ALMAS MALDITA
(Cursed Soul)

By Jo
EnyaJo@aol.com
and Margie
czonian@mindspring.com

~~~~~

SANTA HELENA

Helm walked down the steps of Montoya's headquarters with his medicine bag in hand, then paused at the bottom. Surveying the ambience before him, he saw a few of the residents of Santa Helena going about their daily business, streaming in and out of the buildings that comprised the town square, stopping to gossip with each other. A mother was scolding her children for making her chase after them. Helm was pleased to see that besides the Colonel's sore throat, there had not been any other medical emergencies on the horizon. He had just spent the last three days birthing the Marcos baby and was looking forward to some relaxation. What Helm needed now was some fresh air.

Helm decided that a ride in the country would be a nice diversion. The air was actually crisp, cool--a nice change from the dry blanket of heat that normally covered this part of the world. There were unusual cloud formations to the west, which could only signal the onset of rain. It would be more than a welcome sight for everyone in Santa Helena. It had been a while since they had received a drop of rain in at least a month. It was the last day of October, so it was about time they got some change in weather. Rain would not deter him from enjoying a nice ride. He walked towards his office to drop off his medical bag as he bowed his head and smiled. From a distance , he heard a loud voice coming from the direction of the cantina, "Just look at how he carries himself."

He saw Señora Vera Hidalgo leaning on a cantina table, speaking to Maria Teresa Alvarado. Maria Teresa looked casually and modestly at Helm as he veered toward them, but Vera projected the opposite. To Helm's estimation, it seemed that Vera had wanted him to hear her. As the Señora watched him approach, she spoke again, "He has such deep green eyes, have you noticed Tessa?"

Even though Señorita Alvarado had turned away from Helm's watchful gaze, he heard her reply, "Green? I thought they were brown."

"No," Vera replied, as she smiled and blatantly stared at Helm walking towards them. "You must look closer, Tessa. They are indeed very green. Deep green. Just like the color of seaweed found floating in the ocean."

"Ladies," Helm said, bowing his head to them. Tessa smiled and lowered her eyes. He didn't know if the reaction she displayed was real or not and, if she knew that he had overheard them talking. In those brief moments, Helm realized that he didn't know very much about the inheritor of the Alvarado fortune. Her interests weren't as obvious as her luncheon companion.

Vera maintained her lovely smile and stood, offering her hand. "Doctor Helm, you must join us for coffee or tea. We were just about to order dessert."

"Yes, please join us, if you are not too busy," Tessa added, a bit guardedly.

Whether the latter part of the request was an invitation, or a way out, Helm couldn't tell. It was the sound of her voice that caught him at a disadvantage. It became a mute point when suddenly his attention was diverted to a lone rider who rode swiftly into town. Dust swirled in the air around the hooves of the horse as the man came to a sudden halt near them and called out, directing his attention to one person in particular. "Doctor Helm, you must come right away!"

"Manuel? What is wrong, where?" Helm asked, as both women stood with concern on their faces.

"It is Don Ricardo! Please come with me."

Tessa asked with concerned, "Don Ricardo, what has happened to him?"

"He has fallen down some stairs and is laying unconscious. He is not moving."

Tessa's and Vera's hands flew to their mouths. "How awful," Vera responded.

Tessa descended the steps of the cantina veranda. Standing near Helm she informed him, "I would like to offer you my wagon as transportation, Doctor."

"Thank you." Helm tossed his bag in the back and climbed up onto the seat. "I will return it to you later."

"That will not be necessary," Tessa said. "I am going with you."

"Please hurry, Doctor Helm," Manuel said as he kneed his horse to start it moving again.

Tessa was ready to go before Helm could even help her down from the wagon. Sitting beside her, he took the reins from her hands. "I will drive."

~~~~~

RICARDO HACIENDA

Helm and Tessa arrived at the Ricardo hacienda and were immediately escorted inside. Don Ricardo had regained consciousness and to Helm's dismay, the Don had been moved. He was now laying on a sofa in the drawing room. After looking him over briefly, Helm told Doña Louisa, who was standing guard near her husband, "You should not have moved him. He could have twisted or broken any bones from the fall."

Florina, the maid, spoke nervously, "He was complaining that he was not comfortable, but we were careful when we moved him."

Helm couldn't help but notice a small pool of blood at the bottom of the staircase. Judging from the gash on the Don's forehead, he must have hit an item when he fell down the stairs.

"Please stand back, Señora," Helm said gently as he exchanged places with the tear stained Doña. Tessa approached the sobbing woman and patted her shoulder to provide the Doña with some comfort and support. Helm saw Tessa's gesture and realized she could help. He asked Tessa, "Señorita Alvarado, would you take the Señora into the kitchen for a cup of tea?"

Tessa immediately reacted to his request and escorted the Doña and her maid in the direction of the kitchen. "Louisa, let us leave the doctor to do his work. Call if you need any assistance, doctor."

Helm saw Tessa take charge and returned his attention to the Don. He examined the wound and lifted a finger before the Don's face, moving it slowly from side to side to side, and asking the Don, "Follow my finger."

The Don's eyes easily followed it and said, "This is so unnecessary, Doctor Helm. All this fuss."

"Do not be concerned about that. You have quite a cut here."

After cleaning the cut with a wet cloth, he stitched the wound closed and bandaged the area. The Don was thankful to Helm, but was in fact quite embarrassed by the attention. News of the incident must have spread among his workers as they had gathered at various windows and one man stood in the open doorway. Don Ricardo had noticed him and announced, "It is all right, Pedro. You and the others may go about your business."

