THE GHOSTLY CHRONICLES

by D T Yarbrough

  Jack and Rita looked at each other with looks of excitement and anticipation. In a few minutes the cart came to a halt near the other end of the tunnel. Elvis unlocked and opened a door. They all went inside and Elvis closed the door behind them. Opening a drawer in his desk, Elvis pulled out a diary and handed it to Jack. The first page was dated about ten years after Elvis's suspected death. As Jack flipped through the diary, reading bits here and there, it became clear that Elvis had written this. There were gaps of three to four years throughout the diary. The last entry was dated about two years ago.

  "This will take some time to read all of this. Will it give us enough answers so that we can help you?" asked Jack.

  Elvis shrugged. "Should I read the whole thing?" Jack asked.

  Elvis nodded "Yes."

  "Then we better get back to the motel. It's getting late and I've got a lot of reading to do," Jack said.

  Elvis picked up a pencil and piece of paper and wrote "You're welcome to stay here. There are several sofas and another bedroom. I don't mind the company and these rooms are not monitored by the security system."

  "Rita and I will still have to get something to eat. I'm sure she's as hungry as I am," said Jack.

  "I can get you into the kitchen. I've had to trick the security system a few times so I could bring objects in here. There won't be anyone around at this time of night," Elvis wrote. He turned to Rita and wrote, "Would you join me for dinner, ma'am?"

  After dinner Jack settled down in a comfortable recliner and began reading. Rita listened to some of Elvis's records on an old record player. Elvis took the teenage ghost on a tour of Graceland. A few hours later they returned as Jack was finishing the diary. "It doesn't say what type of terminal illness you were diagnosed with," Jack said.

  "I can't remember. I never was much good at understanding that medical mumbo jumbo," Elvis wrote.

  "So you hired a doctor to find a cure or a way to help you last till a cure could be found?" Jack asked. Elvis nodded.

  "Any idea what woke you after ten years in hibernation?" Jack asked. Elvis shook his head "No."

  "Where did you learn transcendental meditation?" Jack asked.

  "From my karate coach," wrote Elvis.

  "So you were able to leave your body. After you discovered the doctor was killed in a car accident, it says you spent some time trying to find his ghost or anyone that could help you. Finally you became exhausted and had to return to your body. The next time you left your body you saw that you had grown a beard. You had aged slightly due to exerting all that energy. So you shaved your body's beard to make you more recognizable and decided to spend most of your time in a trance in your bed. Since you couldn't go to them, you let thousands of people a day come to you," Jack said.

  Elvis nodded.

  "So the doctor is dead. You made him keep all of this a secret, and you don't know what illness you have or how to bring your body out of hibernation," Jack said. "This is going to take longer than we anticipated."

  "We don't have much time. The nutrient supply that is keeping my body alive is running low," Elvis wrote.

  Three weeks later Jack and Rita were sitting in Jack's apartment talking about all that they had learned while helping the teenage ghost they had met at Graceland. Jack had gone to answer the doorbell. Jack walked back into the room holding a letter. What do you suppose this is. There's no return address. It simply says "Do not Return to Sender." "You don't suppose..."

  "Open it, Jack," said Rita.

  "It's a letter from Elvis. I'll read it to you," said Jack.

  Dear Jack and Rita,

  I just wanted to let you know how things are going. Amos is working out fine as my new business manager. He is no longer drinking. Thanks so much for recommending him. We got the results of the blood test. New testing techniques showed the original diagnosis was a false positive. I wasn't dying after all. There is the possibility that I will awaken if the nutrient feed is stopped, but more testing is needed. My body and I are not in a hurry to take the chance.

  I've been talking with Lisa Marie on My Space. I don't think she believes it's really me, but she's already treating me like a father. I took your advice and re-entered my body more frequently. I am not as forgetful and I'm already starting to remember some of what I thought I had forgotten. My body seems like the twin brother I never knew. It's having happier dreams than before.

  I know what they said about my death, and I want you to know that I did not abuse drugs. My life was so fastpaced and I had so little time to myself that I sometimes blew up at my friends. I told them it was the drugs. After that if I wanted to be alone I would pretend to be high on drugs. I didn't want to hurt their feeling by telling them to leave me alone. Someday I hope my fans will know the truth; that I didn't desert them by choice.

  In case I haven't already said it, Thank You, Thank You Very Much.

  Elvis Aaron Presley

  MOON SHADOW

  "But I need you to come with me, Rita," said Jack. "It's only for two weeks, three at the most."

  "The last two week trip lasted a month, and we drove clear across the country before it was done," Rita said.

