An old homestead

As your car trundles up the track the trees penning you in on both sides slowly give way, releasing their grip on you ever so slightly and allowing more rays of sunshine to stream in. After a little while the claustrophobia of the leafy walls fades entirely, to be replaced by open fields of rolling green, the only thing bordering the road now is rustic fence. You never realized that it got so green outside of town so quickly, in all the years you lived here you’ve somehow never seen any of this.

Cresting a small hill an old wooden homestead comes into view. “That’s the place.” Sarah states, confirming that the slightly foreboding rundown house is indeed where you’re heading. In normal circumstances such a ramshackle appearance would fill you with misgivings, but in your current situation it doesn’t seem out of place. You’re seeking help for a paranormal possession problem, it figures you’d come to such a strange place to find it.

Driving up to the creepy house you pull into a dirt floored courtyard, with a few outbuildings and smaller dirt tracks coming off it. The grounds for this farm seem fairly large for it to be so quiet. There's no sign of people or farm animals. While you and Matt sit silently in the front, feeling yourselves growing more nervous by the second, Sarah simply unbuckles her seat belt and hops out the car.

When she slams the door behind her both you and Matt jump in shock. “Come on you chickens!” She shouts, her voice muffled from outside the car. Sheepishly the pair of you get out, shutting your doors more tentatively than Sarah did, as if you were afraid of offending something you couldn’t see. “Are you sure this is the right place Sarah?” Matt asks, quickly looking around in all directions as if expecting an ambush. “Oh, you’re right. I must have lead you to the other mysterious farm on the outskirts of town.” Sarah replies, rolling her eyes as she races quickly up the creaky stairs to the houses porch. Before you or Matt can say anything else she knocks firmly on the door, her knocks echoing slightly in the eerie quiet.

“Well, good morning Sarah.” Says a warm feminine voice from behind you, making you and Matt nearly jump out of your skin. Whirling around you see a buxom woman striding around your car. Her long raven hair flows to her shoulders which are covered by a well worn tasseled shawl. She has an elegant apron around her waist, marked with an intricate design that you can’t make out. Her long dress has an opening that allows a bounty of pale cleavage to spill through but despite all that the most striking thing about her is her eyes. They’re a blue so pale that they border on grey and they seem to be too old for her, as if they had been stolen from a more senior face. She smiles warmly at you as she approaches, slight smile lines appearing on her face, creasing her skin in a way that suggests she smiles often.

“Good morning Madame.” Sarah addresses her, sounding far more formal than you’ve ever heard her be before. The strange woman bows her head slightly in response. “And who might these handsome friends of yours be?” She asks, using the word handsome in the way a grandmother would although she could only be at most 10 years older than you, despite her eyes. "This is Matt and John." Sarah explains, both of you waving your hand at the woman when your name is said. The woman is effortlessly beautiful, with full plump lips, a slightly upturned nose and the bearing of a French aristocrat. You find yourself too tongue tied to say anything more than. "Hey."

She glances at you out of the corner of her eye as she sweeps around you and Matt, heading towards Sarah and the front steps. "Come here." She announces, throwing her arms wide and pulling Sarah into a warm embrace. The two of them hold each other for a moment before the odd woman pulls back. "I take it by the earliness of the hour that this isn't just a social call?" She asks, raising an eyebrow. "No, sorry." Sarah replies, blushing and looking away from the woman's powerful gaze. "Oh well." She sighs, moving past Sarah and opening the door. "If we're discussing business then you'd probably best come inside." While she speaks she bustles forward, disappearing into the shadows of the houses interior.

Sarah follows straight after her but you and Matt both share another look, hesitating at the thought of entering this strange woman's stranger abode.