Helm aided Don Ricardo to his feet as his wife and Tessa returned. Doña Louisa reclaimed command and ordered a few of the staff to assist him into the bedroom. The Don insisted that he was fine, but eventually relented. Watching the Don leave, Tessa bid him her good wishes for a speedy recovery. Helm informed Louisa that he would check in on them tomorrow. Concluding his house call, Helm grabbed his medical bag and walked towards the main entrance as Tessa said her good-byes to Doña Louisa. He pulled open the front door, then stepped aside to allow Tessa to exit first.

When they were alone on the porch, Tessa told him, "It could have been so much worse. Louisa said that he fell from the top of the stairs."

"It is a good thing he has such a hard head." Helm realized his outspoken remark. After he said that, he wondered how Tessa would react. She smiled good-naturedly and walked towards the wagon. Helm stared up at the sky. The ominous clouds were looming closer. His first thought was to wait out the impending storm at the Ricardo hacienda, but he wanted a carefree evening in which he did not have to live up to any social protocol. Noticing the wagon was open to the elements, they would have to hurry to get back to Santa Helena. He offered a hand to Tessa to help her step up to the seat and hurriedly sat down beside her.

~~~~~

COUNTRYSIDE

As the carriage moved further way from the hacienda, the clouds ahead suddenly blotted out the late afternoon sun, and there was a pronounced low roll of thunder. The sky became dark and gloomy. Helm concentrated on directing the frightened horses towards the trail back to Santa Helena, but Tessa broke their silence. "My hacienda is closer, Doctor. Head there."

Trotting at a steady pace, the carriage was only half way there before the downpour of heavy droplets. Helm spotted some trees at a distance and had the idea of stopping for some cover, but when he got closer, he realized that the branches would not provide enough shelter for them or the horses. Helm saw that Tessa looked like a drowned rat with her long hair plastered on her head and chest. They each lowered their heads from the sting of pelting rain.

Helm was getting drenched also, but he felt sorry for her. Tessa soaked to the bone in her beautiful dress. Luckily it was only water and it wouldn't get ruined. He knew that they needed to find shelter somewhere else and encouraged the team of horses to move on. Driving the wagon in the rain caused the wheels to sink into the wet earth. Helm made the horses go a little faster so the wagon would not get stuck in the mud. Then he saw a light shining in the distance. His first instincts were a hacienda for shelter.

Helm steered the horses towards it with thoughts of a roof over their heads. As they drew closer, a bright flash of lightening lit up the sky followed quickly by a loud crash of thunder. Tessa stiffened when she saw in which direction Helm was heading and said, "No, Doctor! We cannot go there!"

"Why not?" Helm ignored her uneasiness and kept the horses moving towards the light trying to escape the bad weather. As they drew near, more lightening offered momentary flashes of brightness revealing a two-story dilapidated estate. He had no idea who owned the property, but he was sure that the dueños would indeed offer them shelter from the storm.

The hacienda was surrounded by a tall fence which barely stood its ground after years of torment from the elements, leaving the yard unprotected. As the wagon entered the small yard, Helm eased the horses to a stop in front of the hacienda. The rain continued to pound on them. Even though it was nearly sunset, lightening crackled across the sky lighting up the entire yard as if it were the middle of the day. He descended off the carriage and made sure that the horses were secured under a crop of trees. Tessa was watching his every move from her perch on the wagon. He offered her his hand to escort her down off of the carriage. At first it seemed like she was reluctant with only her upper body moving in motion. Helm couldn't understand why Tessa stayed rooted on the seat. She suddenly wrenched back her hand and grabbed the reins.

"What are you doing?" Helm yelled to make sure she heard him over the roar of the wind.

"I am not going in that house!" Tessa proclaimed.

Another boom of thunder made Helm jump. He turned towards the hacienda and noticed that there was still a light emanating from inside, but no one had come to the door or window to greet them. Frustrated with the rain and Tessa's stubbornness, he reached up to grab her arm and yelled, "Let us go inside!"

"NO!" she defiantly replied, snapping the reins.

Helm reached up and pulled her arm, then her whole body over his shoulder. He made his way to the door of the house. Even though Tessa kicked her legs against his chest and slapped his back with her fists, he kept walking. Approaching the front entrance he started to rap on the door, but it mysteriously opened by itself, as if inviting them inside.

~~~~~

KITCHEN

Helm carried Tessa through the side door of the hacienda and bent over to set her down on her feet. Helm shut the door behind them and stomped his feet to remove any excess water. Then he saw a scared, and angry, Tessa starring back at him with determined eyes. Standing in the entrance of the foyer, Helm saw the light which guided him to the hacienda. Candles in a holder were burning on the dust covered table in the center of the kitchen. The candles burned enough light to brighten the entire area near the door.

Tessa whispered to Helm, "We have to get out of here!", and rushed for the door.

Helm blocked her escape by encasing her in his arms and yelled out, "Hello?" His voice echoed throughout the hacienda while they stood very still listening for any noises to respond.

She whispered. "Do not rile them, Doctor. We must leave."

"Rile who? Someone opened the door for us. Where are they? Hello?"

From the brightness offered by the candles, Helm noticed that they had entered the kitchen from the side door. As he made his way further into the room, he surveyed the surroundings and listening for any sounds that would indicate they were not alone. There were many items visible, untouched over the years. Some old chairs were overturned. The center table stood on three legs. Cabinets were full of plates, cups and glasses, while drawers were filled with utensils, perfect silverware of all types suitable for a formal dining party.

