The old man said that his name was Frank Johnson and that he was the owner of the cemetery. He had been sick for a long time and was not able to keep the place up. He said that people did not want to get buried there anymore because they thought the place was hunted. However, there were still a few unoccupied spaces that had been purchased but unfilled and, as a matter of fact, he had one customer that had to be buried by law before the day was done. He had no equipment except a shovel and he was too weak to do it himself. Mr. Johnson said that if Jimmy wanted the job, he would have to dig a hole six feet deep for his customer. (He pointed to an old pinewood coffin lying on the ground near by.) Jimmy would have to put the coffin in the hole and cover it up by midnight. If Jimmy did that, Mr. Johnson said that he would pay him to clean up the place during the summer.
Jimmy grabbed the shovel and said, “Where do I dig?” The old man lead Jimmy up a broken path through the overgrown foliage, under giant oak trees to a dark spot towards the center of the cemetery. The old man pointed to the spot and said, “Funny thing about this customer, his name was Jimmy, just like your name. He first died forty years ago in a farming accident, but just as they were about to cover him up, his eyes opened and he was alive. They thought that he might have been in a comma or something and the doctors mistakenly thought he was dead. He lived a full life until last month when he really did die. His dying wish was to be buried in the same coffin and the same spot used the first time. His last will and testament stated that he did not want to be buried until the last possible day allowed by law and that was today.” Mr. Johnson said that he thought that was because Jimmy was afraid to be buried alive like what almost happened to him years before.
Mr. Johnson said that he did not feel well and so he thought that he would go home. He told Jimmy that since he would be working late that night, to not worry about coming in to work until the day after tomorrow. Mr. Johnson turned and left while Jimmy started to dig.
Jimmy was about three feet down when the sun went down and the shadows of the graveyard turned into darkness. Thank goodness Mr. Johnson had left a lantern to give some light. The air became heavy with dew which turned into a mist rising from the graves. A slight breeze stirred the trees just enough to flicker the lantern light and give movement to the shadows caused by the light.
As eleven o’clock approached, Jimmy had dug down about five feet and the graveyard had become very scary. The breeze made the tree limps sway, rubbing on one another making all sorts of strange sounds. The mist was heavy and the night was very dark. Silent lightning flashed far away and the clouds must have been heavy since there was no star or moonlight. Suddenly, Jimmy remembered that no one knew where he was. I’m sure my Mom is very worried about me, he thought as he quickened his pace.
As eleven thirty arrived Jimmy was about to take the last shovel full of dirt out of the hole when all of a sudden his shovel head hit something hard. Jimmy tried a different spot and it was just as hard. Jimmy brushed the dirt off with his hands to discover, what looked like, the top of a coffin.
At first Jimmy was afraid and he knew he was running out of time. Jimmy noticed that the lid was not nailed shut so he decided to look inside, believing the coffin was empty. Rain started to fall and the lightning was getting closer. The wind picked up. Jimmy reached down putting his fingers under the lid on one side. He slowly pulled the lid up and just as he was about to see inside, a big gust of wind blew the lantern light out. A lightning bolt cracked loudly overhead and…………
That is why people who work in cemeteries do not like the graveyard shift.
*****
Chapter 11 - Building maintenance
It happened one day at the tallest office building in town. The maintenance man, Fred, did all the repairs in the building. He made sure that the elevators worked, the air conditioning cooled, the heater heated, the toilets flushed and the lights came on.
The office building was home to a very important corporation and the president of the corporation liked Fred, because Fred always let him know what was going on with his building.
On this particular day, Fred was hard at work repairing items on his repair list when he had a fatal heart attack. Everybody was very sad because they all liked Fred. Everybody went to Fred’s funeral and wished him farewell.
Back at the office the next day, the president was very busy with a lot of work with pending deadlines.
Fred was dead, but his spirit could not rest because he still had a lot of repairs to do on his repair list.
The president’s secretary was on her way to the copy room when all of a sudden she saw a ghost in the hallway. Not knowing that it was Fred’s ghost, she went rushing back into the president’s office and said to the president, “Sir, sir there’s a ghost in the hallway. What shall I do with him?” Without looking up from his work the president said, “Tell him I can’t see him.”
*****
Chapter 12 - The cub scout
When I was young growing up in Orion, I used to go to work with my Granddad who owned a motel in town. As the story goes, this one room in the hotel was haunted. When the hotel was first built a man got into a fight in a bar. He took a tremendous right cross too his left eye and the punch knocked him out. Folks hauled him up to his room to sleep it off, but he never woke up. He was found dead in the room the next morning by the cleaning lady.
Since then, no one was able to stay in the room because of the ghost of the man. One day, a woman needed a room. Granddad said, "Sorry, mam, I've only got one room left and it’s haunted." "I don’t believe in that stuff, I'll take it," replied the woman.
While preparing for bed, she heard a voice that said, "I'm the ghost with one black eye.” Scared her half to death! She ran out the front door and was never seen again.
