The Shade Riders and the Dreadful Ghosts

by Bxerk

  The small man shoved the white-haired man aside and leered into the basin/mirror so close that Nova saw every hair and zit on his face. He yelled something to Nova about sending the ghosts after her.

  Then the mirror went back to reflecting Nova’s and Takeesha’s faces, with trees in the background.

  “Holy chaos,” Nova said, “I think I just had a remote viewing.”

  “I didn’t see anything in the mirror,” Takeesha said.

  “That’s impossible, Nova,” Benny said. “Maybe you were hallucinating.”

  “I don’t do drugs.”

  “No, but you could be mentally unstable.”

  “Thanks.”

  “Well… it’s possible.”

  The wind picked up and started howling through the trees.

  Max Kim’s eyes widened. “Do you think the ghosts can hear us out here?”

  “Maybe,” Benny said.

  Nova looked around anticipating the arrival of a ghost or two.

  That’s when they heard moaning.

  “Was that just the wind in the trees?” Takeesha asked.

  “No, I think it’s something else.” Benny whirled around in his wheelchair. In the shade of the trees to the north, they could make out ghostly images floating closer and closer-- skeletons dressed in flowing gray robes. Their mouths screamed gibberish, and their hands stretched out to grab them.

  Suddenly, the gibberish began to make sense. “We have your father, Nova. We have him, and he will be ours, forever.” An evil laugh sent chills up Nova’s spine. She shivered. What did they mean by that?

  “Run!” Max Kim pointed toward the farmhouse. Nova heard herself swear as she stumbled to get away. The kids took off headed for the tractor trail, then turned left and ran toward the catch pen. Nova was in the lead, then Max Kim and Takeesha then Benny. The commotion spooked the horses, and they took off after them. The two excited dogs chased after the horses.

  The Shade Riders made it into the large catch pen still ahead of the ghosts. Breathless, they headed toward the farm house. Even though Boomer was trampled underfoot, he acted like nothing happened. He kept in pursuit except a little farther behind. Some of the horses ran around the kids, and the ones behind were breathing down the kid’s necks. The gang was soon enveloped within the herd of fifty horses.

  The horses and kids skidded to a halt right in front of the metal gate. The kids opened the gate and left the catch pen and headed up the tractor trail toward the house. Nova looked back and noticed the horses grunting with displeasure and breathing out relief. Nova and her friends Max Kim and Takeesha were pale and breathing hard, grinning and coughing periodically from the dust.

  The ghosts were nowhere to be seen.

  “That was a close one.” Nova laughed. Max Kim and Takeesha nodded. Benny laughed and did some coughing too.

  “What was that all about, that they had your father, Nova?”

  Takeesha asked.

  “You heard that too?” Nova said. “I have no idea. I just hope I’m not next.”

  “Maybe your dad is still alive?” Max Kim asked.

  Nova shrugged. “How?” Tears came to Nova’s eyes. She looked back in the dust of the catch pen for the ghosts. They seemed to have vanished.

  “I don’t know, but I’m just glad they’re gone.”

  Benny wheeled toward the house, and everyone followed.

  When they entered the kitchen, they stared out the window into the catch pen. “No, ghosts. I wonder where they went.” Nova said. Now that the panic had died down, she wanted to ask them about her father. Could her father really still be alive?

  And if so, how could she find him?

  Benny reached back inside the bag on his chair and brought out his ESP Zener cards.

  “I’m going to prove to you girls; you don’t have any magick powers.” Benny explained what the cards did. The tests involved five signs on twenty-five cards-- either: a square, a perfect circle, three vertical wavy lines, a five pointed star or a plus sign.

  “I’m going to hold the cards in front of my face so you can’t see them,” Benny said, “You have to guess what each one is. If you can read my mind, then you’ll score higher than 20%, which is what you’d get from just guessing.”

  The kids slid out the wooden chairs and sat around the dining room table.

  “Okay, here we go,” Benny said.

  The others all scored right around 20%. Nova was right nine times out of ten.

  “Nova, I need to retest you,” Benny said. “I can’t believe the score you got. You must have cheated.”

  “Benny, I don’t think she was cheating--,” Max Kim said.

