When the Brightons move into Shackledown, the 150-year-old plantation house, located in a former citrus grove, they weren't sure what to expect. Mary Helen, the mother, fell in love with the house. Her husband, Steve, wasn’t so sure, but went along with her plan to renovate it. It seemed like the perfect place for their daughter, Casey: close to good schools, with a big yard, and three stories to explore. “It’s been through a lot of owners,” their realtor warned them. “The last people up and left it to the bank. They didn’t even bother taking most of their belongings with them.” About a month after they moved in, on December 20, Casey's 8th birthday, they found out why this was. A former daughter of the house, long-dead 15-year-old Maxine Shackleford, came to haunt the third-story bedroom. “Don’t go up there. Ever,” Steve warned his family after going upstairs to investigate unusual noises. Not only did Maxine move in, but she attracted birds, and they flocked outside her window, which she decorated with black streamers and a black silk wreath. A story of hope, betrayal, abuse of power, and understanding set against the backdrop of the grand old home, it’s southern gothic with combined with modern day humor, and more than a touch of magic.