by Rose Pressey
“No, that won’t be necessary. I don’t think that this conversation will last long.”
Oh, dear. I dreaded to hear what came next. My stomach twisted into a knot. She stared, making me shift in my chair. Was this the time she finally fired me? Had the board already discussed this and decided to let me go? Surely they wouldn’t send Mrs. Agnew to do it. That was like sending the Grim Reaper.
“What seems to be the problem?” My voice wavered.
Why did I let her bother me so? I needed to be more assertive and put my foot down.
She gave me a look as if I was stupid for not knowing already. She sighed and said, “Well, the library needs more events. You’re just not doing enough.”
I immediately went into defense mode.
“We have several things already for this month and we’re booked up for the next six months. The new assistant you hired has been gone on whatever trip she had planned. We’ve kind of been shorthanded.” I rattled off my reasons.
She waved her hand. “I don’t want to hear any excuses. Just get it done, okay?”
She’d barely finished the sentence when a crash echoed off the walls. A picture had fallen to the floor. The portrait was of the first librarian. Mrs. Agnew looked at me as if I had done this on purpose. Surprisingly, the glass had broken. I knew that this had scared Mrs. Agnew, although with her usual icy demeanor she tried to hide it.
“I expect that you’ll hang that back up right away. I don’t know what’s going on around here. This library is falling apart. Get this straight or else.” She pointed.
I knew what the ‘or else’ meant.
“Is that all?” I asked.
“Well, there was one more thing.” She tapped her foot against the floor.
How could it be any worse than what she had already said?
Mrs. Agnew pulled a small book from her bag. It looked like a catalog. She placed it on my desk. “Have a look at this and pick out what you want. You’ll be picking for the other ladies too.”
I knew she wasn’t buying us gifts. So what was it? I peered down at the catalog. “Uniforms?”
She smiled with satisfaction. “I feel it’s for the best. The options are really quite lovely.”
She strolled out of my office, and then slammed the door on her way out. I sighed and shoved the catalog into my desk drawer. I’d have to find the right time to break the news to Tammy.
I stood from the desk, moving over to the fallen portrait. I had no idea what had made it come off the wall. The nail was still there. It seemed odd, but there were a lot of weird things going on today. I wasn’t sure I could even pick the picture up by myself, it was so big. Nonetheless, I had to give it a shot. I needed to hurry up and get that back up before Mrs. Agnew came back in unexpectedly. If she saw it still on the floor she’d freak.
Again, why did I let her bother me? Perhaps it had something to do with not wanting to lose my job. Yeah, that was probably it.
I tried to hoist the picture up, but then it slipped from my hands, landing on my foot. I hopped up and down, trying not to cry out too loudly.
“What’s going on in here?” Tammy asked from over my shoulder.
“How much of that did you witness?” I asked, trying to ignore the pain.
“I walked in and saw you jumping up and down. What happened? Are you okay?”
“The picture fell and I was trying to rehang it. Mrs. Agnew’s bad vibes probably made it fall.”
“I’ll help you hang it back,” Tammy said as she motioned for me to pick up the other side.
“Watch the broken glass.” I pointed.
Somehow we managed to get the portrait back on the wall. The glass would need to be replaced.
“I don’t know how it came down. The nail didn’t come out of the wall.” I blew the hair out of my eyes.
“Like you said, it was probably all that negative energy that she brings with her. I’m surprised everything doesn’t fall apart as soon as she comes around.”
“Well, she’s gone for now and I hope she’s not back for at least a week. I think I’ll read a little of the book now that she’s gone.”
“Good thinking.”
“Did you need anything?” I asked.
“Nope. Just checking to make sure you survived her visit.”
“Barely,” I said.
“Come get me if you find anything good.” Tammy waved over her shoulder and left me alone with the diary.
After cleaning up the broken glass from the floor, I settled in to read the book. The writing had faded, making it difficult to make out some of the words at times. The name at the front of the book I finally made out. Sarah Tyler. On the first day of the diary she mentioned that her husband was leaving on a long trip soon and that she was afraid to be alone. Sarah would be taking care of the children and household all by herself while he was away for a month. Part of me felt bad for reading her private thoughts, but the other part of me wanted to know more.
When a knock came at the door, I almost tossed the book in the air. Brannon had opened the door slightly and peeked in.
“Is it a good book? You looked like you were really into that book.” His wide smile always made me feel better.
After a visit from Mrs. Agnew I was happy to see him. He was wearing his blue Devil’s Moon Police uniform. His dark hair was cut short, showcasing his chiseled, handsome face.
“It’s a good book.” I chuckled, setting it aside.
“Are you sure I didn’t come at a bad time?”
I motioned for him to come further into the room. “It’s never a bad time to see you.”
“What are you working on?” he asked as he sat down in front of me.
I glanced at the book. “I received an old book in the mail today. I was reading it and trying to figure out where it came from.”
“You don’t know who sent it?”
I shook my head. “Nope. There was no return address.”
“Where’s the book?” Since he was looking at the desk I figured he’d already spotted it.
