Friday, September 5, 2008

STRANGER IN THE NIGHT. (PART 2)



3 YEARS HAS PASSED SINCE THAT NIGHT THE STRANGER CAME TO MY GRANDMOTHER ANNES HOUSE, WHO AT THE TIME WAS 16YEARS OLD. NOW I SHALL TELL YOU THE SECOND PART OF THIS STRANGE AND WEIRD TALE.
MY GREAT GRAND PARENTS AND ALL THE CHILDREN WAS SPENDING THE WEEKEND AT LILLY’S BROTHER FRANK. FRANK WAS NEVER A WEALTHY MAN AND WORKED FOR OUPA JOHN ON HIS FARM ROOIBULT. BUT 3 YEARS AGO ALL THIS CHANGED WHEN FRANK SUDDENLY ANOUNCED THAT HE HAD SAVED ENOUGH MONEY OVER THE YEARS TO BUY HIS OWN FARM IN THE CHLOORKOP DISTRICT OUTSIDE KEMPTON PARK. BOTH MY GREAT GRANDPARENTS OUPA JOHN AND OUMA LILLY SWALLOWED HARD AT THIS BUT THEY ACCEPTED IT AND WAS GLAD FOR FRANKS SAKE. IN THEIR HEARTS THEY BOTH NEW THAT FRANK WAS THE LAZY ONE IN THE FAMILY NEVER WITH MUCH AMBITION IN HIS LIFE, AND THAT HE NEVER SAVED A DIME OF THE MONEY HE MADE, BUT SOMEHOW HE MANAGED TO GET MONEY AND A LOT OF IT FROM SOMEWHERE TO BUY NOOITGEDAG. AND ON TOP OF THAT HE FIXED UP AND REFURBISHED THE WHOLE FARM HOUSE AND SURRONDING BUILDINGS. IN ADDITION TO THIS HE PURCHASED A NEW TRACTER AND A HERD OF 500 CATTLE. THIS MONEY HE CLAIMED TO OUPA JOHN HE BORROWED FROM THE BANK. THIS WAS A LIE CAUSE OUPA WAS FRIENDS WITH MANIE BODENSTYEN THE BANK MANAGER WHO LATER TOLD OUPA JOHN THAT FRANK NEVER APPLIED FOR A LONE BUT HIS BANK ACCOUNT DID GREW BY A HUGE AMOUNT OF ALMOST 200 000 POUNDS OVERNIGHT ABOUT 3 YEARS AGO.
THEY COULD NEVER FIND OUT WHO GAVE FRANK THIS MONEY BUT IT WAS TRANSFERD FROM A BANK IN THE MULDERSDRIFT DISTRICT INTO FRANKS.

