Ghosts of Government House

by Judith Silverthorne

  “Ha, ha! Missed!”

  Sam stopped short at the sight of a petite, grey-haired figure in the living room, having tea with their parents.

  “Grandma Louise!” Sam hurried to give her gran a hug.

  Gabe followed, giving Grandma Louise a quick hug too. “We didn’t know you were coming.”

  “I didn’t know either until this afternoon,” their gran said, picking up her teacup. “I had an unexpected urge to visit you, so here I am. So—tell me what mischief you two have been up to tonight.” Grandma Louise gave them a shrewd smile. Patches, their calico cat, leapt onto her lap and nestled in.

  “Why do you say that?” asked Gabe.

  Sam grinned. Their gran always seemed to know when they were being secretive.

  Grandma Louise laughed. “I know you two have a knack for getting up to no good.”

  “What have you been up to?” their dad asked, as their mom set down the teapot after refilling Grandma Louise’s cup.

  “Nothing!” Gabe said.

  “Taking the night tour at Government House with the community club,” Sam reminded him.

  “Sam and J.J. said they saw a ghost,” Gabe blurted.

  Dad smirked and went back to watching football on TV, though Mom looked startled.

  Sam glared at her brother. “No, we didn’t.”

  Mom looked relieved and headed off to the kitchen to make more tea. Grandma Louise’s eyes glistened with interest.

  “We heard one,” Sam corrected him quietly. Neither of their parents seemed to have noticed, but Grandma Louise studied her.

  “As if ghosts are real.” Gabe grabbed a chocolate chip cookie off the plate and headed towards the kitchen.

  “Don’t drink all the milk or we won’t have any for cereal tomorrow,” Mom warned as Gabe opened the fridge.

  Grandma Louise set Patches on the floor and rose. She took Sam by the arm, hustling her out of the room.

  “How about I visit with you while you get ready for bed, dear, and you can tell me all about your ‘tour?’ ”

  Once they were out of earshot, Grandma Louise continued, “You’re sure it wasn’t a real person?”

  Sam nodded, reaching for her toothbrush. “I’m sure. The footsteps went right past us through a closed door. So it had to be a ghost, right?”

  “Anything’s possible,” Grandma Louise murmured. She wandered down the hall towards the guest bedroom.

  Sam turned on the timer and brushed her teeth for two minutes. Then she scampered to her room and changed into her pyjamas. “Gran?” she called.

  “Yes, dear?” Grandma Louise came quietly into her room, so quickly Sam thought she must have been waiting to be called.

  “Who do you think the ghost might be?” Sam hopped into bed.

  “That is a puzzle,” said Grandma Louise. “A great many dignitaries lived in Government House or have visited there since it was built in 1891.” She drew the covers to Sam’s chin, still deep in thought. “But I don’t recall mention of any ghosts when your granddad took me there for one of the first Victorian Teas.”

  “Grandpa Frank took you there?”

  “Oh yes,” Grandma Louise murmured. “He surprised me for my birthday…must be twenty years ago now. I recall the conservatory was lovely too.”

  Grandma Louise patted Sam’s hand absentmindedly, staring off into space.

  “Good-night, Gran,” Sam murmured, knowing there would be no more conversation with her daydreaming grandmother.

  “I’ll see you in the morning, dear.” Grandma Louise drifted out of the room without turning off the overhead light.

  Sam sighed, got back out of bed and flicked the switch off. Grandma Louise seemed to slide into her reminiscences more often now. A twinge of unease niggled at her. But none of her family seemed worried, so maybe Grandma Louise was okay.

  Back in bed, she snuggled under the covers. As she closed her eyes, her thoughts turned to the strange footsteps. Was it really a ghost? How would they find out?

  And did they really want to?

  Sam shivered and drew the covers over her head.

  chapter two

  phumph!

  Something landed on Sam’s bed.

  “Patches, go away,” she mumbled, drawing the quilt over her head to avoid her cat’s rough tongue.

  “Wake up!” J.J. was there too, shaking her and pulling back the covers.

