A Paranormal Easter: 14 Paranormal & Fantasy Romance Novellas

by Tiffany Carby

  Peter was the first to see the sign as he shouted out, “Look Crystal River 27 miles.”

  Josh turned and leaned over the seat to face Ellie. “Hey Ellie, I want to warn you to be careful of the snakes, especially if you have to go to the outhouse at night.”

  “Oh, no there are not any snakes, Pastor Mike wouldn’t endanger our lives like that, would you Pastor Mike?” Ellie asked.

  Pastor Mike, who was driving, looked in the rear view mirror. “Ellie, there are probably snakes, but I doubt if we see any and if we do they are usually black snakes.”

  “That’s right, Pastor Mike”, Josh chimed in, “Ellie you like pets, maybe we can catch one and you can take it home as a souvenir of our camping trip.”

  Ellie flipped Josh’s baseball cap down over his eyes with her hand, “I’ll have you know I am not scared of a little black snake.”

  “Who said they were little?” He continued to tease her, as he pushed his hat back in its rightful place on his head.

  The boys all laughed as Ellie crossed her arms, sat back in her seat and signed.

  “Josh, I guess you won this round, Ellie said, but I wouldn’t close my eyes tonight when you go to sleep, if you know what I mean.”

  I love Ellie, she can always turn the tables on the boys. It’s awesome to watch, she is so quick with her come backs. I’m glad she is my best friend.

  We went over a high bridge near a power plant and you could see the waterways going out to the river. It was a beautiful day, sunny with those perfect, puffy white clouds I love. Pastor Mike rolled the window down and the air was fresh and clean. We were up so high we could watch a group of cyclists riding along a bike trail and another trail for walkers and joggers. It seemed to go on for miles.

  We traveled about twenty more minutes before Pastor Mike turned on to a gravel road that led to a dirt road and then to a clearing with what looked like a temporary construction site trailer. There was a bright orange metal gate that had large black letters spelling out STOP, blocking any further travel down the dirt road.

  As the van came to a stop, a tall thin man with blue jeans and a lime green camp shirt with Camp Jeremiah embroidered across the left side of the chest area and a lime green hat to match approached the van. Pastor Mike got out and introduced himself and showed the camp official some paperwork.

  “Mike, your campsite is all set up. Looks like everything was paid for in advance, you have six pop up tents, and six two person kayaks reserved until Sunday, is that correct?”

  “Yes.”

  “There is also a small load of firewood by the fire pit by your campsite, if you need more you can purchase it at the camp store.”

  “Okay, thanks, what about the instructor and guide for kayaking tomorrow?”

  “He will be at your campsite at 9 am. He’s a nice young man, going to College here in Florida and helps us on the weekends and during school breaks. His name is Christian. He’s very knowledgeable about the area. You will find our area to be one of historical significance.”

  “Mike, I hope your group has a great time, the weather for March is warmer than usual, so it’s a good time to camp, gets buggy in the summer, but this week end will be perfect, both for camping and kayaking.”

  “Thanks, we have a great group of youth from our church and no one has kayaked before, some have camped but we have some newbies with that too.”

  “Here is some additional information about points of interest in the area, also a map of the camping facilities including location of your camp site 3, the camp store and the showers. You were told there are no indoor plumbing for toilets, it’s all primitive camping with outhouses. Most of the campers who come back every year have told us they like the wilderness aspect of tent camping and even the outhouses. Of course, they do enjoy the showers. I enclosed a list of trails and locations, and color graphs showing both easy and hard trails, length and approximate time it takes to walk them. All our trails loop around, so stay on the paths and you won’t get lost.”

  “Thanks, we will.”

  We found our camp site and helped unload the van, the tents were already sat up, but Pastor Mike assigned the tents to us. The four girls had two tents facing each other and then the two adult tents faced each other, on the other side of the adults the two boy tents faced each other. The fire pit was at one end, closer to the where the girls were located, the outhouses were also located closer to where the girls’ tents were located.

