Nina patiently dealt with the vase and the light. She strode around the house wearing a smile and a gaze which dared the spirit to cross her. Seeing the changes made overnight, caused a twinge of anxiety, but no one was going to know that. As she moved around her home, she spoke to her unborn baby boy.
"This will be your room. We have decorated it and I'm sure that you will like it. Daddy wanted some sort of football theme, his team of course, but I insisted on these friendly looking dinosaurs."
The chats with her son settled her. Nina and Rory had talked at length after the phone call with Mrs Hampton and they had still not reached a conclusion about what was happening. The thought that someone might be entering the house at night was scarier than a ghost. If that was the case, how were they doing it?
Many hours had been spent wondering why someone would break in, but not steal anything, over and over again. It was not a vendetta against them, because others had suffered the same treatment. The whole thing was just baffling. Nina and Rory had said the words "what if…" so many times before abandoning their thoughts as ridiculous.
At the moment the vase and the light were the only things happening. Every time Nina saw the small tweaks had taken place, there was an element of relief. The vase and the light. That was all. Would the activity escalate as it had done to the Hamptons? Rory and her didn't talk about it in case they were tempting fate.
Studying the front door and the back door, Nina could not see a way that they could be breached without either a key, or a lot of noise. The windows were modern replacements and were all locked at night. The ritual of checking everywhere before going to bed, had been adopted by Rory. Hearing him testing the doors had become a comforting sound.
Poor Mrs Hampton. Her husband was ill and she had run out of energy as she tried to cope with him and the incidents in the house. No wonder she had given up and moved on. Nina was determined to stay put. If Rory had to go away for work, she might not stay in the house overnight, but she would be back the next day.
Rory phoned her a couple of times each day. Nothing had ever happened during daylight hours, but he was protective of his wife and future son. His voice always made Nina smile and relax. "That was daddy", she would tell her bump. Three more months and he would be born.
Travelling into town, Nina planned to visit the supermarket. It was also an opportunity to stroll down the high street and peer into the shop windows. People knew her now and, as she passed, folks greeted her by name. Fernborough had made her welcome. It was only a matter of time before she donned a wax jacket like the other locals.
There was always a purchase to be made in the deli. A bit of banter would precede the selection of cheeses and relishes. Walking out of the shop, grinning, Nina came face to face with Abby.
"Hello, Nina. I heard you were pregnant, congratulations."
"Thank you, Abby. How are you."
"Oh, I'm alright. Can't complain."
The look on Abby's face did not match her words. She wore either a frown or a scowl. Nina didn't know whether she was angry or despondent. Not really wanting to find out which it was, a quick departure was required.
"I must dash. Nice to see you."
Reaching the entrance to the supermarket Nina turned to look back down the street. Abby was still there, staring at her. The tingle of intuition. The feeling of being watched. She knew what she would see even before looking back. Meeting her eyes, a message was sent. You don't intimidate me.
Rory was filled in on the encounter that evening.
"I saw Abby today. It was a little odd. She congratulated me about the baby, but then stood and watched me walk along to the supermarket. When I turned towards her, she was still staring."
"She was probably wondering what a, good looking, woman like you is doing with an idiot like me."
"She seemed a bit annoyed. I don't know if it was with me or for some other reason. Anyway, I'm living with a ghost, so she is not in the least bit worrying."