Episode 45

The chill that had become a constant companion in Kadja’s life seemed to deepen with every new move, every fresh attempt to outrun the unseen. The grand, old Tudor in Bar Harbor, Maine, had promised a fresh start, a place where the whispers of the past might finally fade. But the house, with its ancient bones and shadowed corners, held its own secrets, its own malevolent hum that Kadja felt resonate deep within her. Neighbors, once eager to welcome the new family, now kept their distance, their eyes darting nervously towards the imposing structure that seemed to exhale an aura of unease. The air around the Tudor felt thick, heavy with unspoken dread, and soon, even the bravest of their acquaintances found excuses to postpone visits. Doors, as if by invisible hands, would creak open and slam shut in the dead of night, their movements echoing through the silent halls. Whispers of the house’s history began to surface – tales of gangsters and the mafia who had frequented the property during the roaring twenties and the grim forties, their dark dealings leaving an indelible stain on the very fabric of the place.

Katha, now in her own adolescence, remembered the years 1972 to 1974 with a visceral clarity. Her family had owned a property at 11 Atlantic Avenue, a place that, in retrospect, had been a magnet for the uncanny. None of her classmates had dared return for a second visit after experiencing the unsettling phenomena that clung to the house like a shroud. Kadja’s childhood had been a tapestry of loneliness and fear, her innocence eroded by the constant onslaught of the supernatural. To make matters worse, her parents, her older brothers, and even their beloved Cocker Spaniel, Jasper, had begun to act strangely, their personalities subtly shifting, their actions becoming unpredictable. It was as if the very air they breathed was saturated with a potent, disquieting energy.

Then came the cruelties. Every instance of malice directed at Kadja, every taunt and epithet, seemed to be met with a swift, unseen retribution. A schoolyard bully who had relentlessly teased her, calling her “freak” and “witch” and worse, found their own life suddenly plagued by misfortune. Her parents, witnessing these escalating events and perhaps attributing them to Kadja’s perceived “curse,” decided it was her fault they had to move again. They bought a sprawling piece of land in Saint Andrews by the Sea, New Brunswick, Canada, hoping to escape the shadow that seemed to follow Kadja.