Helm reached the kitchen window to peer outside. The storm was getting worse and he could hear the rain and wind crashing against the glass pane. He turned to look at the discolored, torn trimmings that once resembled drapes, which hung over the window. Near the hearth were several pots and pans ready to use. He began to investigate the kitchen area a little more, amazed that all of the furnishing were still intact.

Tessa stood planted in the same spot near the door entrance. They were still wet, uncomfortable and getting cold. Before they could do anything about it, a soft rattling was heard, which grew in volume. They watched motionless as the drawers of the kitchen opened and the rattling grew loud, filling the room. Knives in a chopping block lifted in and out of their slits and vibrated. Pots and pans banged against the wall in tune with the noise. Helm and Tessa had to cover their ears from the resonance. "We are not welcome here," Tessa shouted above the din.

Helm and Tessa watched in disbelief as all the utensils rose from drawers and chopping block and drifted towards the center of the room. Suspending in timeless space, the different shapes of silver utensils gathered together and formed into a great mass that hovered above the table. Helm and Tessa backed up and flattened against the wall, watching the frightening surprise. The knives, forks and spoons patterned themselves into a ball and then suddenly as if being thrown, smashed into the wall in between them. Helm and Tessa fell to the floor as metal pieces crashed atop them and scattered around the room. The incident had been too close for comfort.

Tessa's face displayed alarm as she stared up at the wall and then looked down at the floor. Some of the silverware had formed a word spelled out in knives, spoons and forks. The silverware had formed a message. "SOCORRO", the Spanish word for help.

Helm whispered, "What was it about this house that you were trying to tell me outside?"

"This hacienda is haunted," Tessa responded.

Five minutes ago, he would have laughed, as the notion was ridiculous. But, he stood and yanked the cleaver out of the wall in the position that would have been his head if he hadn't gotten out of the way and said, "Tell me about it."

"I was a young child when I began to hear the children in town talk about a haunted house. I asked my father about it one night as he was tucking me in to sleep. He did not say it was nonsense. He told me about Don Julio and Doña Benita Arnez, who were supposedly very happy and very wealthy." Tessa rubbed her arms. Whether it was from the chill in the air or the memory of the story, Helm couldn't gauge, but was feeling slightly chilled himself. "On the last night of October...," Tessa said, then stopped. Her face filled with fright as she intoned, "It is now the last night of October!"

She stood, terrified, but Helm calmed her. "What happened?" he asked.

"The Don and Doña were found dead in their bed and no one knows of the circumstances surrounding their deaths. After the horrible incident, the residents of Santa Helena started gossiping and saying that the house was haunted and the spirits of the owners inhabited the dwelling. No one has dared to go near here for fear of running into the ghosts." She indicated the silverware. "I remember my father telling me, "Don't be afraid mí Angelita, as long as you never go near the Arnez's home you will always be safe"

She jumped up from her position and accidentally shoved Helm onto his haunches on her way up. He sat there waiting for an apology, but didn't think he would receive one, and wasn't disappointed. Tessa walked towards the entranceway and followed her. Reaching the door, she turned the doorknob, but it was stuck. Helm stepped in front of her to assist and loosened it then stepped out the way offering Tessa the privilege of opening the door. Tessa pulled the door open and stood there in dismay. The doorway revealed another door exactly the same as the first. Thinking it rather odd, Helm opened the second door and discovered that another door was waiting. Looking at each other is puzzlement, Tessa and Helm both grabbed the doorknob and pulled the door open once more, to reveal another behind it.

Trickery or deceit didn't help their situation. While Tessa examined the doorframes for some explanation, Helm decided it was time to find out what was going on. He scrutinized the candles that burned brightly on the table, but wondered how he had been able to see them from a distance in the middle of a storm. Focusing on the dancing flame and entranced by the flickering, he was quickly reminded that there was still a storm brewing outside. He looked towards the window and saw the sky light up with streams of lightening and the noticed the panes continued getting hammered by the heavy sheets of rain.

Hearing a clang and then another, Helm turned around and saw that the utensils which had formed into the message were slowly slipping off the wall onto the floor. Before any of those knives could come back to life again, Helm knew they had to get out of there. He grabbed one of the chairs from the table and threw it against the window. Making a complete stop in midair, the chair was flung back towards him. Helm covered his head and turned sideways as the chair hit him. It crashed into pieces and dispersed upon the tile floor looking like pick up sticks.

"Are you all right Doctor, what happened?" Tessa asked, walking to him.

Helm stared at the chair pieces himself, and also at the window. "An unfortunate accident. I'm fine. Okay. Right," he said, at a loss. He saw a doorway that seemed to lead into a dark hallway off the kitchen and tried to pick up the candle from the table so he could light his way around to find another exit out of the hacienda. Making an effort to lift any of the candles were a useless exercise. Try as he might, he couldn't raise even one from the table. As he looked at them again, he realized that for how long they had been burning, they had not melted down. He stepped back a moment and scratched his chin. "Interesting."

"Interesting, is that all you can say? This place still gives me the creeps, Doctor Helm. We have to find a way out of here", Tessa told him, as she shivered, emphasizing the effect it all had on her. "This the Arnezes' ranch, Doctor Helm. I know you have not been here long, but I would have thought that somehow everyone would have heard about the story of Julio and Benita Arnez."

The higher, quicker pitch of Tessa's voice made Helm think that she was starting to lose control; maybe a little humor would help the situation. Before he could do anything, Tessa said, "They were murdered in this house, twenty years ago tonight! This is the La Granja Prohibida, the Forbidden Ranch." She talked faster and faster as she said, "The stories alone were enough to make me lose sleep when I was a child. My father told me to stay away from it and I have. Even though no one has lived on the property for years, is it not odd that the house has never succumbed to the elements? No one has ever come near or stayed in this casa since. Except for us, and we obviously cannot leave."

