by Rose Pressey
“Actually, I think I’ll just go home,” I said as I pushed away from the bar.
“I didn’t mean that you have to leave,” Tammy said in a panic.
“No, I know. It’s just that it’s been a weird day. I think it’s time for bed.”
She eyed me suspiciously. Tammy had known me for a lot of years, and she knew I wasn’t going home. She had no way to prove it though. Not since she was still at work and she couldn’t follow me to make sure that was where I went.
“Just be careful,” she said with a worried look. “I’ll call to make sure you’re home… safely.”
“I’ll be as safe as possible,” I said.
“That’s what worries me,” she said.
I waved and headed for the tavern door. Tammy waved back. The expression on her face made it seem as I was headed off for a battle and she might never see me again. Perhaps that was the case.
Once on the sidewalk, I started to turn to the right to head home, but something made me look to the left. That was when I thought for sure I’d seen Mrs. Sullivan heading down the alleyway toward the graveyard. What was she doing now? Snow had started to fall harder now. I couldn’t imagine she would be out in this type of weather. I had to go after her. I hurried over to the alleyway. When I turned the corner, I had fully expected to see Mrs. Sullivan. There was no sign of her.
Was I losing my mind? How could this be? Sometimes demons come manipulate their appearance to look like someone else. Was that the case now? The thought sent a shiver down my spine. I had to walk all the way to the end of the alleyway and have a look for myself. Just to make sure Mrs. Sullivan wasn’t there. I hurried the rest of the way down the alleyway. The only sound was the squeak of my boots across the snow.
I thought about calling out to her, but I didn’t want to scare her. Although she was kind of scaring me now. I suppose I had to let her know I was here. I’d wait until I reached the cemetery and then call out to her. I hoped something wasn’t luring me back here with bad intentions. It was kind of odd that I’d been chased by a bad spirit and now this happened. Surely that couldn’t be a coincidence. I’d told myself that if I saw the spirit again that I would confront it and that was what I planned to do.
When I reached the graveyard gate, I called out, “Mrs. Sullivan, are you here? It’s late and cold, you probably shouldn’t be here.”
I received no response and there was no sign of Mrs. Sullivan. There was no sign of anyone or anything for that matter. Even the owl was missing from the treetop. I was the only living soul out here. I should be home right now.
I peered down and spotted the footprints in the snow. Someone had been here. Since the snow was still falling, I knew that it had been recently too. The footprints led to the cemetery. Should I go inside? Yes, I had to go inside and get to the bottom of this mystery.
The gate groaned loudly as I pushed it open slowly. I stepped inside and followed the footprints. There was no way out of the cemetery other than the gate. Since there was only one set of prints leading into the cemetery and not coming out, I knew that meant the person was still here. It had to be Mrs. Sullivan. What was she doing here? It was awfully late to visit someone’s grave.
Crisp white snow crunched under my boots as I weaved around the gravestones. I followed the path that the person had taken. Why had they made such a zigzagged path? There had to be a reason why I’d been guided here. I just hoped that reason came to me soon before things got more dangerous.
“Mrs. Sullivan?” I whispered.
If she was here, then why wasn’t she answering? I suppose a ghost could have left the footprints in the snow. Since the dark shadow spirit had no discernible legs, I assumed it wasn’t the perpetrator of the footprints.
I paused and scanned the landscape. Still not a soul in sight. Well, not a living soul in sight. I had a feeling a few ghosts were around and just not making their presence known yet. Of course, I was on edge waiting for the moment one would pop out at me. A living person had to be here, right? Mrs. Sullivan had to be here. I’d seen her and now I was following the fresh footprints.
The only way to find out was to follow the footprints more. Soon the falling snow would cover them completely. The graveyard wasn’t that big, though. The person had to be here somewhere. Was someone hiding from me? Maybe they had wanted me to do exactly what I was doing now. And I’d completely fallen for it.