A few months later, a cowboy rented the room. Granddad said it was haunted, but the cowboy said, "Heck, partner, I rope bulls and eat rattlesnakes. I ain't afeared of no ghost." But, as he was taking a bath, he heard, "I'm the ghost with one black eye."
The cowboy jumped out of the bath and went running naked out of the room, down main street and right out of town never to be seen again.
The room sat vacant for several years until a U.S. Marshall drove into town. He asked Granddad for a room, but all the rooms were taken except for the haunted one. "That's fine,” said the Marshall. "I've killed 21 men, been shot 6 times, stabbed 3 times, and I eat raw meat. No goofy ghost is going to scare me."
So, the Marshall went up to his room. As soon as he closed the door he heard, "I'm the ghost with one black eye." He turned and smashed right through the door, jumped into his car, and drove out of town screaming at the top of his lungs.
A couple years after that, a family was passing through town on a family vacation. Any idea how many rooms were left? NOPE - there were TWO rooms left! But, the mother and father wanted their own room and their young son could have his own. Granddad told them about the ghost, but the boy just said, "Wow! A real Ghost? Great!"
The mom and dad went to their room and the boy opened his up and went in. He took a bath, got ready for bed, and hopped under the covers. Just then, he heard, "I'm the ghost with one black eye." The boy hollered back, "Well, I'm a Cub Scout and you don't scare me! If you don't shut up, you're gonna be the ghost with two black eyes!"
*****
Chapter 13 - The long sales call
One morning, Mary Katherine, a door to door saleswoman of fine women’s household products, knocked on Mr. Benson’s door and asked if the lady of the house was in. Mr. Benson, a quiet man of few words, responded succinctly that his wife wasn't there.
“Well,” continued Mary, “Could I please wait for her return?” Mr. Benson stated that he did not think his wife would be home anytime soon, but if she wanted to wait she was welcome to. Mr. Benson showed her into the living room and left her there for several hours.
Mary called out to Mr. Benson and asked him if he was able to call his wife to inquire as to when she would be home. Mr. Benson said that he
was sure his wife would not answer the call.
The saleswoman began to feel a little worried so she called out to Mr. Benson and asked, “May I know where your wife is?”
“She went to the cemetery,” he replied.
“Oh I’m sorry,” said Mary, “Was it somebody close to you?”
“Yes very close,” was Mr. Benson’s response
“Did you go to the funeral?” Mary asked.
“Yes,” said Mr. Benson.
“So you think your wife will be coming home soon?” asked Mary.
“I don't really know,” Mr. Benson said and then he added.
“She's been there eleven years now.”
*****
Chapter 14 - The viper
Paul was a wealthy retired businessman who lived alone in a large house just out beyond the mall. His wife had died years earlier and they had no children. Paul took great pride in his house and always kept it in impeccable condition. One sunny day, Paul was out in his garden and had a heart attack. The ambulance took him to the hospital as fast as possible, but it was too late.
Paul left his house and belongings to his only living heir, his niece Beth. Paul had only meet Beth a few times as a child. She lived in the next state over in a small run down apartment. Beth also lived alone since she was not married. When Beth found out that she had inherited a large house and money to live in it, she became very excited and looked forward to starting a new life. She packed her few belongings up and moved into her Uncle Paul’s house. She looked forward to making it her own.
A couple of nights later, Beth had just finished dinner when the phone rang breaking the silence of the house. She answered the phone with a, “Hello.” A voice on the other side said, “I am the Viper and I vill be there tomorrow.” Beth did not know what to think. The Viper would be here tomorrow? Who could that be? Why would he be coming here? She thought maybe it was a wrong number or a prank call. She decided to ignore it and settle in for a good night’s sleep.
Beth awoke refreshed and went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. While she was enjoying her second cup of coffee the phone rang. Remembering the strange call from the evening before, Beth answered it hesitantly. The voice on the other end said, “This is the Viper and I vill be there this afternoon,” and then hung up.
Beth started to become afraid. Should she call the police? Should she leave the house and take a room at the local hotel? Beth decided to pick some flowers out of the garden and, being such a beautiful day, she became preoccupied and time flew by. It was well after lunch when the phone rang again. Beth thought about not answering it, but decided to anyway. “Hello,” she said. The voice on the other end said, “This is the Viper and I’ll be there in less than an hour.”
Beth froze with fear. She hung up the phone and then immediately called the police. After telling the police her story, they said that they would be right out. After hanging up with the police, she felt better and unplugged the phone from the wall.
About fifteen minutes later, there came a knock at the front door. Beth, thinking it was the police, rushed to the door and opened it. There in front of her stood a large unshaven man, his shirt wet with sweat, his long graying hair blowing in the breeze. He had a tool of some sort in one hand and a bucket in the other. Beth’s legs almost collapsed under her, thinking that a maniac was about to torture and kill her. The man looked up at her and said, “I am the viper and I am here to do my monthly vindow vashing and viping.”