"Sure we can. We just have to find another way."

Helm moved towards the hallway. Tessa called out to him, as she stood by the table. "Where are you going?"

"Exploring."

"Are you insane?"

Helm shuffled his feet and easily said, "Well, that is a trick question. If you are insane, you do not know that you are insane, so the answer would be no. If you are not insane and say no, you really cannot believe the answer."

"What kind of riddle is that? Did you not hear what I just said told you?" She folded her arms before herself. "If you had just taken my advice and gone in the direction of my hacienda, we would not be in this mess."

"So this is my fault?"

"Well someone has to take the blame and it was not my idea to come here in the first place. I warned you that we should not have come, but no, you had to take charge and impose your authority! One more thing," she yelled as she moved closer to him with fire in her eyes. "I certainly did not appreciate being hoisted over your shoulder like a slab of meat."

"I was trying to get you to cooperate, but you were being stubborn. You gave me such a hard time that I had no choice."

A sudden boom and a crash was heard from above them. At that moment their discussion seemed to turn pointless and unimportant. Tessa peered up at the dark ceiling. "What was that?"

"That was called thunder," Helm calmly replied. "Two clouds mix, one is angry for having its space intruded upon and yells."

"What?" Tessa asked in disbelief.

"It was what my nanny told me when I was a little boy. You looked like you could use an explanation."

"You do not need to placate me, Doctor."

"Is that right?" Now Helm chuckled. Emotions ranging from fright to indignation had flown out of her in the space of a few minutes.

"I am not a child."

He said lightly, "It might be a little dark in here, but it is dry. That is a step in the right direction. I know that you are wet and cold. I am too. Let us look for something to dry ourselves off with. There has to be something in this hacienda we can use. Over there, we could use the drapes," he said walking up and touching one that hung on a window, "or maybe not." The drapes disintegrated in his hand, as if made of paper.

Tessa sighed and joined him at the window and looked out at the night. "Do you think the storm is going to end soon?"

Lightning flashed, thunder boomed. Helm said, "Let us count."

"Count? This is not the time to hear if we know our numbers, Doctor. Unless you want to keep our minds busy and forget the storm and the fact that we are in a haunted house? Ok, how high should we count? Or, rather, let us make it more interesting and hold a seance. That would really go well with the weather outside."

"Huh, no, no" Helm said as he chuckled. "Let me explain. Wait for the end of the lightening and count until the thunder. If you can count farther each time, it means that the storm is moving away from us."

The flash of lightening lit up the windows. Helm held up his fingers counting, "One, two..."

Tessa gave in and counted along with him. "Three, four."

The thunder's boom shook the house. Not long after there was another flash of lightening and Helm started to count again. "One, two," he said.

Tessa said along with him, "Three."

Thunder boomed. Tessa yelled, "Did you get that story backwards from your nanny, or is there worst to come? Your theory is somehow not giving us the answers we need."

"Um..." Helm didn't want to show that he was disturbed by what had been concluded, or scare the Señorita further. "We will just try it again later." In a show of manly confidence, Helm again moved back towards the dark hallway. Stopping before the entrance of the doorway, he poked his head around the corner and looked both ways. The hallway was completely dark except for the lightening that flashed outside into the windows, offering a short view. He needed to adjust his eyes to the darkness so that he could find his way to another exit.

Tessa called out from where she was still rooted on the other side of the kitchen. "Are you actually leaving this room and walking around into the dark?"

He stood at the doorway looking back at her. "I am from England. You do not think we have not heard of 'haunted' castles? I have stayed overnight in one. So I know that the bumps in the night are just your imagination running wild."

Helm followed Tessa's stare to the utensils still in a pile on the floor. "My imagination still sees silverware on the floor, Doctor."

He had no explanation for that, so he just moved into the hallway. It was only at that moment that he realized his heart rate was racing and his mouth was dry. Any room without knives would make him feel a little easier. "Come on," he told Tessa with his hand out for her to take.

"I am not going farther into this house," she firmly said.

"Then stay here." Helm walked into the hallway. He grinned as he heard her say, "Bastardo."

He poked his head back in and peered at her through sarcastic eyes and asked, "What did you say?"

"I am right behind you," Tessa said, with her head held high.

"That is what I thought you said."

"Are you not in the least bit scared?"

"No. Why should I be? You and I are the only ones in the hacienda. We are all alone, in this big rancho... you are not going to take advantage of me, are you?"

"Be serious, how can you joke at a time like this and enjoy yourself?"

"It must be the rain." More thunder boomed at a distance and the sky crashed with lightening. "I love the rain…I always have. The sound of thunder and rain are the perfect weather for….. "