  Ellie and I got our sleeping bags from the pile they had been placed outside the van along with our week end bags and carried them to our tent and got settled. I could hear a couple of the boys ask Pastor Mike if they could go check things out, and he said okay but to be back in an hour and we would get the camp fire started and prepare for dinner.

  After dinner, Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan offered to take us on a short night hike.

  “We may have the opportunity to see a part of nature we will not see during the day”, Mr. Sullivan explained. Pastor Mike and Connie stayed behind, but the rest of us were eager to see what lay beyond in the woods. We were encouraged to each take our flashlights, then we headed out.

  It was very dark, but the stars were out and you could see so much more of the night sky away from city lights. Fairhope wasn’t very large, but we lived close to town and the business district so this was quiet and peaceful and the stars actually twinkled at you.

  ”Hoo hoo” came from above and Ellie, walking beside me, jumped and grabbed my arm.

  “Silly girl, it’s just a little owl” as I laughed at Ellie.

  “Actually, I think that’s a Screech owl, Maria, Josh said. There are only two owls in this part of Florida, the Screech owl who is very small and the Great Horned owl, but I think it’s the Screech owl.” The boys all tried to find the owl by pointing their flash lights toward the tree branches ahead.

  “There it is.” Yelled Ellie as she followed Josh’s light to a branch further up the trail. We walked closer. The owl seemed to look right at me and a warm feeling came over me. The owl then became annoyed at all our chatter and flew away and out of sight. With his flight the warm feeling I had experienced went with him.

  We came across a raccoon and her two babies following close behind crossing the path. We all stopped and let the family travel on without disturbing them.

  The campfire lit our way back to our campsite. After sharing our sightings with Pastor Mike and Connie we decided to have s’mores before our evening devotions and turning into bed, our day had been long.

  Ellie and I went to sleep that night listening to the crickets and the croaking of frogs in the distance. All seemed right with this piece of our world.

  In the morning we woke to the smell of bacon frying and rolled out of our sleeping bags, hurrying to get dressed and to the outhouses before there was a line. After breakfast, we helped the adults clean up and put the food away.

  “Everyone have bug spray and their sun block? Pastor Mike asked, as we walked toward the road where the guide would come with the supplies for kayaking.

  “Yes.” We all responded.

  “It’s still early in the year, but it can get warm here, I don’t think your parents would appreciate me bringing you back to Alabama with bug bites and sun burn.”

  There were several logs made into seats and we sat down to wait for the guide to arrive.

  “Look, that must be him”, Josh announced as we all looked as a jeep pulling a trailer with six kayaks on it stopped in front of the van. A tall muscular very handsome young man with dark hair stepped out of the van and started to approach us.

  Ellie jumped up from the log yelling, “Oh my gosh, Christian!” as she ran to meet him. The guide reached down and picked her up swinging her around as the biceps in his arms flexed.

  “Christian, I can’t believe it’s you. Are you our guide?”

  “Yes, I am, as he sat Ellie’s feet back on the ground. I talked to your Dad last night and he said you were with this group. How long has it been? Two
or three years?”

  “I think, it was before I started high school, so three years.”

  Ellie introduced Christian to everyone. I noticed Josh was a little annoyed, and then Ellie said looking at Josh. “Christian is my cousin, Josh.” I saw a slight smile cross Josh’s lips. I wondered if Josh liked Ellie and I might have seen a bit of jealousy. I will have to check on that later.

  “I am happy to be part of this group this morning and I want you to know kayaking is a fun sport, we can take it slow this morning and stay fairly close to the camp grounds. Most of the water is about hip deep, so if you fall out of your kayak, you can just stand up and get back in. I do have life jackets for each of you. It is a safety precaution. I will show you how to paddle and how to turn and to stop. It’s not like a bicycle or a car, kayaks have no brakes. You will learn how to control the slowing down, the turning and the stopping. Don’t expect it to stop on a dime. Has anyone in this group kayaked before today?”