*****
Chapter 15 - A full moon
A paranormal investigative group in the state was called to a haunted house. The homeowners warned the group that the house was haunted by an especially "evil" spirit that enjoyed playing pranks. The team leader of the paranormal society invited a close friend to come along. He was a physicist and amateur paranormal investigator, who everyone called "Doc". Doc believed that there were no such things as ghosts or poltergeists, and that every type of haunting or unusual phenomenon had a reasonable, earthly explanation.
They traveled across the state in three vehicles filled with team members and equipment. Upon arriving at the home, the team immediately started setting up the monitoring equipment as the team leader and his friend, Doc, received a tour of the home from the homeowner.
At one point in the tour, as the three men approach the staircase that led to the second floor, very loud footsteps could be heard on the upstairs landing.
"Is anyone else home?" Doc asked the homeowner.
"No, my wife's at work and we have no kids," the homeowner replied.
Excited to have his first opportunity to confront an alleged ghostly spirit, Doc walked to the bottom of the stairs.
"Come on! You can do better than that you lousy ghost!" Doc yelled up the stairwell.
"Doc, I wouldn't do that if I were you," the paranormal team leader advised. Doc ignored him. Instead, he stepped up onto the bottom step.
"If you're really a ghost, why don't you show us what you can do, you lousy, no-good prankster!" Doc yelled.
At that very moment, his pants flew down around his ankles. The homeowner and the team leader burst into laughter as Doc, terrified, struggled to pull his pants back up. He then stumbled as fast as he could out the front door of the house. He refused to re-enter the house or to talk about the episode ever again. However, the episode went down in the records as one of the most humorous moments the paranormal team had ever witnessed in a haunted home.
*****
Chapter 16 - Spell check
Brad and Jeff had a tough week at school. They both had a pop quiz in science and had not done well. Their parents would find out next week when school progress reports were due to go home. They knew that they were doomed to weeks of extra study time and that any fun stuff would be severely curtailed. Since it was Friday night the two boys knew that this might be their only chance to get out and do something fun. They both wanted to see the new horror movie at the theater and they both liked seeing other people get scared so they decided to go to the movies.
The movie was great. All the girls screamed every few minutes and everybody jumped in their seats more than once. All they could talk about, as they left the theater, were the neat scary parts of the movie. As they followed the path home, they were about to pass the old Hollingsworth Cemetery when, just for laughs, the boys dared each other to take the short cut through it.
The old graveyard was a scary place. There were a lot of criminals buried there from the penitentiary just over the hill. They even said that it was haunted by ghosts.
Right in the middle of the dark and creepy cemetery, the boys were startled by a tap-tap-tapping noise coming from the misty shadows. Trembling with fear, they headed towards the noise since there was no way around it and soon found an old man with a hammer and chisel, chipping away at one of the headstones. "Holy cow, Mister," Brad said after catching his breath, "You scared us half to death -- we thought you were a ghost! What are you doing working here so late at night?"
"Those fools!" the old man grumbled. "They misspelled my name!"
*****
Chapter 17 - A boy’s best friend forever
It was a beautiful sunny fall Saturday. The air was crisp with fluffy clouds and the sky was bright blue. My Mom and Dad told me to load up into the car because we were going to take a little ride. We drove for about a half hour when Dad pulled the car into a dusty parking lot. Looking out the window, I could tell it was a big flea market. Dad and Mom said we were just going to look around for a few minutes. I had never been to a flea market before so I looked forward to seeing what was there.
I was having a great time. There were all sorts of booths, with all sorts of stuff that people were trying to sell. We kept moving through the covered sheds when we happened into an area where they were selling pets. There were all sorts of cats and dogs, lizards, birds, turtles, hamsters and such. We stopped at one booth where the man was selling a litter of Labrador puppies. He had two cages with several puppies that were bl
ack and chocolate in color in one cage and another cage which housed just one white puppy. I had always wanted a dog. Mom and Dad talked to the man at the booth and then talked to each other and then the next thing I knew the puppy was in my arms and we were heading home.
When we got home, my first job was to name the puppy. What name should I use? I thought about calling him Snow, but then the name Ghost popped into my head. That was the right name, I thought.
Ghost and I grew up together over the years. Every morning we went for walks before school and Ghost was always waiting for me at the door with a wagging tail when I got home. We played ball in the yard and went into the woods in the state park that bordered our property to chase squirrels. Ghost never left my side and even slept on the floor next to my bed.
Our neighbor, Mr. Hamilton, had a big garden and, every once in a while, he would invite Ghost and me over to munch on some fresh produce. Ghost would try anything and liked most things when it came to eating.
Late one summer day, when Mr. Hamilton had invited us over to the garden to pick strawberries, Ghost and I were heading down a row of berry plants when, all of a sudden, Ghost started barking and jumped in front of me just as I was reaching down to pick a particularly large strawberry. Just at that moment, I heard the sound of a rattle and backed up. I realized that Ghost had saved me from being bitten by a large rattlesnake hiding under the strawberry plant. Ghost came over to me and started licking my face while Mr. Hamilton killed the snake with a hoe.
Fun Campfire Ghost Stories Page 3