"Spare me. It has got to be a British thing," she muttered.

~~~~~

HALLWAY

Helm motioned for Tessa to follow him into the hallway. Tessa stayed close by once again. The passage was totally dark. Carefully walking, he passed several slightly opened doors. The floors creaked from the weight of their footsteps. They slowly walked the length of the corridor then Helm stopped to look around. He tried to adjust his eyes, but was having a hard time. Helm kept walking and then realized that Tessa was not immediately behind him. He walked back and grabbed her by the arm.

"AAAHHHH! Dios Mio!" Tessa yelled, pulling away from him and stomping her foot. "Do not do that. I am already afraid as it is. Where are we going?"

A reflection from another lightening strike momentarily afforded Helm to see the frightened, wide-eyed look on her face, as her hand was on her chest. Helm gently took her hand and started to walk further around the hallway. "I find this place very fascinating. It appears to have so much history. The Arnezes' seemed like they were a very aristocratic family."

The sound of another crash and boom struck. Tessa grabbed Helm's arm and he tenderly covered her hand with his own to give her reassurance. She was squeezing his arm so tight that he felt her fingernails digging through his wet coat onto the skin. The pain made him realize that he wasn't dreaming this whole situation.

Suddenly, a faint warm glow began to emit from a room who's door was ajar behind them. Helm and Tessa made their way to the light as a beacon signaling their way. As they got closer, the light from the room slowly got brighter. They stopped a few feet from the door. Helm explained, "It has got to be a... a reflection of the lightening on one of the windows." He was quite pleased that he was trying to stay so calm in the face of this extraordinary phenomena.

"Ah huh," Tessa responded, not sounding too convinced.

They stood silently, listening to the only sound emanating around them, the pelting rain and roaring thunder from outside. Tessa's gaze was transfixed on the door. She broke their silence, "But the lightening is gone and now the light is brighter. You are the scientist, explain that."

"Well... I can, after I investigate it."

Tessa quickly said, "Go ahead. I will wait here."

"Chicken," he called her as he looked over his shoulder and saw her slowly being swallowed up by the darkness of the hall. He got scared at that moment and returned to her. After she nudged him back to the lighted room, he said, "All right, all right. I am going. I am sure it is nothing. It has to be a trick of some sort."

Helm walked towards the door to study the cause and effect. Someone or something was making these events happen and he needed to find the answers or find a way out of the hacienda before it was too late.

~~~~~

DRAWING ROOM

Helm opened the door wide and Tessa heard him yell out loud from a sudden fright. "AAHHH!" Tessa hollered in response, jumping back and landing into a comfortable cushioned chair in the hallway.

Helm bent over laughing. After watching in amusement. He stopped chuckling and responded, "It is nothing. It is just a fire roaring in the fireplace."

"Bastardo! Why do you keep doing that to me?"

"I was just teasing with you. We need to lighten up. Come with me. It is warm in there."

Tessa got up from the chair and hesitantly walked over towards Helm at the door to the room. He let her peer inside. She asked inquisitively, "Why is the fireplace thriving? Who started it?"

"Maybe they knew we were coming."

"Who knew?"

"Ah, that is the question, is it not?" He leaned into the room and looked it over. "There is no one in here."

Feeling the chill of the evening and still drenched in their wet clothes, Helm walked inside followed by Tessa. Approaching the fireplace, he saw some logs burning and figured they would certainly have plenty of heat and light for hours. The warmth felt good. They looked around the room and saw that the furnishings weren't covered in dust or cobwebs. It was hard to believe that the house had been empty for almost two decades. Everything seemed to be intact. Noting the types of furniture, knee high tables expertly arranged near settees and velvet love seats, Helm concluded, "I believe we are in the drawing room."

"Do you think someone is living here? Maybe a vagrant seeking shelter?" Tessa speculated.

Helm shrugged as he squatted near the fire to rub his hands. "I do not know, but I am almost positive that we will find out. It seems that someone is trying to help us figure out what is going on. So far, we have only seen the kitchen. I do not know about you but I have not seen any 'ghosts', Señorita Alvarado. There is a thunderstorm going on and only our vivid imaginations are running wild inside an old hacienda that has held tales of spooks for years." Helm ran a hand through his wet curling hair, gently helping it to dry it out and motioned for her to come closer to the fire.

She walked guardedly to Helm looking around at the items in the room and joined him in front of the warm fire. When she was close enough, he tugged her arm and Tessa sat down on her knees at the hearth. Helm grasped her hands and felt her cold skin. He began to rub his hands over hers, holding them near the fire. "Does this feel better?"

"Yes," she had to admit.

"You are soaked to the bone," Helm said as he got up to stand.

Tessa saw him get up and followed his movement until her gaze focused on a painting that hung over the fireplace. The frame pictured a young, regal looking woman. Tessa saw that she had delicate features, wore fancy clothing, and had dark hair swept up in a elegant hairstyle that portrayed an image of aristocracy. Tessa thought it must have been in vogue around the time the Arnezes' had arrived in Alta California. Or maybe she had the portrait done back in Spain and brought it over. Helm followed Tessa gaze and watched the portrait silently before mentioning, "Doña Benita Arnez, I presume."

Helm watched Tessa stare up at the portrait. Maria Teresa Alvarado was a beautiful woman. The sorrow she displayed for the Dona was quite touching. So much so, that Helm didn't want to disturb her. Her took in the decor of the room. The drawing room had a few chairs, a tall cabinet standing near one of the walls and a three-legged stand with a small table nearby holding a painter's palette and several old brushes. Helm wondered if Don Julio had liked to paint as a hobby since most of the walls had been adorned with portraits of various scenes resembling Spain or Santa Helena.

Browsing some more, he came upon a pile of clothing seating neatly folded on one of the chairs in the corner of the room. Tessa was still seated by the fire trying to warm up. He picked up the first piece of clothing and noticed it was a woman's dress. Another piece was a pair of men's pants along with a shirt. He held the shirt up to his torso and was amazed that it seemed the right size. The length of the shirt's sleeves seemed long enough.

Tessa turned around and asked, "Where did you find those? How did they get here? Are those the Arnezes' clothes?"

"I am not at all sure, but if they fit, they will come in handy." Helm tossed the dress to Tessa. "This looks your size. Why don't you change into that dress? We can hang our clothes off the mantle. They will be nice and dry in no time." Before she could protest, he said, "Modesty be damned. I am a doctor and I do not want you to die of pneumonia. I will give you privacy to change."