I sensed that I needed to move farther into the graveyard, even though I truly just wanted to go home now and sit by the Christmas tree with a cup of hot cocoa topped with a mountain of marshmallows. It felt as if a spirit was pulling me to a certain location. I hoped that I would figure out why once I got there. Brannon would advise that this was a bad idea. He didn’t want me to confront anything. I suppose I understood his fear. I didn’t like the idea of him facing bad guys on a daily basis either.
Silence surrounded me. A steady stream of snow cascaded to the ground. Big fluffy snowflakes danced in the night sky. The scenery was beautiful and peaceful with the white snow covering the ground and the tops of the gravestones. That silence was broken when the crunch of the freshly fallen snow caught my attention.
My heart beat a little faster and I spun around to see if someone was behind me. I had fully expected to see Mrs. Sullivan. It wasn’t her though. In fact, no one was there. At least not that I saw. Someone was playing with me. When I peered down, I spotted an extra set of footprints. Clearly, they weren’t mine because my footprints were smaller. They were extra from the ones that had gotten me here in the first place.
Chapter 11
I looked all around to see if someone was hiding. I thought maybe they were behind one of the taller gravestones. This was most unsettling. Now I was kind of frozen on the spot and it wasn’t from the icy conditions either. I didn’t know what to do next. I felt as if something was pulling me to a certain spot, but I didn’t want to be in here with something that was menacing or meant me harm either.
Then something caught my attention. It was like a white glow coming from the corner of the cemetery. I watched it for a moment to see what would happen. I was kind of transfixed. It was almost as if the light was beckoning me over. I peered down at the snow. Sure enough, the footprints led right over toward the light. Whoever was in the graveyard had gone in that same direction. It looked as if I would be following in their footsteps.
A short distance across the graveyard I spotted her. She stood in front of a gravestone. I thought about leaving her alone and not saying anything. This was a private moment and she was obviously visiting someone. This made an incredible sadness fall over me. I was just about to turn to leave when she looked back and saw me.
Immediately she yelled, “What are you doing here? Spying on me?”
“No, Mrs. Sullivan. I thought you might be in trouble and I came to see if you’re all right.”
“I don’t need your help.”
I could tell by the tone of her voice that she’d been crying. I couldn’t just leave her here without offering to help. Maybe she just needed someone to talk to.
“I think you do need my help,” I said.
“Go do your Christmas stuff and leave me alone,” she said.
“Why do you hate Christmas so much?” I asked.
She whipped around and glared at me. “Because people are too cheery and it starts way too soon. I don’t want to walk into a store in July and see Christmas decorations.”
“I hardly think that’s the reason why you hate Christmas. You could just overlook those things, and besides, you’re supposed to be cheery at this time of the year. Actually, we should be cheery all the time.”
“Oh, bam humbug,” she said. “I don’t need your cheeriness.”
“I agree with that sentiment,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said.
I jumped and clutched my chest. “Mrs. Clatterbuck! Please don’t do that.”
Mrs. Sullivan frowned. “You are truly a weird one.”
I suppose she couldn’t see Mrs. Clatter
buck. She was truly the tour guide of this cemetery.
“Why are you all here at this time of night?” Mrs. Clatterbuck snapped.
“I don’t need your input in this, Mrs. Clatterbuck. You’re not helping.”
“I’m not here to help. I want you out of the cemetery. I’ve told you. Can’t you get it through that the thick head of yours.” She motioned for me to leave.
“No, I cannot get it through my thick head and I’m not arguing with you right now. I have other things to do, More important things to do. So why don’t you go haunt someone else.”
Mrs. Sullivan stared in confusion. “Who are you talking to?”
“I don’t want to haunt anyone else and I don’t have to,” Mrs. Clatterbuck snapped.
I completely ignored her now, or at least, I was trying to ignore her.
“I want to know the real reason you don’t like Christmas, Mrs. Sullivan,” I said.
