FACE TO FACE

Many people don't believe in ghosts and laugh at those who do. I wonder how many of these tough guys would dare to face a being from another world? And how many wouldn't run, no matter how much strength they had in their legs?

*****

Jan Mika had long wanted to buy a house in the countryside.

He worked in a factory producing marine furniture and was due to take early retirement in a few months. He planned to sell his apartment in a block of flats in Trzcianka and spend his old age with his wife in the countryside, among forests and lakes. There, he could devote much time to his hobby of carpentry, especially making furniture in the old Polish style.

Janek was fifty-six years old and had dark, graying hair. Of average height, crepey, he wasn't particularly broad in the shoulders, but he had very strong arms and large, powerful hands. His colleagues knew not to mess with him, as he had a heavy hand and struck with exceptional speed and precision. He had trained as a boxer in the army and still managed to deliver a knockout punch. He had a characteristically lumbering gait, and Janek could be recognized from a distance by his stooped, slightly hunched posture and widely held arms. He had a thick, bushy mustache, a reddish complexion—which some mistakenly interpreted as evidence of an excessive alcohol addiction—and bright brown eyes that often seemed slightly damp.

He learned about an old, pre-war house in Zielonów by chance, from a colleague at work. The owner wanted to sell it because he planned to move the family to Silesia, where he had found a good job at a trading company. Janek covered the twenty-five kilometers between Trzcianka and Zielonów that same day.

The house made a good impression on him—it wasn't very large, but it was solid, well-maintained, and set on a foundation reinforced with large stones. It was built in the old style, circularly. It had three rooms, a kitchen, a bathroom, and a hallway running along one wall. Each room had two doors, as all the rooms were walk-through, allowing for easy movement throughout the house. The hallway led to the kitchen and one of the other rooms. The kitchen was to the right of the door, and from it, one could enter a small bathroom and a large room; from that room, to another room in the corner of the building; from there, to another, smaller room; from which one exited back to the hallway.

He also really liked the price. Thirty thousand was a real bargain, so he quickly closed the deal and became the owner of the house. He was surprised that the property was so low, but the previous owner, who lived in Poznań and only visited Zielonów in the summer, explained that he was leaving because he was pressed for time. He wanted to move in three weeks and had to sell everything he couldn't take with him by then. This allayed Janek's fears, who was already beginning to suspect there was a catch to the offer—a mortgage debt, or perhaps the seller didn't own the house at all.

Proud, he walked around his new property. Delighted with his purchase, he didn't notice the strange looks from villagers passing by.

*****

Two days later, he threw a housewarming party in Zielonów. He invited a few colleagues from work, and it promised to be a fun party, even though he had to leave his wife at home, who was ill with the flu. It was a typical men's drinking spree – lots of unsophisticated food and even more vodka, which was quickly dwindling. As usual at such parties, they talked about everything and nothing.

It was ten in the evening, and the housewarming party was in full swing. Suddenly, Henryk, Mika's best friend, noticed a black-and-white, yellowing photo hanging above the bed and framed in a brown wooden frame. It showed a beautiful girl in a wedding dress and a handsome young man in a black suit.

"Who are those people in this photo, Janek?

" "I don't know. A young couple, as you can see, but I don't know them. Maybe they used to live here?

" "A very pretty girl. I like her," Andrzej said, approaching the photo.

"I have no doubt about it." Henryk smiled at his friend. "You only have women in mind!

" "Well, gentlemen, one more each." Mika poured everyone another shot.

"Janek, what are you going to do here, Janek?" Grzegorz said (hmm, asked? Because that was a question, wasn't it?). "There aren't any attractions here. I'd rather live in the city. I'd be bored to death here.

" "What do you mean, there aren't any? I saw a few young, very attractive girls on the road," Andrzej joked.

"That's not what I meant," Grzegorz laughed. "But you're right!

" "There is one undoubted attraction here, but it's not very pleasant. Have you guys heard about the Death Bend?" Henryk asked.

"What Death Bend?" the new house owner asked.

"On the road to Trzcianka, about two kilometers from Zielonów, there's a very sharp right turn. Almost at a right angle. I've heard that a lot of people have killed themselves on it in cars and motorcycles. And apparently all of them at night. Somehow, no one has died there during the day."

