Ghost Shadows

by Thomas M. Malafarina

  Ghost

  Shadows

  Thomas M. Malafarina

  Ghost Shadows

  Copyright © 2013, by Thomas M. Malafarina

  Cover Copyright © 2013 by Sunbury Press, Inc. Cover photo by Joanne Malafarina.

  NOTE: This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental.

  All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form whatsoever. For information contact Sunbury Press, Inc., Subsidiary Rights Dept., 50-A West Main St., Mechanicsburg, PA 17055 USA or legal@sunburypress.com.

  For information about special discounts for bulk purchases, please contact Sunbury Press, Inc. Wholesale Dept. at (855) 338-8359 or orders@sunburypress.com.

  To request one of our authors for speaking engagements or book signings, please contact Sunbury Press, Inc. Publicity Dept. at publicity@sunburypress.com.

  FIRST SUNBURY PRESS EDITION

  Printed in the United States of America

  March 2013

  Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1-62006-193-0

  Mobipocket format (Kindle) ISBN: 978-1- 62006-194-7

  ePub format (Nook) ISBN: 978-1-62006-195-4

  Published by:

  Sunbury Press

  Mechanicsburg, PA

  www.sunburypress.com

  Mechanicsburg, Pennsylvania USA

  This book is dedicated to my amazing wife Joanne for all of her love, kindness, inspiration and patience; and especially for her willingness to put up with my writing all of these horrible stories and still be willing to sleep next to me at night.

  Introduction

  In late 2012, I was putting together a group of short stories for possible publication in early 2013 by Sunbury Press. The collection was an eclectic assortment of various stories, which did not really fit into a specific theme although the genre was most definitely suspenseful horror. Some of the stories were ghost stories; some were a mix of technology and the supernatural; some were demonic in nature, some more psychological thrillers, and some didn’t quite fit into any particular category. A few were somewhat short while others had become quite long.

  Several of the stories were brand new, having never been previously published anywhere and were written specifically for this collection. A couple of them previously appeared as part of other multi-author anthologies by a variety of publishers but have never been published in any of my Sunbury Press collections. Two of them appeared in a special Sunbury collection called Malafarina Maleficarum Volume II. Each of them has been revised, reworked, and rewritten by me for the purposes of this collection.

  That being said, I was in need of a title and cover for this new collection and I still needed a few more stories to finish it off. At the same time I had started two or three new novels which for now will remain secret as I hope to finish and publish them in the near future. What to do . . . what to do . . . . Then the inspiration came to me unexpectedly one day in December 2012 when my wife, JoAnne, came home from work with a photograph she took with her iPhone of a shadow on a window at her place of employment.

  In October 2012, her department and several others in the company where she worked had moved into a newly renovated office building in the town a few miles down the road from her main office. Apparently sometime, perhaps while the renovation of the building was taking place, no one really knows for sure, a bird must have flown against one of the windows, broken its neck, and died. Since that time, the outsides of the windows had not been cleaned.

  One day in early December when JoAnne was getting ready to leave for the day the sun was just at the right position to strike the glass and allow the image, which is shown on the front of the cover of this book, to appear. We assume the image resulted from the collection of dust stuck to the bird’s body transferring from the bird to the window at the time of impact. For months it had gone unnoticed until just the right set of natural conditions existed for it to make its presence known. Since the initial photograph was taken she has tried to numerous times photograph it using our Nikon 35mm, but the conditions have never been good enough to get a proper shot. Even though I wanted a black and white photo on the front cover I put the original color version of the image on the back cover.

  Anyway, after she saw the photo, she emailed it to me and I immediately loved it as she knew I would. I was inspired and knew I would use it in one of my future works but that it might take a day or so for me to figure out exactly what I would want to do with it. In the meantime, she sent it to the Weather Channel Web site and they posted it up on their animal photo section where it received some nice comments. We also shared it with our Facebook friends to many positive reviews.

  JoAnne told me some of her coworkers said the image almost looked like an angel to them while others thought it looked like a demon. One person said it appeared that the bird had left an imprint of its soul on the window. Hearing those impressions I was instantly motivated. I realized I had found the answer to my short story collection title issue. The title, Ghost Shadows jumped right into my mind and made perfect reference not only to the bird’s shadow in the photo but to the ghostly shadows I hope my writing casts upon the minds and souls of my readers. I was also then inspired to write a short story about the image based on what JoAnne had told me about the various interpretations of the shadow, which became the short story “Ghost Shadow.” Before the end of December 2012 I had the cover completed, two thirds of the stories in place, and the remaining stories laid out and ready to write and or rework. My goal was to have a collection of thirteen tales ready for Sunbury Press for publication by March 2013.

  My publisher, Lawrence Knorr, had the great idea to release the collection on 3/13/13 at 13:13 hrs. I loved the idea and began to work my backside off to meet my self-imposed deadline, which I obviously did, as you are now reading the results. Ghost Shadows is a not so nice collection of thirteen haunting tales that I hope you enjoy as much as you have enjoyed my other works. I look forward to continuing to bring you the best horror stories my twisted little mind can conjure up for you in the years to come.

