...................I awoke again, but this time, along with the hum of the ceiling fans, Iheard water dripping. The way that it was hitting, it sounde...d like itwas falling into a metallic sink. Each drop drummed in my ears, aconsistent tapping, like someone knocking gently on the door. The flowincreased, but still the water fell in drops, until it sounded like thatsame person banging, desperately trying to gain entry. My eye opened acrack, or at least it tried. They were so heavy, I began to. Marianne?" What?" Marianne blurted groggily."Get up. Get dressed. Now." Yes ma'am."Mary waited for Marianne to sit up. "I'm taking the fastest shower on record. No time for you. Grab a change of clothes for Margie, something tight on you. And bring a belt."His daughter had been right about the house. Harold stayed there early in the summer and found it large and lonely, deciding to let gardeners and cleaners keep it from turning to a sea of weeds and a blanket of dust and a lair of spiders. After a couple minutes of what Jimmy hoped to God was pretended shock, Todd spoke. “You’re not going to say anything?” Billy gave him his Why Won’t These Lesser Mortals Leave Me Alone face, and turned back to his book. “We got laid off today, you know.” Billy continued to ignore Todd, and Jimmy still stood in the kitchen eating his pudding and trying to not smile at sissy Todd’s attempt at getting an emotional response from Billy. “That means we don’t have enough money for rent next month. We. It also explained the contrasting pigmentation of the two sisters.“So what’s this story then, mister?”“Ah yes,” I said. “The ghost of this house. Well, a long time ago, there was a handsome young blacksmith who was married to a beautiful lady and they both lived in this very house. They were in love and very happy.”There was a puking noise from the region of our local Artemis Fowl.Bethany folded up a compliant Carrie and sat her on the grass near the front steps where I was sitting, and then.