I glanced over again and then finally picked it up. “It’s really old, from 1921. I think someone was just donating it because it’s old. It’s a fun mystery though and I figured I’d try to find out where it came from.”
I had just stretched my hand out to give Brannon the book when banging and screaming came from the other side of the door. Brannon and I jumped up at the same time and ran for the door. When Brannon opened it, Tammy was standing there with her hand up ready to bang on the door again. Her eyes were wide with panic.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“Are you okay, Tammy?” Brannon asked.
“No, I’m not okay. You have to come out front right now.” She pointed toward the front of the library.
“What happened?” I asked.
“Just come out here.” She motioned for us to go first.
Brannon took off in a sprint toward the front of the library. Of course I was much slower and was behind him. At five foot two inches I had a much shorter stride. When we reached the front there were people standing around in stunned silence. That was when I looked down and saw books littering the floor. There were hundreds of them. Patrons started putting down the books they’d wanted to check out.
“What happened?” I asked in a freaked-out voice.
“I’m ready to get out of here,” Tammy said.
“Stay calm and tell me what happened,” Brannon said.
“I was at the desk checking someone out and all of a sudden books started going everywhere.”
“Do you think there was an earthquake?” I asked.
Though I hadn’t felt anything. It wasn’t unheard of for an earthquake to take place here.
“That was definitely not the case this time,” Tammy said.
“How do you know?” I asked.
Tammy sounded quite confident. She shook her head. “I know because of what I saw. When the books fell to the ground, a dark shadow figure flew by. It swooshed
around us and then disappeared.”
My eyes widened. “You mean a spirit did all this?”
“All of it.”
It was just like what had happened with the book earlier, only much worse.
“What happened to the customer?” I asked.
“She took off and I don’t blame her. I want to get out of here too.” Tammy rubbed the goosebumps on her arms.
“It’s okay, Tammy, I’m sure the spirit is just trying to get your attention,” Brannon said.
“Well, it worked and I don’t want to pay attention to anything it wants.”
I picked up some of the books and set them on the counter. “I’m sorry, Tammy.”
“Is this the first time something like this has happened?” Brannon asked.
“A single book flew off the shelf earlier,” I said.
“Sounds like you have poltergeist activity,” he said.
Chapter 3
Thankfully no further paranormal activity occurred for the rest of the day. After work, I headed toward the Devil’s Moon Cemetery. I was going to my second job. Lucky for me, neither one of my jobs felt like actual work since I loved doing them so much.
The haunted tour lasted for about an hour. In the busy season around Halloween, I did two tours every night. It was good exercise, and I got to enjoy my hometown. I knew every street and building like the back of my hand. It was a good thing too because most of the time I was doing the tour in the dark. Sure, we had flashlights, streetlights, and the lights from the buildings, but the darkness certainly added to the spooky vibe.
The walk from the library to the graveyard was a short one. It was a nice warmup before I had to do the actual walking tour, so I didn’t mind it. Trees lined the sidewalks, along with beautiful buildings and homes. Sometimes I caught a ride with Tammy or Brannon if I was running late. That wasn’t the case today. Brannon had said he’d meet me later for dinner. He had to work until nine. That was perfect timing since I’d be finished with the tour then too.
Wind whistled up the alleyway as I made my way back toward the graveyard. On one side was the old jail and the other was the tavern. Behind the buildings was Devil’s Moon Cemetery. A silvery glow from the moon lit the path. Stars glittered through the branches of the swaying trees. The haunted tour guide mascot was the owl that sat perched high in the treetop.
Devil’s Moon Cemetery had been around since the town’s founding. At night the cemetery came alive. The souls weren’t always visible, but I sensed they were there. It wasn’t only at the cemetery—the whole town came to life at night, although it was still pretty active during the day.
The cemetery had been somewhat neglected until I’d come back to town. I was working on getting the headstones restored. It was a shame to let history deteriorate.
The graveyard lay behind the town’s main street, in back of the old jail that had been in use until the 1980s. It had been built in the 1700s. There were even photographs at the library of real hangings that had taken place in the stone-walled courtyard behind the jail. Townspeople would come to watch, as if it was a family outing, like a day at the movies or something. No wonder it was spooky around here. There were also some old houses on the other side of the graveyard. I’d met one of the residents of those houses, or I should say former residents.
Now the ghost of Mrs. Clatterbuck was haunting the graveyard, along with dozens of her nameless friends. The numerous ghosts in the graveyard were one of the many reasons why I’d added it to the tour.
For a long time, I’d thought Mrs. Clatterbuck was still alive, and simply harassing me about doing the tour because she lived across the street. Turned out she didn’t like that I was disturbing the dead. I came to Devil’s Moon Cemetery to visit with the people resting in this graveyard, and I spent many hours cleaning and tending to the graves. If the dearly departed wanted to deliver me a message, I was all ears.
I liked to mix things up on tours. Sometimes I started with the graveyard and sometimes I ended with it. I always took the group to the tavern. Tammy worked there part-time. She also worked at the hair salon. I supposed Tammy and I had lots of interests that kept us busy. That made life more exciting though. There wasn’t always paranormal activity on the tours, but more often than not there was at least a bang or a whisper. Lots of people caught electronic voice phenomena—spirits talking from the other side.