"As I was going to say, Doctor," Tessa said with a smile. "That sounds like a fine idea."

He nodded and smiled. "Good. I will be right outside the doorway in case your receive any unexpected visitors, you know, ghosts."

"If they do, I will make sure to tell them where you are," she said, laughing nervously.

Helm tried not to show his anxiety when he walked nervously back into the dark hallway. As he undressed, he thought about the silverware from the kitchen. He decided that it had all had to have been their imagination. Funny angles of old houses did make one's imagination prosper. He recalled one time he stayed in an aunt's drafty attic bedroom when he was a child. He had been certain that when he had gone to bed that night, he saw a horrible beast huddled in the corner waiting to strike. Terrified to sleep, but exhausted from keeping vigil, in the morning, little Robert Helm discovered that it was only the wingback chair that had been placed in the right position. The moonlight had exaggerated its outline against the wall.

Helm heard his name called. "Doctor Helm?" The senorita's voice didn't sound agitated in the least, so he quickly put on his pants and walked back into the room shirtless.

Tessa was half undressed and asked, "How handy are you at untying corsets?"

His laughter was smooth. "I have unhooked a few. Do you need help?"

"If you do not mind," she said as she turned away from him. She held the top of her soaked gown in front of her chest and turned her back to him. Helm noticed that she was facing the portrait of the Doña as she waited. Besides her long, wet hair, Helm could see the silky skin of her shoulders and well toned upper arms. Her chemisette was soaked through, as if forming another thin layer of skin. He could imagine that her pantaloons offered the same effect.

"My pleasure," Helm said as he walked towards her while she stood in front of the fire. Tessa grabbed her hair and pulled it over her shoulder. Helm quite adeptly unfastened her corset and gently pulled it from around her waist.

Caught by surprise by his adeptness, Tessa dropped the wet gown. As she stood before him for an instant, Helm took the opportunity to gaze at her figure. Nice and curvy. He could remember the birthmark on the small of her back in the shape of a half moon. Before he could bend to his instincts of wanting to see more of her, she had hurriedly grabbed her gown and used it once again as a shield. She looked flustered at him over her shoulder, but said in a smooth tone, "Nice work."

"Thank you." He paused to look her over again. Although she was wet from the rain, and her long hair was slicked back, in the glow of the firelight, Helm thought she looked smolderingly beautiful. Her eyes were expressive. He didn't know if the look was from the fact that she was half undressed with him or if her eyes had trouble adjusting to the dim light. It was hard to tell just how that woman felt and she wasn't quick with explanations. "Anything else?"

"Not right now, thank you," Tessa quickly said.

He stepped back to say, "I will be right outside."

~~~~~

HALLWAY

Helm put on the man's shirt and finished dressing in the hallway. As he buttoned it, he noticed how nicely the cotton felt and realized both pieces of clothing were, in fact, a perfect fit. The sound of a grandfather clock ticking nearby caught his attention. A clock stood guard in the hallway. He walked towards it, barely able to see the clock's face from the lack of lighting, but heard it ticking. Then the time did become apparent from another flash of lightening. Helm fumbled through his wet pants that he had left on a chair to get his watch to compare the time. He saw the time on his watch was exactly the same time indicated on the grandfather clock's face. Ten minutes to seven. The clock had kept perfect time.

Helm tried to remember what Tessa had said about how long the house had been vacant. He found it fascinating that time had not completely stopped in the old hacienda. Turning his attention back to the dilemma they were in, he walked back towards the drawing room door left ajar and glimpsed in. He saw Tessa concentrating on getting into the dry dress. Instead of knocking to get her attention, he punched it open and yelled, "Boo!"

He got a flash of Tessa, startled. From the unexpected shock, she dropped the dress in front of her. He stood in the doorway laughing to himself and quickly turned away.

"Not again! Would you stop? Do you think we're playing a game? How old are you, anyway?" Tessa picked up her dress to cover herself.

He looked into the room again to see Tessa holding the dress in front of her as she stalked towards him. He was just going to apologize, but she slammed the door shut in his face. He stood there feeling the effect of the air as it drifted passed him from the impact.

~~~~~

DRAWING ROOM

elm waited a few minutes for her to put on the dress before he walked in again. "I am sorry. I know our nerves are on edge."

He walked over to the fireplace and started hanging his clothes on the mantle using various knickknacks to hold them up. Tessa did the same with her gown and underclothes, then set her corset on the hearth. Just then, the sound of the grandfather clock emitted a quartet of chimes, followed by several heavy booms. The clock's seven bongs were loud and pronounced and had reverberated throughout the hacienda. It was so loud that they had to cover her ears to stifle some of the noise. After the last bong, they enjoyed a sudden and eerie silence. Then Tessa broke it to whisper, "Doctor Helm. It is said that the Arnezes' died at seven o'clock."

"You know that for a fact?"

"I believe so," she whispered again. She took a deep breath before saying in a clearer voice, "It is said from past history that one evening their servants were preparing the table while the Arnezes were upstairs dressing for dinner." Tessa sighed sadly and continued, "The servants heard the Arnezes' screams and ran up to their bedroom to find their dead bodies."

"How did they die?"

"No one really knows. That is mostly why people are so scared of this place. No one saw what happened to them. The servants heard screams, ran up the stairs to check on them, and Julio and Benita Arnez were laying on their bed, dead. There was no sign of struggle, there were no wounds on the bodies. Some say that they might have poisoned themselves, but they had everything to live for. Indians say the land itself is full of lost spirits searching for their eternal rest. The Arnezes' were found holding each other's hands, just laying in bed, dead. I also heard stories about the looks on their faces. They looked as if they had died of fright. It is hard to say what actually happened."

