Burden's Close

Property was cheap at Burden's Close.  When Jeff and Tina went to view number 19 they just couldn't believe their luck.  It was an ideal little house, in a cul-de-sac, on a fairly new estate, the estate itself had a crisp clean look.  Neatly manicured front lawns with well looked after houses spoke of what is commonly referred to as a 'good' neighbourhood.  Number 19 was no exception to the rest of the estate, and the asking price was low.  Jeff and Tina had not even bothered to put in an offer and had snapped it up.  It was their first home and it was a beauty.

The neighbours were friendly, but they had that tired look of commuters who spend a great deal of their working day travelling to and from work.  Jeff was fortunate enough to work locally, relatively speaking, and did wonder if the estate, being semi-rural, was too far removed from motorways and train stations to be classed as being on the 'commuter belt.'  This, thought Jeff, would explain the number of For Sale notices that kept popping up around the estate, but in particular Burden's Close, some of the inhabitants were just finding the long journey to and from work a bit too much of a grind.  Jeff and Tina had no such worries, and the first six months in their new home was bliss.

It was Tina who first began to experience broken sleep patterns.  She would startle awake, grip Jeff's shoulder and ask, "Do you have to creep about the bedroom just to go to the loo?" 
The first few nights when this happened Jeff would just sleepily mumble an apology and go back to sleep.  It was only after a week of this interruption to his slumbers, followed the next morning by further accusations of being inconsiderate, that Jeff felt compelled to point out to Tina that one, he hardly, if ever, had to visit the loo during the night, and two, on the rare occasion when he might have a call of nature he would go straight there and back, he certainly did not do any 'creeping about.'  Later that day at work Jeff felt sorry that he had been so sharp with Tina.  He felt so weary, and he knew that Tina did too, it was making them snap at each other.  He wondered if he could persuade Tina to go to see their doctor, there must be a reason for her nightmares.

Tina's reaction to Jeff's suggestion that she seek medical help for her nightmares was not what Jeff had expected,
"WHAT!!  Do you honestly think I am mad, insane?  They are NOT nightmares Jeff, and I am not the one who needs help.  Have you ever even considered the possibility that it is YOU?  That you are sleepwalking." 
Jeff had not for one moment considered this.  The dismay that showed on Jeff's face touched Tina and she leaned her head on his shoulder slipping her arms around his body, showing, what had become of late, a rare moment of tenderness,
"Oh Jeff, we can't go on like this, we are both exhausted, and I hate it when we are grumpy with each other." 
Ignoring his wife's offer of conciliation, Jeff replied, "Sleepwalking?  Are you sure?  I mean to say, have you actually SEEN me sleepwalking?" 
Tina pushed herself away from Jeff's body, the sarcastic spite in her voice shocked Jeff to the core,
"Of course, couldn't possibly be Jeff could it? Jeff-always-is-right Jeff, God Almighty Jeff, Jeff has spoken, his-wifey-is-nuts-lets-bundle-her-off-to-the-luney-bin Jeff, Jeff the....." 
Jeff grabbed her wrists and tried to pull her to him,
"Tina, no, please, that's not what I mean, we're tired, we need sleep, come on love we can work this out." 
"Yes!" Tina spat back at him, "We can." 
Wrenching her wrists from Jeff's hands she stormed out of the room and up the stairs.  Jeff heard her go first to the airing cupboard and then into the spare bedroom. 
"Ah!" thought Jeff, he didn't like the idea, but perhaps if Tina did sleep in the spare bedroom for a couple of nights, then perhaps they would both benefit, and be able to come to a rational decision on what should be done.

The single bed was horribly uncomfortable.  Jeff thumped the pillows and shifted his body trying to find a place in the limited bed width that didn't have a lump in it.  He wasn't quite sure how the decision had been made that it was in fact he that would end up sleeping here.  Maybe it was the word 'sleep' that made the decision for him.  A few nights uninterrupted sleep.  But it wasn't happening for Jeff.  He missed his own bed, and Tina's warm body next to his.  He wondered if Tina was at least managing to get some shut eye, but he knew that her nightmare would begin soon.  In a way he hoped it would, it would prove once and for all that it was HER having the problem, and not HIM.

The next morning found them with the usual look of bleary eyed exhaustion as they sat opposite each other at the kitchen table.  Neither had slept well.  Jeff noticed there was something other than exhaustion etched onto Tina's face, it was concern.  He reached out his hand to her and she grabbed it, much as a drowning man would grasp at a straw. 
"Tina, love, what's wrong?"
As Tina replied the tears formed in her eyes,
"Jeff, don't sleep in the spare room tonight, come back to bed with me, please." 
Oh no,  thought Jeff, she couldn't possibly mean that she was wanting.....no, he was so tired he could hardly raise a smile these days let alone anything else!  Even so he felt a sense of pleasure that she should still find him desirable despite his becoming worn out and  dishevelled looking.  He gently stroked the back of her hand,
"Darling, did you miss me so very much?" 
"No, no it's not that," she replied sending his ego smashing into a million pieces, "I saw something last night, it wasn't you, I know it wasn't you, it was something.  And I want you to stay awake with me tonight, if you see it too, well, I don't know, but if only I can see it, then I promise, I will make an appointment to see the doctor first thing."