  “I never cheated. I can’t believe you said that.” Nova pounded on the tabletop.

  “I need to be retested too,” Takeesha said. “I think I’m having an off day.” She scored 22%.

  “Nova had her eyes down most of the time,” Max Kim said.

  “Let’s do this later.” Benny sighed, put the autogyro onto his lap, and started toward the door.

  “Hey, where are you going?” Nova asked.

  “I’m going to see if my autogyro can fly as fast as a galloping horse.” Benny winked.

  Chapter 9 Shade's Freedom

  Out in the catch pen, a few horses still roamed around. Benny tried to chase the horses with the autogyro, but they refused to budge. Then Buttercup, a palomino horse being boarded at the farm kicked it back over the fence in a spray of small parts. The biggest piece bounced into the nearby bushes. Benny’s jaw dropped. No one moved or said anything for a few seconds.

  “Oops. I didn’t think they would kick.” Benny rolled over humps, to the bushes, and began to back up a few times. “Stupid chair get in there.”

  His hand just managed to snag the main body of the autogyro.

  “How’s it look Benny?” Nova was picking parts out of the loose dirt on the ground. Max Kim hurried over and examined the toy in Benny’s lap. “That’s messed up.”

  But Benny popped on some of the parts- apparently much of it snapped together-- and placed it on the ground to try another takeoff.

  It wouldn’t start. Benny pressed the start buttons over and over, but the autogyro just sat there. He scowled, raising the control pad above his head like he was going to smash it onto the ground when he heard a noise and looked up the driveway. Benny’s family’s van was just pulling into the drive. Behind it was a tandem bicycle with Max Kim’s father in the front seat.

  “Well, there’s my ride,” he said. “I’ll see you at school.”

  Benny got into an elevator that came out of his Mom’s van. The door closed, and they drive away up the driveway.

  “There’s my ride too.” Max Kim got onto the tandem bicycle with his father, and they rode up the steep driveway. Every once and a while Max Kim would wave to Nova and Takeesha.

  Nova turned to Takeesha, “We’re going to let Shade out into the pasture tomorrow. Do you want to stay the night and help?”

  Takeesha nodded, smiled, and rushed to the phone. Since, Takeesha was going to need some things to stay over, her mom showed up about half an hour later on their family’s motorcycle, which was towing a large dog crate on a wagon. They put a reluctant Boomer inside.

  “Karen, we’ll meet here in an hour after I pick up a few items at the grocery store.” Mom said.

  “Alrighty then. See you in an hour.” Takeesha’s mom said.

  Boomer whined and clawed at the door as they slowly drove up the driveway.

  Nova and her mom hopped into the vet truck and drove up the driveway following Takeesha and her mom part of the way. Then they separated and drove in different directions.

  While driving Mom brought up again the idea that Nova would detassel corn this summer.

  "Why do I have to work so much?" Nova said.

  "We’ve got to pay for school supplies and clothes somehow.”

  “Yeah, but Mom, parents are supposed to do that.”

  “Years ago, maybe. But things have chan
ged since then."

  "But, I'm going to train Shade as soon as she’s weaned. That will take up most of my time."

  "Oh, Honey, you can work on her in the afternoon after you detassel the corn."

  "Mom, usually I'm too tired to do anything but airbrushing or lying around reading comics.”

  "I bet you will be surprised how much energy you still have. I need you, Wilha, and Scott to help out money-wise around the farm."

  Nova sighed. “I guess I could take it easier this year and just let people continually bail me out.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “Well, I don’t need to go down the corn rows picking tassels really fast. Usually, I end up done first. Then I have to help out other people by going up their rows from the bottom and work my way to them. See I bail them out. But if I go slow someone will always have to bail me out.”

  “Oh, Yes, that just might work. Then you won’t be so tired. It’s not your responsibility to do more than you are supposed to do. Why don’t you give it a try, okay?”

  Nova laughed. “Okay, Mom whatever you say.” She couldn’t believe her mother wanted her to be a slacker.

  When they got to the market, they drove through a flock of seagulls that were looking for scraps on the blacktop. The gulls scattered screaming in protest. Nova left the truck and felt that maybe there was some hope after all with her job. Besides, most of the detasseling workers picked slowly anyway. Why should she show off and pretend it was a race to get down to the end of the rows every year?

