Black Hearts Dance

by Gerald Lopez

  She turned to us and I saw a look of pure horror on her face that sent chills down my spine. I could hear Mrs. Carson gasp behind me and saw the ghost look past me and shriek. Alex and Mrs. Carson were almost at the foot of the stairs. The ghost looked back at the table, spun around in place rapidly, then ran around and around the dining table shrieking. The table shook hard and started to rise in the air toward the ceiling.

  “Get back, Rory,” I said.

  Rory was behind me, trying to drag me away. I started to slowly back up when the table started spinning and spinning in place, then it quickly headed back down. I pushed Rory to the ground and got on top of him, covering his body with mine as the table came crashing down and pieces of it went flying everywhere. After I brushed myself off, I pulled Rory up and we ran back to the stairs. Rory stood by Alex and Mrs. Carson and I blocked the stairway with my body as the ghost looked our way. In the blink of an eye, Veronica had left the dining room and was just mere feet from me. I could hear Lucky howling upstairs.

  “Alex, the crucifix.” He tossed the crucifix to me and I held it out in front of me. “You will not move further, ghost! I will solve the mysteries of Carson Court, I promise you that.”

  The ghost wailed and floated in the air. I knew her next move would be to rush at us because of the way she was positioned—and I would stop her. While I raised the crucifix to the ghost’s eye level, I spoke.

  “As the master of this house I declare that the walls and foundation of this home are covered in the blood shed by Jesus the Christ on Calvary. And in the holy name of Jesus the Christ I say you will no longer have a place in this home and must leave, ghost of Veronica!”

  A violent wind filled the space, and Veronica spun and screamed where she was, but didn’t move closer. I turned to the others and spoke.

  “These are my people, covered in the blood of Jesus and in his name I declare you will have no hold over them. Leave this house in the name of Jesus Christ. I could hear the backdoor open and slam against the wall, then saw the ghost head that way.

  “Stay here with Mrs. Carson, Alex,” I said, then raced after the ghost followed by Rory.

  The ghost went outside, then headed toward the seating area in the courtyard to the left and I followed. Once there, she hovered and wailed. That was when Elise and Shannon appeared dressed in pajama pants and tops. The ghost noticed Elise when she gasped. Elise and Shannon saw us and ran our way. I ran toward them as quickly as I could, but the ghost caught up to Elise before I did and brushed her side knocking her to the ground.

  “Stop, Veronica!” I said. She floated back into the air above the sitting area.

  Shannon was by Elise’s side.

  “She’s cold, Layton!” Shannon said. “Icy cold!”

  “We’ve gotta get her in the house,” Rory said, trying to help Elise up.

  “Move,” I said, then proceeded to do the fireman’s lift to get Elise up and over my shoulder. “Go ahead and get the door.”

  We made it back to the house quickly, where Miss Maribelle, who must’ve just arrived, rushed us into the kitchen. She was wearing a thick, plaid, robe.

  “What happened?” Miss Maribelle said.

  “The ghost of Veronica touched her,” Rory said.

  “Mrs. Carson, we need warm blankets… lots of them, quick!” Miss Maribelle yelled down the hall.

  “OK!” Mrs. Carson yelled back from somewhere in the front of the house.

  “I need to boil some water,” Miss Maribelle said. “The rest of you rub Elise down to get her warm.”

  Miss Maribelle ran hot water in the sink then began boiling a pot of water, while the rest of us rubbed Elise with our hands trying to warm her. After she grabbed a towel that was in the kitchen, Miss Maribelle put it under the hot water to get it wet, then handed it to Shannon and spoke. “Put that on her head and hold it there, we’ve gotta get her warm she’s been bit by the ghost.”

  Chapter 16

  Ghostbite

  ALEX ENTERED the kitchen with his arms full of blankets. We took the blankets and wrapped them around Elise, whose teeth were chattering.

  “Mrs. Carson is working on lighting the fireplace in the guest bedroom, so we can move Elise there when we think she’s able to be moved,” Alex said. “Miss Maribelle heard the ghost wailing and came over to check on us. She lives in the house directly to the left of the open field.”