"All those people killed were probably drunk. They'll get drunk and go home. In this backwater, the police never stop, so they're not afraid to drive on gas," Janek commented

. "Of course, they killed themselves drunk," Henryk agreed. "There's a long straight before that bend; everyone's going to choke on it, and you know, vodka slows your reflexes. They'll start braking too late, and then you can expect a disaster. Luckily, my son's picking me up today, so I'm not in danger," he laughed loudly.

"Don't give me any more water," Władek said. "You know I came by motorcycle. It's close to home, but I'm already a bit tipsy." "And who's picking you up, Janek?

" "Nobody. I'll sleep here and go in the morning.

" Władek, as he promised, stopped drinking, but the others didn't hold back, and an hour later, when the vodka ran out, everyone was already very drunk. When Henryk's son arrived, they began to say goodbye. Besides his father, he had taken three other friends, so when the large cuckoo clock struck midnight, only Janek and Władek were left in the house. At that moment, the light in the room went out, and the lamp immediately came back on, only to go out and then come back on again.

"What the hell is wrong with that light!" Janek shouted.

"There's probably something wrong with the electrical system. The house is old, so I think the wiring is also in bad shape. Maybe a wire has burned out, and sometimes it makes contact, sometimes it doesn't, and that's why the lamp flickers," Władek said.

"Maybe you're right? I have to fix it tomorrow."

The lamp glowed briefly, then came on and off again several times on its own. The drunken men ignored it. If they had looked at it again, they would have noticed the old, seven-branched chandelier slowly rotating clockwise, then stopping for a moment, and then starting to spin counterclockwise, even though no one was touching it.

"Come on, Janek, I'm going," Władek offered his hand to the innkeeper.

"Just be careful, Władzio. Especially on that damn Death Curve."

Janek turned off the lights and they walked out to the front of the house. Władek grabbed the bike by the handlebars and together they walked a few dozen meters along the sandy road to the asphalt road. Władek climbed into the Vauxhall, kicked the starter, put on his helmet, turned on the lights, and slowly drove away. Janek turned back to the house and froze. He remembered turning off the lamp when he left, and now he saw an unusual, eerie white light in the window of the room where they were having the party. He walked closer and then noticed someone standing by the window. He suddenly felt cold. Just behind the curtain stood a tall, slim figure dressed in white. Her face was hidden in shadow, and he couldn't tell if it was a man or a woman.

"Damn it!" he cursed loudly. "I'd barely bought the house and here comes a thief! And what's that strange light?"

He backed into the car and pulled a large tire wrench out of the trunk.

"I'll kick you out in a minute, you hooligan..." he muttered under his breath.

Furious, he ran into the house, slamming the door behind him. He burst into the room where he had recently been drinking with his friends. At that moment, something white flashed across the room, and the door slammed shut. A lamp lit and began to spin. Holding a key in his hand, which he intended to use as a weapon, he rushed to the door, chasing the intruder. As he opened it and ran into the next room, someone slammed the second door shut.

Janek continued his pursuit of the strange, bright figure. He was still a step too slow to see who he was chasing. As he ran into the next room, someone on the other side was slamming the door. Occasionally, for only a split second, he caught a glimpse of something bright, resembling a white wedding dress. The fugitive laughed shrilly and loud, then howled maniacally and wailed eerily. Lamps throughout the house turned on and off by themselves, slowly rotating, driven by some mysterious force.

Janek was already tired of the futile chase and close to madness. He didn't understand why someone was playing tag with him, running around the house instead of running outside. Finally, he hit upon the idea of ​​distracting the fugitive. He ran into another room, and again, the door on the opposite side slammed loudly. Then he changed his pursuit and retreated to the kitchen. He reached the door leading to the hallway. He yanked on the doorknob, hoping to catch the intruder in the hallway. He knew the fugitive must have run in when leaving the room. The doorknob didn't even budge. He placed the key on the table, grabbed it with both hands, and pulled with all his might. The doorknob didn't budge a millimeter.

"Damn! The bastard's holding on from the other side!" he shouted.

He clung to the doorknob with all his weight. He struggled for a moment, but to no avail.