  Thomas M. Malafarina, March 2013

  Ghost Shadow

  Inspired by a photo by JoAnne Malafarina

  Thoughts are the shadows of our feelings—always darker, emptier and simpler.

  — Friedrich Nietzsche

  I do not say think as I think, but think in my way. Fear no shadows, least of all in that great specter of personal unhappiness which binds half the world to orthodoxy.

  — Thomas Huxley

  “Thank God this day is finally over,” Jill Christopher said as she laboriously raised herself up from her desk chair and did a slow, much needed stretch. It was 5:05 on Wednesday afternoon, December 12, 2012. The day had been a hectic one, as her workdays often tended to be, but this one had been a bit more strange than most. In between trying to talk to clients on the phone and straightening out billing errors she was barraged with emails and visits from coworkers; the subject of both being the fact that the day was 12/12/2012.

  There seemed to be a great fervor in the world about the end of the Mayan calendar coming on December 21 and supposedly many people believed this meant the world would come to an end on that date as well. As a result, some people assumed the coincidence of the triple-twelve occurrence in the date had to have some significant meaning as well. But as far as Jill was concerned it meant nothing but one more day she had to try to do the work of three people on her own.

  She shut off her computer and turned to leave the office when she noticed something on the window behind her. Jill had no
idea why she hadn’t seen it before. Her department, along with several others, had only moved into the newly renovated office building in October and every day she left at the same time and followed the same routine, yet she had never seen such a sight previously. There on her window was the image of what appeared to be a bird. The thing was perfectly formed and looked almost as if someone had sketched a picture of bird on the outside of her second floor window. But it was not a sketch: it was an actually image of a bird on the glass. She was amazed by the clarity of the shadow. A thought immediately ran through her mind. “Ghost shadow,” she heard a small voice say inside of her. But she knew there were no ghosts or such things and that no matter how perfectly the image appeared its formation was based on science rather than the supernatural.

  She took three steps to the left and the image all but disappeared. Only a barely recognizable remnant remained. Then she took two steps to the right of her original position with similar results. Only when she stood at that one spot was she able to see the image in its entirety. She reached over to her desk and pulled off two long strips of tape. She found the optimal viewing position once more and made an ‘X’ on the floor with the tape.

  Next, using her smart phone, Jill snapped several pictures of the image she saw on the window. She checked the pictures on her phone and was thrilled with the quality. She immediately emailed one of the best shots to her husband, Todd, who was a horror fiction writer. She knew he would enjoy seeing the picture and was certain it would stimulate his creative juices. He would likely create a short story based on the picture for all she knew. She could hear movement in the cubicle next to hers and realized her coworker, Marie, had not yet left for the day.

  “Marie? Are you still here?” Jill asked.

  Marie hesitated for a moment then replied with a bit of hesitation in her voice. “Um . . . yeah . . . I’m still here. So is Josie. I hope you don’t have something urgent for me to do. I was hoping to get out of here on time tonight.”

  “No. Nothing like that,” Jill replied. “I just wanted to show you something over here. Bring Josie with you. This is too cool to miss.”

  When Marie and Josie rounded the corner of Jill’s cubical both wearing curious expressions they found Jill standing on the tape ‘X’ on the floor and staring at the window. Without looking at them she gestured for them to come closer and said, “Quick, stand on this ‘X’ and look at the back window.”

  Marie looked strangely at Jill but did as instructed and her face illuminated with an expression of complete amazement. “Oh my word!” Marie exclaimed. “Just look at that . . . it’s . . . it’s incredible!” Marie was a large woman of about sixty-three with curly gray hair and perpetually smiling eyes. Those eyes were now staring at the window with astonishment. She said, “I don’t think I’ve ever seen anything like this before.”

  “What is it?” Josie asked, standing off to the side and unable to see the image. “What are you looking at?”

  “A bird, I think.” Marie said. “I think it’s some sort of image of a bird on the window. I wonder how it got there.”

  Jill explained, “I think what may have happened is a bird must have flown into the window sometime and most likely broke its neck and died. Bird feathers are oily and collect dust and dirt particles. My guess is the image is a result of that oily dust residue sticking to the window at the time of impact. It probably has been there for months but for some reason the sun must be at just the right position for us to see it today.”

  “But it’s so perfect, so complete!” Marie said. “It’s as if the bird’s very soul was imprinted on the glass.”

  “I want to see it!” Josie exclaimed. Josie was a young woman in her mid-twenties. She had gotten divorced from her alcoholic and abusive husband a year earlier. She had grown up with a father who was also a drunk who beat her mother and had unfortunately followed in her mother’s footsteps. Since becoming single Josie embarked on a mission to find spiritual enlightenment. She had experimented with numerology, Hinduism, Buddhism, and most recently Christianity. In fact she was currently a member of a right wing fundamentalist Christian church and had become “born again” just a month earlier.