  Mr. Sullivan indicated he and his Mrs. Sullivan had kayaked in the past and recently.

  “Mr. Sullivan , that’s good to know, I’m going to ask you and your wife be the last kayak, Ill lead the group then we will have a girl team, a boy team, Pastor Mike and Connie and then girl team and then the last boy team prior to you.”

  “Ellie, you and your friend will be behind me.”

  “Her name is Maria, Christian”.

  “Okay, you and Maria behind me.” Christian said smiling at Maria.

  Ellie smiled at me, as I felt my neck and cheeks get warm.

  “How long will we be out”? Josh asked.

  “After instructions, we should be on the water by 10, I’m thinking about two and a half hours and then head back to the camp grounds so you can rest and have your lunch. Christian told us just to walk behind the jeep, “it’s up this road to the site we can put the kayaks in the river, about a 7 minute walk”.

  Once the kayaks were in the water and we were lined up according to Christian’s instructions, he went through some safety instructions and we started out.

  During the morning, each of us felt comfortable with our beginning kayaking skills, the water was calm and the kayaks were easy to maneuver once we got our paddles in sync with our partner. Pastor Mike invited Christian to have lunch with us and he accepted.

  “If you like, after lunch, we can kayak down river and I will show you an Eagle’s nest. If we are lucky we may be able to see the eaglets, that’s what the babies are called. Then we can go further down river to the Historical site including the Indian Mounds.” Christian waited, as we all nodded our heads and pulled our kayaks up on the landing.

  After lunch, a brief rest period and a bathroom or outhouse break, Christian gave each kayak team a pair of binoculars. We put our kayaks back in the river in the same order as before and headed down river. Christian had told us at lunch, it would take about an hour to get to where we wanted to go, but he would point out some interesting sights along the way.

  “If you look to the right up toward those three tall pine trees, the one to the far right has an Eagle’s nest.”

  “I see it,” several called out.

  ‘How many of you know anything about Eagles?”

  “I know you can’t hunt them, they are like the US National Bird. Josh answered.

  “You are right Josh, the Bald Eagle has been the National Emblem of the United States since 1782, and has two federal laws that protect it. However, it is no longer on the endangered species list. Here in Florida we have about 1500 pairs of Eagles nesting each year.”

  Christian continued to give us information about the Eagles and their life in Florida.

  “The nest is used by the same pair of Eagles year after year and the pair stay together for most of their life. How big do you think that nest is?” Christian asked.

  “About the size of a picnic table? Josh asked

  Mrs. Sullivan said the size of a beach umbrella

  “Any other guesses?”

  Everyone was quiet.

  “It can actually be as large as a Volkswagen automobile. Eagles use their same nest year after year, they just keep adding to it each year. And both the male and the female take turns caring for and finding food for the babies.”

  We were all stunned. “When do they have their babies?” Ellie asked?

  “They start getting their nests ready here in Florida in October. They lay their eggs between December and January and the eggs hatch in about 35 days.”

  “Do they have only one set of eggs a year or several?” Mrs. Sullivan asked.

  “They usually have just one birthing a year, unless something happens to the eggs early on, then there are times they may produce additional set.

  I asked Christian, how many eggs do they lay?

  “The most is usually two eggs. They stay in the nest with their parents for about three months before they start to fly. Several weeks before they fly, they learn to exercise their wings in preparation for their first flight. Once they start flying they continue to stay with their Mom and Dad for another one to three months.

  Christian, you are so knowledgeable of the wildlife, are you studying the Environment or Wildlife in College. I asked.

