by Jan Tilley
Stopping to take a drink from his bottle of water, he shook his head and tried to talk himself out of his own fear. “Come on dude. How are you gonna scare anyone when you’re such a chicken-shit yourself?” He took a deep breath and focused on the task at hand. As he walked, he made a mental list of what he needed to do, which helped keep his mind off the strange noises all around him.
The old house was dark and spooky as he unlocked the cellar door. The basement looked much different at night from how it did when he was there with Malachi in the daylight. Armed with a tiny flashlight that Malachi told him to use inside the house, he hurried up the dark staircase and into the kitchen.
The props were set and ready. All Travis had to do now was patiently wait for the visitors to show up. Luckily, there were only three of them in this group. It seemed easier to scare people when they were in smaller clusters.
Travis sat in the front room of the house, in an obscure dark corner waiting for them to show up. After a few minutes, his heart stopped racing and he became comfortable with his surroundings. His eyes grew heavy and his head began to tilt. Before he knew it, he was asleep.
Startled awake by a tap on his left shoulder, he jumped and cowered backwards into the corner. His heart raced as he looked back and forth trying to see who was there. His eyes desperately tried to focus in the darkness as he scootched back as far as he could possible go.
His hand rested on the floor beside him. Looking down, he realized that his ball cap had fallen from his bobbing head. The brim of the hat must have hit his shoulder as the cap fell to the ground. Taking a deep breath, he reassured himself that it was a viable explanation.
As he began to calm down, he heard whispers outside the window. Holding his breath, he listened intently with his eyes big and wide. He heard it again.
“Over here, guys. There’s a window. Maybe we can see inside over here.”
“Where are you, Sara?”
“I’m over here.”
Travis began to see faint flashlight trails shinning on the walls and ceiling. They were right outside the window by where he was sitting. This was going to be harder than he thought. He was trapped in the corner. Shaking his head and biting his lip, he whispered to himself, “Damn it. Why’d you fall asleep? How the hell do I get to the closet now?”
His black clothing helped camouflage his shape in the darkened room. Knowing that he was going to have to make a move, he took a deep breath and bolted for the nearby closet door. He kept low and scurried on all fours, quickly disappearing into the darkness.
He could hear one of the girls outside scream, “Oh shit you guys. Did you see that?”
“See what?” a male voice replied.
“I swear that I saw something. Either a ghost or an animal. Something moved over by the doorway.”
The guy reassured her, “It was probably just the shadows playing tricks on you. I can’t see much at all through this dirty ass window. Don’t worry. I’ll protect you. Plus, you have that damned amulet to keep you safe, remember?”
Travis slowly backed into the darkness until he was certain he would not be seen. Reaching along the wall, he found a small metal ring on a short chain. He gave it a quick tug and a secret door popped ajar. Sliding his fingers into the crack he pulled the door open just enough so that he could fit through.
The passage led him to the kitchen which gave him an open view to the living room from behind a small partition wall. If he stayed behind it, he couldn’t be seen by anyone standing at the window. It was a perfect place to set off his first prank.
On a table in an isolated back corner of the room sat a solitary tall black candle on a dusty old glass plate. Unbeknownst to the peeping toms, the candle could be remotely activated by a controller in Travis’s pocket. With the click of a button, the flame magically appeared.
Travis snickered as he heard frantic screams from outside the window.
“Holy shit. That freaking candle just lit on its own,” a female voice yelled.
All of the flashlight beams focused on the flickering black candle in the far corner of the room.
Travis strained to hear what the guy was saying. “Who the hell even uses black candles?”
“Devil worshipers!” a terrified female voice answered. “Please guys, let’s get outta here.”
“Are you kidding me? We came this whole way to see some freaky shit. We actually start to see it and you want to run home to Aunt Gigi? Hell no. Suck it up! This is awesome! I drove the car and I’m not going anywhere.”
“Please, Bobby! I really wanna leave.”