  Miss Maribelle dunked a towel Alex had brought with the blankets into the pot of water that was previously boiling but had been allowed to cool somewhat. After putting on some rubber gloves she found by the sink, Miss Maribelle took the towel out of the pot, squeezed the excess water out of it and into the sink, then walked toward Elise with it. Miss Maribelle made sure the towel wasn’t hot enough to burn Elise, then she carefully wrapped it around Elise’s shoulders.

  “We need to help her upstairs to the fireplace,” Miss Maribelle said. “She’s got ghostbite.”

  Rory, Alex, and I helped Elise up the stairs while Miss Maribelle and Shannon stayed behind to prepare some more hot towels.

  Mrs. Carson was waiting in the large guestroom on the left for us. The fireplace had a blazing fire and Mrs. Carson had a chair prepared for Elise next to it. We gently lowered Elise into the chair and Mrs. Carson rubbed her granddaughter’s shoulders while Alex removed Elise’s slip-on shoes and rubbed her feet. The color had started returning to Elise’s face. Shannon walked inside with a basket full of damp towels.

  “Miss Maribelle said to strip Elise down, put these hot towels on her, then cover her with the blankets,” Shannon said. “I think we can manage it without you men.”

  “Probably, but Alex is staying to help anyway,” I said. “Rory and I are going to see if our ghost is still out there.”

  “Be careful,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “You’d better have some more hot towels ready just in case, because I’m not coming back without answers,” I said. “Let’s go, Rory.”

  Rory silently followed me as I made my way back to the outdoor seating area where I theorized the ghost would be waiting. My theory was correct and we found her whirling in place above the center of the seating area, her sheer white gown blowing around her.

  “If she wasn’t so damn scary, she’d be beautiful,” Rory said.

  “Why the dining room and then here?” I said.

  “I don’t know, man,” Rory said.

  I walked forward and put the same question to the ghost. “Why the dining room, Veronica? Why this place?”

  She looked down at me and opened her mouth, but no sound came out—not even a wail. Then she floated down, her hands held out toward me and I reached for them.

  “No!” Rory said.

  But it was too late. I was in the air with the ghost, floating in perfect peace as I looked at the area around me which was brightly lit, but not in the same way as a mere second ago. There were Tiki torches all around and women dressed in long white dresses. Men were there in suits. It was a gathering of some sort and I tried to see what was going on, but I felt cold, damp grass on my back… then everything went black.

  I heard people talking as if they were rushing around me. My back was against a hard surface now and I felt like I was freezing. A cold shiver went up my spine and my teeth chattered.

  “Get your belt off and put the leather part in his mouth, Rory.”

  Mrs. Carson had said that. My legs were tingling, so were my arms, and I couldn’t open my eyes. Don’t panic I told myself, remember your training.

  “Soldier, come back to us!”

  It was a command from Mrs. Carson. My eyes instantly opened, but my limbs were beyond my control. They were flailing about… and my head and jaws were shaking. I was convulsing on the floor of the back patio and I was freezing. Instinctively I bit down on the leather belt in my mouth. For a second, I caught a glance of Alex’s worried face.

  “Leave him be, till it’s finished,” Mrs. Carson said. Just keep everything out of his way so he can’t hurt himself
.

  Why was I so damn cold? The convulsions continued for at least another minute.

  “He’s stopped,” Mrs. Carson said. “Rory, pick him up like you did when you brought him here, then you and Alex strip down and get in the shower with Layton just like I told you to do.”

  Still not fully aware of what was happening I felt myself being flung over Rory’s shoulder and taken upstairs to the same guestroom Elise was in. The next thing I knew I was naked in an extremely hot shower being kept upright by Alex and Rory who were also naked. The bathroom door opened and Mrs. Carson walked inside.

  “Keep Layton in there until the water grows cold, then the three of you dry off and get into bed naked to keep him from getting hypothermia. Miss Maribelle is preparing some hot stones to put in the bed with you and Shannon got some more wood for the fireplace. That was a damn foolish thing you did, soldier.”

  “Sorry, Ma’am,” I said, not sure of what it was I’d done.

  “Well, I’m guessing you’ve learned your lesson,” Mrs. Carson said. “Not that you don’t deserve a good spanking or two.”

