Ghost: Books of the Dead - Fantasy Best Seller and Supernatural Teen Book: (Ghost, Occult, Supernatural, Occult and Supernatural)

by John Stone

  “Kimberly!” The old couple called out to her and the waitress looked up at them.

  “Yes Mrs. Jenkins,” she asked.

  “Is there a problem?” they asked.

  This time Grace grasped the situation. The couple had mistaken the conversation for a spat. Grace had been part of restaurant arguments and was aware of how they turned ugly at times. The locals always tried to prevent it. This time, it was no different and Grace needed to handle the situation fast. So before any more words were exchanged, she calmly smiled at the waitress.

  She asked, “Can I have a look at today’s newspaper?”

  “Ah, sure, Miss, why didn’t you ask before?”

  The waitress rushed over to the newsstand and quickly came back to the table. She handed her the local newspaper. Grace took the first bite of the cold pancakes. They taunted her taste buds, but she had only herself to blame. Grace decided to finish the food quickly and get out of the place before she could draw any more attention. There weren’t any significant incidents that she found in the paper, other than small feats and environmental news. At that moment, she understood why the story about the Keaton sister had caused so much stir in the first place. Nothing happened here at all.

  Soon, Grace was out of the diner and made her way towards the Internet café. She checked the address again to make sure she was going the right way. After a turn and a few blocks, she was standing in front of the café. Grace made her way inside and hoped for a much younger crowd. There was a handsome young manager sitting at the front desk. Grace’s eyes caught the details of piercings in his ears and small ink marks around his wrist and arms. The young man caught Grace looking at him and although Grace was mildly embarrassed by her own reaction, she didn’t let that show in her face. Instead, she walked up to where the manager was sitting and saw that he was about her age.

  “I want to use one of your computers,” she told him.

  The manager guided her towards an empty spot before getting back to what he was doing. Grace looked up at him once, but by then he was already busy with his work. Grace then looked around her to see if there was anyone else working in the café. There was one young girl with head phones on humming to some music in one corner, and a middle-aged man sitting opposite her who was immersed in his computer screen. Grace chuckled to herself and wondered if they knew about her as well.

  At first, she tried checking about the town’s history on the internet. She looked up its people, local schools and places to visit. There was nothing remarkable about that. Then, she read about the local library, but nowhere was there any mention of the Keaton siblings or the incident that locals said that put them on the map. Grace tried searching again, but came up with similar results all the time. Exasperated, she hit the key buttons too hard. It made the young manager and the man sitting opposite her take notice.

  “I am sorry” Grace said.

  She looked down and gave a last try to find some information about the Keatons. Her efforts were all futile and the frustration was starting to show on her face. There simply was no information on what she wanted to know.

  Grace then remembered to call the number that was copied in her notebook. If she could get an appointment, then she’d leave immediately to meet Mr. Joseph. She had to inform Emily as well. She noticed a phone on the manager’s counter and brooded over whom to call first, and while she stood there thinking, she saw the young manager looking and smiling at her. She smiled back in return, but didn’t make any phone calls.

  “Hi, I am Larry. You new here?” he asked.

  Grace was about to offer her pretend name, but she was in a town where nobody knew anything about her. There weren’t many people who knew her at all. They knew her by her face only, and she thought it was pointless to offer another false name. Although she did want to tell him her real name, she couldn’t at this time. Instead, she paid what was due in cash, offered a gentle smile again and walked toward the door.

  “Thanks a lot,” she said and waved.

  Pondering over too much on things was never Grace’s thing. She was normally quite carefree. So this time, she didn’t want to think too deeply, but her mind went back to Larry’s face. He looked puzzled when she didn’t give her name in return. For a split second, she wanted to make amends with that, but it was too late now. Thus, Grace kept walking in search of a PC or a shop where she could use the phone without anyone noticing. Her wish was granted when she saw a little hardware store nearby.