  Nova strolled to the cat food aisle to get a couple of things for her kitten, Hazel. She checked to see how much money she had — enough for a catnip-stuffed mouse along with a bag of cat treats.

  Suddenly, the lights in the store blinked out. Nova looked around. The store’s windows were on the south side, so they didn’t help brighten up the place. Everything was in shadows and silhouettes.

  A tall woman strolled up to her. "Hello Nova, our paths cross again."

  That voice-

  "Dear Vulcan,” Nova Whispered, “You're the lady from my … dreams."

  "Hum? Yes, you could say that I suppose. My name is Leandra Contrast. Here this is for you." She handed Nova a small brown lunch bag.

  “What is it?” Nova said, taking the bag and giving it a shake.

  No response beyond a suspicious glance.

  Nova put her dollars back into her pocket and watched the lady's silhouette as she moved about in front of her. Suddenly, a red light appeared in her hand. Nova suspected it wasn’t a flashlight. Leandra shined it onto the various cat and dog food bags. Moments later, she said, “Ah, chicken, fish, and beef.” She took a bag of cat food off the shelf, then carried it to what looked like a green star floating in space to Nova’s left. It hadn’t been there just a moment ago, but now it was bathing the pet aisle in a pale green light like a glow stick.

  Leandra stepped up to the star, set the cat food at her feet, and waved her hands in front of it. It wasn’t just waving, though. She was making shapes and symbols with her hands, like the sign language those two men used when Nova was looking in Max Kim’s mirror. Then the green star began to grow, stretching from side to side until it looked like a half-melted doorway. The light was now so bright Nova had to shield her eyes.

  Leandra picked up the cat food, waved to Nova, then stepped into the green light and disappeared. Seconds later, the green light flashed out like a blown light bulb. The store’s fluorescent fixtures turned back on. Everything looked normal again.

  Then Nova's mother trotted around the corner with her grocery cart.

  "Nova is everything all right?"

  Nova stepped up to where the doorway had been and reached past it to touch a display of fuzzy catnip mice. “Um… yeah, Mom, I guess.” Mouth dry, Nova swallowed.

  Her mom touched her shoulder.

  “Are you all right?”

  She couldn’t tell her mom what she’d seen. Her mom would think she was crazy.

  “Yeah, I'm just trying to figure out if I should buy Hazel a toy and a can of cat food."

  "Did you buy something already? What’s in the bag?"

  "Umm, Leandra -- a friend, stopped by and gave this to me. Let me see…" Nova opened the bag and found a brand new wrist watch with a brown leather band. There was also a receipt for the bag of cat food Leandra walked out with.

  "Wow! That's nice of her.” Her mother started walking

  toward the registers, and Nova fell in along side of her, slipping the watch onto her wrist. “Is this Leandra a new friend? I don’t recognize the name."

  "Um hmm," Nova said.

  On the drive home, Nova took a closer look at the watch. It was a seriously high-tech device, the sort of thing Benny would love. She didn't show it to her mother for close inspection and Mom didn’t show any interest. In addition to the usual watch stuff – time and date - the watch had a compass and apparently did other things. Nova thought it might be a walkie-talkie. She would have to ask Benny. This was so clash!

  That night, Nova’s sister took her sleeping bag over to her friend Jarva’s house, which meant that Nova and Takeesha could actually get some sleep.

  In the quiet bedroom, Nova finally told Takeesha everything. Even if Takeesha thought she was crazy, she just couldn’t hold it in anymore. She told her about the vivid dream/memory she had and that the watch she was wearing on her wrist was from the mysterious Leandra Contrast. Takeesha sat up in the queen size bed listening to every word.

  “That can’t be true,” Takeesha said when she was done, then rolled under the blankets and didn’t say another word. Nova had a gut feeling she shouldn’t have told her but did she listen? No. Nova pulled the covers up over herself and lay with her back to her friend. After a minute, she realized that Takeesha didn’t sound doubtful. She sounded a little… jealous. But if she was, What could Nova do about it? First it was Shade, then the farm she was lucky enough to live on – they’d been jumped ahead on the waiting list, most likely because Nova’s mom was a vet. Now it was a clash woman who wanted to be Nova’s friend and give her cool stuff. But even if she couldn’t do anything about it, Nova worried about the beating her friendship with Takeesha was taking. Nova rolled over, heaved a huge sigh, and fell into a fitful sleep.