  "We only have to drive to Houston, I promise," Jack pleaded.

  "Just to Houston. You promise. Well okay, if it's that important," Rita said.

  The next morning they were on the road. "What's this all about Jack? I can't believe I didn't ask when you were begging me to come along," Rita said.

  "It's a ghost problem, as usual, but I believe there was foul play," Jack said. "It may take two of us to watch each other's back."

  "Wake me when you need me to drive," said Rita. "I didn't get much sleep last night. I had a lot of things to finish so that I could leave today."

  Jack should have told her, but what if she had refused to go. This would be a lonely trip without her. She'll understand. She'd do the same thing for one of her ghosts. It was almost noon and Jack was getting sleepy now. He needed some coffee and wouldn't turn down a meal. He saw a sign advertising a truck stop a few miles ahead. "Wake up, Rita," Jack said. "I'm going to stop in a few minutes at this truck stop up ahead. Are you getting hungry yet?"

  "I could use a cup of coffee and a light meal. How long were you driving?" Rita asked.

  "A little over six hours. We're over halfway there," Jack said.

  "I told you I would drive some. You should have waked me," Rita said. "I must have been sleepier than I thought."

  "I'll go fill up the car if you'll get the check and then you can drive," Jack said as he drank his last sip of coffee. "Wehave to drive clear across Houston in rush hour traffic before we get a motel."

  After making sure Rita knew her directions Jack nodded off. "We're almost into Houston ... Jack ...wake up," Rita said.

  "Already. I guess I was pretty sleepy too. Now I'll be up all night," Jack said. "Just stay on this highway all the way through town. I'll drive if you want me to."

  "No. I'm fine for a little longer. I'll let you know," Rita said.

  "I was thinking. It's silly to pay for two rooms when we could get a king-sized bed," Jack said sheepishly.

  "Since when are you concerned with saving money. You've got more money than the Vatican," Rita replied.

  "Well, I thought it sounded like a good idea at the time," Jack said.

  "Actually, you're right. We're friends and I know I can trust you. Can I trust you, Jack?" Rita asked.

  "Sure, Rita. You can trust me," Jack replied.

  "Wake up, Jack. It's morning. What are you doing on the sofa?" Rita asked.

  "The mattress was a little on the firm side. I was more comfortable on the sofa," Jack replied. "Did you get enough rest?"

  "Slept like a baby," Rita replied. "If you don't mind, I'll take a shower first."

  "Need me to wash your back. That's what I'm here for," Jack said.

  "You said watch each other's back, Jack," Rita replied.

  "I could do that too," Jack replied.

  "Now Jack, af
ter last night, we both know you're harmless," Rita said as she let her gown drop to the floor

  before entering the bathroom.

  "Damn," Jack thought. "Women."

  Jack walked over to the bathroom door and gave the knob a twist. "Damn," he said. "Locked."

  ...................

  As Jack turned into the entrance of the Johnson Space Center he could see the look on Rita's face though he tried desperately to avoid her glance. "Jack Weston and Rita Richards to see the commanding officer," Jack told the guard.

  "Go right in. He's expecting you. Follow the green signs," said the guard.

  Jack followed the green signs to the base headquarters. Rita followed closely behind as Jack walked up to the receptionist's desk. "Go right in. He's expecting you," the officer said.

  "You must be Jack, General Dwight D. Wilcox here, and what can I do for you?" the general asked.

  "I understand you are the commanding officer in charge of Space Stations 1 and 2 as well as the Luna 1 moon base," said Jack. " I have a question for you and I need an honest answer. You know who sent me here and that gives me top secret clearance."

  "Just how do you know the President?" the general asked.

  "You might say I was very close to his dear deceased mother," Jack said.

  The President hadn't sent Jack here, he had simply gotten Jack in the door as a favor. He had no idea what Jack was up to.

  "Okay, what's your question?" the general said.

  "I was watching a program on TV the other night and it said that there had not been a single fatality on either space station or on Luna 1. Have there been any disappearances that have not been accounted for?" Jack asked.

  "Why yes, a couple of them. But that was never released to the public," said the general.

  "We'll need two top clearance passes on the next shuttle to Space Station 1," Jack demanded. "The president wants us to investigate."

  "Space Station 1, I'm going to kill you, Jack," Rita said as they entered the car. "So we only have to drive to Houston. That's not funny, Jack."

  Jack followed the directions on the card that the officer had handed him until he reached the launching pad. They were all ready loading passengers and cargo. Jack opened the trunk and asked one of the soldiers to take care of getting their luggage aboard. He and Rita got in line behind the others.