  There must be a phone in there, she thought and walked into the shop.

  It was a typical store full of hardware supplies and people going about their business. Some were buying and others were looking at the products on the shelf. Nobody noticed her while she walked through the store. She went directly near the payment counter, assuming there would be a phone there. However, while walking there, she felt a little awkward and thus turned back around. She decided to get a few things before asking for the phone.

  Grace found a shiny green screwdriver and decided to buy two of them. She took them to the counter, and like the café, she decided to pay in cash. After the deal was done, she asked if she could make a phone call and offered an explanation to the cashier that she had left her phone behind. The cashier didn’t say anything to make her feel uncomfortable, instead directed her towards where the phone was kept. She reached up to the phone hastily and knew that she was inching closer to the information that she was hoping to receive. She took out her notebook and looked to see if someone was watching her. She scolded herself for being so suspicious lately, but then Mr. Kourim’s words rang in her mind about how he had asked her to be careful the other day. Grace dialed the number and waited for someone to answer. No one answered, and Grace tried again and again until finally, she heard a woman’s voice on the other end.

  “Hello, who is this?”

  Grace heard an accent which made it hard to understand, so she remained quiet until the person asked her the question again. Grace was glad that someone finally picked up the phone, but the voice on the other end didn’t sound too welcoming. She bit her lip before continuing.

  “May I speak with Mr. Joseph?” Grace asked softly.

  “Who is calling?” The voice on the other end demanded sharply.

  Grace was intimidated a little, but she didn’t give up her cool. She looked around again, and then calmly said, “I am a reporter and Mr. Joseph is one of the oldest people in this town, so it would benefit me if I’m allowed to interview him.”

  This time Grace hoped the voice on the other end would believe her lie. She knew her story didn’t have long legs to run on and would eventually be of no use to her. There was silence for several minutes before she heard a sound on the other end.

  “No, you cannot,” the woman said sternly, and then continued to say, “because he is sick and doesn’t wish to speak to anyone.”

  Without saying anything else, the woman on the other end slammed the phone down. Grace was stunned and was holding the receiver in her hand when the cashier asked if she was done with the call. She wanted to make another call so she asked for just a few more minutes. She had to get that appointment, but there was no way of getting it with that lady in the way.

  Maybe I should seek the help of Mr. Kourim again, she thought.

  Grace didn’t want to bother him over and over again. Grace tried the number again, and this time she braced herself. The moment the lady heard Grace’s voice, her tone changed. She clearly intended not to convey the message to Mr. Joseph and insisted that he had no desire to speak with her whatsoever. Grace couldn’t understand why the lady was reacting in such a manner.

  “Mrs. West,” said Grace. “I got this number from her.”

  Grace hoped that this name would work, but the lady seemed unmoved by it. She was obviously displeased by the phone call and asked Grace not to bother them anymore. There was no point wasting time in the store. She had worn out her welcome. The cashier was giving her looks every now and then. The whole experienc
e was making her uncomfortable. For Grace, walking out was the finest option.

  “I should just go back to Mr. Kourim,” Grace decided.

  Then, she looked at the screwdrivers in her hand. She laughed at herself for buying those for no reason. She looked for the nearest dumpster to throw them away, but when she didn’t find any, she stored them in her back pack. The road to Mr. Kourim’s house was in the opposite direction. Yet having been to his house the previous day, Grace thought she knew exactly where it was. The only problem was that the roads all seemed too similar. She asked a couple of people passing by to verify if she was going in the right direction.

  It took her nearly twenty minutes to reach his house. There was a slight chill in the air, and Grace’s throat felt parched. She crossed the lawn, which was covered with brown and orange leaves. Then, she paced up the porch of Mr. Kourim’s house. This time, Mr. Kourim opened the door himself with his wife standing beside him. Grace gave a familiar smile to him and his wife. Only the wife didn’t return it to her. Mr. Kourim sounded exceptionally happy to see her, but his wife was nonplused.