As she pleaded with him, Travis hit the button again and the candle blew out. Screams echoed off the ravine behind Miss Renay’s house and back to the scared crew. They heard the screams all around them and huddled together in a frightened mass of trembling bodies. Travis had to cover his mouth to keep from laughing out loud.
Just as they began to calm down and reassure themselves that it was okay, Travis pressed the button again and this time he hit a second button. The black candle re-lit, accompanied by a blood red candle beside it. They both flickered in the darkness, casting ominous shadows on the rotting walls.
“Shit, shit, holy shit,” the male voice said repeatedly.
“Come on, Bobby. Seriously, let’s go.”
Travis unhinged a piece of fishing line that was tied to a nail on the kitchen wall. He wrapped it around his fingers so that he could get a good grasp on it. Waiting patiently, he let the anticipation grow. Then, with one strong tug he yanked on the line and a Book of Spells and Potions flew off the bookshelf and crashed onto the middle of the dirty floor. A cloud of dust billowed up around the book. Travis quickly lowered the line to the ground and watched it disappear amidst the fog.
The two girls were begging by this point, almost in tears, pleading with Bobby to get them out of there. He stood firm with his eyes glued to the window, seeming to be in a state of shock.
Travis knelt down on one knee and grabbed the wire. With constant pressure he pulled on it until the book began to slowly creep across the floor at a snail’s pace.
The young man saw it first. “Shit, guys. Look.”
“Oh my gosh. Is it moving? Is it really moving, Bobby?”
“Uh-huh.” He sounded dumbfounded.
Travis inched it slowly across the room as the bystanders held their breath, watching, waiting to see what would happen next. When it was about four feet from the wall, Travis stopped pulling. He sat still for a moment and heard the teenagers begin whispering again.
Just as they seemed to calm down from the movement, he gave it a good strong tug and it flew the rest of the way across the room and into the kitchen, behind the protective wall where he was hiding. Screams echoed from the frightened girls out front. Even Bobby let out a loud scream that time.
Travis took a mask out of his pocket and placed it on his face and then pulled his black hoodie up around it. It was a white ski mask that completely covered his face. Slowly, he inched his way around the corner so that he could see part of the front window. He figured that if he could see them, they could see him.
It didn’t take long for the bloodcurdling screams to begin. Only half of his masked-face was exposed, the other half remained in the shadows. That was all it took for the frightened teenagers to panic.
Quickly stepping back, he made his way through the access door into the closet. As he stood in the darkness, he could see them frantically looking for the face to reappear around the kitchen corner. Instead, he stepped out of the shadows of the dark closet and held a faint flickering light under his chin, just enough to give the evil mask an eerie glow. It took the kids a moment to see him in the darkness, but when they did, they completely lost it.
“There’s another one. They’re all over!”
Travis stepped back into the shadows and took another remote control from his pocket. This was a key moment. Pushing the button firmly, he activated a recording in the woods behind the house. It was the faint
sound of a witch cackling in the darkness. As the sound grew stronger and increasingly wicked, neighborhood dogs began to howl. The cackling turned into sinister whispers and sounds of branches breaking that echoed off the ravine and bounced straight back to the teenagers. They were all looking off into the woods as Travis stepped closer to the window.
One of the young girls turned around and caught a glimpse of him in the moonlight. She dropped her flashlight and threw her hands over her face in terror as a scream emerged that was unlike any that Travis had ever heard before.
The guy grabbed her arm and drug her through the brush. Their poor feet couldn’t move fast enough and they tripped over each other racing to their car. All three piled in and they peeled out, fishtailing down the gravel road.
Travis leaned back against the wall and removed his mask. Sweat had beaded up on his brow and upper lip. Not only was it warm inside the mask and hoodie, but his nerves didn’t help either.
He had no idea how much fun it would be to pull off a prank like this. He didn’t want to take any chances so he stayed in the shadows, even though the teenagers were long gone by now. Sitting in the dark corner, he had to laugh. This had been a great night and he felt quite accomplished.