The graveyard was surrounded by tall oak trees, shading the area, with the branches standing guard over anyone who entered. The graveyard was also surrounded by an old black iron fence with an ornate matching gate. It made a loud moan each time I opened it. The old oak trees with their gnarly branches looked as if they would snatch me up and carry me away. The owl hooted, reminding me that he was there and watching. Who else could be watching? I was always on alert for a ghost to pop up. Sometimes the ghosts just watched from a distance, and sometimes they wanted to be seen or heard. I stood at the front of the graveyard, waiting for tonight’s group to arrive.
As I waited, the sensation that someone was watching me wouldn’t go away. I figured it was Mrs. Clatterbuck hiding in the dark shadows waiting for the chance to pop out and confront me. When the distinct feeling that someone had touched my shoulder caught my attention, I screamed and jumped, tossing my arms up in the air. I spun around to see who was behind me.
A woman was standing in front of me now. She was about my age, probably in her early thirties. She had dark hair that flowed past her shoulders and big brown eyes. Actually, we looked a lot alike, except I had green eyes. She wore jeans and a black sweater with trendy black boots. I stared at her closely for a moment, wondering if she was really a ghost. I’d been tricked before, but how would I ask if she was with the living? I just had to come out with it.
“I thought for a moment you were a ghost,” I said with a chuckle.
She laughed. “Oh, no, I’m definitely not a ghost. Again, I’m sorry if I scared you.”
“No problem. Are you here for the tour?” I asked.
“Well, not exactly. I mean, yes and no.”
I quirked an eyebrow. “So which one is it? What’s your name?” Maybe that sounded a bit abrupt, but I was still a little shocked.
“My name is Ruby Redstone. I do have a ticket.” She pulled it from her pocket and thrust it toward me. “I bought it at the tavern next door.”
“Thank you,” I said as I took the ticket from her. “Sorry if I sounded a little abrupt.”
“That’s understandable,” she said. “I mean, a stranger sneaking up on you like that. Anyway, I didn’t actually come for just the tour.” She shifted from foot to foot as if nervousness had set in.
I stared at her for a moment, and then asked, “What did you come here for if not the tour?” I was almost afraid to find out her answer.
“Do you need help with the tour?” she asked, rushing her words.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
“I really would love to be a tour guide. I just wondered if you need any help.”
“Well, I only have the one tour and I do it every night,” I said.
“It just seems like there are so many haunted places in town that you can’t possibly get to them all,” she said.
“I appreciate the offer, but I’m not sure I’m ready to expand like that right now.”
The look on her face was like a sad puppy dog. Now I regretted saying no, but this was business, so I couldn’t let her emotions get to me. I was told no all the time and she would have to accept that answer too. Nevertheless, I would feel bad for the rest of the tour every time I looked at her sad eyes. Especially if she kept giving me that pouty look. Maybe I could just avoid making eye contact with her.
I sighed. “Well, I suppose it might be good to add another tour. I could use the help. I’ll definitely think about it.”
Her eyes lit up. “Really? That’s great.”
I hoped she didn’t think I was giving her the job. I’d just said I would think about it, not that I was doing it. It wa
s a lot to think about, and I would have to prepare for expanding my business. Not only that, I had to make sure there was really a demand for it.
“Well, I can take your number and give you a call,” I said.
“Fantastic.” She rummaged in her purse. “Let me find a pen.”
“I can just enter it in my phone.” I pulled it out of my pocket.
The sound of voices carried across the air and I looked over to see the group had arrived for the tour. At least I wouldn’t have to discuss expanding the tour any more right now. I would avoid the subject for the rest of the night too.
The group consisted of four women tonight. They hurried over to where I stood.
“Hey, everyone,” Ruby said with a wave. “Welcome to the tour.”
I glanced back at her with a glare. I hoped she realized that this was still my job. Maybe I was feeling a bit too territorial.
“Welcome to Devil’s Moon Haunted Tour. Tonight I will guide you through the haunted streets of town. You will hear legends and stories of haunted streets and buildings. Please use your flashlights and remain with the group for the duration of the tour.”
Tonight I decided to start the tour at the tavern and then finish at the graveyard. The story about the lady in blue who haunted the cemetery was the spookiest, so I usually liked to save it for last. It would remain fresh in the minds of the tour-goers and make the tour more entertaining for them.
Mrs. Clatterbuck usually followed me through the cemetery, floating around the gravestones as I told the stories. She usually waited until after everyone was gone before she showed her paranormal skills. She didn’t want people to come back to the graveyard because it was haunted, so if there was no activity, they wouldn’t want to return. I never mentioned to the tour-goers that she was there. It would be too hard to explain. It was always my hope that some paranormal activity would occur on the tour, just as long as it wasn’t too frightening. I had the group’s undivided attention. They seemed to be enthralled with the stories.
“Please follow me and we’ll start the tour.” My group tonight seemed to enjoy the dark surroundings and ethereal setting.