  “What time is it?” Sam pushed hair out of her face. Her eyes didn’t seem to want to focus. She closed them again.

  “9:30.” J.J. shook Sam again. “Open your eyes.”

  Sam didn’t. “I was having a weird dream of us sneaking back into Government House.”

  “Well, that’s an idea,” said J.J. “And it fits in with what I think we should do.”

  Sam sat up fast.

  J.J. laughed.

  “We’re not going to break into Government House!” she said. Had her friend lost her mind?

  “No. But I think we should go back and find out more about the footsteps we heard last night.”

  “How come you’re so brave all of a sudden?”

  “It doesn’t seem so scary this morning,” J.J. shrugged.

  “Great.” Sam padded to the bathroom. Her brain was engaged now. “Maybe there’s something on the Internet.”

  “As if,” called J.J.

  “Try it anyway,” Sam yelled over the sound of water running into the sink.

  Seated at Sam’s computer several moments later, J.J. squealed, “Oh my gosh! There is something about a ghost at Government House! They call him Howie.”

  Sam scurried back and squeezed onto the chair beside her best friend.

  J.J. read aloud, “ ‘Howie has been credited with the opening and shutting of doors without aid of human hands. His footsteps are often heard shuffling through the halls or down the back stairs, as if he was wearing flip-flop slippers.’ ”

  Sam stared at J.J., who stared back.

  “We heard him for real!” Sam said.

  “Ooh, that’s so freaky!” J.J. giggled.

  Sam clicked the print button. “We’ll save this and see what else we can find.”

  For several minutes the girls scoured websites. There were only a few more links about the legend of Howie, but all of them said the same thing.

  “Sounds like no one really knows if he’s the ghost for certain.” Sam sat back and looked at the pages she’d printed.

  “I bet we could find out for sure,” suggested J.J. “We could do a little detecting on our own.”

  “What a cool idea! Ghost detecting.” Sam sat on the bed to think.

  J.J. got up and started pacing. “We already have a start on Howie. We have this research. And we could ask if other people have heard him.”

  “We could check more rooms at Government House too,” Sam suggested, straightening the handmade quilt on her bed.

  J.J. toyed with the ear of the plush stuffed owl that sat on the bookshelf beside Sam’s bed. “We’d need some ghost detecting gear to do it properly.”

  “I know where there’s a magnifying glass. I’ll be right back.” Sam dashed out of the room.

  J.J. followed. “I’ll get my dad’s camera.”

  Sam nearly collided with Grandma Louise, who stood at the doorway into the dining room. “What are you two off to in such a hurry?”

  “Grandma Louise? You’re here?” said J.J., giving her a hug.

  “My other favourite granddaughter,” Grandma Louise laughed.

  Sam grinned. She liked that Grandma Louise always treated her friend as if she was part of the family.

  “So, back to my question,” said Grandma Louise.

  “Uh, nothing much.” J.J. looked at Sam.

  “Does ‘nothing much’ have anything to do with your ghost encounter
last night?” Grandma Louise asked.

  “How did you…?” J.J. grinned. Sam was glad to see her friend smiling again.

  “You discovered something more, didn’t you?” Grandma Louise asked, leading them into the dining room. Sun streamed through the window above the oak table, still set for breakfast.

  Grandma Louise poured two glasses of orange juice from the jug on the sideboard and handed one to J.J.

  Sam slid into the chair next to her friend. Between sips of juice, she told Grandma Louise what they’d found on the Internet.

  “So we’re going to do some ghost detecting,” J.J. said, curling up the corner of a cloth placemat.

  Grandma Louise lifted her eyebrows. “Sounds exciting,” she said. “Maybe a little scary too?”

  Sam shrugged. “We can handle it.”

  “You bet,” agreed J.J.

  “Yeah, now we just have to convince someone to take us to Government House, so we can do some more research,” Sam hinted.

  “And what would you do when you got there?” asked Grandma Louise, pretending not to take the bait.