"And this happened how long ago?"

"Around twenty years ago," Tessa said, then she gasped. "Madre Dios! They died the last night of October."

Helm didn't take comfort in the fact that it was now the last night of October.

~~~~~

HALLWAY

Helm walked to the grandfather clock and stared at it's silhouette. When the lightening illuminated it for instants at a time, the clock took on a demonic tone. Helm shook his head and knew it must have been his imagination running wild. He smiled confidently at Tessa, who had joined him. A candle that had been sitting on a side table that they hadn't noticed illuminated. It filled the hallway with more light than one candle could ever do. Helm had to admit that the strange occurrence unnerved them.

Tessa's eyes never left the clock as she slowly extended her arm up and pointed to the wall near the clock. Remaining speechless, her finger targeted an object forming. Helm followed her indication and saw the shape taking form. A spot, near the clock, high on the wall, grew and started to slowly turn darker. He was going to walk closer to it so he could get a better look, but felt Tessa grab his arm. He stayed put. The spot slowly took over the entire wall, and a dark liquid, blood, started to flow down, as if the hacienda was in tears. The flow of blood dissipated into streams and then the streams turned into little ribbons. The unbelievable effect spelled out a set of letters forming another message in its wake, "ESCARABAJOJUGO".

~~~~~

Tessa had had enough. There had to be a way out of this damn house and she would find it if it was the last thing she ever did. Ignoring the thought that it could very well be the last thing she ever did motivated her more. That wasn't going to happen. Helm kept hold of her arm as he stared at the message. "What the bloody hell does that spell? It doesn't make sense. What does that mean?"

"I can live without finding out, Doctor Helm. I am leaving."

"Obviously this is another message. Maybe there are ghostly spirits in this house."

"Glad you finally chose to acknowledge it, Doctor."

"But what I mean is," Helm said, "that they must be trying to communicate."

"Who is?"

"Whoever spelled out those letters. It is possible that others who have set foot inside the hacienda have seen strange phenomenal consequences. Maybe instead of not waiting for anything else to happen or seeing any ghosts, they ran out of the hacienda. You are acting exactly the same way."

"I am not running. I am walking." Tessa exclaimed out again, but Helm kept hold of her. As soon as she said that, she remembered much of the same conversation she had with the doctor under different circumstances, only she was wearing the Queen of Swords' clothing at that time. She checked his reaction to her remark, and saw that his face was undisturbed by it. "If you let me go, I could walk faster, Doctor."

"Tessa," Helm easily said. "I think it is time you called me Robert."

With a faint smile, Tessa responded. "All right. Robert. Can you let go of me now?"

Helm released her, but adamantly said, "We should figure this out. Nothing has happened to us yet. This is a mystery and the sport of it is to solve it, right?" Helm pointed at the wall and questioned. "Is that a name or place or just a bunch of letters spelling gibberish?"

Tessa didn't want to display attitude under the circumstances, but her nerves were playing tricks on her. She didn't want to portray herself as being a scared child, but this was more than she had expected. Taking a deep breath she stared at the message in blood. She could get into the 'sport' of solving a mystery, as well as, the next person. She was already fighting the overt forces of evil in the county, why not figure out what made this house haunted? She studied the word before it completely disappeared and announced, "It is gibberish."

A light came to life from another room off the hallway, illuminating and shining brightly from the door slightly ajar. Neither, Helm or Tessa spoke or moved as they both stared at the door. Tessa cleared her throat and secretly whispered, "Do you think that is another trick of the light on the window panes, Doctor? Oh, I mean, Robert?"

"I have reached the point of believing there are unearthly presence here," Helm responded quietly, his eyes wide.

"Welcome to the party," Tessa said, waiting for Helm to investigate, but she could see from his reaction that he was trying to figure it out before taking action. They were experiencing so much since they entered the house. Tessa's body shook. She was too scared and could feel her knees actually knocking and her stomach doing flip flops.

Tessa silently called to her father to give her courage to see her through. If his spirit was encouraging her to fight Montoya and avenge his death, he could surely instill strength in her now. With a new determination, Tessa mustered up the courage as she did to dress in black and confront Montoya's army as she walked to the door of the lighted room. She told Helm, "I will find the source of this light, Doctor... Robert."

At the door, she peered in for effect, but had a quick thought. Tessa screamed at the top of her lungs. She enjoyed looking back at Helm to see him jump and rush to her. "What is it?"