  “June, my girl, come inside. You look hungry, would you like something?” he asked.

  “I'm fine, Mr. Kourim,” Grace replied, sounding a bit desperate. “And I’m not here for the food.”

  “Why don’t you sit down,” he suggested.

  “I can do with some water,” Grace politely said.

  She was in no position to speak with her throat so dry. Grace gulped down the water, and Mr. Kourim waited for her to finish it. His wife busies herself in the kitchen but kept an ear to their conversation.

  “What brings you by again today?” Mr. Kourim asked without any deliberation. “So you need my help, lady?” he asked kindly.

  Grace looked towards him and nodded her head. “As much as I didn’t want to bother you, the truth is that I do need your help. I am at a loss and stuck; I don’t know what to do.”

  “What happened exactly?” Mr. Kourim questioned.

  “The lady at Mr. Joseph’s residence refused to give me an appointment,” she explained. “I called twice, but she dismissed it completely and strictly forbid me to call there again. I gave Mrs. West’s name, but it was of no avail. She refused to recognize anyone and stated that she doesn’t care at all. What am I supposed to do in this situation?”

  “What do you want me to do?” he asked instead.

  “Perhaps you can get an appointment for me, but I hope I am not asking too much.”

  Grace was sure that he would refuse. Mr. Kourim was a stranger and he had already done so much for her. It wasn’t like he was young guy who could run all over town. Age had gotten the better of Mr. Kourim, as well. Grace held out hope that there might be a chance. Mr. Kourim looked the type who would help a young girl in need, no matter what that might be. He didn’t say a thing at first, and listened to every word that Grace said. She saw a little sadness in his eyes. He was lonely. A long silence followed and Grace could feel the silence penetrate to her bones. It was a somber silence that sapped away her resolve.

  “It’s okay, really,” she said, changing her mind. “Just forget it, sir.”

  “Sit here and I will be back.”

  He left without saying anything else. Grace couldn’t interpret why she saw the sadness in his eyes, but her query was answered soon after. Mr. Kourim came out of the back room with a photograph of a young girl. She was just a little younger than Grace, smiling cheerfully in the photograph.

  “Who is she?” Grace asked, half-knowing the answer herself.

  “She is my daughter, Emily, and you remind me so much of her. I cannot help but assist you.”

  A sense of guilt struck Grace. She regretted dragging this old man into her mission, especially in the manipulative way she had gone about doing it. Yet, offering her apology in this situation seemed both unfair and untimely. So she remained quiet. Mr. Kourim was the one to break the silent first.

  He read her facial expression and said, “I am fine. I will help you, young lady. Give me the number,” he told her, reaching out his wrinkly hand.

  “Here, take this,” said with a smile.

  Grace handed her notebook to Mr. Kourim. He took the notebook from Grace’s hands and lifted his glasses to view the number. He squinted his eyes a few time and then he dialed it. Like it happened with Grace, there was no answer in the beginning, but then Grace heard a harsh voice from the other end. Then, Mr. Kourim simply said his name and Grace could hear the voice on the other end calming down slowly. Mr. Kourim wrote something down on the notebook and thanked the lady before putting the receiver down.

  He asked Grace, “Do you wish for me to accompany you?”

  “No,” she quickly replied. “I don’t want you to bother anymore. You have done too much for me already and I am indebted to you.”

  Grace was more than thankful towards Mr. Kourim, but she didn’t want him to accompany her to Mr. Joseph's house. She didn’t want to tell him everything behind her motivations. Besides, her curious mind wanted to know what prompted the otherwise gruff lady on the phone to allow an interview with Mr. Joseph.

  Grace couldn’t contain her curiosity anymore and asked him, “What made her agree with you? She didn’t even want to listen to me, not even when I said that I got his name from Mrs. West. Then you talked to her and everything was set. This is just amazing … how did you do this?”

  “I know a little secret of his,” Mr. Kourim said cheekily, but he didn’t elaborate on it.