She shook her head. “That is the real reason. Now leave me alone.”
There was no way I could leave her out here. The faint sound of singing drifted through the air. Oh no. The carolers. Would they find us here in the graveyard? Even more reason that I couldn’t leave Mrs. Sullivan alone.
“It could be dangerous out here, Mrs. Sullivan. There’s an evil spirit chasing me, and I think it’s after you. Plus, those crazed carolers,” I said.
“See, you shouldn’t like Christmas either,” she snapped.
I wouldn’t offer a response to that remark. The voices of the carolers grew closer. I knew they’d find us soon. Maybe the dark shadow would chase them away. No. I didn’t want that dark shadow back again. Which was worse? The dark shadow or the carolers? Definitely the carolers.
“Is there anything I can do?” I asked as I stepped closer.
“No,” she said through a sniffle. “Unless…”
“Unless what?” I asked.
Now she’d turned her attention toward me. “Maybe you can help.”
She pointed at the gravestone in front of us. The name Edward Sullivan was etched across the stone. Date of birth was April 14, 1937, and the date of death was December 25, 2017. This explained everything to me.
“Was that your husband?” I asked.
She nodded but didn’t look at me. She stared at the headstone.
“I’m sorry for your loss, Mrs. Sullivan,” I said.
“Oh, for heaven’s sake, you can call me Sarah.” She waved her hand still without glancing my way.
Wow, maybe I was breaking through her hard exterior.
“Okay, Sarah,” I said.
Obviously since her husband had died on Christmas everything about the holiday reminded her of her loss. There wasn’t a thing I could do to change that and now I completely understood why she felt that way. Though that still didn’t give her an excuse to steal other’s decorations.
Movement caught my attention and I looked to the left. I spotted someone standing across the graveyard. He stood by the iron fence next to the pine tree. A headstone was nearby, but he stood closer to the tree as if maybe leaning up against it. Although his body wasn’t actually touching the tree. He was somewhat transparent. Though I definitely knew it was a man. He hadn’t been there before. Where had this ghost come from?
I looked around to see if Mrs. Clatterbuck was still there. She had disappeared. Sure, the one time I wanted her to be here she was nowhere in sight. I had hoped maybe she could tell me who this man was. Just then Mrs. Sullivan gasped.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“It can’t be,” she said. “It just can’t be.”
“Is everything all right, Mrs. Sullivan? I mean, Sarah.”
“Edward?” she called out.
That was her late husband?
The man moved closer to us. Slowly walking across the graveyard. This possibly explained the extra set of footprints in the snow. The closer he got, the less transparent he became. Sarah stood in stunned silence as she stared at her husband’s ghost.
Chapter 12
“Sarah,” he said.
His voice came out clear as if talking to any living person.
“Is that really you, Edward?” her voice trembled as she spoke. “I can’t believe it’s you. I must be dreaming.”
She looked to me for confirmation as if I would wake her from this dream.
I nodded. “It’s him.”
“How is this possible?” she asked.
“I don’t know how this paranormal stuff works. I just watch it happen,” I said.
“It’s me, Sarah,” he said.
“You came to see me?” she asked.
“I’m always coming to see you. I know when you talk to me while baking in the kitchen. When you’re tending to the roses out back in the summer. I’m around all the time.”
Tears formed in my eyes. I wanted to step away and let them have this private time alone, but I worried if I made one move that Mr. Sullivan would disappear. If he’d been around, then he had to know what she’d been doing with Christmas.
“Remember the reason for this holiday is not me,” he said.
Mrs. Sullivan pondered that for a moment and then nodded.
“Please remember all the fun times we had and continued to celebrate those memories until we’re together again.”
“I think I’m gonna cry,” I said. “And I have no tissue.”
Mrs. Clatterbuck stood beside me again. I figured she wouldn’t stay away for long. Not with this many people on her turf. A tissue fell to my feet. I looked over at her.