Suddenly, the door leading from the kitchen to the living room slammed shut with a bang. The ceiling light flickered on and off several times. This infuriated Janek even more. He grabbed the key and smashed the bulb with a single blow.

"I'll get you, thief. And then I'll count all your bones, so you'll remember me!"

At that moment, the door to the room creaked open, and the darkness of the kitchen was illuminated by a pale, ghostly glow. Janek jumped toward it, but it slammed shut in his face. He fumbled with the doorknob again, hearing a mocking, terrifying chuckle from behind the door. After a few seconds, the handle gave way, and Janek burst into the room. The door immediately slammed shut behind him, as did the one leading to the next room. He leaped for it, but he couldn't move the handle.

"You're holding it again, you son of a bitch. You're strong, but too weak for me!" he shouted.

He let go of the doorknob and in a single leap reached the kitchen door. He couldn't open it either.

"Damn it, what's going on?" he gasped, exasperated. "There's no way he could have run around the room, hallway, and kitchen so fast to hold the doorknob. Maybe there's two of them?"

He struggled alternately with one doorknob, then the other, but to no avail. Suddenly, the window flew open, as if a powerful gust of wind had forced it open. Janek glanced at the tree growing next to the house – it was windless, and not a single branch was moving. Before he reached the window, it slammed shut on its own, and a howl echoed from behind the door, something both human and animal. He switched on the light, but it immediately went out. He switched it on again, and a second later, the light went out again. Behind one door, then another, he heard blood-curdling giggles, howls, and wails.

Janek wasn't a timid man, but he felt his hair stand on end. Despite the vodka he'd consumed, he felt completely sober. He thought he couldn't take much more and would climb out of this accursed house through the window. At that moment, the clock struck one o'clock. The loud giggling coming from behind the door died away as if cut by a knife. The doors on either side of the room opened, and the pale glow vanished.

Janek wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and turned on the light. He glanced at the lamp, expecting it to go out, but nothing happened.

"Damn it! There's no way I'm sleeping here!" he shouted. "Even if the police catch me, I'm going home!"

*****

The next day was Sunday, and Janek didn't wake up until ten, though he never slept past eight. He was having breakfast with his wife when the phone rang.

"Hello?" he said into the receiver.

"Hi, it's Władek!

" "Hi. What happened? Your voice is different.

" "I had a motorcycle accident. I'm in the hospital now.

" "Accident? Where?

" "On that damn Death Bend!" Janek felt sweat break out on his forehead.

"What are you talking about!" Mika was clearly surprised and taken aback. "How are you feeling? Are you okay?

" "I have a broken leg and two ribs.

" "Oh, shit!" How did that happen?

"Yesterday, when I was coming back from your place, I saw something at the bend and got so scared I wanted to turn around. I hit the brakes and – I don't know how it happened – I fell into a ditch. I broke my leg and wrecked my entire bike.

" "What were you so scared of?" Janek wiped his forehead and waited anxiously for an answer.

"I don't know what? I saw something strange and uncanny. A white figure stood in the middle of the road and howled like an ungodly creature." Władek's voice was trembling and unnaturally hoarse.

"A white figure?" Janek recalled last night's nightmare in Zielonów.

"Yeah. I don't know, I was drunk. Maybe I just imagined it? Or maybe I saw some unusual kind of fog? But I'm telling you, man, I've never been so scared.

" "What did that figure look like?"

"Supposedly like a woman, but somehow terrifying! She was dressed like a bride—in a white wedding dress with a long veil, but her body looked eerie, as if made of swirling fog or light, thick smoke. I couldn't see her face because it was shadowed in some unusual way. Only her teeth flashed, as if she had no lips.

"Don't tell me such nonsense!" Janek hissed at his friend, but subconsciously he felt Władek might be telling the truth. Suddenly his throat went dry and he felt very hot.

"You supposedly drank the least," he scolded, not wanting to show his friend that he was also frightened, "and it turns out you were the most wasted of us! A bride at midnight in the woods at a bend in the road? Whack yourself! And from what I know, brides don't howl like they're being slaughtered!

" "I don't know, man, I have no idea what that was! But something's wrong with that bend." Don't be mad, but you won't be able to talk me into any more drinking sprees in Zielonów.

*****