The tour concluded back in front of the house. In the early afternoon warmth, the spicy smell of boxwood filled the air and a chorus of birds chirped cheerily from the trees. The eerie feeling I had experienced inside the house now seemed miles away. I couldn't imagine a more perfect bucolic scene.
         “Well, that's pretty much it,
Victoria
said, “The property that you saw is actually only a portion of the total acreage. The property extends a ways into the forested area behind the house and across the creek. A lot of it has grown up but it could be cleared and it would make a wonderful recreational area with trails.”
         “It's a beautiful setting, no doubt,” Steve said, “I appreciate you meeting us out here to show us around.”
         “Hey, it's my job,” she said with a sparkly smile, “and my pleasure.” I thought I noted a hint of flirtation in her voice. Apparently she didn't know that Steve batted for the other team.
         “I'll get in touch with you if I have any more questions,” Steve said politely.
         Her smile dipped a few watts at the obvious dismissal, but she recovered quickly, “Great, you have my number, right?”
         “Sure do.”
         We stood awkwardly for a minute before she finally said good-bye. We watched while she climbed back into the car and drove away. She wasn't even out of sight before Steve whirled around, hands on hips and wearing a huge smile.
         “What do you think?”
         “What? Of the Bates Hotel?” I teased.
         “Oh come on, it's incredible. Look at this place. Something like this comes on the market once in a lifetime. And it has a ghost! Do you know what that means?”
         “That it's haunted?”
          “It means I can haggle on the price. I should be able to get them to bring it down considerably. I bet no one else is even interested in it. Although, I have to admit, after seeing this place it's already an incredible price. The property alone must be worth almost what they're asking. And the house is in incredible shape.”
         “You're using the word incredible an awful lot.”