AND NOW TO THE STORY, FRANK HAD MET POLLIE DU TOIT ABOUT A YEAR AGO AND THEY WHERE TO BE MARRIED ON NOOITGEDAG HENCE THE REASON WHY EVERYBODY WAS AT FRANKS FARM FOR THE WEEKEND. FAMILY CAME FROM FAR AND WIDE EVEN FAMILY FROM AS FAR AS SOUTH WEST AFRICA ATTENDED THE WEDDING. WHEN OUMA ANNE TOLD ME THIS STORY SHE SAID THERE MUST HAVE BEEN CLOSE TO 300 PEOPLE AT THE WEDDING.
THE SERVICE TOOK PLACE AT 3 IN THE AFTER NOON ON THE HUGE STOEP FRANK HAD ADDED TO THE FARM HOUSE CHAIRS WAS PLACED IN FRONT FOR THE GUESTS TO BE SEATED, AND FROM THERE EVERYBODY WENT FOR THE PARTY THAT WAS HELD IN THE BIG BARN A FEW HUNDRED METERS FROM THE FARM HOUSE. TABLES WERE LAID OUT WITH VARIOUS FOODS AND OUMA LILLYS COUSIN ANTON WAS THE BARMAN. AN OLD OSSEWA WAS CONVERTED FOR THIS AND ANTON SERVED DRINKS FROM THE BACK OF THE OSSEWA TO THE GUESTS.
A LOCAL BOERE ORKES CALLED DIE KORINGLANDERS PROVIDED THE MUSIC SCORE FOR THE PARTY.
AT ABOUT 7 IN THE EVENING THE PARTY WAS IN FULL SWING AND COUPLES WAS DANCING, DRINKS WAS FLOWING AND THE FESTIVE MOOD COULD BE FELT BY EVERYBODY. OUMA LILLY SAID SHE WAS BUSY TALKING TO OUMA LILLY WHEN SHE NOTICED A MAN STANDING IN THE ENTRANCE TO THE BARN NEXT TO THE OSSEWA. ANNE FELT A CHILL RUN DOWN HER SPINE WHEN SHE REALISED IT WAS THE STRANGE MAN FROM 3 YEARS AGO SHE TUCKED LILLYS SLEEVE, MA LOOK IT’S HIM SHE SAID AND AS LILLY LOOKED SHE SAW THE MAN LOUIE, SHE COULD NOT REMEMBER HIS SURNAME, WAS TALKING TO ANTON, WHO WAS POINTING AT THE PEOPLE DANCING. AS THE STRANGER STARTED TOWARDS THE COUPLES DANCING HE PASSED LILLY AND ANNE AND SMILED AT THEM TOUCHING THE RIM OF HIS HAT AS HE PASSED. ANNE WATCHED THE MAN AS HE WAVED TO FRANK WHO WHEN HE SAW THE MAN WENT DEATHLY PALE IN HIS FACE.

OUMA TOLD ME IT LOOKED AS IF A BUCKET OF WHITE PAINT WAS DUMPED INTO FRANKS FACE.THE MAN SAID SOMETHING TO FRANK WHO JUST NODDED AND THEN THEY BOTH HEADED TO THE OUTSIDE OF THE BARN.AS FRANK PASSED LILLY SHE ASKED HIM, FRANK WHO IS THAT AND WERE ARE YOU GOING? FRANK STOPPED AND WITH A NERVOUS VOICE REPLIED, AG LILLY IT’S AN OLD FRIEND OF MINE WE ARE GOING TO MY STUDY, I NEED TO GIVE HIM SOME DOCUMENTS I WONT BE LONG.
AND BEFORE LILLY COULD SAY ANYTHING FRANK WAS OUT AND AFTER THE STRANGE MAN.
OUMA ANNE TOLD ME FOR SOME STRANGE REASON AS FRANK AND THE MAN LEFT THE BARN BOTH HER AND OUMA LILLY FORGOT THAT FRANK AND THE MAN HAD LEFT THE PARTY.AT AROUND 11 AS PEOPLE WANTED TO RETIRE FOR THE NIGHT POLLIE CAME UP TO LILLY AND ASKED IF SHE KNEW WHERE FRANK WAS.LILLY TOLD HER HE LEFT WITH A MAN ABOUT 2 HOURS AGO TO HIS STUDY.

LILLY AT THIS POINT FELT A CHILL DOWN HER BACK AND SHE KNEW SOMETHING TERRIBLE HAD HAPPENED TO HER BROTHER.
LILLY AND ANNE RAN OUT TO THE FARMHOUSE FOLLOWED BY POLLIE WHO KEPT ASKING WHATS WRONG.INSIDE THEY FOUND THE STUDY DOOR WAS LOCKED, LILLY BANGED ON THE DOOR CALLING FRANK REPEATEDLY, BUT ALL WAS SILENT BEHIND THE STUDY DOOR ANNE TRIED TOOK PEEK INTO THE KEYHOLE BUT THE KEY INSIDE BLOCKED THE VIEW, AND ANNE SAID SHE SMELLED THAT SAME SULFER ODOUR AGAIN THAT NIGHT SHE SMELLED 3 YEARS AGO.
TO CONCLUDE THIS TALE, OUPA JOHN AND A FRIEND HAD TO BREAK DOWN THE DOOR, INSIDE THEY FOUND THAT THE STUDY WAS EMPTY.

