|
Marcus and Ginger LaPorte’s Story
When we were living in the northern city of Flagstaff, Marcus and I decided one July weekend to clean out our garage and basement. It is incredible how much junk we had stored away throughout the years. We decided that the best thing to do with all the used clothes and odds and ends was to hold a yard sale. We placed an advertisement in the local paper and got to work cleaning out the house. We informed some of our neighbors about the upcoming sale, and word quickly spread around. Marcus also spoke to his mother who moved to Flagstaff two years ago. He convinced her that the yard sale would be a great way to sell some of the antiques she brought from her home town of New Orleans. Although at first, she was reluctant to even think of parting from her cherished antiques, she thought about it for a moment and then changed her mind.
The date was set and when the Saturday sale took place we found more junk and treasures than we had realized we ever owned. Marcus’ mother’s antiques were a big hit. A neighbor who happens to be of Chinese decent, came by before the 8 a.m. starting time and bought a dresser of mother’s. This dresser was not a very pretty piece of furniture at all. It needed some refinishing and the mirror was particularly in need of restoring. However, our neighbor said she “loved it” and she had a space in her guest room where it would look great!
I could tell that mother LaPorte was very eager to part with this piece of furniture. I asked her why she was so eager to sell the dresser, when just a few days ago she would not even want to consider selling any
|
of her antiques. She answered, “Well, I should have gotten rid of that evil thing a long time ago.” Her words made me ask what she meant by referring to a piece of furniture as “evil.” She responded, “Oh it’s nothing dear, just nothing.” I could tell by her voice that she wanted to drop the subject, so I didn’t ask her any further questions.
Over all, the sale was a big success and most of mother’s antiques did sell. What remained of the unsold clothes and junk was donated to a local charity. That was the end of that, so we thought.
About a month later our neighbor who bought the dresser, phoned me and described a very strange thing which had happened to their family. She said that she had removed the dresser from the guest room, and it was now in their garage with a carpet draped over it. She started to describe the trouble her and her family had experienced. I was so interested in the little she did say, that I asked her to hold her thoughts, and come right over to our house. I wanted her to tell her story in the presence of Marcus and his mother. I informed mother of some of the story which our neighbor told to me over the phone. Mother responded by saying, “Let’s just wait to hear what she has to say.” Soon there was a knock on the door and I showed the neighbor in. We sat around the kitchen table, and she told the most incredible and scary story I have ever heard.
Our neighbor started her story by saying that after purchasing the antique dresser from our yard sale, she dusted it off and placed the dresser in her guest room. “I loved it,” she said, “I even bought a blue flower vase and a brass brush and comb set which I knew would enhance its look. These I placed on top of a white doily on the dresser. It looked beautiful. I also went out and
|