  “Well, we have a few things in mind.” Guardedly, Sam looked towards the kitchen, then the living room. “Where is everyone?”

  “Your dad took Gabe to basketball practice and your mom ran to pick up—”

  “Milk.” Sam sighed, running her finger around the rim of her glass. “So I can’t have any cereal. Good thing I’m not hungry.”

  “Besides, we have to get going,” said J.J., glancing at the clock.

  Sam took a gulp of juice.

  Suddenly, the back door opened.

  “Going where?” called Sam’s mom.

  “How did she do her shopping so quickly?” Sam hissed, setting her glass down with a thump.

  “We’re going on a shopping expedition,” said Grandma Louise with a wink.

  Sam whispered, “Shopping for ghosts.”

  J.J. giggled.

  “That’s nice,” Sam’s mom said, opening and closing the cupboard and fridge doors as she put away the groceries.

  “As soon as Sam finishes getting dressed that is,” Grandma Louise added.

  Sam looked down. She was still wearing her Amanda Adams pyjamas and she needed some socks.

  J.J. snickered and scurried to the front door. “I’ll be right back with the camera.”

  Sam rushed to change. Even though Grandma Louise was willing to take them back to Government House to do their research, what would they find? Would they have to wait until dark to hear anything?

  She shivered again as she recalled the footsteps from the night before.

  _____

  Wearing T-shirt and jeans, Sam rejoined Grandma Louise. J.J. returned with a camera case slung over her shoulder and her panda backpack in her hand.

  “So where would you like to go shopping first?” Grandma Louise asked as Sam’s mom came into the room.

  “Could we go to the pet store in the south end?” J.J. asked.

  “You’re not on about getting a rabbit again, are you?” asked Sam. She glanced at her mom, who was adding up the shopping receipts.

  J.J. nodded, flashing a hopeful smile at Sam. “I’m having trouble convincing my dad, though.”

  “I’m sure your dad has his reasons,” Sam’s mom said absentmindedly.

  “Maybe you could make a good case for changing his mind,” Grandma Louise suggested. “Just like Gabe did with his gecko.”

  Sam’s mom shuddered. “I still don’t like him having that creature,” she said. “It eats live crickets. If I find any more escaping all over the bathroom, he’ll have to get rid of it.” Receipts in hand, she left the room.

  “My mom would’ve let me have a rabbit,” J.J. mumbled, staring at her lap. “If she were still alive.”

  Sam froze. J.J. got so upset anytime she talked about her mom. Why did J.J.’s mom have to get cancer?

  “Oh, Jensyn,” Grandma Louise patted J.J.’s hand. “I know how much you miss your mother, sweetie.”

  “You do?” J.J. looked down, tears brimming.

  “Mm-hmm. I miss my husband too, even though he’s been gone for over two years.”

  “You miss Grandpa Frank still?” Sam asked.

  “Oh, yes.” Grandma Louise turned back to J.J. “And your mom’s only been gone six months. So, of course you’ll miss her for a long time. I miss her too.”

  “So do I,” said Sam.

  Grandma Louise stroked J.J.’s brown hair. “I’m sure your dad misses her terribly. Give him a little time and he’ll come around.”

  “Thanks.” J.J. gave Gran a wobbly smile and wiped her eyes.

  Grandma Louise straightened up. “Are you two ready now?”

  “Almost.” Sam opened a sideboard drawer, grabbing a notepad and a gold-inked pen.

  J.J. looked startled. “What are those for?”

  “We might want to ask questions,” said Sam, slipping the pen and notepad into her backpack along with a magnifying glass she spied before she closed the drawer.

  “Let’s go shopping,” said Grandma Louise, laughing.

  “Wahoo, we’re off on an adventure!” J.J. said.

  Sam raced out to the car in record time.

  chapter three

  the foyer of the main entrance to Government House looked different in broad daylight. Down at the end of the hallway, Sam saw a figure hunched in a wheelchair. “Look at that poor old man,” she whispered to J.J.