It was time to gather his toys and head on home. He picked up the candles from the corner table and placed them gently into a paper sack. As he turned to pick up the book of spells off the floor, he couldn’t find it. He took out his small pocket flashlight and scoured the floor, following the path into the kitchen where he’d yanked it to. It was nowhere to be found.
He leaned against the wall where he’d hid when he pulled the book across the floor and scratched his chin as his eyes searched the area. Retracing his actions, he eventually looked over at the bookshelf. His eyes grew wide and he held his breath when he realized that the book was neatly back up on the bookshelf where it had started from.
Travis squinted and shook his head, saying, “That can’t be! What the hell?” Goose bumps rose on his arms and his neck hairs bristled. Grabbing his supply sack, he quickly made a mad dash for the secret doorway which led to the old fruit cellar out back.
Hunched over, making his way through the eerie dark tunnel, he found himself constantly looking back over his shoulder wishing that he’d brought a more powerful flashlight. Travis didn’t scare too easily, but he was completely freaked out by the book. There was no way that it could have gotten back on the shelf by itself. Something else was in that house with him. The mere thought sent chills down his spine.
Once safely inside the cellar, he was afraid to move. He stood there for several minutes with his back against the cold brick wall, trying to muster up the courage to step outside for the lonely walk home. His own breathing began to scare him even more. Taking a couple of deep breaths, he got up the nerve to open the creaky old door and head out alone into the darkness.
As much as he tried to focus on the walk, he couldn’t help but hear every little noise around him. Every branch that he stepped on and broke sounded like it came from behind him. He could have sworn that he heard whispering in the woods.
The front door of the old mill was such a welcoming sight. He sprinted to it and fumbled with his keys. Once inside, he quickly turned and locked the door behind him. He stood safely behind the strong oak door and held it closed as he cautiously stared out the windows into the darkness. Trying to catch his breath, he rubbed his face and grinned. “Wow, that was fun. I haven’t been that scared in a long time. Hope I can sleep tonight.”
The next morning, Travis couldn’t stop smiling. All their plans had gone off without a hitch. The teenagers had high-tailed it out of the hollow as quick as their car would take them.
Travis couldn’t help but laugh. They had all stopped into the shop and picked up their trinkets and beverages for the long night ahead. They were so brave, until stuff started to happen. Then they ran like little girls afraid of their own shadows. It was hilarious. That ranked up there as one of the best nights of Travis’s life.
As they sat at the kitchen table, Travis shared all the details of the previous night with Malachi. With a big smile, he said, “I see why you like it so much. I have to admit, it was a lot of fun.”
Malachi couldn’t have been more pleased with his young friend. He’d pulled it off with flying colors. Confidence steadily rose in him, as he realized Travis really was ready to handle things on his own.
Sunday brought the last of the holiday visitors into the store. Halloween weekend had been a huge success and the store raised enough money to see them through the dark days of winter. Malachi relied on this weekend, knowing that it would yield over twenty-five percent of his entire year’s profit, in just a few days. They were busy from dawn to dusk and even stayed open into the night to catch the last few stragglers.
Later that evening as the two relaxed in their easy chairs, exhausted from the hectic weekend, there was a frantic knock on the door. Malachi and Travis hesitantly walked to the front and peered out through the sparkling clean panes of glass. Malachi recognized them. It was a couple who had been in the store earlier that day. They looked terrified and begged them to open the door.
No sooner had Travis flipped the lock, the pair bolted inside. “Something’s after us. Help us please!”
Travis poked his head out the door and looked around. He closed and locked it, shaking his head at Malachi. “I don’t see anything.”
“It’s out there. I swear. We’re not crazy.”
Malachi tried to calm and comfort them. “Start at the beginning folks and tell me what happened.”
The man excitedly jumped in. “We were at Cry Baby Bridge. We turned off our car and yelled for the baby to make itself known, just like your book says to do.” His eyes grew wide. “It started to come after us. We could hear it, clear as day.”