  "I'm a true sorceress, Nova. My name is Leandra Contrast. I can go back and forth between the Lower Echelons and the Upper Echelons and the nine segmented ports, using the rainbow portal. The Idealites, who are Neanderthals, live here.” Leandra pointed to three burly, lank-haired men that stood quietly behind her. “They’ve always existed using the true magic. It's up to you to fight for the Lower Echelon people as their representative. A special heroine has to come forth and defeat the greedy Idealites."

  "Nooo!"

  Nova threw the blankets aside and sat up. She was breathing fast and dripping sweat, which rolled down her back and chest. How could she be a heroine? She was only eleven, for chaos’s sake.

  Nova lay awake, waiting for her heart to slow down and listening for Takeesha's snoring. Good, she didn't wake her up.

  It was still dark outside the window. Nova's new watch said 6:10 am.

  The watch. Did it have anything with the incredibly vivid dream she’d just had? Should she get rid of the watch? Maybe Leandra wouldn’t bother her anymore.

  Nova switched on her bedside light, grabbed a library book about mythology and tried to open it, but it was stuck again. One or two pages ripped when she tried again, then she decided not to force it. She was about to throw the book across the room-- when Nova remembered it was a library book. Now she had to lug these books back to school without getting anything worthwhile from them. Wasn’t that the story of her life?

  “Oh, morning,” Takeesha said rubbing her eyes and sitting up.

  "Girls,” her mother called from the kitchen. “Scott. Breakfast."

  Nova’s mom made French toast and offered orange juice to everyone. As they ate, Mom announced she needed everyone's help moving Chocolat
e and Shade into the far pasture.

  Mom told them her plan as she dug around in the bottom of the closet, every once in a while sticking her head out to talk. She finally found two pairs of leather gloves, which she handed to Scott and Nova.

  As they paraded to the barn, all Nova could think about was Chocolate trying to bite her the last time she’d messed with Shade. Mom easily slid Chocolate’s door open and gave her some grain at the outset without getting bitten. Nova and Takeesha turned to each other and smiled.

  “Wow, Mom, how do you always manage to do that?” Nova asked.

  Grinning, Mom closed the door so the horse could munch for a while. She grabbed Blue Belle’s collar. “Scott, here, take her and tie her up, so she doesn’t get hurt.”

  Scott grabbed the dog’s collar and pulled. Belle struggled into the other part of the barn dragging her back feet.

  Scott came back.

  “Remember,” her mother said, “Chocolate will try to escape with her filly, and catching her would be almost impossible. She will try to get to the far pasture with the other horses anyway she can, even if she hurts herself and the baby by wrapping herself up in barbed wire. The grain is there to keep her head near the front of the stall, near the door.”

  Then quick as a whip Mom opened the stall door and clipped on two lead ropes to Chocolate's halter. Not expecting such speed, Chocolate looked at Nova, confused at what Mom had done. Nova and Takeesha laughed. Mom wiped grain and saliva off her arms using a quick swipe of her hands.

  The lead ropes dangled onto the straw covered floor outside the stall. Scott held the door closed as far as possible. Meanwhile, Shade stood next to her mother's flank. Chocolate was eating fast and exhaling angrily blowing grain dust out of the bucket that hung on the wall next to the door.

  Mom slid the door open and disappeared into the stall again. Nova held her breath. Mom put her right arm through the nose pinch until it rested on her elbow. The vet grabbed Chocolate's upper lip with her right hand and held on tight. Nova saw the Dam’s ears go way back. She tossed her head up and tried to bite Mom. Then she put her head way down to break Mom's grip. But the vet was in control as long as she held Chocolate’s sensitive nose. Mom slipped the nose pinch down her arm and over her hand onto the horse’s nose. She pinched Chocolate’s nose and twisted the rope tight around the long handle.