Tessa smiled and told him, "Gotcha." Two can play this game. If looks could kill, Helm stare could have buried her six feet under.

~~~~~

DINING ROOM

Tessa walked confidently into the dining room, motioning for Helm to join her. They there amazed at the scene before them. A vase on a small table near the door held a bouquet of fresh flowers. The fireplace slowly came to life with a soothing fire. The dining room table was covered with a clean, white, linen tablecloth and china place settings were arranged on the long table. On both ends of the table stood two silver candelabra holding tree candles each burning brightly. The centerpiece was a vase that held a bouquet of fresh flowers. Tessa looked closer at the vase to see that it was two cherubs holding up the cup that held the flowers.

Helm picked up a bottle of wine sitting on the end of the table, Don Arnez' end, Tessa assumed, and held it up so he could read the label. "Hum. A very good year." He twisted the cork out of the bottle and smelled the wine.

"You are not thinking of drinking that, are you?"

"Why not? It smells good and its only wine."

"But where did it come from and who placed it here?"

"Your guess is as good as mine…maybe it came from the cellar?"

He took a wineglass and filled it to the rim and handed it to Tessa. "Ladies first."

She shook her head in a negative response.

"If you insist of course, Señorita, I will be your wine taster." Helm sniffed it again and studied the color of it in the glass then took a sip. He savored the taste and licked his lips as he swallowed it. "It was a very good year. Get me another glass."

Tessa lifted a glass from one of the other place settings and held it as he poured the wine. "Bottoms up," Helm told her then he took his glass and started to inspect a chess board. Pieces were on the board, and also on the edge. Someone had been playing.

Tessa took a sip of the wine and it felt good, almost soothing. As if on cue, the cherubs from the vase moved. Tessa thought she had seen them move, but didn't know if she had imagined it or not. No, she was certain that she had seen one of them move. Could the wine be causing her to see things? She bent closer to study them. As she faced one, the cherub closest to her moved its head to look straight at her and spoke to her in a child-like voice. "They are held captive. You must help them," and then fell silent once again.

Tessa dropped her glass on the floor causing a loud shatter. Helm responded to the sound and immediately went to her side. "What happened?" he asked.

"You are not going to believe me," she said, breathing frantically and deeply. "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I heard a child's voice talking. Who said it?" He looked around for some explanation.

She pointed to the vase. Helm looked puzzled and peered closely to see it for himself. The cherub came back to life and once again spoke, this time directly to Helm getting his attention. "You must save them. Watch out for the evil one. Three is the key."

Helm set his glass down on the table and was speechless as he stared at the now still cherub. Tessa broke his concentration and told him, "Looks like we have our answers, Robert."

"Captive? Who or what could possibly have them captive? Who is this evil one?"

Tessa tried to remain calm. "Ask it. Maybe you will get more answers to these questions."

Helm groaned. "Yeah, right."

Okay, fine. Tessa decided to do it. Helm was behaving as if it hadn't been a mirage, so it was safe to assume that she could without looking a fool. She leaned up close once again to the same cherub that had spoken to her and Helm. She asked, "Is it Don and Doña Arnez?. Are they being held captive? Who is the evil one?"

She waited for a response by starring the little cherub down, but could not see any movement or indication that it would come back to life. Neither of the cherubs spoke. Suddenly, she felt a hand on her waist, then move down. That is pretty forward of Robert, she thought as she turned to see that Helm had gone back to inspecting the rest of the dining room. She looked down to see hand indentations on each side of her waist. She could feel herself being held by something or someone, but no one was visible. Fear gripped her inside and her body shivered. The air around her suddenly felt cold and saw puffs of air floating out from her own mouth. Standing motionless and speechless, Tessa felt a hand release her waist and an arm suddenly move around the front to hold her. She could not move, she was held. Summoning a weak scream, she yelled "Robert!"

Helm heard Tessa and turned around to see the most horrified look on her face. He gasped when he looked at her eyes. "What is it?" She felt focused breath on her shoulder from whatever it was that held her. Helm strode over quickly and grabbed her arm, pulling her away from the invisible force that held her. The brisk movement forced them both to fall into a high back armchair against the wall, with Tessa in Helm's lap.

They took a moment to catch their breaths. Tessa finally spoke again after the encounter with the unknown. "I felt someone hold me," she said, brushing off the uneasy feeling and shivering from the incident.

Suddenly the chair moved and Tessa jumped up. The wooden arms grew bigger and enfolded around Helm, entrapping him in the chair. Tessa fought bravely to help him escape the chair's confines. A low, masculine devil-like laughter filled the room. The sound echoed off the walls. As Tessa tried to free Helm, she could hear a mixture of frantic, high-pitched voices, but they couldn't make out the spoken words. The noise continued to persist. Tessa grabbed hold of one arm and pulled hard as she watched it grow bigger. The high back of the armchair had long spokes that eventually turned into animated carved snakes. Helm struggled to free himself, but it was like he was in a straight jacket. Tessa tried to fight off the snakes heads before they could snap at her. She was trying hard to free him and protect herself. The back of the chair had a good grasp on Helm encasing him within a strong hold. The snakes fought back attacking and striking at its prey hitting its mark on occasion. Tessa ignored the pain of the snakes snapping at her and just concentrated on pulling or breaking off the arms of the chair. With the force of all her weight, she pulled hard and broke off a piece, landing on the floor.

To a her horror, she watched as Helm's body was almost completely engulfed in the chair. He kept struggling to no avail as it kept a hold of him. Then his hands and feet, the only parts of him that she could see, fell still. Loud laughter erupted once again, but overshadowed by undercurrent of chattering voices trying to speak out clearly. "You must stop EscarabaJojugo," the chattering said. "Call him by his name. Yes, yes! Say his name! Say his name! Say his name!" the voices said in unison. Then one lone, high pitched voice squeaked, "He cannot stand being called by his name!"

Tessa remembered the gibberish on the wall by the clock in the hallway and yelled out loud, "EscarabaJojugo!"

The laughter stopped and the chattering turned into cheers. The armchair holding Helm collapsed and he landed on the floor. Helm sat stunned with a pile of wood that had once been the chair. Tessa squatted next to him. "How are you feeling?"

Tessa helped Helm to his feet. He was a little weak from struggling and almost sat down in a different chair, but obviously thought better of it. He finally collapsed against the wall. Tessa touched his shoulder and asked again, "Are you all right?"

"Yes," he said forcefully. He seemed embarrassed by his being completely shook up. He leaned forward with his hands on his knees and took deep breaths. Tessa waited until he recovered.

~~Part Two