Travis tried not to laugh as Malachi reassured them. “It was probably just the wind.”
The woman shook her head, vehemently and replied, “No. It most definitely was not the wind. We both heard it. I pulled out your amulet and rubbed it for protection. The sounds got louder. Then, I thought I saw something in the water. I got really scared and we ran back to the car. We tried to get away, but as hard as we tried, we couldn’t get our car to start.”
The fella chimed in, “We ran the whole way here. Please help us.”
Malachi put his hand on the man’s shoulder. Through the thick wool jacket, he could feel him trembling. “Of course we’ll help you. Let’s get you something to drink and then we’ll go have a look at your car.” He winked at Travis and said, “How about you grab some jumper cables and pull the truck up front, while I get these fine folks a glass of lemonade.”
Travis nodded, holding back a grin. “Yes, sir.”
They began to catch their breath as they sipped the sweet lemonade. The woman was very gracious. “Thank you so much. We really do appreciate your help.”
“Not a problem at all. Maybe it’s something simple with your car. If not, we’ll call for a tow truck and get you squared away.”
Travis hopped in the back of Rosie. Malachi and the couple squeezed into the cab. Luckily it was a short drive to the bridge. The woman sat in the middle, wild eyed and scared out of her mind, rubbing that amulet like it was a precious treasure. “These woods are so dark at night.”
“That they are. I don’t go out much at night. Strange things happen in these woods, especially at night.” He patted her hand and she jumped a bit. “Don’t worry, Miss. We’ll take good care of you.” She felt comforted by the older man. She looked into his eyes and intuitively felt like she could trust him.
The couple were afraid to get out of the truck when they reached the bridge. Malachi smiled and reassured them. “You folks wait here and we’ll take a look at your car.” Travis jumped into the driver’s seat and gave it a try. He gave it some gas and after a moment, it started right up. The man shook his head and opened the passenger door of the truck. “That’s so strange. It wasn’t going any
where earlier.” The young woman gave Malachi a hug and jumped into their car, quickly locking the door behind her. The fella came around and shook both of their hands. “Thank you so much for your help. I feel kinda silly.”
Malachi nodded. “It’s no problem at all. You folks stay safe and you know where we are if you have any more trouble.”
She leaned over and yelled out the window. “There will be no more trouble, because we are leaving just as fast as we can.”
Malachi smiled at her. “Probably a good idea. These woods play tricks on you at night. You folks be careful now, okay?”
They nodded. “We will. Thanks again.” And off they went into the darkness.
Travis looked at Malachi and began to laugh. “What the heck was that?”
“Folks get spooked easily out here. They try to make a quick get-away and usually flood their engines. It just needs a little time to rest and it’ll start right up. Fear does funny things to people. Thank goodness, because it sure makes our job a lot easier!”
“She was freaked out. Almost seemed loopy. And she was sure lovin’ on that amulet. I recognized it. That was one that I made.”
“Whatever it takes to make them feel safe. We’re here to serve.”
“You mean we’re here to scare.”
Malachi elbowed Travis. “Yeah, that too. Hallucinations play strange tricks on one’s mind. Folks make this so dang easy. And, I told you that the tourists love your amulets. They pick yours over mine nine times outta ten.”
“Yeah, whatever.” Travis replied shyly.
“Believe it or not, it’s the truth.” Malachi pulled the collar of his flannel shirt up around his neck and said, “Come on, there’s a chill in the air. Let’s get on home.”
That next morning was tough on Malachi. Watching Travis drive away in Rosie alone was one of the hardest things he’d done in a long time. Rosie was his baby. He took great pride in her. Shaking his head and taking a deep breath, he said to himself, “Snap out of it old man. It’s time to pass over the reins to the next generation. Travis is a good kid. He can be trusted and will do a fine job. Now, let it go and have a little faith!”