  While Grandma Louise stayed behind to chat with the friendly commissionaire, Sam led J.J. down the sunny hallway. She barely glanced at the cloakroom and elevators they passed, but stopped at the black landau on display.

  “Wouldn’t it be fun to ride in it?” Sam asked.

  J.J. nodded. “I’d want to sit on the high seat so I could drive the horses.”

  “I’d sit inside the carriage,” said Sam. “With the top down.”

  “We’d practically need a ladder to get in,” said J.J.

  At the opposite end of the hallway, a shaft of light from large arched windows cast a haze around the man in the wheelchair, parked near the corner where a shorter hallway led to the original historic house. The man’s head was wrapped in bandages. He was wearing blue and grey striped pyjamas under a pale blue cotton housecoat. Worn brown slippers poked out from the grey woollen blanket over his lap.

  “Freaky!” whispered J.J. “Maybe he came from Pioneer Village seniors’ home next door?”

  Sam stared at the man uneasily. “But why didn’t they dress him properly?”

  “And he’s hurt,” said J.J. “Maybe someone brought him over from the Pasqua Hospital—it’s only down the street.”

  “But why?” Sam suppressed a shiver.

  “Isn’t it kind of strange there’s no one taking care of him?” J.J. wondered aloud.

  Sam glanced back towards the entrance. “Maybe his attendant’s in the gift shop, or the washroom.”

  “And what’s with his wheelchair?” asked J.J.

  Sam looked closer. The man was in a wooden chair with a slatted back like her grandfather’s old office chair, except that it had solid leg supports and foot rests and narrow wheels. She shrugged. “Maybe that’s all he could afford.”

  “He looks lonely,” said J.J. “Let’s see if we can cheer him up.”

  Hesitantly, Sam led the way. The man was slumped to one side of the wheelchair and looked dazed. “He’s young!” she whispered as they drew closer.

  A shock of brown hair stuck out from under the man’s bandages by his left ear. The side of his face was smooth with just a little peach fuzz, though his skin was as pale as the belly of Gabe’s gecko. He didn’t look much older than the sixteen-year-old who lived across the street from them.

  Sam jerked to a stop when the man turned their way. Beside her, J.J. stiffened. N
ot only was the man’s head bandaged, but the swath of dressing crossed under his chin and over the left side of his face, partially covering one dark brown eye.

  “Hello,” said Sam.

  He seemed surprised when they spoke to him.

  Sam introduced them. She put out a hand to shake his bandaged hand, but he ignored it.

  “Are you here for a tour?” J.J. asked.

  Something about the look on the man’s face made Sam bite back what she’d been about to say, that this was their second visit to Government House.

  The young man sat up a little straighter. Sam thought he frowned at them around his bandage but she couldn’t tell for sure.

  “I don’t need no tour,” he snapped. “I know this place like the back of my hand.” His voice came out raspy, as if he had something stuck in his throat. There was no mistaking the near snarl of his upper lip.

  Sam tried to ignore it. He was probably in pain. “It’s an amazing old place though, isn’t it?” she said, looking through the window of the grand Henry Newlands Ballroom and wishing again that she could’ve lived in this stately home long ago.

  “Maybe for you.” The young man’s one beady eye glared at them.

  J.J. stepped closer to Sam. “I like seeing old places,” she ventured softly.

  “I don’t like seeing you.” The teenager’s grumpiness intensified.

  “We’re sorry if we disturbed you,” said Sam, embarrassed. She clutched at J.J.’s arm and drew her away.

  J.J. pulled free. “We only wondered if we could help somehow.”

  “Nope,” he said. With bandaged hands, he reached for the wheels, straining to push himself forward.

  Sam moved to lend a hand, but he glared at her so fiercely she stepped back.

  “I said, I don’t need no help.” He scowled and gave an extra hard push. The wheelchair lurched away.

  “Girls,” called Grandma Louise.

  Heart pounding, Sam hurried back down the hall with J.J. right behind her. “That guy sure was grouchy,” she muttered. She was beginning to wish they’d never gone over to talk to him.

  “What guy, dear?” asked Grandma Louise.