“I’ve got everything in here,” she said, gesturing toward her brown pocketbook.
I reached down and picked up the tissue before the snow could completely render it useless. I slowly stepped away from Mr. and Mrs. Sullivan. He had started to fade, and I knew he wouldn’t have the energy needed to stay around for much longer. They could talk without me eavesdropping. If he didn’t notice me moving, then he wouldn’t be distracted and fade away immediately. He had to use all his energy to focus on his wife. At least Mrs. Clatterbuck had taken the cue and had stepped away from the area too. She walked along beside me as I headed toward the gate.
“Funny, I don’t hear the carolers now. I thought for sure they’d show up here,” I said.
“Thank heavens for that,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said.
Something didn’t feel right though. I sensed that something was about to happen, but I wasn’t sure what. Would the carolers show up soon? Or the dark shadow? So far there was still no sign of them. I felt like it was the calm before the winter storm. And I’d thought it had been the storm back in the graveyard with Mrs. Sullivan. That had turned out completely different than I’d thought. Much to my relief.
I stepped out of the graveyard and over just a bit so that I could see down the alleyway. Sure enough, here came the carolers.
“Oh no, here they come,” I said. “I have nowhere to go. I’m trapped.”
“Just stay calm. I’ll take care of them,” Mrs. Clatterbuck said.
Was she really going to defend me?
“Consider this my Christmas gift to you,” she said.
“Oh, Mrs. Clatterbuck, I didn’t get you anything.”
“Staying away from my graveyard will be enough.”
Sorry, but I couldn’t give her that Christmas gift. I’d wait until she got rid of the carolers before I told her, though. The carolers weren’t singing which was a bit odd. They’d been singing all night. Maybe their vocal cords had finally gotten too tired. The group kept their focus on me. They didn’t act as if they even saw Mrs. Clatterbuck. When she realized they weren’t paying attention to her she stepped in front of me. No way would Mrs. Clatterbuck be ignored. That did it. They seemed to notice her now. Their eyes widened. Mrs. Clatterbuck no doubt had to use a lot of energy for the group to see her.
Something seemed different about the carolers now. The look in their eyes had changed. I was cautious though as they approached me.
“What in heaven’s name is go
ing on here?” Mrs. Clatterbuck grumbled.
“What are you all up to?” I asked with a raised eyebrow.
They didn’t answer right away. I crossed my arms in front of me in a defensive stance.
“We are so sorry,” the woman wearing the black cloak said.
“Sorry for chasing me and trying to kill me?” I asked.
“I don’t think we would’ve killed you, dear. I don’t know what we would’ve done. We weren’t ourselves.”
“That black shadow thing attached to us and we were having negative thoughts,” another caroler said.
“You mean you were possessed by the dark shadow?” I asked.
“That’s what we’re saying, yes,” the woman answered with a nod.
“So how did you get away from it?” Mrs. Clatterbuck asked.
If she hadn’t asked, I would have. I couldn’t wait to hear the answer to this. I wasn’t sure that I believed they weren’t possessed any more. I was suspicious and would keep my guard up.
Before the carolers had a chance to answer, Brannon rushed down the alleyway toward us.
“Is everything all right back here?” he asked.
“Everything’s okay, I think,” I said.
He looked confused. “What does that mean?”
“I think the carolers were possessed, but now they said they’re not. I’m not sure what’s going on, but it’s weird.”
“Do you all care to explain in detail?” Brannon directed the question to the carolers.
“We were just on the sidewalk singing our songs earlier today when all of a sudden this black shadow came out of nowhere. It just descended on all of us. We ran but as soon we got back together, we started feeling strange. We just wanted to get you,” she said, pointing at me.
“Me?” I gestured toward myself. “What did I do to deserve that?”
“I don’t know. I think you’ll have to ask that dark shadow that question.”
I scoffed. “Yeah, like that’s going to happen. Number one, it can’t talk to me. And number two, I don’t want to confront it.”