  “Or three,” Alex said, then spanked my ass hard with his hand more than once. “The spankings will help your body warm up, Layton. Mrs. Carson just gave me the idea with her comment.”

  Mrs. Carson left the room. The spankings from Alex continued and I was pretty sure Rory had given me one or two spankings as well, but things were still hazy. Only, it did seem like the spankings really were helping me warm up.

  When the water started to get lukewarm, Rory shut it off, he and Alex dried me and themselves, then helped me out of the bathroom. We went straight from the bathroom to the bed where Shannon and Miss Maribelle had the comforter pulled back. Once the three of us were in bed, the women put the original comforter plus several more on top of us.

  “Let me check his head,” Mrs. Carson said.

  I was lying down between Rory and Alex and Mrs. Carson had to lean over to check my forehead.

  “He’ll live,” Mrs. Carson said. “But you men cuddle up close all night, he can’t catch a chill.”

  “Elise… how?” I said, so tired and cold I was unable to form a complete sentence.

  “She’ll be fine,” Shannon said.

  “We’re all gonna be sleeping together in this room like one big happy family,” Miss Maribelle said. “The body heat will help along with the fire and comforters.”

  “Goooo… nighhh,” I said, before my world went dark for the second time that evening.

  No dreams came to me and I was grateful for that. When I awoke, I felt four strong arms holding me tight and very close. It was warm and comforting, so I didn’t open my eyes.

  “The rest of us are all awake, boss,” Rory said.

  “I think you’re enjoying this a little too much, Layton,” Alex said.

  “Good morning, sweetheart,” I said, then opened my eyes and kissed Rory’s cheek before laughing, turning to my left, and giving Alex a discreet kiss on the lips.

  “Well, he’s still got a sense of humor,” Shannon said.

  “That’s about the only sense he has,” Mrs. Carson said, then slapped my leg hard through the comforters.

  “When he finally gets out of bed, I’m likely to slap his face not just his leg,” Miss Maribelle said. “A good Christian man should know better than to commune with the spirits of the dead.”

  I freed myself of the strong arms around me and sat up in bed. “Is that what I did last night… commune with a ghost?”

  “That’s it in a nutshell,” Elise said. “I just got brushed aside by the ghost and it hit me hard. I don’t know how you survived ‘communing’ with one.”

  “Cause I’m a man,” I said giddily. “Sorry, I have no idea where that came from. I guess my military training helped me survive. We were taught how to deal with temperature changes and such. But that cold was unlike anything I’d ever felt before.”

  “Because it was the cold hand of death that touched the two of you last night,” Miss Maribelle said.

  “Layton, you promise me right now you’ll never do anything like that again,” Mrs. Carson said.

  “Oh, I promise,” I said. “That was scary and I don’t even recall all of it. What time is it? Don’t we have a party to get ready for?”

  “It’s nine-thirty in the morning,” Elise said. “The party’s not until nine tonight, thank God. It’s Grandma’s annual LGBT fund-raising event.”

  “I don’t go to parties… and I didn’t hear anything about you being invited, Layton Shayne,” Miss Maribelle said. “If it were me I’d make you stay in bed all day.”

  “Well, with such fine company I might just do that,” I said, then flashed a huge grin to Miss Maribelle.

  Everyone laughed, I turned to my bed companions and blew each of them a kiss.

  “He knows he’s invited,” Mrs. Carson said. “And I don’t see how keeping him in bed would punish him or help him to rest. It’d probably get him more active than ever.”

  Again more laughter. I saw Elise push the blankets that were on her aside and stand up. At some point she’d put her pajamas back on, which is more than I could say for myself.

  “Shannon, would you go with me down to the kitchen so I can help fix breakfast,” Elise said.

  “You two can go downstairs,” Mrs. Carson said. “But Miss Maribelle and I will be doing the cooking.” She pointed a long finger at the three of us in bed and spoke. “You men stay right where you are. I’ll have breakfast sent up.”

  “Yes, Ma’am,” I said.

  Everyone left the room except for me, Rory, and Alex.

  “You boys will have to enlighten me,” I said, and smiled. “Was I good last night?”