  “There is a secret?” Grace asked playfully. “Mr. Joseph seems to be quite the mysterious person.”

  “No more mysterious than you are, June,” Mr. Kourim suddenly said, and it caught her off-guard.

  “What do you mean by that?” Grace asked, but in reality, she understood what Mr. Kourim meant by that.

  She was really not telling him who she was. Grace felt a little guilty and she hated lying this time. Especially, as this stranger was doing so much for her, but her hands were tied. She had come a long way with her lies and even if she told the truth now, Mr. Kourim probably wouldn’t believe her. Grace kept her head down and tried to act innocent. She asked again what he meant by what he said.

  “I think you should go quickly before she changes her mind and cancels the meeting,” he said, changing the subject for Grace’s sake.

  “What is her name?” Grace asked before leaving.

  “We call her Samantha or Sammy, at times. She is not like she sounds; in fact, she is a very nice in person. She might have been a little shaken when you called this morning, so her response was not all that polite, but this time I am sure it will be different.” Mr. Kourim sounded very sure when he uttered those words, and Grace believed him.

  Before leaving Mr. Kourim's house, she wanted to say who she really was, but when she turned back around, he was already out of the room. She lost the opportunity to tell him anything. Once she was out of the house, Grace checked what was scribbled in the notebook. She found the address written down with the directions, and Grace estimated that the house could possibly be far away. It would take time to get there and there wasn’t a car in sight. Grace didn’t want to hitchhike, so she started walking. Just then, Mr. Kourim stopped her, poking his head out of the doorway.

  He tossed her his scooter keys and asked, “Do you know how to ride, young lady?”

  Grace stood there looking at the keys and nodded her head.

  “Good, then you’ll need it,” he said. “I’ve parked it over there.” He slid out from behind the door and showed her where the old-fashioned scooter model was standing. “It will take a long while if you walk, so take this.”

  “Oh, Mr. Kourim, you are so kind. How can I ever repay you,” Grace asked? She was completely overwhelmed by his generosity. All she could do was stand there dumbfounded.

  “Save it,” he said, “and you better hurry.”

  He gave her one final approving look before leaving his keys with her. Grace walked up to the scooter and
took a good look at it. The color had worn out in some areas and it looked heavily used and roughed up. Grace could smell a strong scent of gas coming from the body when she sniffed at it. There was no helmet in sight, but Grace decided that she would need one for the distance that she was traveling. She throttled out of the driveway and headed over to the hardware store. The trip to the store gave her a chance to get used to driving the old scooter. She bought a helmet there and although it wasn’t very stylish, she figured it would do the job. Then, she was off to her appointment with Mr. Joseph. If she hurried, she’d still make it on time.

  The outside of Mr. Joseph’s house looked demure and neglected. Of course, Grace knew why. He was under care and there was hardly anyone else to look after the house. It was a shame because from the looks of it, the house seemed big enough for two people to reside in. Grace looked around a little before walking up to the front door. The sides of the house weren’t cleaned of the leaves that lay round and the yard was a colorful mess.

  The front porch was littered with items. There was a small rabbit cage on one side of the porch, nestled beside a big easy chair, which was broken on one side. The rabbit was nibbling on a short carrot piece. As Grace walked towards it, the small creature looked up towards her face with bright red eyes. The furry creature looked like it meant to say something. She sat down on the first step to marvel at the little rabbit. Grace was fond of animals and the furry creature kept her engaged for a few minutes. She lost herself on the steps for a moment, but a scratch and pull from the front door attracted her gaze. She looked up towards the door where a figure stood behind the screen. Grace knew who she was from the irritated look on her face. Grace promised herself not to be intimidated by her, so she stood up and introduced herself formally. “Hello, I am June and I have an appointment with Mr. Joseph,” she said confidently. After the lady stood there blankly for a moment, Grace added, “So will you please let me in?”