  From the way Josie spoke of her church, both Jill and Marie felt this church was more of a cult than a above board religious organization. They tried to warn her about such groups but had to tread softly as to not hurt her feelings or risk alienating their coworker with her fragile and needy psyche. Plus the both knew in the modern workplace, negative discussions about someone’s race, religion, or such were grounds for disciplinary action, up to an including termination.

  Josie stood on the ‘X’ and stared at the window transfixed. “Oh my sweet Lord!” Josie said. She had been using that expression a lot since her conversion. “It’s . . . it’s . . . incredible! It’s amazing!”

  “Yes it is very interesting, Josie, but it’s just bird dust.” Jill said trying to keep Josie’s growing fervor under control. She knew her coworker too well and could tell she was getting overzealous at seeing the image. “It’s simply a collection of dust on the surface of the glass.”

  Marie interjected, “Looks like the bird left his soul on the window to me.” She was not helping matters.

  “You’re both wrong!” Josie said. “It’s not a bird or a bird’s soul. Look at it closely. It’s the image of an angel. It’s a sign! It’s a true miracle!”

  “Don’t be silly,” Jill said, doing her best to dampen Josie’s enthusiasm somewhat. What she really wanted to say was “don’t be ridiculous” or “don’t be such an idiot.”

  Josie said even louder, “I’m telling you . . . it’s a message from God! Today is 12-12-12; that is significant. It means something. Can’t you feel it?” She pulled out her own smart phone and snapped several pictures.

  Jill realized Josie was mixing her study of numerology with her Christianity and putting undeserved significance on the date. Things were starting to get out of hand. She had to do something.

  “Josie. Relax.” Jill pleaded. “It’s just a bird. Nothing more. The bird is long dead and it’s just a dust shadow.”

  Josie asked, “Well if it’s a dead bird, where’s the body? I’ll bet if I go downstairs and look out the double doors to the back patio there won’t be any signs of a bird.”

  Jill was beginning to lose patience with Josie, “Look, Josie. In the first place I have no idea how long ago this happened. We’ve only been in the building for two months. It could have happened anytime. Maybe one of the construction workers disposed of the bird’s body. Who knows? There’s a forest no more than one hundred feet behind this building, maybe scavengers drug it into the woods and picked it clean. We probably will never know what happened to it.”

  “That’s because nothing happened to it.” Jill insisted. “There was no body because there was no bird. This miracle was an imprint on the window that I was meant to see. I am to be the deliverer of the message. God has spoken to me through this angelic sign.”

  Just when Jill was about to completely lose her temper and call Josie an out of control whacko they heard a booming voice from behind them. “What the hell is going on over here?” It was their company general manager, Sid Emerich. “I’m trying to run a business here. What’s all this crazy talk about angels and miracles?” Sid walked over to the small group of women, and as he did, Jill saw several others enter her work area. There was Amy Jamison from accounts payable, Cindy Smith from HR and that strange new Goth-looking girl Sandy or Sarah or something like that from the IT department.

  Jill didn’t care much for her dark clothing, heavy makeup, and various facial piercings, not to mention her tattoos that could not be properly hidden with her clothing. She didn’t feel this was proper office attire and could not begin to imagine how this young woman made it through the interview process and somehow managed to get hired.

  “Mr. Emerich! It’s a miracle!” The overly excited Josie shouted while waving her left arm high in the air and clutching her
cross necklace with the right. “God has sent us a sign; an angelic symbol on the window!”

  Jill stepped forward in a last attempt to try to smooth over the escalating confrontation. “Sorry about all this commotion, Mr. Emerich. It’s really nothing at all, just the image on the window; a dust shadow from some bird that must have flown into the glass. That’s all it is.”

  “Let me see this!” Emerich said, shoving Josie aside. Like the others Emerich stood directly on the ‘X’ and looked at the window. Without showing any emotion, Emerich simply turned to the group and said, “Jill is correct. It is just a dusty shadow. Nothing more.”

  “I think it’s an angel; in fact I know it is.” Josie insisted, “This is a sign from God, Hallelujah! Praise be to the Lord on high! Jesus is coming and all you sinners better be ready!”

  Emerich fumed with rage and shouted, “That’s entirely enough of that crazy cackling from you young lady! There’ll be no more of such idiotic gibberish permitted in my office! Is that clear?” Emerich had a habit of stressing the importance of all of his proclamations by ending them with the phrase “Is that clear?” or “Have I made myself perfectly clear?” or some other similar variation. It usually got people to snap to attention but didn’t seem to have the same effect on Josie.

  “How dare you blaspheme the Lord!” Josie shouted right back at him. “And how dare you criticize me and my beliefs. You are creating a hostile work environment and discriminating against me because of my religious beliefs. And that, Mr. Emerich, is illegal.”

  Josie stared directly at Cindy Smith, who looked as if she would rather have been anywhere than where she was. “Cindy. You tell him. You are our Human Resources Manager, or at least you’re supposed to be. Tell him he can’t criticize me or threaten me because of my religious choices.”