  “Oh, brother,” Alex said. “You were so damn cold, if you’d managed to get it up I think it would’ve broken off.”

  “Ouch,” I said. “That would’ve hurt.”

  “It sure as hell wouldn’t have been a good thing,” Rory said. “Let’s check how you’re doing this morning.”

  I saw Rory reach down, then felt his hand around my cock and saw a grin on his face.

  “Damn—Alex, yours is prettier but his is definitely thicker,” Rory said, releasing my cock.

  “Alex is prettier all the way around compared to me,” I said.

  “I won’t argue with you about that,” Rory said. “You’re more the junkyard dog type like I am.”

  “Don’t call my baby a dog,” Alex said, then smiled.

  I stretched my foot out, felt something fuzzy, heard a low growl, and saw movement under the comforters. Lucky popped out from under the comforter and looked right at me.

  “They threw everything in bed with us to keep us warm including Lucky,” Alex said. “Dogs can generate a lot of heat.”

  “Damn, but I really was cold… I remember that much,” I said.

  “It’s like Miss Maribelle told you, it was the cold hand of death that touched you,” Rory said. “Ghosts are the spirits of dead people you know.”

  “Only the spirits of dead people who haven’t moved on for some reason,” I said. “And we need to find out the reason why our ghost is still hanging around.”

  Chapter 17

  The Other Mystery

  SHANNON BROUGHT up a tray with our hearty breakfasts on it which consisted of pancakes, scrambled eggs, bacon, and orange juice. She put the tray in front of us on the bed, then walked back to the door.

  “Elise said she’ll come and get the plates later’,” Shannon said, then turned to Lucky. “C’mon, Lucky, your Momma has your breakfast waiting for you downstairs.”

  “Hang on,” I said. “Here’s a reward for keeping me warm last night, Lucky.” I broke off a piece of bacon then put it in Lucky’s mouth.” He gobbled it up and looked for more. “Sorry, that’s all. OK , maybe one more piece.” I broke off another piece of my bacon and threw it out the bedroom door. Lucky leaped from the bed and ran after it.

  “Shannon,” I said. “Do you think you’ll have time b
efore the party to fill me in on what happened here with your uncle and cousin?”

  “Sure, Layton. Where can I find you?”

  “I think I’m going to go for a jog after breakfast, then probably stroll the grounds of the estate. That sounds so funny just saying that—‘stroll the grounds’.”

  “You and Alex are lords of the manor now, so to speak,” Shannon said. “The main house may not be as large as, say an English manor house, but there are definitely ‘grounds’.”

  Lucky tried to come back into the room but Shannon bent down and picked him up in her arms.

  “I’ll see you later, Layton,” Shannon said. “Enjoy your breakfast, fellas.”

  “Bye,” Alex said.

  “Bye,” Rory said.

  Shannon waved to us, left the room, and closed the door behind her.

  The three of us seemed to all be ravenous and we ate in silence.

  “Well, dudes, unless you need me for anything,” Rory said, “Anything at all, I’d better get up and go to work.”

  “After that encounter last night, I’m not up for much of that sort of thing,” I said. “Not that I don’t appreciate the offer.”

  “And how’s about you, Alex?” Rory said. “We can always put on a show for Layton.”

  “Hmmm,” Alex said, then winked at me before turning to Rory. “I think I’ll pass this time, Rory. But, much appreciated.”

  “No problem,” Rory said, then got up from bed.

  I watched Rory’s naked ass while he walked to his boxers on the chair in front of the bed—and I looked even more closely when he bent over to put his boxers on. Before leaving, he waved good-bye and threw us each a kiss. Alex and I looked at one another and laughed.

  “The man does have one helluva an ass,” I said. “If I could keep my jealousy under control, I bet the two of you really could put on a heck of a show.”

  “And here I was thinking it might be fun to see you take Rory’s full ass,” Alex said. “Sort of a master of the house gets it on with the gardener type of fantasy.”

  “Maybe I’m wrong to think of you as my angel,” I said. “That comment was kind of dirty… and I liked it.” I leaned over and kissed him. “As nice as this is, we’d better get up.”