  "Now Rita, this is perfectly safe. I've read all about it. Why, on their maiden voyage last week the trip was quite uneventful. This new technology is much safer than flying."

  "I still can't believe you've talked me into going to the space station," Rita replied.

  Jack and Rita entered the shuttle and followed the others down a long hallway to a large room. Passengers were finding seats and fastening their seatbelts. The seats were securely fastened to the floor of the room. The shuttle itself was a large cube. Cargo was stored in areas between the passenger section and the outer walls. It served as protection from cosmic rays. Two cables, passing through the shuttle, stretched from Earth to Space Station 1 in geosynchronous orbit 1000 miles above. These cables supplied power to the space station and the shuttle would tap some of this power to run its magnetrons and power the life support.

  "Are you doing research on SS1?" asked a stranger in the next seat.

  "Just passing through," Jack replied.

  "Passing through? To where Jack ... passing through to where!" Rita exclaimed.

  "Didn't I tell you? We're going to Luna 1 Colony on the moon," Jack said.

  "The moon, have you completely lost your mind? You said we would be back in 2-3 weeks," Rita screamed.

  "We should be. It only take a couple of hours to get to SS1. A short flight to SS2 and 36 hours on the lunar shuttle," Jack said.

  "I thought you hated flying," Rita remarked.

  "I hate flights over 10 minutes. This one won't last that long. You see ... SS2 is in a moving orbit that always keeps it between the earth and moon. That way cables could be run from it to the surface of the moon, just like the cables from Earth and SS1. Once a day SS1 and SS2 pass within a few miles of each other. The flight from SS1 to SS2 is very short at that time of day," Jack said.

  "Fasten your seat belts. We are preparing for take off," said the pretty flight attendant on the large viewing screen. In a few minutes the screen was showing the Earth becoming smaller and smaller. "Feel free to roam about the cabin. You will be notified if you need to return to your seats. We accelerate at a constant rate of 1g. The gravity you feel is equivalent to earth's gravity. In about 30 minutes you will be asked to return to your seats. There will be a brief period of weightlessness in which you will transfer to the seats attached to what is now the ceiling. Maintain a tight grip on the ropes while making this transition and have your paper bag handy. Throwing up in zero gravity is not a pleasant sight. We will then begin deceleration at a slower rate which will duplicate the space station's gravity. Be sure to walk around at that time to become accustomed."

  A while later, during the weightless period, a person near Rita missed their paper bag and the odor was pungent. "Jack, you're so lucky they didn't allow me to bring a weapon on board," said Rita. In a few minutes the room smelled like honeysuckles and the attendants had used hand held vacuums to remove all the droplets that were floating around. A while later they were all filing out of the shuttle and onto the space station.

  Jack and Rita had about three hours before their flight to SS2. They decided to look around. There were booths everywhere selling everything from souvenirs to tooth-brushes. Jack and Rita walked over to one of the viewing windows where they could see Earth. What an amazing sight! "I should have brought my camera," Rita said. "Wait here while I go buy one." Rita hurried off as Jack continued to look at the Earth, trying to make out the different continents. Rita returned in a couple of minutes and began snapping pictures.

  After boarding their flight, Rita turned to Jack and asked, "How did you know about the disappearances, Jack?"

  "I was watching live documentary on Luna 1 and I saw a ghost standing near one of the speakers. When they mentioned that there had been no fatalities, I had a feeling that something was definitely wrong," Jack said.

  As they entered SS2 they saw that it was almost a duplicate of SS1. They decided to get something to eat before they boarded the lunar shuttle. Surprisingly, the food wasn't much more expensive than airport food back on earth. With the multi-daily shuttles the cost to transport items was rapidly dropping. The food wasn't all that good, but it was filling and they didn't know what would be available on the shuttle.

  In a few hours they were aboard the shuttle and headed for the moon. Just before takeoff the large video screen activated. The same pretty flight attendant reminded them to fasten their seatbelts. "After takeoff, you may move around freely. Through the doors directly in front of you, you will find the buffet, to your left is the casino and to your right are the movie theatres. To your rear are the sleeping compartments. Your passes indicate your room numbers. We will arrive on the moon in exactly 35 hours and 25 minutes. The rooms are limited and only have one small bed. You will have to share with one other passenger, but you should be able to alternate your sleeping times. Have a pleasant trip."

  "What do you want to do first?" Jack asked.

  "Well, I'm not sleepy or hungry so it's either a movie or the casino. Let's see what movies are playing," said Rita.