  “Maria, I love the outdoors. When I turned thirteen, my parents told me I was adopted and we came here that summer for me to meet my biological grandmother. After that, I spent every August with my Grandmother Bena. I learned to kayak and I was able to volunteer at the Crystal River Preserve where I learned much of the history and started doing some part time jobs as a guide. When it was time for me to choose a college, I knew I wanted to come back to Florida and go to college here. I actually live with Grandma Bena and commute to school in Tampa. The director at the Preserve also lets me volunteer on the Tourist boat and give talks about Crystal River. I would like one day to be a Forest Ranger here at this park, but that’s a ways off.”

  I liked Christian, he was a genuine nice young man. He was friendly with everyone, the kids as well as the adults and he seemed to have a calming affect when he spoke and a real passion for nature. The fact that he was extremely handsome and had a great smile didn’t hurt either. We also had something in common, he didn’t know about yet. We were both adopted.

  As we approached the Indian Mounds, I could feel and hear a breeze rustling through the trees, “Doesn’t that feel wonderful, Ellie?”

  “What feels wonderful, Maria?”

  “The breeze it’s cool and it almost feels soft on my cheeks.”

  “Ellie, “what breeze what are you talking about?” as she turns to face me in the kayak.

  “You don’t feel it?”

  “NO!” I think you are just playing with me.” I don’t answer, but look past Ellie and see Christian, apparently he has heard our conversation. He doesn’t say a word, but our eyes connect and I see him smile before he turns back to paddle closer to the mounds.

  “We are here. This is the Crystal River State Archaeological site, it’s a 61 acre Florida State Park. It is believed that this area was occupied by Native American for over 1600 years. They traveled long distances to bury their dead here and to trade their goods. It has been estimated that some of the burials date back to 250 BC. There is a museum here with many of the artifacts of the tools from long ago. The largest mound is called Temple Mound and has 55 steps to reach the top. There is also an observation deck at the top with a great view of the river. Friday night there will be a presentation here if you are interested.”

  “Christian, how do you know when the burials started?” Josh asked.

  “It has to do with the types of items found buried during a particular time period. Different generations made different types of tools and often those items we call artifacts were discovered during archeological digs years ago. A museum is located on site with some pretty neat stuff, I think you would find interesting, if you have time to check it out while you are here.”

  “Thanks Christian, I’ll talk to Pastor Mike and see if there is time befo
re we head home on Sunday.”

  “We are going to continue down the river for a few minutes, there is a picnic area around the next bend, we can take a break before heading back.”

  I had just sat down at the picnic table and taken a bite of an apple, when Christian sat across from me.

  “Maria have you enjoyed the trip so far?”

  I held up a finger to indicate I had my mouth full. Ellie looked at me and then Christian, and giggled. She got up and left me alone with Christian and went and joined Josh and some of the others at another table. I felt my neck and face getting warm, an indication I was embarrassed.

  Christian continued to look at me as I finished chewing the apple piece in my mouth. I hunted for the Kleenex out of my pocket to wipe any spit from my lips before responding to his question.

  “Yes, it’s been fun and interesting, Christian. I never knew we had burial grounds where actual Indians were buried, at least I thought all that stuff was out west. “

  “I know, Christian responded, it’s a shame we don’t learn much about Native Americans in school. The schools in this area do teach some history on the subject. Unless you have an interest or you have tribal blood lines, most don’t inquire. I think most people find out about Crystal River and the history by accident. The county has a large tourist advertising budget, but they use it to advertise swimming with the manatees. People come from all over the world to swim with them.”

  “Christian, I am loving this trip. I loved the night hike last night and the creatures you never see during the day and the sounds, and stars. I want to go to the museum and the presentation on the Mounds tomorrow night. I just find it so fascinating, all of it”.

  He smiled, a smile that warmed my heart, his eyes seem to say, I understand how you feel.

  We all piled back into our kayaks and headed back toward the mounds and the camp site. Then something happened I couldn’t explain. As my kayak lined up with the mounds, I could hear drums being played, but no one else could hear them. I could also hear the rustling of wind in the trees, when the wind was not blowing, but no one else could.