OUMA ANNE TOLD ME, THE CHAIR BEHIND FRANKS DESK WAS TURNED OVER, THERE WAS A FEW DROPS OF BLOOD SPATTERD AGAINST THE WALL BEHIND THE DESK, FRANKS PIPE WAS BROKEN 2, AND THERE WAS A HUGE HOLE IN THE CEILING RIGHT THROUGH THE ROOF LOOKING UP YOU COULD SEE THE STARS. THE STRANGEST THING ABOUT THE HOLE IS THAT NO DEBRIS WAS VISIBLE ANYWARE, A NEAT HOLE BIG ENOUGH FOR 2 PEOPLE TO FIT THROUGH IT. OUMA ANNE SAID IT WAS AS IF SOMEONE OR SOMETHING HAD SIMPLY WAVED A WAND AND POOF THERE WAS A PERFECT HOLE.

WELL NEEDLESS TO SAY FRANK WAS GONE THE WHOLE HOUSE ALL THE BUILDINGS AND THE REST OF THE FARM WAS SEARCHED FROM TOP TO BOTTOM FRANK AND THE STRANGER HAD VANISHED THAT NIGHT. THE LOCAL POLICE MAN SGT.FRIK VANSTADEN CAME TO THE FARM THE NEXT DAY TO TAKE STATEMENTS AND INVESTIGATE THE SCENE, AND HE FLATLY REFUSED TO PUT ON PAPER WHAT EVERYONE TOLD HIM. HE LATER FILED A REPORT THAT FRANK WENT MISSING WHILE DRIVING TO TOWN BUT THE HOLE WAS NOT MENTIONED. AFTER 2 YEARS POLLIE AND OUMA LILLY HAD FRANK DECLARED DEAD AND A SMALL SERVICE WAS HELD FOR HIM ON THE FARM NOOITGEDAG WHERE POLLIE STAYED TILL HER DYING DAY. OUMA LILLY TOLD OUPA JOHN A FEW WEEKS LATER ABOUT WHAT HAPPENED TO HER AND ANNE THAT NIGHT THE STRANGER CAME LOOKING FOR FRANK. OUPA THEN TOOK OUMA AND ANNE ASIDE AND ALL HE SAID WAS THIS.
I KNOW ABOUT FRANK AND HIS INVOLVEMENT WITH A MAN NAMED LOUIE VAN DEN BERG WHO HE IS WHERE HE CAME FROM I DON’T KNOW, WHAT I DO KNOW I AM NOT GOING TO TELL YOU BUT HEAR ME NOW I NEVER EVER WANT TO HEAR THE 2 OF YOU SPEAK ABOUT THIS AGAIN, FRANK SOLD HIS SOUL AND THE DEVIL CAME TO COLLECT, AND WITH THAT OUPA JOHN TURNED AND WALKED AWAY OUT OF THIS TALE.

WHEN OUMA ANNE TOLD ME THIS STORY IT WAS THE FIRST TIME IN 60 YEARS SHE SPOKE ABOUT THE STRANGER IN THE NIGHT.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

No flippen way it's unreal! Hmmm jy't geweet ek gaan hiervan hou. Of ek het 'n oor-aktiewe visuele verbeelding of jy het werklik 'n talent om jouself goed te bewoord. Go figure lol.

Toe Anne voor die toe sleutelgat staan wou ek haar wegstamp asof te sĂȘ wag, ek sal kyk. Ek het al hoe vinniger gelees na die einde toe.

Weet jy wat het jy hier bemeester, or maybe it's just me I don't know. Maar ek was aan die een kant haastig om by die einde van die storie te kom, en andersyds wou ek nie he dit moes ophou nie.

Duisend dankies, dit was die wag werd.