It occurred to Jeff later that night, that even if you thought you didn't get any sleep, you must in fact get some sleep, and it was this 'some sleep' that he was desperately fighting off.  Tina had already given up and succumbed.  Although he couldn't see her in the darkened room he could hear her rhythmic breathing that only comes with deep sleep.  It felt a little unfair, but he could see her point, she had seen the 'something' and now it was for him to yay or nay it's existence.  He had risked being accused of once more 'creeping about' and left his warm bed and gone to sit in the Lloyd Loom chair they kept in their bedroom, a collectable it may be, but comfy it was not.  He was just wondering if continued sitting on the chair would leave permanent basket weave patterns on his backside when his meanderings were interrupted by a sharp gasp from Tina.  The bedroom was not completely dark, there was a street lamp outside of the window allowing enough light for Jeff to make out Tina's shape, she was partially sat up, her weight resting on her elbows,
"Jeff?," she whispered,
"Its alright love, I'm here, in the chair," Jeff reassured her. 
"No, no, look, can you see it?" Was her hastily whispered reply. 
Jeff turned his head into what he thought was the direction Tina was looking.  He saw it.  He felt as though he had been subjected to a static electric shock, every hair on his body was standing on end.  He launched himself from the chair to the bed, diving under the covers and pulling them up to under his chin.  He could feel his eyes opening wider and wider as if to take in and comprehend what they were trying to tell him he was seeing.  When he finally felt able to talk his voice was little more than a croak, he had to force the words out past his throat, impossible words, senseless words.
"Tina,....it's a cow!"

The bovine apparition didn't stay for long.  It seemed to just gently waft away, not as a mist does, for it appeared more solid than that, but more like a gentle creeping into nothingness.  Without speaking Jeff and Tina all but tip-toed their way down stairs where they made cups of hot, sweet, tea laced with brandy.  Once seated at the kitchen table Jeff looked directly at Tina and said, "We're being haunted by a fucking cow?!!" 
"Jeff!!" Tina sharply admonished. 
Jeff gave her a sheepish look and continued, 
"Yes, well, sorry for the swear, but, a cow?  Other people get headless horsemen, murder victims, unrequited lovers, how come we have ended up with a cow?" 
Tina shook her head and spread her hands, palms upper most, "Just lucky I guess." 
Her weak attempt at humour fell flat, and as Jeff made no response she continued,
"Do you think we are the only ones? You know, to have a, a, ghost-cow.  When we first moved here we said how tired everyone looked.  We thought it was because they had long commutes, but, we look like them now, we're tired and worn out just like everyone else, and we don't have long journeys to make.  What if the whole Close is being haunted?" 
Jeff looked long and hard at his wife before replying,
"You're telling me the Close is infested with a herd of ghost-cows?  Do you realise how ridiculous that sounds?  What do you suggest we do Tina, ask around, go to our neighbours and say, 'Excuse me, but do you have a ghost-cow too?'    Come on love, even if it is true, it's not anything anyone is going to admit to is it?  I certainly wouldn't." 
Tina bowed her head, then running her fingers though her hair she sighed out an answer, "Then please tell me, my dear husband, what do you suggest we do?" 
For the first time in weeks Jeff felt the tired dejection lift from his shoulders, his voice was firm and confident as he said,  "What everyone else does eventually, the sensible thing."

A few weeks later the 'For Sale' sign was once more put up outside number 19 Burden's Close.  The asking price was well below the value of the house and a buyer was quickly found.  As they left in their car, following the removal van to their new home, Jeff and Tina did not even look back.  None of their neighbours had expressed any surprise at their leaving, just  knowing smiles and sincere good luck wishes.

A few years later, during a bout of flu', Jeff, in one of those 'nothing to do' moments, researched the land Burden's Close was built on.  It was with not one iota of surprise that he discovered that there was once a knackers-yard there, owned by one Jeremiah Burden. where worn out dairy cattle were sent for slaughter, some, exhausted and spent, had travelled miles along the drovers paths to arrive at their final destination.  Jeff never told Tina of his findings, there was no point.  They were so happy in their little cottage, expecting their first baby, he wanted nothing to remind her of the time when they nearly fell apart, all because of some tired old cow not having the decency to RIP.